WE WERE CREATED TO BE GENEROUS
Who is the most generous person you’ve ever known?
Because the most generous people aren’t necessarily the people who have the most. They’re the people who have learned to live with an open heart.
And here’s something else I’ve discovered…..Generous people are the kind of people you want to be around!
We admire generosity……We celebrate it when we see it…..And we love being on the receiving end of it!
But here’s the question:
If we admire generosity so much, why is it sometimes so difficult for us to be generous?
Generosity is not simply something we do with our possessions……..Generosity is a way of living.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
We learn to care about what He cares about……We learn to see people the way He sees people.
Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
A generous life is a blessed life, not because we get everything we want, but because we’re becoming more like the God who gave us everything we need in Jesus.
Generosity doesn’t begin in your wallet. It begins in your heart.
Proverbs 4:23 “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
Everything flows from the heart. Your priorities……Your relationships………Your decisions………Your generosity.
IT ALL STARTS WITH THE HEART.
Whatever captures your heart will eventually influence how you Spend (time, treasure) your Life.
Why? Because it’s something I enjoy. Something I value.
And isn’t that true about so many things in life?
When something has our heart, giving our time, attention, and resources to it doesn’t feel like an obligation.
If I can so easily give my time, attention, and resources to something as temporary as a game of golf, how much more should I want to give my first and best to the God who has given everything for me?
- Whatever has first place in your heart will eventually influence every other area of your life. Click to add your own note
Proverbs 3:5–10 (NIV)
5 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.
9 Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.”
- Before God asks us to honor Him with what we have, He teaches us to trust Him with who we are. s.Click to add your own note
Our generosity becomes an expression of our trust in God.
9 “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops.”
WHY DOES GOD ASK FOR THE FIRST?
Because giving the first required something.
Giving God the first is a declaration that we trust Him with what comes next.
That’s why the principle of firstfruits is so powerful
Jesus said something that brings all of this together.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV) “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
Why is giving sometimes so difficult?
- We must deal with a SELFISH HEART.
Deuteronomy 15:7–8 (NKJV) “If there is among you a poor man of your brethren, within any of the gates in your land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not harden your heart nor shut your hand from your poor brother, but you shall open your hand wide to him and willingly lend him sufficient for his need, whatever he needs.”
Now, I want you to notice something.
God connects two things…..A hardened heart and a closed hand.
Deuteronomy 15:9 (NKJV “Beware lest there be a wicked thought in your heart, saying, ‘The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand,’ and your eye be evil against your poor brother and you give him nothing, and he cry out to the LORD against you, and it become sin among you.”
God was teaching His people not to allow the fear of losing something to keep them from loving someone.
When fear becomes the controlling influence in our lives, generosity becomes the first thing we sacrifice.
- WE MUST DEAL WITH A GRIEVING HEART Click to add your own note
Deuteronomy 15:10 (NKJV) “You shall surely give to him, and your heart should not be grieved when you give to him, because for this thing the LORD your God will bless you in all your works and in all to which you put your hand.”.
Notice what God says.
Not only should you give.
Your heart should not be grieved when you give.
And God says, “I want to do something in your heart so that you can give freely.”
We are not the owners of everything we have. We are stewards of what God has entrusted to us.
Psalm 24:1 (NIV) “The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.”
We begin to ask: “God, how do You want me to manage what You’ve entrusted to me?”
OWNERSHIP VERSUS STEWARDSHIP
The tighter we hold on to possessions, the more power they can have over us.
But when we learn to hold them with open hands, we discover a new kind of freedom.
Matthew 6:21: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Generosity doesn’t just reveal where our hearts are. It can help redirect where our hearts go.
- WE MUST DEVELOP A GENEROUS HEART Click to add your own note
Deuteronomy 15:12-14 (NKJV)
12 “If your brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, is sold to you and serves you six years, then in the seventh year you shall let him go free from you. 13 And when you send him away free from you, you shall not let him go away empty-handed;”You shall supply him liberally from your flock, from your threshing floor, and from your winepress. From what the LORD your God has blessed you with, you shall give to him.”
GENEROSITY LOOKS BEYOND OURSELVES
I think one of the greatest things that can happen in our spiritual lives is when we begin to see what we have as an opportunity to bless someone else.
You don’t have to be wealthy to be generous.
- Generosity is not about having more than everybody else. It’s about being willing to share what God has entrusted to you. Click to add your own note
When we give, we get to participate in what God is doing in somebody else’s life.
