Episode Transcript
[00:00:01] Good evening, man. Every once in a while y' all should just come up here and take a look. Y' all some pretty people. Good gravy.
[00:00:09] What a blessing to be a part of this family in the faith.
[00:00:13] I am so thankful to be part of East Rock Community Church.
[00:00:18] If you have your Bibles tonight, find Malachi chapter number three.
[00:00:23] And I, I want to say something, guys. I want you guys to be praying about something.
[00:00:30] I don't think I've ever stood in front of Steve and Tammy when they were singing together. I think they need to work up a duet.
[00:00:36] Yeah, I mean, Tammy on the lead, of course.
[00:00:42] Steve right there with her. It sounded so nice, guys. Thank you for worshiping. You encouraged me. Amen.
[00:00:48] You know, this is one of the most abused passages in the Bible and if you read ahead, you might have a guess as to why. And if you haven't read ahead, tada. Here I am to give you the happy news.
[00:01:03] It is mostly abused in capital funding campaigns.
[00:01:08] Here's the problem. Let me give you a spoiler alert.
[00:01:13] We ain't Israel.
[00:01:16] We're not physical geographical Israel of the pre busted covenant day. Amen.
[00:01:24] All right, but here's the other side of this thing that's problematic. God is still God.
[00:01:30] So what the passage reveals about the character of God is absolutely unchanged. But what he is directing in the land of Israel that time has to be addressed as it was in those days, not as if we are in those days. Let me say that again. It has to be addressed as it was in those days, not as if we are in those days. This is really important if we're going to gain some serious New Testament application out of this passage.
[00:02:00] The focus of tonight's passage is on the people's failure to demonstrate faithfulness or loyalty, actual relationship based worship and obedience to God. And you know, God, God, God's going to get on their britches. There's no other way to say it. He's going to get on their britches and they deserve it. And they're going to be like, what did we do? He's like, let me show you, tell you what you did.
[00:02:28] And the problem is God uses some pretty offensive language. They haven't been living up to their tithes and offerings. And God doesn't say, hey, you guys aren't living up to your tithes and offerings. He goes, you're robbing me, right? That sounds much more offensive than you're letting me down, you know what I'm saying?
[00:02:49] So it's kind of a confrontational passage. But I think. And I want you guys to see this up front before we even read it. I. I think that what's really at the heart of this is their outward behavior is a proof of their inward reality.
[00:03:06] Do I need to say that again?
[00:03:08] I feel like somebody should have. Amen. If y' all would have picked up on what I was putting down.
[00:03:12] Right. Their outward behavior. Their outward behavior is actually a reflection of their inward reality.
[00:03:20] Now, it's not to say they aren't being religious. It's not not to say they aren't going through the motions. It's to say that God sees through that and knows what is genuine and what is disingenuous.
[00:03:32] Now, where do I find some relief in this? I ain't Israel.
[00:03:38] Praise God. Where do I find some absolute trembling in this?
[00:03:43] God is still God.
[00:03:45] And so he's going to rebuke them, he's going to accuse them, and he's going to challenge them. And I want you guys.
[00:03:53] Thanksgiving this week. Happy Thanksgiving. Praise the Lord. It's a fat man's holiday. I can't wait.
[00:04:00] We won't have life together. But I want you to discuss these things this week. I want you to discuss with your family and in your household and in your friend circles this rebuke, this accusation, and this challenge. And I want you to see, I'm going to circle all the way back around to those three things.
[00:04:17] Malachi, chapter number three, beginning at verse number six. The Bible reads like this.
[00:04:24] For I, the Lord, what church, do not change.
[00:04:29] All right, sub sermon coming later on that one. Go ahead and get ready. I, the Lord, do not change. Therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed. They're not consumed. Why church?
[00:04:43] Because God doesn't change.
[00:04:45] It's not to say they don't deserve being consumed.
[00:04:49] All right, this is on the basis of God's goodness. Verse 7.
[00:04:53] From the days of your fathers, you have turned aside from my statutes and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of hosts. But you say, how shall we return?
[00:05:07] Now here comes that hard question in verse 8.
[00:05:09] Will a man rob God?
[00:05:11] Yeah, you are robbing me, but you say, how have we robbed you? In your tithes and contributions? Or another word for this would be, what offerings?
