Pretenders and Expenders

Today's sermon is called Pretenders and Expenders. Back a decade or so ago, there was a TV show starring Michael T. Weiss, and it was actually titled The Pretender. Does anybody remember that show? Yeah, okay. Namath does, and Jeff does, and that's about all. I guess that's why it didn't stay on that long. But it was a show about a certain individual named Jared, who was a gifted child who was actually, I think, kidnapped or whatever by this think-tank that actually took exceptional genius children and raised them and used them for their own sometimes nefarious deeds. But this individual in the show, the star, he learned a very young age that he could read a book, read anything, and he had such an incredible mind that he could become an engineer by reading a couple books. He could, and he was gifted with his hands, he was gifted with everything, so he could be a doctor. He could pretend to be anyone. That's where the title came from. And eventually he escaped from them, and he had to survive by pretending to be various people and had various talents and gifts because he wanted to take those talents then and be able to help people. That's why he's called the pretender. And one of the titles they always showed was he came in and was pretending to be a doctor, which he would be a very good doctor. And a woman came in and she said, oh, you're a doctor. And he says, I am today.

Well, are you a pretender or an expender? Most of you maybe never heard that the word expender was actually a word, but look it up in the dictionary as I get or online. An expender is someone who spends money to purchase goods or services or one who expends time, energy, and or money to help others. To help others. An expender. A pretender, of course, is one who pretends, but one who makes a false or hypocritical show. A person who professes beliefs and opinions that he or she does not hold in order to conceal his or her real feelings or motives. Are we pretenders or expenders? No, many of you might remember if you have some age on you. Came out before I was born. There was a song in 1956 by the Platters called what?

The Great Pretender. Very popular song I remember because we may want my mother's favorite songs and she would be singing it or play it on the radio. Well, growing up we've all played make believe, haven't we? Or pretended we were someone else. Young girls will pretend that they are a mother with their little baby dolls. As Mary was explaining to me something they were playing back here just a week or two ago as they were pretending to be driving and pretend car and the baby was in the back or whatever. We all remember that. Growing up way back the boys would be playing cowboys and indians or something like that. So all of us have done a little bit of that. Perhaps you have, right? Bruce, I can believe that you probably pretended quite well. I don't remember what it was but I'm still pretending. Okay. But many people have boys, I remember. I know Mark used to play on the same basketball goal that I did practice for years. You would pretend to be mine was pistol Pete Marovitch. Does anybody know that name? No, there are a few. Okay, wow, I'm dating myself, at least. But you would pretend as you were dribbling basketball and you would count it down three, two, one and shoot the last second shot to win the game. That's just what guys did. Did the girls do anything else like that? Janae, did you do anything? Pretend growing up.

Not that you can think of or you want to tell me about.

Right? But there were different people had different things. I remember the story of a woman, a mother who was watching her nine-year-old son who was not athletic at all. And he carried his baseball bat out and his baseball and he went outside and he said, I'm going to be the greatest hitter that has ever lived and be the biggest baseball star ever. And his mother goes, yes, son. So he goes out and she watches him out through the window and he's pitching the ball up in the air and then he swings and he keeps and misses totally. And he does it like 10 times and 20 times and never hits the ball one time. And she looked and thought, I really feel sorry for him because he just can't do it. So then he comes in with the baseball bat being drugged behind and she looks at him and she said, are you okay? He goes, oh, I'm great. And she said, you are? And he goes, yes, I'm not obviously going to be the greatest hitter. I'm going to be the greatest pitcher who has ever lived. So you might ask, is there a sermon in here somewhere? Well, today we will cover a set of scriptures that point to a time of final judgment for these pretenders and expenders. And we get to line up and see where we fit in that scenario. And all of us have been pretenders before, but hopefully it's never been a way of life for us.

When I think of pretenders, I think of, how about politicians? Right? You see politicians, and they pretend to be like one of us, don't they? And they pretend that, what can I do for you?

Right? And they're for the little man, the little people. But then when they get to Washington or wherever they go, what happens? Corrupt, yes. Yes, they kind of forget about the people they are to represent except for when it comes election time again. Then they come back out. So they are an example of great pretenders. They are. And you also have, in case someone is here, I'm not, I mean, I know we have no politicians here, do we? No. Do we have any car salesmen here? No. No car salesmen. Okay. Because many of you, if you've ever bought many cars, you realize that sometimes they're pretenders, right? You can go and say, you're looking at this guy, and, oh, I'm just here to help you. Oh, don't, I'm not, you know, I'm not here to press you. And like, you know, so you go and, oh, have a seat, you know, sit in that car. And then they go, boy, you look great in that car. You really look good in that car. And, of course, if you go to another car, you look great in that car too. Right? And so they will actually say, well, you know, I really probably can't get this price yet. I'm going to do everything I can.

