Sermon Synopsis May 24th, 2026

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker, III

Scripture: Luke 16:10 (NKJV) 10 He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.

Prayer

Thank You, Jesus. Come on, come on. It’s all about You. Thank You, thank You. Come on. We thank You. Thank You. Thank You. It’s all about You. Open our spirits to receive what You have for our lives today. God, speak as only You can. Speak as though nobody is here but us, speaking into the deep issues of our lives. And we thank You, God, that whether in this building or around the world simultaneously, somebody’s life is going to be changed forever. We give You glory. We give You praise for what You’re going to do. Do it as only You can, and we magnify Your name now. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Every heart said amen.

I.               INTRODUCTION

1. Luke’s Gospel, chapter 16, verse 10. This is part four of the series, Lessons in Little. The word of the Lord says, “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” The question today I want you to think about is, “Can God trust you with little?”
2. You know, one of the quiet assumptions that many people carry is that life will finally shift when something big shows up. We tell ourselves that when the opportunity expands, when the platform increases, when the resources multiply, then we will rise to the occasion and become more disciplined, more focused, and more committed. We imagine a future version of ourselves that handles more better than we handle now. But the truth is, more does not transform you. It exposes you.
3. What you are right now, in this moment, is what will be amplified when more is placed in your hands. The habits you practice in private will show up in public. The discipline you demonstrate in obscurity will be defined in visibility. The character that you carry when nothing is at stake will be the same character that shows up when everything is on the line.
4. That means the issue is not about opportunity. It is about readiness. It is not about access. It is about alignment. It is not about what you will do later. It is about what you are doing now. If you are trifling now, you’ll just be trifling at the next level, because the reality is that God does not wait until you get more to examine you. He watches how you handle what you already have now.

• And that’s exactly what Jesus speaks in Luke chapter 16, verse 10. He speaks with clarity and conviction because in this word today, Jesus is teaching the disciples about stewardship, accountability, and the responsibilities that come along with being trusted with something bigger than you.
• Jesus challenges His listeners to understand that faithfulness is not dependent upon scale. It’s not dependent upon how big you think the blessing needs to be. No, faithfulness, people of God, comes through consistency. Jesus dismantles the illusion that bigger opportunities produce better behavior and replaces it with the truth that behavior is already established before the opportunity arrives.
• It is quite interesting that one of the biggest mistakes people make in business is throwing more money at people, thinking it’s going to change behavior. If you cannot demonstrate a level of proficiency and effectiveness at this level, more money is not going to do it because more money is not going to change your character. But your character will attract more money to you.
• He makes it clear that promotion in the kingdom is not based on what you desire, but what you demonstrate. Before God expands your assignment, God has to examine your obedience. Before God increases your influence, God has to develop your private integrity.
• And so here is what we must understand. None of us remain faithful by our human strength alone. Faithfulness is more than a personality trait. It is a product of the Holy Spirit working within us. You cannot trust your flesh with faithfulness. Your flesh and my flesh is a mess. It is inconsistent. Our emotions fluctuate. Our energy runs low. Focus drifts. And left to ourselves, we would literally become distracted, discouraged, depleted, and defeated.
• But thank God for the Holy Spirit, who fills us, who empowers us, who gives us the power to do what we otherwise could never do by ourselves. And so today, we know there are many people who will testify that you have been given things to carry that literally would have crushed you had it not been for the Holy Spirit, who gave you the grace to carry it.
• So today, Jesus is speaking at a very critical point in the life of the disciples. They are at a point where they are shifting from being mere observers of Jesus’ miracles and administration. Now they are about to undertake what Jesus has done. They’re about to be trusted with the message and the mandate of Jesus Christ. Jesus has already told them, “The works you saw Me do, you’re going to do greater than this, but you’re going to need power to do this.”
• And Jesus really examines their heart and helps them understand, “I’m going to divvy out things to you. I’m going to show you that how you handle little has a direct impact on how you handle much.” So Jesus speaks in a parable. A parable is simply an earthly story with a spiritual meaning. A very simple parable. He says these words to them: “He who is faithful over little will also be faithful over much. He who is unjust, he who is crooked, he who is just straight-up downright no good over little, is going to be the same way when they get much.”
• This is about your character. This is not about what you are preparing to do. It’s about who you are preparing to be. And today, when we look at this kingdom example, I want to walk you through this. Today, we’re going to have a conversation that is going to be quite real with you.