[00:05:21] So the required religious taxation and the free will. In other words, you're letting down both. Okay, it's like saying you're avoiding the taxes the government would take. And you're avoiding offering, helping your neighbor.
[00:05:37] You're avoiding both.
[00:05:39] Wow, this is tough. Verse 9 you are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house and thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts. If I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is, what church no more need. Isn't that beautiful?
[00:06:09] I'm going to bless y' all socks off, he's saying, I will rebuke the devourer for you so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of Hosts. Then all the nations will call you blessed, but you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of Hosts. Would you pray with me, Father? We have indeed faithfully opened your word. We have made a public reading of it, and we believe that were we to say amen, right now would be a good service because your word is enough for your people.
[00:06:43] So, Father, help me in these moments where I make some comments not to get in the way of your word, but to be an agent of speeding it along, that it may land in good places, take root, and bear fruit for your glory in Jesus, I pray Amen and amen.
[00:07:00] Now, I'm here to tell you, here's your sub sermon, Robert, if you will back up to that. To that verse where he says, for I, the Lord, do not change. Verse 6. Back up to that one for me. Now, you guys remember last week? I remember. You might not remember, but he was. There was basically this accusation from the people that God doesn't execute justice.
[00:07:27] And he goes, well, you know, just, you know, hold my Dr. Pepper.
[00:07:34] I'm going to take care of my business, right? And this is a bridge verse. I don't change.
[00:07:40] I'm merciful, but I won't be merciful forever. I have a wrath, but some will never experience it.
[00:07:49] I haven't changed. One I owed. I'm not changed. And so look at how this transitions into this next passage. He's basically saying, I haven't gone anywhere. It's you.
[00:08:02] Amen.
[00:08:03] You know.
[00:08:05] You know, I was that guy who. I did not have many girlfriends. And it wasn't because I wasn't a stunning beast. It was because I didn't want many girlfriends. I was an absolute stunning beast.
[00:08:20] Why is my sister laughing so hard right there in the third row?
[00:08:25] Oh, oh, oh.
[00:08:27] Let us pray.
[00:08:32] You know, I was kind of scared to have girlfriends, you know, because if you say somebody's your girlfriend, you got to kind of mean it, right? So I was kind of scared to mean it. I was scared of commitment. That's the fancy way of saying it. But I found out that, being the charming, stunning beast that I was, apparently a lot of girls thought I was dating them when I wasn't.
[00:08:58] And I had this one particularly crazy girlfriend, and I had to break up with her. And I'll never forget telling her I wanted to let her down as easy as I could. So I told her, don't be wounded. It's you. It's not me.
[00:09:21] You know, you expected me to say the other thing, right? It's me. It's not. No, it was her.
[00:09:27] I had the same locker at Person High School for three years. I never opened it once.
[00:09:33] And somebody opened it one day and discovered, like, 97 letters from this girl.
[00:09:39] She was going by my locker and putting them in the little vents.
[00:09:42] And it was great. It was great. Thankfully, she moved to another town, so I can tell this story with a clear conscience.
[00:09:50] You know what God is saying to Israel, it's you.
[00:09:54] You know, in the modern rom com with a difficult relationship, usually somebody says, it's not you, it's me. I'm the problem here. God's going, I ain't going anywhere. It's y'. All.
[00:10:08] And so from that basis, let's look at three things that will challenge us and. Or encourage us and possibly chasten us. First, God's faithfulness protects his covenant people, but his great blessings depend on their faithfulness.
[00:10:24] Now, you know, really, I wanted to do about 7 points here. Verses 6 and 7 are so critical. God's like, look, I made a covenant with y', all, right? And so I am fulfilling my side of the covenant. I told you I would make you a people and I would keep you a people. Amen. I told you that, right?
[00:10:43] And so I haven't gone anywhere. Now, I don't want any hands raised right now, okay? Say amen. Don't raise your hand. Say amen. Be careful of your inadvertent nodding of your head, okay?
[00:10:56] Jake is doing his on purpose. Jake, you ought to be really careful because you don't have any clue what I'm going to say.
[00:11:03] But if you've been married more than since yesterday.
[00:11:09] Jake, stop nodding your head.
[00:11:11] It was May, right?
[00:11:13] That's been like six months.
[00:11:15] Bring it down, bro.
[00:11:18] You know, there have been seasons in your marriage where it was an unmitigated fact that you were married, but it was also an experiential reality where you wondered where you were with each other.