And if I have to give up my commissions, I just, you know, we connected. We just, you know, I'm willing to do that for you. Right? Now, maybe you do not have car salesmen like that in Florida, but we had them in Tennessee. No, there's plenty. Okay. So you understand pretenders and what they are and how they do the things that they do. But we also see expenders that maybe not as common, but they exist. Phrases like, he will give you the shirt off his back.

You met people like that? People who are givers? Or what about statement that woman is always giving or helping someone? They are. I've seen people like that. And it's a joy to be around them. You wish everyone was that way, and you may wish that you were more that way.

Well, let's go to the Word, as we talked about last week. It's a lamp to our feet, right? It's a light to our path, right? And let's go and see this incredible story that Christ tells. If you'll go actually to Matthew 25, it's the end of the chapter, but it's kind of the end of the sermon or the message. He is given the Olivet prophecies in Matthew 24, and then it extends as he gives into chapter 25, but it's still the same message. He's still speaking as he talks and gives a parable of the foolish virgins and then of the ones that he gives silver or money to. But he's talking about the signs of the times of the end as he is asked that question, and this kind of wraps this up, this message that we hear in Matthew. So if you will, I'd like you to go with me to Matthew 25 verses 31 through 46. That is our text for the day. I have much debate over these scriptures, and hopefully there won't be as much when we go through this today, because it's a story of those rightly divided for the purpose of demarcation, setting apart, knowing who they are.

So let's go into verse 31. It says, But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. I'm reading from the New Living Translation today. It says, All the nations or peoples will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd, separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left. Okay, let's look at those set of scriptures.

Left-hand, goats. Right-hand, sheep. How many people are left-handed here? I'm left-handed. Wait a minute. Okay, can I get this? One, two, three, four. Four. And with all the kids gone, there's probably 40-something people left in here. You realize across the world that left-hands make up only 10 percent of all the people on earth, and that if you are a woman and left-handed, you are less than 1 percent of all the people in the world. Very few women are left-handed, as we strange ones are that raised our hand, I guess.

So, left and right, and the right-handed, since there's more of you, can relate to that's... You're the right people, right? The other ones are left. But he's got sheep, and he's got goats. Anybody ever raised sheep or goats? You have? Oh, yes. Stephen has back there. Namath has. You and Abbai... Yes, okay. Beverly has. Okay. Goats. Okay. Now, we can look at sheep and goats, and we know that sheep are actually worth more than goats, right? Because you can eat a goat, but that's about all you can do with a goat.

Gellum. But with it comes to sheep, you can shear a sheep and get wool. You can also eat a lamb or a...

So, why... But what other difference... Why would he say that the sheep are on his right hand, and they're more precious to him than the goats? Many of you raise sheep and goats, right? What are sheep like?

Right. They... Okay. Quiet.

More docile animal. Okay. Like Mary. Had a little lamb, right? She never had a lamb, but...

I don't think you had a lamb, did you? No. Okay. Right? So, sheep are so different, and they, what, they kind of need a shepherd? But what about goats? Anybody raise a goat? What's a goat like?

Nasty.

Ornery.

Is that describing us left-handed people, too? They eat everything and everything. Great dictionary.

Stubborn. Thick-headed. Thick skin. I was actually reading something a woman wrote about it, and someone asked her about keeping sheep in. They will stay in their pens where goats do not like fences. And she said, the only... you want to test your fence and see if it's good enough for a goat, see if it's waterproof. Because if it's not, a goat will find a way out of it, which means basically no fence will last. So forth. So here, we have this story that Christ is telling about sheep and goats. So let's continue on with this in these verses and see what it says in verse 34.

Well, that's a major act of kindness.

I saved you so I wouldn't be preaching your funeral this week.

Wow. Yeah, Bruce?

Many of us have had that, whether it's opening a car door or very few people today down here, Mark is understanding, as he's never driven in Miami traffic, that turn signals are optional.

Whether you decide to do that or whether you want to let someone in. But you see that sometimes. But I'm amazed when I go to any of the Caribbean countries where they drive, especially Trinidad or St. Louis, they will just stop and let people go in. I mean, it's just, you know, I'm like, why can't we have these people in South Florida? You know, because they're just like, you put a tursuit, they'll just let you out, right? Right, Annie? I mean, it's just the way they do things. What about us? Are we known for those random acts of kindness? Yep. Or do they come natural?

