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Series Code: NP
Program Code: NP220430S
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00:11 ♪♪ >> Come on, guys. 03:26 >> Amen. 03:37 >> Our reading today is taken from Luke 6:37-38. 03:45 "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. 03:50 Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. 03:55 Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 03:58 Give, and it will be given to you. 04:03 A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running 04:07 over, will be poured into your lap. 04:10 For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." 04:15 Amen. >> Amen. 04:18 ♪♪ 08:31 >> Amen. ♪♪ 15:01 ♪♪ 15:14 >> ♪ This is the day the Lord has made ♪ 15:21 ♪ We will rejoice and be glad in it ♪ ♪ We will rejoice 15:31 and be glad ♪ ♪ This is the day the Lord has made ♪ 15:48 ♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ This is the day 15:58 >> ♪ This is the day >> ♪ The Lord has made >> ♪ The Lord has made 16:04 >> ♪ We will rejoice >> ♪ We will rejoice >> ♪ And be glad in it 16:11 ♪ We will rejoice and be glad ♪ >> ♪ This is the day 16:21 >> ♪ This is the day >> ♪ The Lord has made 16:36 >> ♪ The Lord is my strength ♪ The Lord is my song ♪ He has become my salvation 16:57 >> ♪ The Lord is my strength ♪ The Lord is my song ♪ You are my God, 17:12 I will exalt you ♪ ♪ You are my God, I will exalt you ♪ 17:33 ♪ This is the day the Lord has made ♪ ♪ We will rejoice 17:41 and be glad in it ♪ ♪ We will rejoice and be glad ♪ 17:51 ♪ This is the day the Lord has made ♪ ♪ This is the day 17:59 the Lord has made ♪ ♪ We will rejoice and be glad in it ♪ 18:08 ♪ We will rejoice and be glad ♪ ♪ This is the day 18:18 >> ♪ This is the day >> ♪ The Lord has made >> ♪ Ooh, ooh 18:33 ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ Ooh, ooh >> Amen. 18:50 ♪♪ 19:51 >> O God, you are an awesome God. 19:54 Wow. So generous. 19:58 So holy. So you. 20:03 A few more minutes left with You in Your house. 20:07 Speak, Lord. Your children listen. 20:10 In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. 20:14 Hey, let's do retro today. You okay with retro right now? 20:17 I'm gonna read an old-fashioned story. 20:19 I mean, it just feels old-fashioned. 20:21 It is old-fashioned. It's old. 20:22 This story is from the Outback of Australia. 20:27 And as I read it, you'll pick up on it. 20:30 It just has that ancient feel to it. 20:33 But hang on, because this story happens to touch an area of one 20:38 of my own weaknesses. It may bless you, as well. 20:42 So without any further ado, let me read to you "Mr. Bingle's Old Coat." 20:49 You ready? "'Splendid,' said Mrs. Bingle, pulling the collar up of 20:55 Farmer Bingle's new coat, pressing down the flaps. Real velvet collar. 21:03 Yes, and such a piece of cloth. $45 for the whole thing." $45 -- back in that day, it is 21:12 the equivalent -- there's a note scribbled here -- $1,000 U.S. $1,000 U.S. 21:18 So $45 is nothing to sneeze at. "'Ooh! $45?', echoed Sam and Jim, 21:24 admiringly. 'Yep, $17 for the tailor and the trimmings and $28 for the cloth. 21:30 It'll do me till I'm gray.' 'What are you gonna do with the old one, Pa?' 21:34 'Well, it's a first-rate coat, I'll admit, but I was thinking some of giving it to 21:39 Parson Graves,'" their pastor. "'You see, it'll go on my account for the year, and I 21:44 won't have to pay as much on his salary.' So it was agreed, yes, it was, 21:50 that Parson Graves should have the old overcoat. Accordingly, on the next outing, 21:54 when the farmer, with his wife, was about to drive into the country town, he asked at the 21:58 last moment, 'Now, where's that coat?' 'Oh, bless me,' cried 22:01 Mrs. Bingle. 'I've been so busy cleaning and making supper, if I didn't clear 22:05 forget about it. Sally, Sally!' She ran into the house calling 22:08 the young lady who helped in the kitchen. 'Run up to the spare bedroom and 22:12 take the overcoat that hangs there and some of the papers that lays on the shelf and wrap 22:17 it up well for me and bring it, please.' Soon, Sally brought it, and the 22:22 huge bundle lay in Mrs. Bingle's lap as she rode. 'Oh,' she said as she stroked 22:27 the package. 'It's a good coat,' half regretfully, smoothing a little 22:31 corner. 'Hate to see it go,' agreed the farmer, 'but never you mind, 22:36 woman. It's more blessed to give than to receive, you know.' 22:41 The Bingle household awoke the next morning with the impression that something of an event was 22:46 impending in the family, which impression became with full wakefulness, defined into the 22:51 remembrance that the new overcoat was to be worn for the first time on that day. 22:56 'Yo, Jim, run upstairs, please.' Father tried to not act excited. 