[00:11:36] Okay? Now, you can be prepared to nod your head. Get your head nodding. Ready?
[00:11:41] Okay. You ready? Or maybe you've heard of something like this.
[00:11:49] Heard of something like that? My marriage? No. Perfect.
[00:11:53] You guys know it's a massive difference between the reality of marriage and the enjoyment of marriage.
[00:12:02] Amen.
[00:12:04] Now, yesterday, I had the privilege.
[00:12:07] Bert's youngest sister and I are the same age, literally only separated by, like, 40 days. And I have made it the endeavor of my life to annoy her.
[00:12:18] I enjoy it. I love it. I like to find the edge of her temper and surf on it. You know, I like to get that wave going and just ride that joker. And she told me last night I was trying her.
[00:12:30] She said, you're trying me?
[00:12:32] I love it. I love it. I think it's the best part of our relationship, me annoying her.
[00:12:39] You know, there's that thing in a friendly relationship or family relationship where when you're not acting right, you might not know it, but the other person does.
[00:12:50] Does this passage suddenly come into focus for you? Like, they really don't know how off they are, but God knows how off they are.
[00:13:00] He's like, you ain't. You ain't. You know, I haven't moved. This is you. I am still full of justice. I am still full of kindness. It's you who have moved away from me.
[00:13:13] Now, let's be honest. That's where the illustration of the human married to the human breaks down. Because usually both of us have something to do with the problems in our marriage. Let's be honest, right?
[00:13:26] And as much as the noble wounded like to think it's 99:1, it's usually a little deeper than that, right?
[00:13:33] But God is not human. Amen. He is high and above, and he's letting them know. He's like, yeah, I don't change. It's you.
[00:13:44] So I've kept my covenant, but you stopped enjoying my fellowship. Ah, brothers and sisters, the same can be said to the church in a different way today. We're not tied to a land that God can strike with a famine or pestilence or a drought.
[00:14:08] That's what he's doing to Israel here. But we can experience a famine of worship, a drought of understanding, a pestilence of worldliness, and have times where we're, no doubt we know the Lord. No doubt.
[00:14:25] But it's a lot of doubt as to whether we're actually enjoying the Lord.
[00:14:29] Does this come into focus to y' all now? So look at the point now. Let's put it in country boy terms. God said God's faithfulness protects his covenant. God said I kept my word, okay?
[00:14:40] But I am not going to sit here and bless a people who profane my name, who mingle with idolatry in the world, who don't come to me in faith filled worship. In other words, there's something wrong in a relationship. And God's saying I hadn't moved. Amen.
[00:15:01] It's a big deal.
[00:15:04] And he's telling them straight up. He says, the only reason y' all hadn't been destroyed is because of my unchanging love.
[00:15:09] I hadn't gone anywhere.
[00:15:12] But the reason you're not experiencing my blessings is because you've ruined the experience of our relationship. How? How do they unruin the experience? That's not an actual word, but we're going to make it one. How do they unruin it? I can't think of any better words, and it won't be on the screen than from the prophet Jeremiah in the lamentations.
[00:15:34] Lamentations, chapter 3, verse 40. He says, Turn again to the Lord. Turn again to the Lord.
[00:15:42] Turn again. That's what this is, guys. He's saying, hey, I haven't moved, right? It's not that you're not enjoying me because I've changed. You're not enjoying me because the problem is with you. And it's not enough. Amen. When he says return, it's not enough to feel bad.
[00:16:03] It's not enough to feel bad.
[00:16:05] Secondly. Secondly, we see in this passage, God withholds his blessing as a confrontation against their lack of loyalty and gratitude. Now hold it. I want to hold it right there. If you can't tell by the hint on the screen, it is a confrontation against their lack of loyalty or faithfulness and their lack of. Of gratitude. Look back at verse number eight with me. What does he say? He asked a question. He says, will a man rob God? Yeah, you'll rob God.
[00:16:34] Will a man rob God? And they are immediately like, how have we robbed you? And he hits them with two. Two distinct issues, all right? You're not, you're not handling your tithes and you're not handling your offerings or contributions. It says in the esv.
[00:16:53] Now I gotta tell y', all, in the nation state of Israel, to pay your tithes was part of a multi tiered tax system. And it wasn't once a year.