Should they come natural? Yes. Isn't it something that is basically taught by your parents, though?

Is it? Is it always? No. Sometimes we have to develop certain things that we don't always follow with our parents laid out. All right? Like you turn with me, James 2. James 2. I'm still reading from the New Living Translation. James 2 and verse 14.

As James is explaining things here, he says, what good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don't show it by your actions? Right? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing and you say, goodbye, have a good day, stay warm, and eat well. But then you don't give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? Let's go back to Matthew 26, verse 37.

Christ said, then these righteous ones, who are the righteous ones? The sheep, the one on the right, the one who is natural for them to, what? Perform random acts of kindness.

He calls them now righteous. And he said, then these righteous ones will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and we gave you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison or visit you? You know what this shows? They're clueless.

The righteous are clueless. They didn't even know who it was they were doing it for. They didn't care who they were doing it for. They just did it, as you said, why? Because of this. Because of this. It's a matter of the heart. If they see someone in need, they do what?

Help them. If they see someone in pain, they do what? Comfort them.

And I don't mean to brag on you guys, but I am just amazed when I go to visit someone who is sick or go to the hospital or any of this. And I'm not the first one there.

Many of you just do it. You see someone and you just go do it. Or even here, I'll hear of someone that went and took care of this for this person or went and did this or actually bring food or whatever to people. That's amazing because it's not always that way in all the churches of God. It isn't. Now, we may have our issues, and we do have our issues in South Florida, even in church. But guess what? For here, that's not one of them. And many of you have been to churches across the country. Dwight travels quite a bit. Mark, you've been to different churches. Not all of them are that way. Mike, you've been there. You know, you've been to different churches. And some people that are just standoffish, they, you know, I come to church. That's all I have to do. I don't have to talk to you.

So this is a different mindset with these expenders. These, as he is comparing them to sheep, are expenders because they're willing to expend their time. Their actions speak louder than words.

And you know, many of these expenders are ones that you don't know about because they don't make a big deal. Haven't you seen people who have to make a big deal over something that they did? There was a Seinfeld show many years ago where George, if you remember George was, you know, and he wanted credit for everything. So he was actually going to leave a tip at this place. And so he wanted to show that he was going to leave a good tip. So he took his like five dollars and he was going to put it in the jar. But the man turned his head and didn't see it. And so he didn't feel like he got credit for it. So he waited till the guy turned back around and then was taking the money. And then the guy called and said, what are you doing? You're stealing my money! And ran out. No, no, no, no.

Expenders don't do that because they're not in it for what? To be stroked.

To be everybody to look at you at this thing. So let's look at some examples of some extenders, maybe in your life, some people don't wait for the government to step in and help. I've known people and said, well, you know, wait till this person needs help. Well, you know, let's see what the government's doing. We'll help them out first. Or how about a church? Well, wait a minute. Don't they go to another church?

Why doesn't their church help take care of them?

That's a question we need to ask. Not really. Right? The ones, these sheep, on the right hand, that doesn't enter their minds.

They just do it.

Without asking, oh, let me know a little more about these people.

They do it because it needs to be done. Does that describe you? Pretenders or expenders? That's the question. Let's go to verse 40.

And then he talks about Jesus Christ. He says, and the king will say, I tell you the truth. When you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.

Doing it to me. See, to a true expender, they don't even think about, well, I need to do this because it's Christ. Because, you know, that might be, you know, we pull that scripture out from Hebrews about you have entertained angels unaware. Hmm? And see, you might think, well, I better go do this because, you know, that's why we'll be an angel. That doesn't enter. That should not enter an expender's mind. But you do it because it needs to be done. Someone needs to do it. And that someone is you. That's amazing. He said, I tell you the truth. And in the original Greek, it's actually, I the truth tell you because Jesus Christ was a truth.

I tell you the truth. When you have done it to one of the least of these, who's the least of these? Brethren, do you run into the least of these? Who's the least of all human beings?

Poor? Absolutely. The poor, the homeless, right? Those who are really in need of something. Really, really in need of something.

But sometimes you just see needy people all the time.

When do you help? When do you help the homeless? When do you help the person? As a matter of fact, many of you will remember we had a Bible study maybe three or four months ago on this, and we had an individual. He's not here today. I haven't been here in a while, who actually said, you help every time. You help every person.