'Run upstairs and get my 23:03 overcoat, will you?' Jim bounded up the stairs, but delayed until his mother put the 23:09 last touches on the bow to her bonnet strings. 'I can't find it,' a voice from 23:13 upstairs. 'Well, where are you looking?' 'In the closet of your room.' 23:17 'It's in the closet of the spare room,' called his father. Another long delay. 23:23 And then Jim came downstairs without it. 'I tell you, it's on one of them 23:28 pegs in our closet,' said Mrs. Bingle. 'I'll go myself. 23:31 It's dark, and he can't see. But it's there, for I put it there myself.' 23:35 'No,' said Mr. Bingle, calling after. 'It's in the spare chamber 23:40 closet. I put it there.' She was heard briskly moving 23:43 from one room to another, then back, then back, then back, and then down the stairs, where she 23:48 stood before them in silence. On her face, blank consternation, and on her arm, 23:54 the old overcoat. [ Gasps ] 'When did you hang it there?' 24:02 'Well, I don't know. The day after it came, I guess. The old one always hung there, 24:05 so I took it down and hung the new one there.' Mrs. Bingle sank into a chair. 24:10 'It's gone.' 'Gone to Parson Graves,' the boys stared open-mouthed, unable 24:15 at first to fully take in the calamity. 'But you can get it again,' at 24:19 length, Jim said hopefully. 'Of course you can, Dad,' Sam said. 24:23 'You can just tell Parson Graves it was all a mistake and it was the old coat you meant for him, 24:28 and of course he'll change it around.' His father shook his head 24:33 ruefully. 'Nope. That will not do. It's done. 24:37 It can't be undone,' he said with a groan. 'Don't one of you never let on 24:41 about its being a mistake.' The family and the old coat --" I love this line. 24:48 "The family and the old coat were late to church. Thus, missing the sight of the 24:52 entrance of the new coat, but it lay over the arm now of the little sofa behind the pulpit. 24:58 And Farmer Bingle could never recall a word of that service through which he sat trying to 25:02 bring himself into some friendly recognition of the fact he had presented his minister with a 25:07 $45 --" $1,000 -- "overcoat which he could not hope to have count at anything near its full 25:14 value on his yearly assessment for the pastor's salary. 'But don't he look fine, 25:19 though,' interjected Sam as Mr. Graves came down the aisle. 'And don't Mrs. Graves look 25:24 happy,' said Jim. 'Enough to make any woman happy to hang on to a piece of cloth 25:28 like that,' said Mrs. Bingle. Mr. Bingle was unhitching his horses as Mr. Graves came out 25:33 the church door, and so Mr. Bingle did not at first raise his eyes. 25:37 As he listened to the remarks passing by, a voice said, 'Bless me. 25:41 What a fine-looking fellow our parson is anyhow. Where on Earth did he get that 25:45 coat?' Another voice spoke out, 'Must have had a fortune left him.' 25:48 Mr. Bingle could not help feeling that the coat had been well-bestowed, as his wearer 25:53 came to meet him with outstretched hands and a few quiet, though very earnest, 25:57 words of acknowledgement of his gift. The coat had fitted the farmer 26:01 well, but there was something more than the mere feeling of a good cloth and the minister's 26:06 dignified bearing. And in the scholarly face which appeared above it, something 26:11 which stirred up feeling in many members of the congregation that this servant of the Lord had not 26:17 hitherto been clothed in a fashion worthy of his high office. 26:24 'Well, that's a shabby old hat to wear,' said one of the village storekeepers. 26:28 'I'll see about that before another Sabbath comes around.' As Mr. Bingle felt the grasp of 26:34 his pastor's hand, he began almost to be glad that he had given the coat. 26:38 And then, as the fact of his having given it was whispered about, he began to feel ashamed 26:43 at receiving so much credit for an act which he never would have thought of performing, for an 26:48 honest and really warm nature lay under the crust of parsimonious selfishness which 26:54 had hardened over his heart as it has, alas, over so many which might overflow in deeds of 27:00 kindness to bless those who have given not grudgingly, but their whole lives to the master's 27:06 service. [ Breathes deeply ] 'I feel like a liar, yes, I do,' 27:10 said Mr. Bingle to his wife with an energy that startled her as they rode home. 27:15 'To have that man shaking me by the hand and talking about my generosity and his wife's eyes 27:21 beaming up at me and me not able to write out and tell them I'm a grudging, tight-fisted old -- 27:26 I tell you what.' He gave the horses' reins such a vigorous yank that Jim and Sam, 27:30 on the back backless seat of the bobsleigh, nearly went over backwards into the snow. 27:36 'I've got to get even with myself somehow, but I don't just know how yet.' 27:45 Suddenly, everybody starts showing up. Everybody starts showing up at 27:49 the parsonage. Everybody's bringing gifts to the Graveses. 