[00:17:04] It was actually in a. In a five and seven year cycle, you would pay tithes twice a year as a routine and several other times in special Worship. And so, you know, just like this. During this time, if you get paid weekly or bi weekly or monthly, what does the tax man do? He visits every check.
[00:17:25] They had a regular taxation, and the tithes were required by Old Testament law. In other words, they were living under command. Do this.
[00:17:35] What is going to come from this?
[00:17:38] Lots of things. I'm going to give you just a little bit of a hint so you'll see the problem.
[00:17:42] Okay.
[00:17:45] They weren't paying their tithes, which would fund the sanctuary offerings, the things that were done in the temple and in the synagogues, the taxes that covered things like defense and roadways and building projects that actually would come through the religious system as a way of honoring God. You paid your taxes. And not just that, but they also.
[00:18:14] They also would create the funds that the government, both the civil government and the religious government, could take care of the poor.
[00:18:24] Right? So this was their tax system, except there was no way for it to be automatically deducted before they got their check. They had to bring it.
[00:18:33] They had to bring it. On top of that, it's not just the commanded taxation through the tithe. Okay. Is also the freewill offerings, the contributions that. Those contributions aren't regulated by percentages, but they're no less commanded by God. Bring your ties and offerings into the storehouse.
[00:18:58] Now, I did this week, and I didn't wait until today, but I did have about 40 slides showing you the levitical taxation system. And if you want those, come hang out while I'm cooking turkey this week, and we'll spend three or four hours walking through them. Let me just say God had said, do it, and they weren't doing it.
[00:19:21] Now, were they not doing it all together? It doesn't say were they only doing it in part.
[00:19:29] It doesn't say, like, 2% versus 10% or whatever it could have been. They were bringing the whole 10% with a terrible attitude.
[00:19:41] You know, I get in trouble in my house all the time because apparently I say things in a way that Kara doesn't like how I said them.
[00:19:53] I'm probably the only one, right? Everybody else never gets in trouble.
[00:19:57] And like the other day, she asked me some question. I'm walking out the door and I'm telling y' all from my mind.
[00:20:03] I just answered her.
[00:20:05] And then I saw her. Her thing changed, y'. All.
[00:20:09] She turned a different color. A little cloud went up over her head mentally. She was doing Italian sign language.
[00:20:17] And I was like. I was like.
[00:20:19] I mean, literally, because guys can be like Labrador retrievers. Let's Be honest. Tell them Mike Farmer say Amen.
[00:20:26] I was like, what? What just happened? She says, I did not like the way you said that.
[00:20:32] So of course I turned around and went, well, this is my answer.
[00:20:37] Turns out she didn't like that either.
[00:20:48] I still don't know how to answer that question.
[00:20:53] Do you think, what do you say?
[00:20:58] Yeah, that's my father in law. He's been married for 1,817 years.
[00:21:07] You know, you got to look over him. He's a war vet.
[00:21:10] The Peloponnesian Wars.
[00:21:18] Oh. If you're a guest, this is how it is.
[00:21:25] In all seriousness, have you ever done what you're supposed to be doing with all your heart outwardly, but not with all your heart inwardly?
[00:21:37] Yeah. You ever mailed in a day at work?
[00:21:42] You ever stood up and sang robustly while also being distracted during the whole time?
[00:21:50] You ever filled in the little blanks in the listening thing and then later on was surprised by what you wrote?
[00:21:58] Hope that was the right answer.
[00:22:02] You ever said I love you to another person and you didn't?
[00:22:10] I think we can connect to this in very deep and actual ways.
[00:22:16] Except in this case, he said, listen, I'm going to make you a nation. I'm going to make you a people, I'm going to give you a land.
[00:22:21] And all of this is a package deal that really depends on you walking with me and brothers and sisters. That's what's at stake here. It's not that God needs them to bring their offerings, they need them to obey God to take the functions of obedience that will lead them into the facts of relationship.
[00:22:44] Do I need to say that again? The functions of obedience, they need action with heart.
[00:22:51] And so what does he say to them? Verse 9. He said, you're cursed with a curse. Whoa. This is where, you know, we can make some analogies, right? But he had given them this land. And he's like, listen, as long as y' all walk faithfully with me, you know, it's going to be a land flowing with milk and honey, you know, Rachel. Where's Rachel? There she is. Now, Rachel, I've told this story to everybody before, so, you know, they already know this one, okay? But Rachel, Rachel got. Got one heiney whipping in her whole life so far.