Really? So I'm sitting there and I come up a guy that's on the street, having money reaching his hand out, and he's sticking a needle in this arm, but he's looking for a hand out for money.

But how do you know? How do we know? Which one? How do we know where to help? How do we know how to help? But this is, Christ is actually saying, this is your personal commission, isn't it? It's my personal commission that when it comes in my face, in my life, it's up to me.

When you've done it to the least of one of these, you've done it to me. Okay. That really puts a little pressure on us, doesn't it? Or does it?

Does it really put any pressure on an expender? A true expender? No, because it's a way of life.

It's what you do! You can't go by without, you don't stop and think, should I do this or should I not? It's just, you know, don't you? You know when it's right to do and when it's not.

You also look for God to guide you. Now, can we help everyone? No. Can we help anyone? Maybe. Can we help no one? No.

We cannot really do that, can we? We can't just walk by and help no one. We have people in here who are in the medical field, nurses, doctors who take an oath that they're going to help people, teachers who say that's what you're going to do, even though sometimes it's not what you want to do. But this is what's given to us personally from Christ.

You are doing it to me.

Expand food, time, and even money.

How many different kinds of people did Christ help? What kind were they? Poor? Did he help the poor? Rich. Rich. Okay, but what else? Sick. What was it? Flick did?

They raised a widow's son. I mean, when she would have had the scrounges for a living or whatever, her only son? Yes, he'll. Sinful.

Yes. It's true. They didn't have the faith. They'll, you know, increase my faith. The hungry, the poor, the blind, the lame, the widows, the sick, the demon-possessed. The list could go on and on and on.

If you just did your own Bible study and said, let me see how many people Jesus helped through the book of Matthew, I'd say you'd come up with a pretty good list, wouldn't you?

Is this the example that he's setting for us?

Now, let's go and finish this up here in verse 41.

Said, Then the king will turn to those on the left, there's those goats, and say, Away with you! you cursed ones into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons, gahina fire. People listening knew what he meant.

For I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you didn't give me a drink. I was a stranger and you didn't invite me into your home, I was naked and you did not clothe me, I was sick and I'm in prison and you didn't visit me. Then they will reply, Lord, when did we ever see you hungry, sick, naked, in prison? You see this second group represented by the goats?

They also are clueless, aren't they? But for a different reason. They, if it had been Jesus, if it had been one of the disciples, if it had been a minister, if it had been a deacon, if it had been somebody, they would have done something. Right?

But not to the least of one of these.

You see the pretenders? Except it said, Lord. So you're looking at the Scripture of relationship. They knew who Christ was. They knew how He lived, but they didn't live like He lived. Do we live like Christ lived? Pretenders only pretend. That's why you can dress up and really look good at church, isn't it? And then you leave church, and you're a totally different person. And we've seen it down through the years with all kinds of people. I think back on a minister that just acted like he was just all this. And when you'd talk to him or see him outside the church, or talk to him or whatever, and Mark knows exactly who I'm talking about, it was a joke. It was a joke. He was not a righteous man. He was not a giving man.

They come in all shapes and sizes.

That's why they're called pretenders.

And that's why God says, uh-uh, I'm not having you in my kingdom.

I don't want you rubbing off on anybody else.

I don't want that kind of attitude in my kingdom.

That gives you really something to think about.

Are you, and all of us have to examine this, are you a 100 percent expender?

How much are you?

Are you 10 percent pretender?

We are the ones that have to examine ourselves about that.

We have to look at Jesus Christ and say, are we more like him this week than we were last week?

And the only way we can do that is dig into the Word and see how He lived. And then look at the opportunity. Will you this week take the time, as I am going to take the time, and I don't know how, I don't know when the opportunity is going to present itself, but this week I'm going to make sure that I go out of my way to keep my eyes open instead of being so busy when somebody is looking for something that I just don't even pay attention to because I'm too busy.

I get awfully busy. I don't know about you, but just I'm busy.

The sermon has made me think I need to not be so busy when it comes to these little ones, the least of these. And I don't want to go out and just go, oh here, let me grab some dollar bills and let me go dig on these homeless people. No, but they come to you. I think, what was it last week? We went to get something at the dollar store, and I just walked right by this guy, and this guy was standing there and asked Mary if he had some money, and she said, well I think I have some change or something, and she didn't have anything. I went in the store and I came back out, and I had a few dollars.

In fact, I just had a ten dollar bill and bought seven dollars worth of stuff and gave him the, you know, and of course Mary, you know, she's the one she gets. He's got the money!

