Study Notes

Foundation Statement: The biggest hindrance to our progression in the plan of God is not seeing the bigness of the step we are on-Seeing and treating it as insignificant

 

I.      Luke 19:17-The Very Little Test is how God determines who gets more

A.    The promotion question: How will treat, how will handle the very little?

1.      Luke 16:10-This truth has been established – Whatever you do with a little bit is the same thing you’ll do with more

2.      This certain nobleman is going to get this kingdom (territory) and he’s going to have all this territory that needs to be ruled over and he’ll need to delegate authority so he’s going to give The Very Little Test to10 servants to discover who he should give rulership of these cities to by finding out who can be trusted – He’s got promotion on his mind, but you don’t just promote anybody – Only the faithful

3.      This means that very little is going to be put into your hand and what you do with it is going to determine if you get more

B.     You find out about a man when you put very little in his hand

1.      Heart is revealed in very little – Very little exposes the motives of your heart, it exposes who you really are; It’s when you put him in the back where he won’t be noticed, seen or praised of men and you put something very little in his hand that’s when you’ll find out about that man; If he’s faithful back there it proves his master’s honor is what’s driving him

a.    God’s not just interested in you being faithful He’s interested, he’s interested in the motives of your heart

2.      If I put a lot in your hand your pride my drive you to be faithful, the fact that you’re going to be seen and noticed might drive you to be faithful, fear of embarrassment might drive you but it would just be a phony and fleeting faithfulness that was not real and that would not last

3.      1 Samuel 16:7-God looks on the heart and promotes based on the heart-The very little test reveals very much about the heart

C.    In the Kingdom The Very Little Test is a very big deal – It’s how we determine promotion in the Kingdom

1.      God is watching and paying attention to and examining what you are doing with the very little

2.      God could have something great for you down the path but can’t give to you because of your failure in The Very Little Test

II.     You have to see the BIGNESS of THE VERY LITTLE TEST, of the step you are on

A.    However you SEE a thing determines how you TREAT the thing; When you see these things as small you’ll treat them dishonorably, you won’t handle them faithfully and it’ll keep you from being promoted; How you see it affects how you treat it, how you treat it affects whether or not you progress

1.      There are things (steps) in our minds and eyes that are no big deal and we’re late and unprepared and not presented with excellence and to us it’s not big deal but these steps that we think are small are proving whether or not we can be trusted with more and it’s revealing out heart that either it’s not real to you that God gave you this to do or that you just don’t care

2.      You can see something as small that in actuality is very big – Matthew 22:5-They made light of it

B.     Luke 19:17-To be faithful with very little you have to see that very little has very big

1.      Unfaithfulness manifest when you see the very little test as very little – For you to be faithful with it, it has to be big to you

C.    2 Things that make the very little test a very big deal: 1.Who gave it to you 2.Your future is on the line

1.      The assignment is big, not because of what it is, but because of who it came from and what is on the line; It hasn’t been real enough to people that GOD gave me this to do & my future is on the line (Luke 19-The amount wasn’t big, but the assignment was big)

III.   Magnifying your office promotes faithfulness; What you see as a big deal you’ll treat honorably and handle faithfully

A.    See big, make big of the things the Lord has given you to do, the step you’re on-Romans 11:13(Magnify-Honor, Office-Service, ministering)

1.      The temptation was to think that because He was an Apostle to the Gentiles (Outsiders) that his service or ministry wasn’t that important; But he said I magnify my office because Gentiles being saved could provoke Jews to getting saved

B.     Zechariah 4:10-The opposite is despising the day of small things (TLB-Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin); They were rebuilding the temple and He said don’t despise the small beginning

1.      When something is looks small the temptation is to treat it as insignificant

a.    If you don’t start where you are you stay where you are so how you treat your small beginning is a big deal

b.    Job 8:7-You may start with small, but if you will be faithful you will end with much

2.      The challenge is to treat what looks small to your flesh as very big – Just because it looks small doesn’t mean it is

C.    Nothing stops the plan of God quicker than despising what God has put in your hand; It births unfaithfulness and stops promotion

1.      If the enemy can get you to despise the step you are on he can keep you from progressing in the plan of God for your life

a.    He will constantly try to get you to believe that this doesn’t matter, nobody cares, God doesn’t care, it’s not a big deal, it’s okay that you’re not being faithful and He will try to get you to believe that you can progress apart from being faithful, knowing you can’t; The enemy is a belittler and despiser and he will try to get you to belittle and despise the step you are on

2.      The plan of God ALWAYS begins with small steps because God does not put BIG things into the hands of people who have not proven themselves trust-worthy – The temptation is to treat these small steps like they are no big deal

D.    The biggest thing in your life has to be the plan of God for your life and every part of that plan has to be huge to me, big to me; Whatever step I’m on has to be the biggest thing in my life and it has to be a big deal to me

1.      The pull is to think this is no big deal when in reality your destiny is on the line

2.      If you’re not going to treat the assignments God HAS given you with respect why would he promote you to a greater assignment

IV.   This is what you do with whatever the Lord gives you: Magnify it, make big of it and have a spirit of excellence about you – See it big, Treat it big, Do your absolute best

A.    Your attitude and your approach is your appeal to God for more – How are you approaching it? How are you treating it?

1.      If God gave it to you to do, just how well you should endeavor to do it

B.     Either God told you to do it or He didn’t and if He did then you ought to be doing it with all of your heart

1.      Colossians 3:23-MSG-Don’t just do the minimum that will get you buy. Do your best. Work from the heart for your real master, for God…Keep in mind always that the ultimate Master you’re serving is Christ. The sullen servant who does shoddy work will be held responsible-VOICE-So no matter what your task is, work hard. Always do your best as the Lord’s servant, not as man’s-ERV-In all the work you are given, do the best you can. Work as though you are working for the Lord-JB-Whatever you do, put your whole heart and soul into it, as into work done for God, and not merely men

2.      Ephesians6:6-8-TLB-Work hard and with gladness all the time as thought working for Christ, doing the will of God with all your hearts; MSG-Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face always

3.      Ecclesiastes 9:10-MSG-Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily; VOICE-Whatever you find to do, do it well; ERV-Every time you find work to do, do the best you can

C.    Have a spirit of excellence about you-Daniel 5:12-Excellence-Extraordiany, Exceeding

1.      Your excellence is an expression of your honor and it’s a demonstration of your faithfulness – Your excellence reveals that this means something to you and it demonstrates that you can be counted on

2.      We are not to approach something the Lord gives us to do (our service to Him) with half-hearted attitude-1Sam12:24,Jos22:5,Rev3:19,Rom12:1

a.    God’s things are holy and they are not be treated as common or approached as if they are common (If God gave you something to do that’s a holy thing) – You’re treating a holy thing like it doesn’t matter

3.      Make it shine – I’m doing this as unto the Lord

a.    To many people it’s not real to them that God really gave them this task to do and because it’s not real that He told them to do it they treat it dishonorably-Understand WHO gave you this to do

b.    Jesus constantly referred to the Father sending him; It established the reality of the importance of what he was doing in his heart

D.    Outer things reveal inner things – How you handle natural things the Lord gives you reveals spiritual things about you – What you do outside is revealing what’s going on inside (in the heart)-Malachi 1, Luke 16:11

1.      Joseph put on clean clothes-Genesis 41:14

2.      God told the people to wash their clothes to prepare for His coming-Exodus 19:10