27:54 And, by the way, not cheap goods and casts-out. No, no, no. 27:58 In the generous supply of winter comforts now coming to the parsonage, each giver made sure 28:03 it should be in keeping with that fine new overcoat. And the wives and the mothers 28:07 had seen to it that Mrs. Graves and the children should look fit to walk beside that tailor-made 28:13 piece of cloth. Mr. Bingle had smiled with a light in his own eyes, which 28:17 came up from somewhere under the broken crust when he saw a set of furs his wife brought out and 28:22 carried over to Mrs. Graves that night. But in the early gray of the 28:27 winter morning, he, with Sam's help -- 'shh!' -- quietly unloaded in the backyard of the 28:33 parsonage a tub of butter, potatoes, and six barrels of his best apples, packed for market. 28:39 'A goodly amount if I carted it a half a mile farther,' he said to his wife with a face which 28:44 shone as he sat down to breakfast. 'And not a soul heard us,' said 28:49 Sam, rubbing his hands in great glee. 'Oh, I wish I could have seen 28:53 them when they found out.' 'Now I'm even,' said the farmer. 'And it was the best day's work 29:00 I ever did when I gave away that coat by mistake.'" The end. 29:07 Isn't that a great story? You got to admit -- come on -- that it touches us right where 29:13 it hurts -- selfishness. Selfishness. Are you a selfish person? 29:22 Am I? Don't say anything. Come on, selfishness. The truth is that, just like 29:29 Mr. Bingle, we've all been born with selfishness, from the parson to the farmer to you to 29:36 me. But an accidental gift he never would have given turned out to 29:42 be the surgical strike to break through the crusty shell of selfishness. 29:49 Selfishness. Where do we get it from, anyway? Do we get it from Mr. Bingle's? 29:53 No, we didn't get it from Mr. Bingle's. You know where we got it from? 29:56 From a fallen, brilliant, demented angel who once went by the name Lucifer, now goes by 30:03 the name Satan, that old serpent called the devil that deceives the whole world. 30:07 That's where we got it from. Fair and square, born with it, because selfishness is just a 30:15 code word for "self-worship." And we all self-worship, just like Lucifer. 30:29 So, that's one story, but there's another one, and it's the other one that matters right 30:34 now, because embedded in this story is the antivenom to the serpent's poison. 30:44 Selfishness. Open your Bible now to Luke 19. Luke 19. Come on. 30:49 This is the second story. Luke 19. "Hey, wait a minute, Dwight. 30:53 Weren't we just on Luke 19 last week?" Yep. You got it. 30:57 In fact, we're going right after last week's story ends. You remember the story about the 31:01 10 servants, one mina each? Yeah, we all remember that one. Boy, that was a punchy one. 31:05 Won't come back to that for a while. The very next words -- Let's go 31:09 to them right now. Luke 19. Drop down to Verse 28. 31:13 Here it comes. "And after Jesus had said this --" Said what? 31:16 Told the parable about the 10 servant each receiving one mina. 31:19 Oh, if you missed that one, go online. It's sitting there for you. 31:22 "After Jesus had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem." 31:27 Goodbye, Jericho. Hello, Jerusalem. Going up to Jerusalem so that he 31:33 could become the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, including my selfishness and 31:39 your selfishness. That's where He's headed. "And as He approached Bethphage 31:46 and Bethany --" House of Figs and House of the Poor -- "at the hill called the Mount of Olives, 31:51 He sent two of His disciples, saying to them, 'Hey, listen, guys, go to the village ahead of 31:55 you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. 32:02 Untie it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?", you just say, 32:09 "The Lord needs it."'" Awkward! I mean, please. 