[00:23:24] I'm still physically fit and she's still living. So maybe tonight.
[00:23:32] And you know, every child is very different. I needed a hundred thousand butt whoopings, but Rachel apparently only needed one. And she's like, I don't want. I didn't like that.
[00:23:43] And it was because, get this, she was sick.
[00:23:48] And Care had been trying to give her medicine, and she was doing the lock lip thing, and then she was doing the lip scooching thing, you know, where you let them get it in, then you spit it right back out. And Care, in her very motherly, wonderful way, she is at wit's end. She's not even frustrated with Rachel refusing the medicine. Kara thinks Dr. Pepper tastes like medicine. That part makes sense to her. Medicine tastes bad, right? Makes sense.
[00:24:14] She wanted the baby, the girl to get well.
[00:24:18] She comes in the living room, she's fit to be tied, she's crying. She said, I can't get her to take the medicine. I'll get her to take that medicine.
[00:24:26] And I go in there and I give it a what for? And I said, you don't open your mouth. I declare.
[00:24:32] She opens the mouth and puts it in and dribbles it down her chin. I said, if you dribble it down your chin again.
[00:24:40] She didn't. She opened her mouth, she put it in and spit it right on me.
[00:24:46] And this is when her one whipping happened.
[00:24:50] And the next spoonful of medicine, she faithfully swallowed it.
[00:24:55] I sometimes feel.
[00:24:58] I sometimes feel like I behave like this before the Lord.
[00:25:05] I'm giving you something that will make you well, that will create flourishing in your life, that will make you spiritually stronger. That you know. And I'm going, I just don't want the medicine. I know better than you what's good for me. And, and. And. And the nation is like this. And they're so immaturely unaware.
[00:25:26] They're so sinfully disconnected.
[00:25:31] So what does he do? He strikes the land. He's like, I can't get to your head.
[00:25:38] So I'm thinking to get to your behind.
[00:25:42] Do you see that in this passage?
[00:25:45] Now, I told you, it's a little breakdown right now. Because we're not Israel. We're part of the true Israel. Let the church say Amen.
[00:25:55] Amy and Brett and Katie and I were in a. In an Uber the other day, and our Uber driver was.
[00:26:03] Was. Was Jewish. And he gets in the. I get in the car. He was already in there. That's part of driving.
[00:26:10] And I immediately ask him about his faith. And he says, well, I'm a Jew. I said, me, too.
[00:26:16] I said, I'm a true one.
[00:26:19] And it took him a while to not understand what I was saying.
[00:26:22] But.
[00:26:23] But we are true Jews. We're not racial Jews, geographic Jews. We're not covenanted to the land Jews Say Amen.
[00:26:35] Okay, but that lamb is a big deal. So how is he getting to them? He dries up the milk and honey.
[00:26:42] Okay, now just imagine. I'm going to be silly. Just imagine. Have any of you guys ever gone to the beach? If you've gone to the beach, raise your hand.
[00:26:51] Now, this is a story about a person. I won't say any names, but their initials are CARE Bows.
[00:26:58] If CARE gets around one of those machines where you can spend $0.50 to $1 to make a penny worthless, she will do it.
[00:27:12] Now, Carrie, I don't know where this collection of elongated flat and printed pennies are, but I know you have it somewhere, don't you?
[00:27:19] She'll get excited. She'll see one and go, oh, look, you know, and she'll start digging around and you know she's gonna do it.
[00:27:27] It's her tourist crack.
[00:27:29] She has to smoke now, so imagine. Imagine this unnamed person.
[00:27:38] Care.
[00:27:39] Imagine her wanting my change and standing on the dock to grind the gears of commerce and churn out yet another elongated, ruined, imprinted penny that says Topsail island for the 32nd year in a row.
[00:27:59] And let's imagine I give her a quarter, and she takes the quarter and.
[00:28:05] Okay, Kara's having a mental lapse.
[00:28:07] There's another quarter, and then she takes it and throws it in the water as well.
[00:28:12] Let's imagine this goes on for a little while.
[00:28:15] Now, I don't know how well y' all know me, but it wouldn't have been a third quarter, right? Why? Because she's having bad stewardship. Now, what if she also does this and then when we go to lunch, she leaves the restaurant with another man?
[00:28:33] Y' all don't seem as alarmed by this possibility as I am.