Luke 6:35–36 (NIV) “But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
God was generous toward us long before we ever became generous toward Him.
- WE MUST DEVELOP A GRATEFUL HEART
Deuteronomy 15:15 (NKJV) “You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this thing today.”
I want you to notice one word. REMEMBER.
Everything good in my life is evidence of God’s grace at work.
Because when you understand how much you’ve received, you begin to discover the joy of giving.
Gratitude remembers what grace has given, and generosity shares what love has received.
WHAT or Who HAS YOUR HEART?
Ripple Effect Sermon: “One Drop Away”
Ripple:
-One event triggering a continuous chain of secondary consequences
> EVERY RIPPLE STARTS WITH ONE SMALL MOVE/Drop
John 1:40–42
One of the two who heard John speak and followed Jesus was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first found his own brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means Christ). He brought him to Jesus… Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John. You shall be called Cephas” (which means Peter
Philip Leads Nathanael
John 1:44–46
Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
- Personal invitations create immediate, personal turning points that multiply the number of witnesses. Click to add your own note
2 Timothy 1:5
I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
- Family discipleship creates a multigenerational ripple effect that impacts global Christianity centuries later. Click to add your own note
1 Cor. 3:6
I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God gave the growth.
> Obedience is on us, the outcome is on God.
2 Kings 5:1-6
Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”
> You don’t have to make the miracle, you just have to make the ripple
Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents[b] of silver, six thousand shekels[c] of gold and ten sets of clothing. The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”
There is something in the ripple that gets you closer to the reward.
> We tend to classify people based on what we see… but God only has two classifications.
SAVED & LOST
v. 15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
V 17 “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord.
This story has not just started here, but rather it’s been culminating over time in ripples…
KH: “Sometimes God will throw a stone in the middle of your decision bc He wants to move you in the direction so that you will go where He wants you”.
> Often times it is the difficult ripples that get us where we need to be.
Love is the motivator
2 Corinthians 5:14-20
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God
We are compelled by Christs’ love and no longer live unto ourselves. We have been reconciled and now have been given the ministry of reconciliation.
Romans 1:16
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes
> You make the ripple. God determines the reach.
> One drop can make a ripple that changes a generation
> You make the ripple. God determines the reach.
Acts 27–28
Sharing the Gospel isn’t a technique you turn on. It’s a way of life you carry.
You don’t have to know everything about Jesus to tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.
Paul’s story in Acts 27–28 reminds us that mission doesn’t only happen in the moments we plan for. Sometimes God uses us on the way somewhere else, in conversations we didn’t expect, with people we didn’t plan to meet.
1. DON’T LET YOUR PLAN MAKE YOU MISS HIS PURPOSE
Jesus told Paul he was going to Rome.
Acts 23:11
“…so you must testify also in Rome.”
Paul knew the destination. What he didn’t know was the route.
A storm came. The ship broke apart. And instead of arriving in Rome, Paul washed up on an island he didn’t even know.
Acts 28:1
“After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta.”
Paul knew where God was ultimately taking him.
He didn’t know everywhere God was going to use him along the way.
That’s why Proverbs 16:9 is so important:
“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.”
Planning isn’t wrong but sometimes we become so attached to the way we thought something should happen that we miss what God is doing in the middle of it.
Paul’s mission didn’t begin when he arrived in Rome.
There was mission on the ship. There was mission in the storm. There was mission on Malta.
Malta wasn’t where Paul was going but it was where Paul was.
And sometimes the thing that feels like it is interrupting the mission may actually be where the mission is happening.
The interruption might be the mission.
THINK ABOUT IT
Where in your normal life might God already have people around you that you’ve never thought of as “ministry”?
Is there a place you keep trying to rush through where God may want you to become more available?
2. BE READY TO TELL YOUR STORY
When Paul stood in the middle of a ship where everyone had lost hope, he said:
Acts 27:23
“…the God to whom I belong and whom I worship…”
Paul wasn’t talking about a God he only knew information about. He was talking about a God he knew personally.
When the opportunity came, Paul didn’t have to invent something spiritual to say.
He already had a story. Later Paul described his own life this way:
1 Timothy 1:13
“…formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy…”
Paul knew who he had been. He knew what Jesus had done.
And he knew the difference Jesus had made.
Paul’s story was evidence of Jesus.
Jesus gave the same kind of instruction in Mark 5:19:
“Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
That’s testimony. A testimony is putting words around how good God has been to you.