II.               FAITHFULNESS BUILDS CAPACITY

• The first thing I think is important for us to understand is that faithfulness builds capacity. You want more capacity? You want to be trusted with more? Well, guess how that happens? It happens because you have demonstrated levels of faithfulness in your life.
  • See, what happens is faithfulness is God’s way of preparing you for what you’ve been praying for. It is spiritual conditioning that strengthens your ability to carry greater responsibility. Many people want the weight of purpose but are not built to handle it when it shows up. And God is too wise to give you what you are not ready to carry.
  • What God does is He starts small. He starts small, not to restrict you, but to refine you. What feels insignificant to you is actually intentional from God. Every small assignment is a training ground to see whether He can trust you. Every overlooked responsibility is an opportunity to prove that you can be reliable.
• And here is where the Holy Spirit comes in, because remaining faithful over time requires more than motivation. Motivation will fade. Excitement will fade. Applause will fade. But the Spirit of God will give you power that is sustaining what you are doing.
• Galatians reminds us that faithfulness is a fruit of the Spirit, which means real faithfulness cannot be manufactured by the flesh. It is developed through fellowship with God. No one can ever be faithful to anything if they do not have fellowship with God. Isn’t it amazing how you want people to be faithful to us who have no fellowship with God? You cannot be faithful on your job, faithful in your family, or faithful anywhere if there is no fellowship with God, because if it begins with a deposit from God, it is spiritual.
• Watch this. There have been seasons in my life and your life when we felt like giving up. Have you ever been there? You wanted to throw in the towel and say, “Lord, You can have this and them.” And then you began to realize the Holy Spirit stepped in. The Holy Spirit gave you power, and you didn’t even know you had power. The Holy Spirit kept you pushing through when you didn’t have the strength to push through. That’s not personality, y’all. That’s oil. I’ll come back to that.

A.    Consistency Creates Capacity.

1. You see, consistency creates capacity. Capacity is not built in one singular moment. It is built through patterns of repetition. It is built through healthy habits. It is about doing something daily, consistently, and intentionally that determines what you can handle eventually.
2. And many people are waiting on a breakthrough while neglecting the basics. They want elevation, but they have not established consistency. God is not looking for occasional obedience. He’s looking for reliable patterns in your life.
3. Showing up once is easy, but showing up every day requires discipline. Doing it right one time is admirable. Congratulations, you read the Bible. You had a whole week of reading the Bible. Congratulations, you read the Bible for a whole week. You have 51 more weeks to go. Praise God. You were faithful one month. You came to church. You were locked in. But guess what? Eleven more months to go.
4. It’s not about being faithful one time. It’s about what you will do consistently, because when you are consistent, watch this, this is what happens: you become transformed by that consistency. Every time you honor God in a routine, you stretch your capacity. Every time you choose discipline over distraction, you strengthen your foundation.
5. And I can tell you, people of God, the Holy Spirit will help you, because I know sometimes faithfulness can feel mundane. It can feel unnoticed. It can get exhausting.

B.    God Sees What Others Skip.

1. But here’s the deal: God sees what other people skip. The scripture feels repetitive. I know what it says. He who is faithful in what is least is also faithful in much, and he who is unjust in what is least is also unjust in what is much. But if you move too quickly, you’re going to miss this revelation I want you to get, because there is something quite deep in the wordplay here that Jesus uses. It’s quite intentional.
   1. Jesus is drawing a direct connection between the word “least” and the word “much” to teach us that greatness is never disconnected from smallness. In other words, much is simply the public revelation of habits developed in least. Jesus is teaching that small things are not separate categories in the kingdom. They are previews.
2. The way you handle little is evidence of how you are going to handle large. The way you steward obscurity reveals how you will steward influence. The way you carry responsibility when nobody is watching exposes the true condition of your heart long before greater opportunity ever shows up.
3. So we live in a world that celebrates being seen. I know you want to be seen. You want to post it on Instagram and Facebook. I get it. But God specializes in examining what is unseen. People applaud platforms, but God analyzes preparation. He pays attention to the details that other people miss. He notices how you handle small responsibilities that do not come with recognition. He observes your integrity when there is no audience. He watches how you treat people who cannot elevate you. Nothing escapes His attention.
4. And the beautiful reality is that your faithfulness has never been wasted, even when it is not noticed by other people. God keeps a record of what everybody else overlooked.
   1. David – David was faithful in the pasture before he ended up in the palace.
   1. Elisha – Elisha was pouring water faithfully on Elijah’s hands before he received the mantle.
   1. Jesus – Jesus was faithful in obscurity for 30 years before His public ministry of three years came to pass.
5. Let me tell you something. Somebody right now watching me and listening to me is frustrated because you think nobody sees your influence. You think nobody sees your sacrifice. Nobody sees how faithful you have been. But can I tell you something? God sees what nobody else sees. He sees it. He notices it. He notices what you are giving that nobody else sees. He sees your commitment that you never post about, because in God’s system, what is unseen is more significant than what is seen. You can fake seen, but you can’t fake unseen.