[00:28:40] Like, at this point, I don't want to give her any more quarters. I don't want to pay for her lunch. And I'm not sure she's riding back to Bushy Fork with me, But I can tell you what, my marriage isn't over.
[00:28:58] My marriage is in trouble.
[00:29:01] Now, can you think about Israel and God?
[00:29:04] Am I making sense to any of y' all tonight? Besides myself?
[00:29:09] It's a big difference between God keeping his covenant promises. Okay. And those people enjoying God. Now, the second half of point number two.
[00:29:18] Okay, y' all are ready. Who knew it was coming?
[00:29:22] We must remember what church.
[00:29:24] Say it.
[00:29:28] Okay, y' all are reading like charismatics who never seen a responsive reading. Okay, let's try it again. Let's remember what.
[00:29:40] Now, imagine Charis throwing my quarters into the beach.
[00:29:43] She's left the lunch with another man.
[00:29:46] And I go to her and I plead with her.
[00:29:50] I plead with her. I say, please, please come away from him. Please come with me.
[00:29:56] And she says, you know, really, what I need from you is my quarters.
[00:30:03] When we left lunch, me and this guy found another machine.
[00:30:10] How would I respond?
[00:30:12] Israel is so out of touch. They can't see their infidelity. They can't see their wastefulness. They can't see their disregard. They can't see the relationship is broke down. So God's like, cool walk home.
[00:30:30] But this confrontation, you don't confront somebody you don't care about.
[00:30:34] Lastly, and quickly, God challenges his people to put him to the test by being faithful stewards as proof they are living out their faith. And that's funny, they've already been put to the test. Amen. They're given a land. They're divinely protected.
[00:30:51] Every time they mess up and are chastised, God keeps a remnant, restores the people, builds them back up.
[00:30:58] How many times have they failed the test? Like, over and over and over again, right? So what does God say? Look, man, try me.
[00:31:05] Try me.
[00:31:07] Test me.
[00:31:09] I'll show you. God challenges his people to act in faith on the promises of not only that he will continue to keep his covenant, because he's already said, I'm going to do that. I don't change.
[00:31:21] But you might enjoy walking with me inside of my covenant. Keeper, This is critical church. Look back at verse 10 very quickly. Look at what he says there. He says, bring the full ties into the house storehouse, that there may be food in my house and therefore thereby, excuse me, put me to the test.
[00:31:52] I find that for the people of God in every generation, it's not that the things of God, the ways of God, are unproven as much as they're untried.
[00:32:08] He said, look, try me. Try me. Draw near to me, turn again to me.
[00:32:14] And then verses 11 and 12 are really cut and dry. He says, if you try me. He says, listen, I'm going to rebuke the devourer. There goes the pestilence, okay? The pest. Okay? For you. So that they will not destroy the fruits of your soil. All right? Remember, this is a connection to the land for them. And. And your vine and the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all the nations will call you blessed. Do you see this? This ultimately has a missional tone to it. Y' all try me. And I'm going to draw people to myself through how I Bless you, man. Get out of town. That's so good.
[00:32:48] So good. But here's where it breaks down. Like we as the church aren't tied to a land, right? We're tied to the full cross and the empty tomb.
[00:32:57] We're tied to the New Covenant, right? So let's jump into some application really quickly because I want to be. I want to be really honest. I want to come back to where I started. It's hard to apply this passage directly to our circumstances.
[00:33:14] So let me draw a couple things out and circle back around to where I started. First thing we need to say is, I'm gonna tell it to you in the hypervenacular. You ready?
[00:33:24] Everybody say Israel.
[00:33:26] We ain't them.
[00:33:28] Okay, now say God.
[00:33:31] No, say it like me. God.
[00:33:33] I got y' all preaching now.
[00:33:35] Y' all ready for the other part of that? He's still him.
[00:33:41] All right. What this passage reveals about God is still true because God's still God.
[00:33:47] Okay, now, now I'm going to circle back around, but let me give you a couple things first. When you see on the screen what evidence is to self, you know, has anybody ever told you God knows my heart?
[00:34:00] You ever had somebody tell you? Anybody ever said that?
[00:34:03] Yeah, I've said it.
[00:34:05] God knows my heart.
[00:34:07] Does anybody know the problem with that?
[00:34:11] Yeah, the heart is deceitful. Thank you, Steve.
[00:34:14] Yeah, God knows your heart. Do you know your heart?