So you see here, the bigger expender in our household is. But I have to learn. It's part of my job, too. But this week, can you throw some granola bars in your in your car or carry them on you so I don't always give money, but you know, I'm hungry or whatever. Can you do that?

This sermon hit me because of a man. Hopefully he'll be back here in services. But he's, he came a few times, but he's homeless, living on the streets. And we have had the opportunity to try to help him. And Mike's met him and a few others here have. And I never understood the homeless situation before. I got him. I had the opportunity to spend time with him and to help him.

And we are. And now he's actually this week, he's actually going to be moving into a house because he slept on a bench at Chick-fil-A for six months, six or seven months. And he couldn't go anywhere else. And he stayed on that bench. And then he's been at another bench. When they told him he could no longer stay there, he had to move to another bench in front of a Benjamin Moore store. But it wasn't just giving him help financially, because we did some. But it was giving him hope. And I realized I was, I met him at the Chick-fil-A very first time, because he is a good news subscriber.

Or beyond today. And I actually sat in the chair and talked to him and got to know him for an hour. And I'm not paying attention. I'm looking at him. I'm trying to read him. I'm trying to figure. Because just like you, I get a lot of pretenders.

I get pretenders from prison. I get pretenders from every walk of life. And there are a lot more pretenders than there are other people, even normal people. And it's something we all have to look and evaluate on. And so as I'm sitting and talking to him, I actually then go up and get him a $50 gift certificate from Chick-fil-A.

So at least he's got something there to eat. And he tells me his whole story, and I'm working with him. And so I said, well, here's what I'm going to try to do. I'm going to help you find a job, and we're going to try to get you, because you need this help.

But I'm not just going to throw money at the problem, because that doesn't help. I've spent enough time and money doing that in the past, but I want to help him. And so as I, he gets up to go to the bathroom, this man sitting at a table right next to me, I never saw him, never thought anything about it. He said, are you a pastor? And I said, yeah. And he said, I hate to tell you, I was over, I was listening, eavesdropping to your conversation.

And he said, I wish there were more pastors like that. He said, I think you really want to help this guy. He said, can I have one of your cards? I said, yeah. So I gave him one of my cards. And he says, keep up the good work. Which was encouraging to me. It wasn't something, I'm not telling you that to go, you know.

But then we, because this guy was actually a painter, I've actually, we actually got him, had business cards printed and so forth. And he's still, he's got his phone number, but he's sitting on the, he's sitting on, still sleeping on the bench. But he actually got a job with a company. And I said, you just, you just need one chance. So he came and used my house as a reference to a condo that we did and so forth.

And I had, you know, it cost me $15 for vista print to print up these car, business cards for him. And he went around, he posted, you put them everywhere. And he did, and a painting contractor called him and said, I'll give you a try. Well, after he tried him, he found out he was better than everybody else he had. So he has now a job, which has allowed him to get a place, which now this week he will be moving, hopefully, if with all everything, God blesses him. And he knows it all came because he kept praying.

He kept praying. And when he prayed, guess what? God brought expenders in his life. And there's people out there that are praying now, brethren, they need you. They need you. And God will open that door. And hopefully, in the next few weeks, he'll be coming to services and we'll bring that out. But I look forward to that time. So let's finish this today.

Verse 45. He will answer, and he said, I tell you the truth. When you refused to help the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. You were refusing to help me.

Wow. That's the one being I don't want to ever refuse helping because of what he died for us, and he'd done everything for us. So all he says is what? Like the old movie, like the old saying, pay it forward. Pay it forward. Do to others, except not those who have, but those who have not.

We have 60 people roughly in the 60s, 65. Everybody's here, 70-something people in this congregation. That's a lot of help. That's a lot of help if we'll do it.

So take this week and see. Maybe have your eyes a little more open to where you might be able to. Now, not all of them will be stories like it is with this guy because I've worked others, and it turned into nothing. They just took advantage of you and so forth like that.

But how many took advantage of Christ? Remember the 10 lepers? You know, there were 10, and how many of them came back and even said, thank you? One. And he was a Samaritan, the least of all the people on earth at that time in the Jewish mindset. 46. And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into what? Eternal life.

Because God wants to spend eternity with expenders, not pretenders. So can we do that?

Because for pretenders, there's punishment. For expenders, there's eternal life, the greatest gift that God could ever give us.

So let's try it this week. Let's talk about it next Sabbath.

Let's see what God opens up those doors and shows us how to be just like his Son and be not just a giver, but an expender.