III.               LITTLE REVEALS THE HEART

• Little reveals your heart. I want to lean in right here. Little reveals your heart. Small responsibilities do more than test your ability. They expose your attitude. They reveal how you think about what God has trusted you with, because the issue was never the assignment. It is the posture of your heart.
• Some people treat small opportunities like inconveniences, while other people treat them like investments. The difference is not the size of the task. It is the perspective of the person. Jesus is teaching that little assignments are diagnostic.
  • They reveal whether you are grateful or entitled, whether you are humble or prideful, whether you are prepared or premature.
• The way you handle what seems small is actually a reflection of what’s going on inside of you. You can obey publicly while struggling privately with pride and jealousy and offense and entitlement. You can say, “I’ll do it. I’ll be faithful,” and get in your company and say, “I can’t believe they just gave me that little position. I can’t believe this,” because in your heart, something is going on.
• You show up like you are faithful, like you are happy to have it, but then you are complaining to everybody in your family and complaining to everybody else about how small the assignment is. Sometimes people believe they’re hiding what’s happening in their heart, but eventually what is internal has a way of bleeding out externally.
• A bitter heart eventually produces bitter actions. An entitled heart eventually reveals entitled behavior. And what lives in you will eventually leak out of you.
  • “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” — Luke 6:45 (NKJV)
  • “Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life.” — Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)
• Here’s what the Holy Spirit does in our lives. Only the Holy Spirit can properly manage your heart. You can train behavior externally. You can show up like you’re happy to have the job, happy to have the raise, happy to have whatever. But the Holy Spirit will convict your motives, purify your intentions, and develop your humility. The Spirit helps you stay faithful when your flesh wants recognition.

A.    Your Response Reveals Your Readiness

1. Let me go a little deeper. Your response reveals your readiness. How you respond to a small assignment says more about your readiness than the assignment itself.
2. See, when people complain about what they’ve been given, it often reveals a deeper issue of entitlement. They have already decided they deserve something bigger, so they treat what they have as beneath them.
3. How do you handle small? See, maturity shifts the question. Instead of asking, “Why is this so small?” start asking, “How can I honor God with this?”

• Stop overlooking what God is using to develop you.
• Sometimes there’s a blessing in small. You’ve got to learn, because God is saying, “I want to look at how you handle this apartment first. I know you’ve been driving through the neighborhood and you want that house. I want to see if you will clean up this apartment. Get the dishes out of the sink. I want to see if you will, because if you are a pack rat here, you’re going to be a pack rat over there. We’re not bringing pack rat over here. I’m going to see if you’re faithful right here. I want to see if you’re going to show up on time on the job. I want to see if you can get the assignment in and turn things in right here before you get right there, because if you are trifling over here in the cubicle, you’re going to be trifling in the corner office.”
• Here’s the deal. How can I honor God with this? Stop overlooking what God uses to develop you.
  • Serve with excellence even when nobody announces your name.
  • Can you keep on singing even when you’re not on program and nobody notices it? Can you keep on serving even when nobody pays attention to it? Because I’m not serving for people. I’m serving for an audience of One. I’m doing it that God will be glorified.
• I have seen people have existential crises, and I’ve seen people walk away from ministry because they didn’t get a certificate. They didn’t get recognition. They didn’t call my name. You’ve seen it in your own family. “I can’t believe they left my name off the program.” Baby, I’m not doing it for my name to be recognized. I’m doing it that His name be glorified.
• I wish somebody would understand this. The shape of your character is more important than the shape of your calling. We love to quantify the small and be opposed to it. “I want to be on the big stage to preach, but I don’t want to go to the prison to preach. That’s too small. I want to serve up front, but I don’t want to serve in the parking lot because that’s too small.”
• You’ve got to learn to check your heart. Check my heart. Sometimes God will put you on the practice squad before He puts you on the main team. You got upset. “I’m too gifted to be on the practice squad.” But you’ve got to learn, sometimes God is developing something in you. He is building something in you.
• People of God, can I tell you something? The kingdom does not evaluate importance by what people do as much as faithfulness by who you become. Who you become is more important than what you do. How you usher matters. How you greet people at the door matters. How you park cars matters. How you sing in the choir matters. How you collaborate with team members matters. How you show up to church matters. How you show up at your job matters. How you smile matters.
• In fact, some of you haven’t smiled all service long. Just look down your row and smile. Tell somebody, “I’m glad to be sitting next to you.” I mean, how you smile matters. How you carry yourself when nobody sees you matters. How you honor people matters. How you worship matters, because the Mount Zion experience should never simply be about a church experience. It ought to be about a God experience.