[00:34:19] Like, I won't go through these. Trust me, I know you're a little worried, but you know, just, just think of one idea. Think of one idea. Is your heart like God? One idea among. I could do two dozen. Hey, do you.
[00:34:32] Do you live with open handed generosity?
[00:34:36] Right? Do you actually know yourself? Think about what Jesus said in Luke, chapter six. Given will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use will be measured back to you like.
[00:34:50] And some of y' all say, I ain't got no money. What about your time? What about the apples of gold that you can have with your words and encouraging people? What about your prayer life? This isn't just about money. Let the church say Amen.
[00:35:03] Like, are you a generous person? Now some of y' all got money. Did I tell you that my life master's trying to raise $1.6 million?
[00:35:12] It's true.
[00:35:15] But is it only about money?
[00:35:19] I'm just gonna mess with John cause he loves me like John. You know how to take a guitar that doesn't sound right and get it tuned you know, you could be walking by somebody whose guitar is out of tune. You know, you can stop and deploy that skill for the glory of the Lord. Isn't that cool? And then if a kid comes to you and says, I'd like to learn a thing or two, right? You say, I, I have a thing God has given me. Am I open handed with it? Right. And is it really coming from the heart? You could, you could test this I don't know how many ways. Second Corinthians, chapter 9. Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly. Right? Proverbs, chapter 11, verse 25. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched. Right, but get the second part.
[00:36:02] And one who waters will himself be watered.
[00:36:05] God puts in here this thing, like, if you're doing things his way, it's going to be good for others. But guess what, guess what, guys, it's going to be good for you.
[00:36:14] If you run a business, what's the best way to get customers coming back? It's always be good to them. Be good to them. And guess what?
[00:36:25] Has anybody ever seen Clay Shipley's work van?
[00:36:28] Anybody? Okay, you know what's not on Clay Shipley's work van?
[00:36:34] A phone number. You know why?
[00:36:37] Because he don't need to advertise. He can't. He really is. He does such good work with such a good heart that he probably. I don't know this to be true. You're probably behind with, with current clients.
[00:36:49] Okay, Clay, work harder.
[00:36:55] I've had professional dealings with him. It's always good business.
[00:37:00] Always good business.
[00:37:02] Always good business.
[00:37:05] Right, but what about deploying that in your spiritual life? I mean, let's be serious, guys. Let's be serious for a moment. What's your evidence to yourself that you're walking with God? God knows whether you're walking with him. Do you?
[00:37:18] His humility and gentleness is a word of witness upon your tongue.
[00:37:24] Are you correctable and humble? I mean, on and on and on. I'm using generosity because that's one of the things he's getting on them about. Secondly, what is true for the individual is also true for the community. Somebody say amen.
[00:37:39] Easterock Community Church should ask ourselves, as a family of faith, these exact same questions. We should take the criteria that can be applied to the man or woman who's walking with God and apply it to our community. Is our community generous man. What a good week to ask this, you know, like literally, literally. God allowed us the opportunity and that's what we should call it. He allowed us the opportunity to feed hundreds of meals, some in person. Amen.
[00:38:09] And some by extension of delivering. Right.
[00:38:13] And it was no problem. It was absolutely no problem to turn to this community and say, there's. There's a thing going on in our country. People aren't getting needed food benefits. Will you help? Nobody even blinked.
[00:38:28] Isn't that cool? To me, it was like a little test of our heart.
[00:38:33] Our church is full.
[00:38:35] We want to add room for people.
[00:38:37] Wasn't it hard going to two gatherings?
[00:38:40] But none of us said, no, I hate this. I'm leaving this church. They make me mad.
[00:38:45] No, in generosity of spirit. We have struggled through this thing.
[00:38:51] Might say, are struggling through this thing. Here's what's funny. Proverbs 11:24 says, One gives freely. Yet what y', all.
[00:38:59] You know, this is the heart of God.
[00:39:03] Now, not to pick on my wife, okay? Amen.
[00:39:07] But ask her. Ask her for a testimony. This is something she had to learn the hard way, isn't it? Right, honey? Now.
[00:39:13] Now she'll ask me about doing something.
[00:39:16] And before I'll answer, she'll give her own answer. She said, well, you can't outgive God. You know, like, hey, let's. Hey, I feel led to do such and such. What do you think, Tim? And I'll be like. And she'll say, you can't out give God. Let's just do it.