And your testimony isn’t only the story of the day you first met Jesus.
If you are walking with Him, you should be learning to recognize His goodness in your life now.
Sometimes God removes something completely. Sometimes He strengthens you while you are walking through it.
The struggle may still exist, but you are no longer the same person inside it.
The goal is to become familiar with the goodness of God in your own life.
So when somebody asks why you follow Jesus, you aren’t searching for an answer.
You can tell them what you know.
You can tell them what He has done.
A SIMPLE WAY TO TELL YOUR STORY
BEFORE: What was true before Jesus changed this part of your life?
JESUS: How did Jesus meet you there? What did He do?
NOW: What is actually different because of Him?
You don’t need to make your story dramatic.
Tell the truth about what Jesus has done.
TAKE A MINUTE
Think of one specific thing Jesus has done in your life.
How would you explain it to somebody in about sixty seconds?
3. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE ONE
Paul eventually meets Publius, one of the significant leaders on Malta. Publius’ father is sick. Paul prays for him, and he is healed.
Then Acts 28:9 says:
“And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.”
Paul walked into one house. One man was in front of him. But what happened in that room didn’t stay in that room.
One room opened an island.
That is the ripple. You know who you are talking to. You don’t know who they will talk to.
Sharing the Gospel can feel discouraging when somebody doesn’t immediately respond the way we hoped.
Paul gives us a healthier way to think about our part:
1 Corinthians 3:6
“I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.”
Sometimes you plant. Sometimes you water something somebody else planted years ago.
Sometimes you get to be there when everything finally comes together. But growth belongs to God.
Don’t confuse being used by God with doing what only God can do. You are not responsible for saving someone.
Jesus saves.
You are responsible for being faithful with the opportunity He gives you.
REMEMBER
The goal is 10. Your responsibility is faithfulness.
If someone is far from God and one conversation makes them more open, more curious, or more willing to take another step toward Jesus, that conversation mattered.
You may never see the whole ripple. Paul couldn’t either. Nearly two thousand years later, Malta still remembers the shipwreck that brought Paul to its shore. Paul could only see the person in front of him.
God could see much farther.
THIS WEEK
Don’t make sharing the Gospel complicated.
Start with your own story. Spend some time thinking through:
BEFORE → JESUS → NOW
Then pray: “Holy Spirit, give me an opportunity to tell somebody what You’ve done in my life.”
When the opportunity comes, don’t force it. Just be faithful.
Tell them what Jesus has done and trust God with what happens next.
Somebody’s faithfulness became part of your story. Maybe they invited you. Maybe they shared what Jesus had done in their life. Maybe they planted something they never got to see grow.
But God used them and now you get the privilege of being part of somebody else’s story.
Tell your story.
Be faithful with your part.
Trust God with the ripple.
1. Your leadership becomes unhinged when you idols for God.
(To put a person or thing in the place of another)
Verse 14
When Amaziah returned from slaughtering the Edomites, he brought back the gods of the people of Seir. He set them up as his own gods, bowed down to them and burned sacrifices to them.
(MULTILINE)
2. Your leadership becomes unhinged when you Godly voices.
(To cut off, suppress or smother)
Verse 15, 16
The anger of the Lord burned against Amaziah, and he sent a prophet to him, who said, “Why do you consult this people’s gods, which could not save their own people from your hand?” 16) While he was still speaking, the king said to him, “Have we appointed you an adviser to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?”
(MULTILINE)
3. Your leadership becomes unhinged when you yourself with wrong people.
(To place yourself in the company of others)
Verses 17, 20, 21a
After Amaziah king of Judah consulted his advisers, he sent this challenge to Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu, king of Israel: “Come, let us face each other in battle.” 20) Amaziah, however, would not listen, for God so worked that he might deliver them into the hands of Jehoash, because they sought the gods of Edom. 21 So Jehoash king of Israel attacked…
(MULTILINE)
Discussion Questions
- What personal idols need addressing?
- How did you suffocate God’s voice?
- Who do you allow to speak in your life?
(MULTILINE)
WHAT ARE WE NOT SEEING?
Not with these eyes. But with our Heart
How is GOD Seeing PEOPLE AROUND ME THAT I’VE STOPPED SEEING?
“YOU’RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING, BUT YOU’RE MISSING SOMETHING.”
And here’s What I know about human nature…
- YOU DON’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR WHAT YOU DON’T SEE. Click to add your own note
THE RIPPLE EFFECT.