1. Here’s the thing: some people learn how to be nice-nasty. You know how to shout on Sunday, but you’re shady on Monday. You lift holy hands, but you’ve got hate in your heart. You can speak in tongues, but you cut people with the same tongue. You can praise God publicly but disrespect people privately. You can ask God for grace while you give other people grief. You want mercy for your mistakes, but you manifest misery for other people’s failures. You know how to pray, “Lord, use me,” but you misuse other people. You can’t say, “They ain’t fair,” when your attitude toward people is foul.
2. Listen to me, people of God. You’ve got to understand something: God cares about how we treat people. They may not remember the sermon I preached. They may not remember the phone call. But there is no mistaking how you made them feel. Some people need to check their heart. I don’t care how well you do what you do. If who you are makes it hard to work with you, people won’t want to do it with you.
3. I told somebody the other day, God didn’t make you a human doing. He made you a human being.

B.    Humility Handles the Heights

1. So then let me go deeper. That’s why humility handles the height, because we have elevation issues. The pressure comes. More height, more eyes, more levels, more devils. Things get a little bit more complicated when you start getting promoted. That’s why, people of God, listen carefully. Humility is important because pride will disrupt what favor established. Humility keeps you grounded.
2. You can always tell people who were raised right because in the back of their mind, the moment they start smelling themselves, they can hear their mama or their daddy, whether they are present or in heaven, they can hear them in the spirit saying, “You better check yourself.” Because you know how to keep your feet on the ground, because you recognize this one thing: God can get this stuff done without you.
3. If you don’t think God can get this done without you, die. I promise you, within about 30 days, they would’ve moved on with somebody else. Somebody else will be in your office. Somebody else will be in your seat. That’s why every time God uses you, you ought to be grateful. You ought to show up with a spirit of gratitude, saying, “Lord, I thank You. You could’ve chosen anybody else with this job, chosen anybody else for this space, but I give You glory. I was glad when they said unto me. Thank You for choosing somebody like me.”
4. Humility is such a rare trait that when you are humble, it surprises people. It’s funny. I show up in places, and I’ll be speaking to people, just being me, and people expect you to be arrogant and dismiss people. But you’re not. “How are you doing? What’s going on?” “Oh my God, you spoke to me.” Yeah, I like Kool-Aid too, and I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Did you know that?

• The crazy thing is, people who don’t have anything are some of the most arrogant people, and the people who could be arrogant are the most humble. I’ve sat at tables with billionaires before, and I’ve sat at tables with zero-aires and wondered what took them so long to speak to people.

IV.               OBEDIENCE OPENS OPPORTUNITIES

• Can I talk to somebody here? Here’s the deal: obedience will open opportunities. You want opportunities to come to pass? You’re going to have to obey. You have to get this. Destiny does not happen in a single moment. It is developed with consistent obedience over time. God reveals purpose progressively, not all at one time, because you can’t handle it. He gives instructions piece by piece and watches how you respond to each one.
• Every single test, every single movement, God is saying, “I’m just checking to see where your heart is. I’m checking to see if you’re ready. I’m checking to see if you’ve got power. I’m checking to see if you’re going to speak to that person. I’m going to give you just a little bit to see how you handle it. Are you going to stop being faithful? Are you going to stop coming to church? Are you going to stop tithing? I’m just going to check right here before I do that, because if I gave it all, you might lose your mind. So let me just progressively see if it will change your relationship, if it’ll change your friendships, if it’ll change your marriage. I want to see.”
• Here’s the deal. Obedience positions you for larger opportunities. Many people are waiting on clarity, and God is waiting on compliance. He’s already spoken. He’s just waiting to see, “Are you going to act on what you already know?” Every act of obedience is a step forward toward your destiny.
• So watch this. Every time you align your actions with God’s will, you position yourself for what’s next. Then the Holy Spirit is there to help you, because obedience at times will stretch you. It can cause you to be isolated. That’s why we thank God for the birth of the church. We thank God for Pentecost Sunday, because in Acts chapter 1, Jesus knew this, and He said, “I want you to go to the room, because in order for you to be faithful over this stuff I’m telling you to do, you’re going to need power. When power comes upon you, you’ll be able to do what your flesh cannot do.”
• Paul endured all the hardship because of the Spirit of God.