[00:39:29] I'll be like, why are you asking me? Then leave me alone. Go mind your business.
[00:39:36] But do you see the other side of that? Does anybody notice that somebody else lives? Stingy, right?
[00:39:43] And what happens to them only suffers one.
[00:39:49] Now, last but not least, this.
[00:39:56] Confrontation is an invitation.
[00:40:01] Confrontation is an invitation. Let me boil all this down to what it can mean for a local church if this local body of believers ignoring the Lord. Okay? Amen. If we're apathetic, if our offerings are stale. And by offerings, I don't just mean money. Think about your singing words of comfort and affirmation.
[00:40:24] Church discipline. If we're poor in the things of God.
[00:40:28] God. God still may give you a good garden this summer.
[00:40:33] But what he might do. Now, this is the New Testament thing, y' all ready? Is he might remove the lampstand from this local church.
[00:40:44] Now, I also had about 40 slides to prove this out. But you see the ellipsis.
[00:40:51] So why would God confront Israel? Because he's committed to them and he wants them to enjoy him. Why would God confront ISROC Community Church?
[00:40:59] Because in Christ he's committed to us.
[00:41:03] And because of Christ, he Wants us to enjoy Him.
[00:41:06] This is better preaching than y' all know.
[00:41:11] In Mark, chapter one, verse 15, it says this. The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel. Do you know we are living in this season right here? This is the season. We're living in the open call to salvation through Christ. Jesus Christ is to you. It's to you right now. Okay?
[00:41:33] And if you're under the hearing of this word, that is a sign from God that you are invited to believe this word.
[00:41:41] You might say, I don't want to become a Christian or God's going to get into all my business. Okay, just remember. Back up one, Robert. Just remember, say it together. Say it.
[00:41:54] And God wasn't inviting you to something. He wouldn't even tell you nothing.
[00:42:02] Some people wonder why God gets on their britches.
[00:42:06] It's an invitation.
[00:42:10] Do you know him today?
[00:42:12] Do you know Him? Have you yielded your life to Him?
[00:42:18] Have you followed through obediently and into baptism?
[00:42:22] Are you committed to the things of God in your life with your heart and with your hands?
[00:42:29] The pathway. The pathway to greatness is humble service.
[00:42:35] Pathway to greatness is humble service.
[00:42:39] Brothers and sisters, friends, do you know him today?
[00:42:42] God doesn't confront you simply to make you feel bad.
[00:42:47] He confronts you so that he might do good to you.
[00:42:53] Isn't that cool?
[00:42:55] In a moment, we're going to stand and sing together.
[00:42:59] A lot of times what happens in this moment is God. God will get on you about something.
[00:43:04] And sometimes getting on you is a good thing. You know, like literally, this wasn't in my plan. I didn't expect y' all to stand behind me and sing so nice.
[00:43:12] You guys should have heard the Lord getting on you in a good way. Hey, you're singing unto my glory. And you encourage receive that sometimes he gets on you in a good way. Amen.
[00:43:23] But sometimes he'll tell you, you need to talk to me about that.
[00:43:31] Right?
[00:43:33] And so God might not dry up your garden, but he'll dry up your personal fruit.
[00:43:41] And that should worry us a little bit. And we should receive his confrontation because he's really inviting us to put some miracle grow back in our relationship.
[00:43:49] Would you pray with me, Father? Thank you for the beautiful patience of these people as I belabored your word.
[00:43:58] Father, if at any point I've gotten in the way, then make them forget what I said and make them hear your word now. God, as we stand to sing together, as we stand to sing together, we trust that you'll move along the aisles and through every road that you'll speak to people as individuals.
[00:44:18] It's possible that some of us even came in and have mailed in today's worship, and you're inviting us to be authentic in our engagement.
[00:44:29] It could be that some of us have sins that are hidden from our neighbor but aren't hidden from you, and we need to repent, change our mind, change our emotions, change our actions.
[00:44:43] It could be. It could be that we're in a season where we're wondering where you've gone and you've revealed to us you haven't changed.
[00:44:54] Lord, in your graciousness, give us a pathway right back to your side.
[00:45:01] Whether it's the repentance of the moment or repentance that causes us to walk through a long season.
[00:45:08] I pray that there's new beginnings for us tonight as we turn to you in a fresh way.
[00:45:13] In Jesus, I pray. Amen. Let's stand together and sit.