32:15 Can you imagine being -- giving those instructions? You're sitting out here in the 32:20 little village park -- yes, you are -- with that sweet little honey of yours, that girlfriend 32:24 of yours. Brand-new Toyota that you're driving. 32:26 You're so excited about it. You're sitting in the park. You don't notice that I walk by 32:30 the park. I see the keys. Bad mistake of your part. 32:33 I see the keys in the ignition. I jump in the car. I crank that engine over. 32:36 You come racing -- "Whoa, whoa! What are you doing?" "Well, I just want to ride this 32:45 car that's never been ridden in before. Do you have a problem with 32:47 that?" "Problem?!" Yeah, you know how it would be. 32:51 Can you imagine doing it? [ Chuckles ] Can you imagine? 32:54 "'If anyone asks you, "Why are you untying it?", just say, "The Lord needs it."'" 32:57 Oh, but don't forget, the disciples are headed to Jerusalem, because they believe 33:01 Jesus is now gonna be crowned king. And when you're a king, you can 33:04 requisition anything you wish, thank you. So they're not worried about it. 33:09 Guess what. It happens just as Jesus said it would. 33:12 Anybody surprised? "Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as Jesus had 33:16 told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked, 'Yo! 33:21 Why are you untying that colt?' And they replied, 'The Lord needs it.'" 33:26 And guess what. "They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt, and 33:30 put Jesus on it. And as He went along, people spread their cloaks along the 33:35 road," and they cut off palm branches, and thus was born the name Palm Sunday. 33:39 You see, that is Palm Sunday. This story is happening on Palm Sunday. 33:44 On Good Friday, it's all over, and on Easter Sunday, a new universe has begun. 33:51 Wow. For the next few moments, brood with me over that four-line word -- "The Lord 34:01 needs it." Come to think of it, that's been the story of Jesus' life from 34:05 the get-go. He has always been dependent on others to meet His needs. 34:14 "I need a crib." And they scour through that stinky stable to find a crude 34:18 box of cow feed into which to bed the newborn king. "I need some food." 34:23 And a boy steps forward with five loaves and two fishes and ends up 15,000 people getting 34:29 fed. Wow! "I need a drink." 34:32 So the Samaritan woman lowers her jar into that dark recess of that deep well to quench His 34:37 thirst. And guess what. It turns out it's her thirst 34:40 that gets slaked. Wow! "I need to sleep." 34:45 So Peter pushes towards him the coxswain's pillow at the back of the fishing skiff so the 34:50 dead-tired master can sleep through the storm. "I need a room." 34:56 So Martha and Mary and Lazarus offer a room of their own for the Son of Man, who has no place 35:02 to lay down His head. "I need a coin." Somebody in the crowd flips him 35:06 a dinar so that He can finish his illustration. "I need a donkey." 35:11 So a stranger says, "You may -- You can have mine." "I need a prayer partner." 35:16 So all 11 of His Disciples sleep while He prays into His last 35:19 night on Earth. "I need a defender." 35:24 But, alas, no one speaks up in His defense at that sham of a 35:28 trial. "I need a crown." 35:29 So some heartless soldiers plait a crown of thorns and 35:33 shove it into his tender brow. "I need a throne." 35:37 So some part-time carpenters hammer together two pieces of 35:41 wood, a perch for the King of Jews to be nailed and to 35:44 hang before the universe. "I need a drink again." 35:50 So a compassionate soldier soaks a sponge in sour vinegar and 35:57 raises it on the tip of his spear to moisten the lips of the 36:03 dying savior. 36:04 "I need a grave." So a secret admirer steps forward and says, "I'll bury Him 36:12 in mine." "I need a witness." And, at last, 11 men, with 36:20 courage born afresh of Calvary, step forward and lead an entire generation to step up and say, 36:30 "Sign me up," and they did. Well, like I'm telling you, Jesus has always been dependent 36:37 on others to meet the needs He has, and it makes me wonder... what's He need from you? 36:46 What's he needing from you? Need a hint? There are three gimmes, three 36:57 give-mes, that Jesus offers. Three strategic and surgical strikes to break the deadly grip 37:06 of self-worship in my mind and heart and in yours, as well. Three gimmes. 37:12 I'm gonna run these three by you right now. Give Me Number 1. 37:17 "The Lord needs it." That's why He has Give Me Number 1 37:23 Give Me Number 1 -- "Give Me your heart." The wisest man who ever lived 37:26 scribbled in his book -- Proverbs 23:26 -- "My child, give Me your heart." 