A.    Discipline Drives Destiny

1. Watch this. Discipline drives destiny. Oh boy, here it is. I need the church to shout, “Discipline.” Now watch this. Discipline is not always a big dramatic moment. Most of the time, it shows up when it’s just getting out of the bed when you don’t feel like it. It’s praying when you’re tired.
2. Discipline, people of God, is the key to capacity and success. The reason why some people never reach the next level of anything is because of a lack of discipline, not desire. Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. Discipline. You make excuses. You want your marriage. You want your relationship. You’re tired of dating and all these situations. You’ve got a free conference coming, and you’re trying to figure out, “Am I going to have time?” Discipline.
3. If it were a turn-up party, but this is education. It takes discipline to sit down and be taught. Let me break it down. A lot of people want destiny, but you don’t have discipline. You want the stage without the stretching. You want the blessing without the burden of consistency. But your future is often built by daily habits, not perfection. Daily habits.
4. Watch how this works. Every time you choose commitment over convenience, growth begins to happen. Every time you push past your feelings, watch what happens. Capacity is being built.
5. Discipline by itself is simply empty religion. That’s what the Pharisees did. They had routine without relationship, rules without revelation, motion without movement in the Spirit. So when your discipline is disconnected from the Holy Spirit, and it is not surrender unto God, then it doesn’t produce transformation. All that happens is you are disciplined for an event or a moment, but it doesn’t translate to your house. You can pray down heaven in church, but you never pray at home. Discipline translates to every edge of your life.
6. And watch this. That means your prayer life is not something you check off on a box. Worship is not something you check off. It requires a level of understanding that the Holy Spirit works with human participation.
7. Okay, I’m getting ready to give you a quote, and I’m going to lean in, and I’ve got to tell you something now. It might be a little controversial for some of you, but I need you to hear it. I want you to write this down:
8. “The Holy Spirit will not do for you what discipline is supposed to develop in you.”
9. Why is that important? I am a leader of a charismatic, international, global ministry. We are about the Holy Ghost. We have Pentecost Sunday Baptist Church. We have more non-denominational than that. We are Bible. So I understand the power of the Holy Spirit. I teach the whole Bible. But I know that in my teaching, the reason I teach the way I teach is because I don’t want to develop a congregation of mystics. I don’t want to develop a congregation of people who are so mystical and so airy in the Spirit of God that you have no practical sense of discipline, because what you excuse is your own sense of human responsibility. Then you will rely totally on the Holy Spirit to do it for you.
10. So you walk around calling on the Holy Spirit every time we see you. “Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, Holy Spirit, bring financial blessing.” And that’s what happens. I’ve seen it a time or two, where everything you want, you want to fall out of the sky. You want the Holy Spirit to just pray and God to do it. But here’s the deal: Why would God bring blessings out of the sky for you if you cannot have the discipline to balance a budget of $10.25?
11. The reason why a lot of people can’t get the blessing is because God doesn’t have anywhere to put it where you’re responsible for it. You’ve got to have a level of discipline in your budget before you believe God to do anything in your life. You can’t believe God for something if you’re not disciplined enough to handle it.

1. “God, Father, Holy Spirit, Lord Jesus, Holy Spirit, make my blood pressure go down. Holy Spirit, make my cholesterol go down.” Let’s leave some room for discipline. Let’s step away from the fried chicken. Let’s step away from the hog maws. Let’s step away and say, “How about we get on the treadmill? How about we go take a walk? How about we go take a run?”
2. It takes no discipline to say, “Just let my blood pressure go down,” but it does take discipline to get out of the bed and go take a run. I know what you’re going to tell your doctor: “This just runs in my family.” I’ve got news for you. Nobody runs in your family. That’s the problem. You need to make sure you get off of your blessed assurance and do something about it. Please. I’m being petty, but I know I’m right. Somebody say, “Discipline.” He is not going to do anything that discipline was supposed to do.