37:33 The French have a proverb. I like it. "He gives nothing who does not 37:37 give himself." He gives nothing -- You have to look at that for a while. 37:42 He gives nothing who does not give himself. That's the first gift God asks 37:49 for. Whether you're 14, 44, or 84, it doesn't matter to God. 37:53 He says, "Listen, numero uno, give me your heart. I want your heart. 38:01 I want your self." That's what self-ish is about -- holding on to self. 38:09 "I want your heart." Why, no wonder we have these red-letter words. 38:14 In the Apocalypse, the Bible's last book, Jesus Himself speaking. 38:17 "Here I am!" He's talking to you, He's talking to me right now. 38:20 "Boy, girl, I stand at the door (of your heart) and I am knocking. 38:23 If you hear My voice and open the door, I will come in to you." 38:26 If you've never given your heart to Jesus before, you've never said, "Lord, come in to my 38:30 life --" He's standing there right now. I am promising you, He is 38:33 knocking right now and He's saying, "Yo, would you be willing to let me in?" 38:39 Three give-mes. Give Me Number 1 -- "Give Me your heart." 38:44 I had a young man in my office just a few days ago. He's lived a tough life, but -- 38:48 hallelujah -- God's turning it around. And he was sharing some of the 38:52 stories of his recovery. And I reminded him, "Lookit, lookit, lookit, boy, first 38:56 things first. You have to give Him your heart first. 39:00 Don't make any plans for your life until you've given Him your heart." 39:04 "Well, I'm graduating with this degree and then I'm going to do this and I'm gonna conquer the 39:08 world." No, you're not. You give Him your heart first. 39:13 Then you move out for those dreams. Jesus, I hear you knocking at my 39:19 door. I open the door of my life to you, myself to you. 39:24 The serpent has injected his venom deep into my very soul, but, Jesus, you come in and 39:29 bleed me. Antidote, antidote that venom. Antivenom that poison away. 39:37 He says, "I'll do it. Give me your heart. You have to give me something. 39:42 We have to break the back of the serpent in your life. Give it to me." 39:47 Three give-mes. "The Lord has need of it." That's why. "The Lord needs it." 39:54 Give Me Number 2 -- "Give Me your time." Oh, boy, God is really -- I got 39:59 to tell you this. He is really huge on time. Watch this. 40:03 2 Corinthians 6:2. "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of 40:10 salvation." Mer-cy! William Temple, the great 40:16 Archbishop of Canterbury back in the 20th century -- William Temple never forgot the 40:20 lesson his father taught him when he was a boy. The father kept telling William, 40:25 "William, William --" Always complaining about no time. "William, you have all the time 40:30 there is. There's no more. You have it." The truth is, we have just as 40:40 much time as this face I'm gonna show you right now, right here. You're gonna see it on the big 40:45 screen. Held in my hand, we have all the time in the world, as much time 40:51 as this young man, 11 years old, sitting on the prestigious cover of Time magazine. 40:58 His name is Orion Jean. Did I say he's 11? Did I tell you that he is 41:07 honored as the Kid of the Year? Did I mention that? Did I tell you yet that he is an 41:14 11-year-old Seventh Day Adventist and member of the Dallas Temple Church in Texas? 41:20 >> Amen! >> Did I tell you that? I wanted to tell you right off 41:25 the bat so when you hear his list of credentials, you're gonna say, "Whoa!" 41:30 And he's only 11. At the age of 9 -- I will tell you this -- he gave a speech. 41:34 They have a national speech contest for kindness, and he gave a speech on kindness. 41:38 And what's the line in that speech? He wrote this line and spoke it. 41:42 "Kindness is a virtue we can all possess if we are willing to." And then, guess what. 41:47 He forms an organization, at the age of 9, called The Race to Kindness. 41:51 He won $500 for doing such a great speech, and he took his $500 and he started investing 41:57 it. He invested it in 600 toys for children in the 42:01 Children's Medical Center in Dallas, Texas. He handed the toys away, and 42:07 then he forms a national organization called, as I told you, Race to Kindness. 42:12 And now you know what they're doing? They're distributing food and 42:16 books. 100,000 meals have been distributed because this 42:20 9-year-old boy said, "I can do something for Jesus." 