B.    Small Yeses Shape Big Moments

1. Small yeses shape big moments. I leave this with you. Every time you say yes to God, you are strengthening your ability to obey Him at a higher level. Every single time you say yes to God, sometimes those yeses may seem insignificant to you, but yes puts you in a position where God can trust you.
2. Sometimes your yes is just a test. Sometimes your yes is just a test. I’m pastoring. I’m 25 years old. The church is growing. One of the ushers says to me, “Pastor, we’ve got to get somebody to clean out the pews because people have been leaving candy under their seats.” I go right back there and get the broom and get the dustpan, because that was a test to see, “Was that beneath me?” Because he who is greatest among you must first be servant.
3. Sometimes He’s just trying to see what you’re willing to say yes to. Small yeses. For Abraham, it was leaving his whole family. For Moses, it was taking off his sandals. For Peter, it was dropping his nets. What is it that God is asking you to do that is setting you up for something greater? Yes will position you.
4. Here is the thing, and I’ll tie a bow around this entire message. What God calls us to always begins with small tests to check our heart, to make sure that we can be faithful, loyal, and little before He blesses us with much. The way we are able to do the faithfulness is not because of our natural self, because our flesh will not allow it to happen. But it is the work of the Holy Spirit who keeps me faithful. It is the work of the Holy Spirit that allows me to keep showing up, even when people don’t appreciate me, because I’m not in my feelings. My communion and fellowship with God keeps me loyal and faithful in small things.
5. That’s why when you see me blessed, don’t hate on me, because you don’t know what I had to go through to get it. It becomes a matter of the oil of God.
6. Growing up, you had that car in your neighborhood. It was in your driveway or down the street. That old car that looked good on the outside, but every time it pulled away, it left a puddle of oil. Was it just me? They had the audacity to put cardboard under the car to catch the oil. The car looked good on the outside, but the old-school cars were different because with old-school cars, you didn’t know you had an oil leak. You knew you had a leak, but you didn’t know the severity of the damage until the car started smoking. By the time you realized it, the damage was complete. The engine was devastated.
7. The issue with that is that the car would look good and still drive and move, but total damage was going on. You just felt like that was normal. “That’s just a little oil.”
8. I’m going somewhere. Newer cars introduced something called oil-life monitoring systems. These systems have sensors and onboard computers to constantly monitor oil levels, engine temperature, driving patterns, and conditions so that they give a warning when something is going awry. A light would come up to warn you to do something about it before something catastrophic occurred.
9. I’m going somewhere. The warning signal was telling you, “Do something now, or else this could be catastrophic.” Because of that system in place, you were able to make decisions that could actually preserve the engine and get you where you were trying to go.
10. The Holy Spirit is the same way, guys. The Holy Spirit has an internal monitoring system. The Holy Spirit alerts you when your heart is running low, when your bitterness is building, when your pride is creeping in, when your joy is running low, when your integrity is slipping, and when your soul is exhausted. The Holy Spirit sends you a signal, but some of us live life ignoring the signal because you think just because you can still drive, everything is okay.
11. You can still preach, still sing, still serve, still post, but be about to break down because you didn’t pay attention to the signal. You can still be showing up every single day and not know something catastrophic is about to happen because you have a leak you didn’t take care of.
12. Here is the truth: you cannot do what I’ve just preached about without the oil of God. You cannot accomplish the purpose of God in your life without God’s anointing, God’s oil upon your life. That’s why I thank God for scriptures like Zechariah 4, because Zechariah 4 is so powerful.
13. It gives us a wonderful illustration of these two trees, and these two trees have a golden bowl. In the bowl are pipes coming from it, and then it has these candles and lamps around it. These pipes are connected to the trees. You know what kind of trees they are? They are olive trees. The olive trees produce olive oil, and the olive oil is what comes through the bowl. The bowl lights the candles, which means that the bowl becomes the actual supply, and therefore, the candles only respond to what comes out of the oil.
14. Which meant that when you look at what he was declaring, “Not by might, and not by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord. That’s the only reason why I’m able to accomplish what God told me to accomplish, because I’ve got a constant flow of oil.
15. I thank God that I am not doing this in my natural proclivity. I’m not doing it in my personality. I am doing it because I am anointed from God. I have oil on my life. I need you to tell somebody, “We need the oil of God.” We need the oil on our family. Lord, give oil on my purpose. Give oil on my children. I need oil in every area of my life, because if there is no oil, there is no glory.

1. Can I tell you something? The only way you’re going to be faithful with small things is because you’ve got to say, “Lord, I need oil on my life. I need an anointing on my life. I need Your hand upon my life, because if I do this in my natural man, I will be inconsistent. I will be so faithless. But I thank God that God put His hand on my life.”
2. Even Jesus said, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, and He has anointed Me” to do what I’m about to do. You cannot accomplish what God has given you to accomplish without the oil of God.
3. I’m done. Jesus tells a parable. Watch it. In that parable, he who is given little and is faithful with that, that character, that level of integrity, that level of discipline will translate over here. That person who is not complaining about the promotion, saying, “I should already be promoted,” should be faithful over the one they’ve got.
4. You may not have the car you want, but you better go out there and make sure it’s clean. You better take care of little. Because when you look over your life, you’ve got to thank God. I’ve learned to thank God for the little stuff that people take for granted. I wake up in the morning and say, “Lord, I want to thank You that I have options. Do I want oatmeal? Do I want cereal? Do I want sausage? Do I want beef?” There was a time when I knew what I was going to eat. There was a time when you knew exactly what you were going to wear in your closet.
5. As a matter of fact, if you can go to the gas station and pump for more than three minutes, you ought to be giving God glory right now. It’s the little stuff. Whatever happens in that space translates to that space.
6. Don’t wait until God does it and say, “When You do it, I’m going to get my life to God. When You do it, I’m going to be faithful.” No, you’re not. It’s just going to amplify what you are right now.
7. This was a word about your heart. It wasn’t a word to shout. It was a word about your heart. It was a word about, “Lord, fix me now. I can’t do this without You.”
8. Somebody who heard this word today, you need Jesus Christ in your life. He’s the best thing that could ever happen. He’s the One who transforms the hearts of men. You hear that, and you say, “Pastor, I heard this word, and I need to rededicate my life to Jesus, because I’ve been there, a little ungrateful, complaining about this not happening and that not happening, instead of being thankful for what God did.”
9. “Pastor, I need a church home for me and my family to grow in God’s word.” God sent you here today because this is a moment of transformation for your life. This is a transformational word. You are here today, and you say, “Pastor, I’m here. I moved to the city of Nashville. I don’t have a covering for me and my family. I’m here for school or work,” whatever the case may be.
10. Here’s what I want you to do. If you’re in the balcony, if you’re on the floor, if you’re watching me online, here’s what I want you to do. I want you to text the word “Salvation” to 78228. I want you to make that decision right now. But if you’re in this building right now and you say, “I want to,” I want you to meet me at this altar. I want you to say yes to God. I want you to make up your mind that today, I’m saying yes to God.