500,000 books have been given 42:25 away to students who don't have access to literature because of the cost. 42:31 A half-a-million books because this boy said, "I can do something for Jesus if I use my 42:36 time for Him." Now, don't you dare come up to me after this service and say, 42:40 "You know, Pastor, I really would like to volunteer my services in this church, but I 42:44 just don't have the time." You tell that to Orion Jean, will you? 42:49 He was sitting on ABC television. They're interviewing him and 42:53 they're asking him "why you do what you do." And he told them, "You know, I 42:57 used the things that I saw on the news every day -- people losing their jobs and their 43:01 homes and access to food and books and clothing, things we sometimes take for granted, and 43:06 with a little bit of kindness, we can hopefully give back those things. 43:10 And I decided I could help give back those things." I'm so proud of this kid. 43:14 >> Yes! >> Of course, I'm really proud of him because he's a 43:18 Seventh Day Adventist young man. 43:24 Gift Number 2 -- "Give Me your time." Orion did. 43:29 He's interviewed by Angelina Jolie. Now, that would be an interview. 43:34 And it's here in Time magazine. Yeah. Little embarrassed to talk about not having enough time. 43:42 "Give me your time." Jesus invites you. What's the deal with 43:46 volunteering? It's not just about killing time. 43:49 It is a strategic giving that antidotes the venom of self-worship. 43:53 When you give time, you're crushing, you're crushing that serpent's venom. 43:57 You're crushing it. >> Yes. >> When you give yourself, when 44:02 you give your time... "The Lord needs it." He doesn't need it 'cause He 44:10 doesn't have enough time. He needs it because you have too much time. 44:15 He says, "Give it to me." Give it to me." Alright, there are three of 44:19 these. What's the point of all these gimmes? 44:22 Well, I'll tell you. The point is, it is the act of giving. 44:26 That's what I'm trying to share with you. It is the act of giving that 44:30 breaks the crust of selfishness and antidotes the venom of self-worship. 44:35 He just kind of bleeds it out of you when you give. Oh, but there are three. 44:39 There's one more. Okay, so, number 3 -- "Give Me your means." 44:43 "Well, what do you mean by 'means,' Dwight?" Well, I put "Give Me your means" 44:47 because I didn't want to be really in your face and say what God is really saying here, and 44:52 that's, "Give me your money." That's what He's saying. "Give Me your money." 45:00 That's the hardest give that there is. You can give your time till 45:03 you're blue in the face, but it's the money we hang on to till the bitter end. 45:10 "Give Me your money." Whew! "Are you serious?" 45:16 As serious -- As they say, as serious as a heart attack. It's the number-one, the numero 45:22 uno, subject that Jesus deals with in His entire four Gospels' lifetime. 45:27 He talks more about money than any other subject. He must know that the gimme 45:33 there breaks, antidotes the venom of self-worship. Ed Gungor, in his book -- I love 45:40 the title of this book -- "Religiously Transmitted Diseases." 45:46 Huh? Huh? "Religiously Transmitted Diseases"? 45:49 Are you serious? Ed Gungor, in his book "Religiously Transmitted 45:53 Diseases" -- he got it right here. "Giving touches a nerve in us 45:57 that nothing else does. We look a lot like God when we do it." 46:01 Why? For God so loved the world that He what, what, what? He gave. 46:05 We look like God. "We look a lot like God when we do it. 46:08 When you give, you defy the fear that you won't have enough." You were thinking, when those 46:14 kids went by, "No, I'm not gonna give that $20. I'll give a $1. 46:16 Because if I give the $20, what do I have?" That's why we don't give. 46:21 We fear that we won't have enough. Come on, be honest. 46:25 Yep. "You insult greed" -- when you give -- "the impulse to acquire or possess more than one 46:31 needs or deserves. If you really believe that God owns it all and that He is your 46:36 source and provider, giving will be a simple matter," because it's His anyway. 46:42 Huh? Keep reading. "The arena of giving is the only place where exactly what's going 46:48 on in your heart is revealed. "Hit the pause button there, Dwight." 46:51 I will. If you're honest with me and you tell me what you give... 47:00 you tell me what you give, I will immediately buy what you tell me. 47:06 Learn about your spirituality. Somebody talked about the widow's mite. 47:12 Is that what you talked about? That beautiful baby named Luke? 47:19 Why was the widow's -- Why was the widow commended by Jesus? She gave nothing. 47:27 The others were pouring in these bags of money and feeling so good because everybody's saying, 47:32 "What a giver." Why was she commended by Jesus? Because you are commended not by 47:39 the amount you give, but by the amount you keep. And the guys dumping in the big 47:45 gold were keeping a lot. So it's not the amount. Don't feel bad. 47:51 It's what you have left over. That's what we give out of. Yeah. 47:57 "According to Jesus, giving keeps your heart in motion toward God and away from 48:01 material things. Your heart will follow the direction of your giving." 48:07 "For where your treasure is --" What did Jesus say? "Where your treasure is... 48:12 there your heart will be also." Yeah. And, yet, do you know that 48:16 there's some people -- in the Church, even -- If you ask them, you say, "Come on, I want you to 48:22 be honest with me," they're not giving anything at all. Maybe $1 when the kid goes by. 48:26 "Well, she's such a cute little girl. I'll give her $1." 48:31 No giving to the God who gives you every beat of your heart? "No." 48:38 No giving to the Lord who gives you every breath of your lungs? "No." 48:46 No giving at all? "No." You got to be kidding me. 48:53 "I don't look at the books." God does -- your books. You know what? 49:04 You and I cannot afford not to give if eternity is the endgame. Hey, listen, if eternity's not 49:15 a big deal for you, you want to grab for all the gusto you can, be my guest. 49:19 Spend it all now. You don't have to save a penny, boy. 49:22 Just let it go. But if eternity is where you wish to spend the rest of 49:28 eternity in, then giving is what breaks the anti... anti-worship that Lucifer calls, 49:45 rightfully, the "I" worship, self-worship. Wow. 49:49 Let's listen to Jesus before He became Jesus. He was just Christ when He spoke 49:53 these words, the preincarnate Christ. Malachi 3. 49:56 These might be familiar to you. "Will a mere mortal rob God?", Christ asked. 50:00 "Yet you rob Me." "How? Come on, Jesus. We don't rob you. 50:04 How are we robbing you?" He answers, "'In tithes and offerings.'" 50:09 "No, you got to be kidding me." "No, I'm not kidding you." Verse 10. 50:16 "So bring the whole tithe." That's code language, by the way. 50:19 The word "tithe" is a code word in the New Testament -- also in the Old Testament -- 10% of your 50:24 gain, 10% of your gain. "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be 50:28 food in My house." 'Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, the 50:31 Lord of Hosts, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour 50:35 out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.'" 50:39 Can you believe it? He is gonna reward your crushing the venom of the serpent in your 50:45 life. He will reward you for doing that. 50:48 You can't believe it. What did Jesus just say in our Scripture reading a moment ago? 50:53 "Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, 50:57 shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap." 51:01 I could line them up on this platform right here. Men, women, children, teens, 51:07 college students, graduate students. I could line them up right here, 51:11 and they would give their testimonies to you, I promise you. 51:16 And you know what their testimonies would be about? 51:21 How when they faithfully returned God's tithe -- because 51:24 it's His tithe, not ours -- how when they faithfully returned 51:28 their little 10% and cheerfully, mind you -- cheerfully gave the 51:31 offerings that they were able to give. 51:34 How? God has proven to be their CFO. 51:40 What does CFO stand for? What's the "C" stand for? 51:43 >> Chief. >> Chief. 51:44 What's the "F" stand for? Financial. What's the "O"? 51:48 >> Officer. >> The one who makes the 51:50 decisions, the CFO. 51:52 They said, "It's no big deal to me. I asked God one day, 'You become 51:57 my CFO, and I'll give you my dreams. I'll give you my career. 52:02 I'll give you my children. I'll give you my job -- or no job. 52:05 I'll give it all to you, and you be my CFO.'" Wow. 52:13 "You manage my finances. You know we have more month than money many times. 52:21 But, God, I'm counting on you. I'm counting on you to take that 90% or maybe only 80% left over 52:28 now. I'm counting on you to take what would have been the 100% and 52:32 stretch that 100% bigger than it could ever have been had I kept the 100% to myself. 