• This is a sacrifice moment. This is the moment when you stand for God and say, “God, I’m bringing what I have, but You gave what I cannot give. I’ll bring the sacrifice. You bring the fire.” Come on right now. Hallelujah. Come on right now. Oh my God, wherever you are. Come on. Hallelujah. Come on, come on, come on, come on, church. Thank God. Thank God. Thank God as they come. Come on. This is about your heart. This is about your heart. Come on, come on. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank God.
• Right now, I just want to say this. I’m done. I promise you. But thank God for those who have to make a decision around the world today virtually, but today, in that balcony, on this floor, I just believe that God sent us a message at the right time and in the right place because He’s trying to bring us into a place of alignment.
• The reason I showed you that word, that image in Zechariah, is because I want you to understand that it was about being aligned and being in position. If the bowl and those lamps were not in position, the oil would not have a place to flow. This message is about what you do for God and being not only in the right place to do it, but having the right heart to do it.
• I know that you do not do it in your own strength, but you do it because the oil of God flows in your life. That’s the message of Pentecost. They were in one place, on one accord, and then that’s when the power came. God got them in alignment first, and then He released them. If there was no alignment, there could be no release.
• Today, I want to give you these next two minutes, and we’re done. I promise you. But I want you to find one person around you real quickly, and I want you to say these words to them. Don’t be afraid. Just look at them real quick. Come on. Tell them, “What matters is what you do and how you do it.” Look at somebody and say, “If you need to make a decision and you need me to walk with you, I’ll do it right now.” Say, “Do not leave here and miss this moment.” You ready? Let’s go now. Come on, come on, come on, come on. Thank You, Holy Spirit. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thank You, Jesus.
• Come on, help me thank God. Help me thank God for these at this altar. Come on, help me thank God today. I celebrate and thank God for you today. I thank God for you today, and I certainly appreciate this moment of your life today, that you have responded to God’s word. And those of you who made the same decision virtually, we appreciate you. We will follow up with you.
• Right here, I want you to follow that gentleman holding a sign that says, “Follow Me.” Come on, Mount Zion, thank God today. Come on, as God has done what only God could do. We’re so grateful and thankful today. My God is an amazing God. Give Him all the glory and praise. We certainly thank God for your presence on this Memorial Day weekend. Thank you for still tuning in wherever you are around the world.
• Thank God for this music ministry. Thank God for this crowd. We appreciate y’all and all of those who served in ministry today. Don’t forget our Serve Ministry Conference. We want to see you. Make sure you take some time today and register for Unfiltered. It’s going to be amazing. Let’s have the discipline to build our relationships and watch what God will do.

• We’ll be outside to shake your hands for a little while. I would love to shake yours. Amen. We thank God for you. So Father, we thank You, and as we leave this place but never Your presence, we pray, God, that Your grace will go with us, cover us, and keep us. We thank You, God, for what You have shown us, that You need to direct us. Give us traveling grace from this place until we meet again. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray.

Have a blessed new week with the Lord! 😊

Sermon Synopsis 5.17.26

Delivered by Bishop Joseph W. Walker III

Scripture:

The Gospel of Matthew 13:31–32 (NKJV)

31 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field,
32 which indeed is the least of all the seeds; but when it is grown it is greater than the herbs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Prayer:

“Father, open up our hearts as we are about to receive Your Word, and let this Word speak to us, that our faith will be strengthened and our lives will be changed forever. And we give You glory and praise that it’s already done. In Jesus’ name, amen.

I.               INTRODUCTION

• One of the greatest frustrations in life is waiting on something that you really believe should have happened by now. Have you ever been there when you said, ‘God, hold up. It seems like by now this should have occurred in my life?’
• That makes it interesting because we live in a culture where things happen with such speed. We order food and it’s delivered to our homes. We order groceries and they’re on our doorstep. We can send a text globally and it happens instantly. But life does not move as quickly as technology.
• It is important to know that there are moments in our lives when we have to recognize that process is how God brings promise to pass.
• Process is something many people struggle with because we like to go around it. We’d rather try to figure out a way to negotiate it, but process is necessary. That’s where our maturity occurs. Process is where our character is developed. Process is necessary because God will not take you somewhere your character cannot keep you.”