52:36 I'm counting on You because You are the omnipotent creator of this universe, and if You could 52:41 open the floodgates of heaven, You can take care of me. I'm counting on You. 52:45 I'm counting on You." God doesn't need our money, our quarters, our dollar bills, our 52:52 $500 checks. Pssht! This isn't about God needing our money. 52:56 This is about the venom inside of us needing to be bled out of us, and giving is the antivenom 53:06 that saves us. Not long after the story of "Mr. Bingle's Old Coat," these 53:14 words were written. Put them on the screen for you. About the same time in 53:18 Australia, these words were written. "Let us surrender ourselves a 53:21 living sacrifice and give our all --" "No, come on." No, "All to Jesus. It's His. 53:28 We're His purchased possession. Those who are recipients of His grace, who contemplate the cross 53:33 of Calvary, will not question concerning the proportion --" "How much is this? 53:37 Do you have a tithe-light in this church? You know, not 10%, but how about 53:40 9%?" No, we don't have tithe-light. Don't contemplate concern over 53:45 the proportion to be given. No, when we "contemplate the cross of Calvary, will not 53:50 question concerning the proportion to be given, but will feel that the richest offering 53:55 is all too meager, all disproportionate to the great gift of the only begotten son of 54:04 the Infinite God. Through self-denial, the poorest will find ways of obtaining 54:09 something to give back to God." There it is. That's it. Four words -- "The Lord needs 54:19 it." And for the venom that's still in me and the venom that still 54:27 circulates in you, giving will break the serpent's back. 54:36 I want to sing a chorus with you. 54:38 Before we do, I want you to just check out this Connect Card. 54:41 If you'll just text the words -- the last one of this series -- 54:45 "Signup6" to 269-281-2345. Just "Signup6." 54:50 Here are three next steps. "'The Lord needs it' -- so I 54:53 want to give my heart to Jesus -- please contact me." 54:58 If you've not given your heart to Jesus, you're sitting up in 55:00 the balcony, you're sitting here in the front of the church, it 55:02 doesn't matter to me. You're watching online somewhere 55:04 on the planet. You want to give your heart to 55:06 Jesus, if you will put a check mark there, we'll be in touch 55:09 with you electronically. Let's talk about giving your 55:13 heart to the one who gave his life for you. 55:15 Box number 2 -- "'The Lord needs it' -- so I want to give my time 55:18 to Jesus -- please have the Volunteer Engagement Committee 55:21 contact me with new opportunities to serve." 55:23 "Please. I'm willing. I'm willing to share some time." 55:26 You put a check mark there, we'll be in touch. 55:28 Final box -- "'The Lord needs it' -- so I want to give my 55:31 means to Jesus -- choosing Him to be my CFO as I faithfully 55:35 return His tithe and cheerfully give my offerings." 55:39 "Sign me up. Sign me up, Jesus. You're my CFO." 55:43 Let's turn our eyes to him right now. 55:45 Will you stand to your feet, and let's just sing that beautiful 55:48 chorus "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." 55:51 Let's end with focusing heavenward on our CFO, the 55:54 savior of our lives and our deliverer. 55:59 ♪♪ 56:47 That's our prayer, Lord Jesus, in Your name. Amen. 56:52 >> Amen! 56:58 >> Before you go, let me take an extra moment to share with you 57:00 an opportunity to get into the Bible in a fresh, new way. 57:03 All across the world, more and more people are hearing the call 57:06 to examine Scriptures for themselves. 57:08 If you've felt drawn to learn more about God's Word, but you 57:11 don't know where to start or you're just looking for a more 57:14 in-depth examination of Bible truths, then I have something 57:17 right here that I believe you're going to enjoy. 57:19 I want to send a series of guides to get you started. 57:22 This one's entitled "Why Does God Allow Suffering?" 57:24 Each guide begins with a story, an introduction of the subject. 57:28 Then, through a series of focus questions, you'll be learning 57:30 portions of the Bible you may never have known before. 57:33 And when you're through, you'll be able to share with others 57:35 some of these inspiring Bible truths. 57:37 So just call our toll-free number. 57:39 It's on the screen. 877, the two words "HIS-WILL." 57:41 Our friendly operators are standing by to send these study 57:45 guides to you. Once again, that's 877-HIS-WILL. 57:49 Call that number, and then again join me next week right 57:53 here at this same time. "New Perceptions." 57:59 ♪♪ |
Revised 2022-05-10