II.               WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW IS PART OF GOD’S STRATEGY

A.    The place God planted you has purpose.

1. “When we talk about process, I really want you to understand the necessity of this because Jesus gives an extraordinary parable. It is a parable of simplicity, but it has incredible revelation tied to it.
2. Jesus says, ‘Check it out. There is a man who has a seed.’ And it’s not just any kind of seed — it is a mustard seed. The mustard seed is the smallest of all seeds. In the scripture, the man puts the seed in the field, and when he puts it in the field, he sows it intentionally.
3. That mustard seed, though it is the least of all seeds, when it grows to its full potential, it is greater than all the herbs. It becomes a tree.
4. That tree, at the beginning, is small. It is often overlooked. It is often minimized. Nobody pays attention to it, but when God gets to doing what God does with it, it grows and it cannot be denied.
5. See yourself the same way. Like a mustard seed, God places potential in you that is yet to be realized.
6. What you will discover is that where you are right now is a part of God’s strategy. You’re not here by accident. This is all divinely orchestrated by God.
7. Understand something: the parable is saying that the seed is never planted accidentally. The seed is placed in the ground intentionally by someone who understands the environment necessary for that seed to grow.
8. Jesus says the mustard seed was taken and sown in a field, which meant that someone deliberately positioned it there. And that same principle applies in your life and my life because where you are today may not look impressive, but it may be exactly where God wants you to grow.”

B.    Fighting your placement slows your growth.

1. “Many people assume their progress only happens in places that feel good, in places that are exciting. But understand something: often God puts us in places that may be a little discomforting to us in order to develop us in environments that stretch us and challenge us.
2. The seed in the parable begins its journey in the soil and not the spotlight.
3. Everybody wants the spotlight. Everybody wants it to happen right now. But God says, ‘No, no, no. I need you to understand something. You’ve got to go through the soil.’
4. Because remember this: your current position may not be about exposure right now. Your current position is about preparation.”

a.     It stretches you.

1. “God will never put you in a place that is always convenient or always comfortable. God is in the business of stretching you to get more out of you.
2. Please understand this: it’s about stretching your capacity. God is saying, ‘I’m not trying to destroy you. I’m trying to develop you.’”

b.    It shapes you.

1. “But it’s also about shaping you. It’s about building something in you that otherwise would never be built. This is where character and consistency are birthed.
2. It’s not just about where you are going. It’s about who you are becoming.”

III.               REAL GROWTH REQUIRES SUBMITTING TO GOD’S PROCESS

A.    Much of your development happens where no one can see it.

1. “Much of your development happens when no one can see it.
2. Before the mustard seed produces branches, before the birds can even nest in it, the roots are developed in private.
3. Before there is public fruit, there is private formation.”

• It produces depth.
• “The seed, when it is sown, produces depth because what God has to do is allow the seed to produce depth before anything emerges above ground.
• The real work happens beneath ground.
• The root system is being developed, and it takes time because the One who sowed the seed — the Creator — knows the potential that’s in the seed.”

• It produces discipline.
• “Discipline is necessary for where you are going. While God is developing the seed, He is also disciplining the seed.
• The seed has to continue to thrive even in environments that are not always conducive to growth. It must push through anyhow.”

• It produces durability.
• “Durability is the reason you do not break when storms come.
• The tree can stand because the root system was developed in the seed season.
• There are people watching me right now who can testify:
  ‘The reason I’m still standing is because my roots got deep in God.’”

B.    Resisting the process only delays maturity.

1. “When you resist the process, you delay your maturity.
2. So many people run from where God is trying to develop them. The moment things get difficult, they leave.
3. But what feels slow is actually strategic.
4. God is not trying to destroy you. He is trying to develop you.”

IV.               THE PROCESS ALWAYS LEADS TO A SEASON OF IMPACT

A.    Mature growth creates space for others to thrive.

1. “The mustard seed eventually becomes a tree large enough for the birds to nest in its branches.
2. That means the growth of the tree benefits more than the tree itself.
3. God develops us so that our lives can serve other people.
4. Mature growth creates space for other people to heal, grow, learn, and breathe.”

B.    Fruit is the evidence that the process worked.

1. “The tree stands tall. The birds gather in the branches. What started small no longer looks insignificant because the fruit speaks for itself.
2. So don’t confuse isolation with abandonment. Don’t think because God planted you that God buried you.
3. Don’t judge by what is visible, because just because it is not showing does not mean it is not growing.
4. If you trust God and believe God, whatever God started in your life, He will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”