One life can touch another life, that touches another life…
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
“You may never know how far God can take one simple act of obedience.”
OPEN YOUR EYES
John 4: 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
Vs 32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” ….
34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.
JOHN 4:35 “Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”
- OPEN YOUR EYES AND SEE WHAT GOD SEES
John 20:21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.
WHEN YOU BEGIN TO SEE PEOPLE THE WAY GOD SEES PEOPLE, YOU BEGIN TO FEEL ABOUT PEOPLE THE WAY GOD FEELS ABOUT PEOPLE.
LUKE 15:1–2 “Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, ‘This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.’”
- Jesus is focused on those who are lost.
LUKE 15: 4 “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it?
HE NOTICES WHO’S MISSING.
5 And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders 6 and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’
7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.
Luke 19: 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
LUKE 15: 8 “Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it?
THE COIN DOESN’T KNOW IT’S LOST.
She searches carefully. This means with care, with intentionality…
- The VALUE of something DETERMINES THE intensity of the SEARCH. Click to add your own note
9 And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.’ 10 In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
LUKE 15: 17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father’……… 20 So he got up and went to his father. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.
GOD HAS EYES FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE FAR FROM HIM.
2 Cor 5:14–16 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
CHRIST’S LOVE COMPELS US.
1 JOHN 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”
2 Cor 5:14–16 14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view……
Jesus gives you a different pair of glasses.
THE GOSPEL CHANGES MORE THAN WHAT I BELIEVE. IT CHANGES WHAT I SEE.
WHO SAW YOU?
THE RIPPLE REACHED YOU.
WHO IS WAITING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF YOUR OBEDIENCE?
2 COR 5:18–20 “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
GOD MAKES HIS APPEAL THROUGH ORDINARY PEOPLE
There’s somebody in your life who may never come talk to me……But they’ll talk to you.
**BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE SOMETHING WITH THEM THAT I DON’T HAVE……RELATIONSHIP.
- YOU JUST NEED TO have eyes to see and BE AVAILABLE. Click to add your own note
WHAT DO MY PRAYERS SAY ABOUT WHAT I SEE?
**IF GOD ANSWERED EVERY PRAYER YOU PRAYED LAST WEEK… WOULD IT CHANGE THE WORLD AROUND YOU…
OR WOULD IT MOSTLY CHANGE YOUR WORLD?
MATTHEW 6:10 “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
That’s a big prayer.
God, don’t just do something for me. GOD, DO SOMETHING THROUGH ME.
Challenge: I JUST WANT YOU TO OPEN YOUR EYES.
I want you to identify five people already in your life who are far from God.
DON’T TRY TO FIX THEM — PRAY FOR THEM
For the next few weeks, I want you to pray over those five names every day.
“God, open my eyes.”…..Help me see them the way You see them……Help me love them the way You love them……Open their heart to You…….Give me an opportunity to encourage them.
“GOD, IF YOU WANT TO USE ME, I’M AVAILABLE.”
1 COR 3:6–7 “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.”
I love that because it takes the pressure off.
YOU ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR CHANGING ANYBODY.
OUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TO BE AVAILABLE FOR THE RIPPLE.
FIVE NAMES — FIVE POSSIBILITIES
THE RIPPLE EFFECT.
GOD, OPEN OUR EYES TO THE PEOPLE YOU ALREADY PUT IN OUR PATH.
Then Jehoshaphat, Asa’s son, became the next king. He strengthened Judah to stand against any attack from Israel. He stationed troops in all the fortified towns of Judah, and he assigned additional garrisons to the land of Judah and to the towns of Ephraim that his father, Asa, had captured.
The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father’s early years and did not worship the images of Baal. He sought his father’s God and obeyed his commands instead of following the evil practices of the kingdom of Israel. So the Lord established Jehoshaphat’s control over the kingdom of Judah. All the people of Judah brought gifts to Jehoshaphat, so he became very wealthy and highly esteemed. He was deeply committed to the ways of the Lord. He removed the pagan shrines and Asherah poles from Judah.
In the third year of his reign Jehoshaphat sent his officials to teach in all the towns of Judah. These officials included Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah. He sent Levites along with them, including Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah. He also sent out the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They took copies of the Book of the Law of the Lord and traveled around through all the towns of Judah, teaching the people. 2 Chronicles 17:1-9 (NLT)
After this, the armies of the Moabites, Ammonites, and some of the Meunites declared war on Jehoshaphat. Messengers came and told Jehoshaphat, “A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea. They are already at Hazazon-tamar.” (This was another name for En-gedi.)
Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance. He also ordered everyone in Judah to begin fasting. So people from all the towns of Judah came to Jerusalem to seek the Lord’s help. 2 Chronicles 20:1-4 (NLT)
- King Jehoshaphat was facing a new battle in a new era in Israel.
Jehoshaphat stood before the community of Judah and Jerusalem in front of the new courtyard at the Temple of the Lord. He prayed, “O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you! O our God, did you not drive out those who lived in this land when your people Israel arrived? And did you not give this land forever to the descendants of your friend Abraham? Your people settled here and built this Temple to honor your name. They said, ‘Whenever we are faced with any calamity such as war, plague, or famine, we can come to stand in your presence before this Temple where your name is honored. We can cry out to you to save us, and you will hear us and rescue us.’
And now see what the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir are doing. You would not let our ancestors invade those nations when Israel left Egypt, so they went around them and did not destroy them. Now see how they reward us! For they have come to throw us out of your land, which you gave us as an inheritance. O our God, won’t you stop them? We are powerless against this mighty army that is about to attack us. We do not know what to do, but we are looking to you for help.” 2 Chronicles 20:5-12 (NLT)
- King Jehoshaphat sought the Lord for the proper response.
He said, “Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. Tomorrow, march out against them. You will find them coming up through the ascent of Ziz at the end of the valley that opens into the wilderness of Jeruel. But you will not even need to fight. Take your positions; then stand still and watch the Lord’s victory. He is with you, O people of Judah and Jerusalem. Do not be afraid or discouraged. Go out against them tomorrow, for the Lord is with you!”
Then King Jehoshaphat bowed low with his face to the ground. And all the people of Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping the Lord. Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout.
Early the next morning, the army of Judah went out into the wilderness of Tekoa. On the way, Jehoshaphat stopped and said, “Listen to me, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Believe in the Lord your God, and you will be able to stand firm. Believe in his prophets, and you will succeed.”
After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor.
This is what they sang: “Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!”
At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves. The armies of Moab and Ammon turned against their allies from Mount Seir and killed every one of them. After they had destroyed the army of Seir, they began attacking each other. So when the army of Judah arrived at the lookout point in the wilderness, all they saw were dead bodies lying on the ground as far as they could see. Not a single one of the enemy had escaped. 2 Chronicles 20:15-24 (NLT)
- King Jehoshaphat won his battle through spiritual means.
WORSHIP!
God is calling our church to more prayer and more worship!
- King Jehoshaphat continued to battle using supernatural methods.
King Jehoshaphat and his men went out to gather the plunder. They found vast amounts of equipment, clothing, and other valuables—more than they could carry. There was so much plunder that it took them three days just to collect it all! On the fourth day they gathered in the Valley of Blessing, which got its name that day because the people praised and thanked the Lord there. It is still called the Valley of Blessing today.
Then all the men returned to Jerusalem, with Jehoshaphat leading them, overjoyed that the Lord had given them victory over their enemies. They marched into Jerusalem to the music of harps, lyres, and trumpets, and they proceeded to the Temple of the Lord.
When all the surrounding kingdoms heard that the Lord himself had fought against the enemies of Israel, the fear of God came over them. So Jehoshaphat’s kingdom was at peace, for his God had given him rest on every side. 2 Chronicles 20:25-30 (NLT)
Prayer: Seek the Lord in all we do.
Praise: Promote His goodness to everyone, everywhere.
Worship: Honor God above all, and through every possible means.
The Lord wants to bring us to the Valley of Beracah!
- New service times: 9 and 11:30 am (for a season)
- Prayer during, after, and between services (indefinitely)
- Simultaneous community prayer and worship (strategic locations)
- Prayer outreach
- 14 Day Fast ends this week!
25 year Anniversary Service
THE BEST IS YET TO COME
And none of it happened because of one person.
It happened because ordinary people said yes to an extraordinary God.
And today we get to do two things.
We REMEMBER what God has done.
And then…
We DREAM about what God is going to do next.
STONES OF REMEMBRANCE
- Joshua 4:2–3 “Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.” Click to add your own note
God basically says:
..DON’T FORGET WHO BROUGHT YOU ACROSS.
That’s what this 25th anniversary is for us.
We’re picking up some stones.
People are our stones.
LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE!
The stones weren’t primarily for the people who crossed the river. They were for people who hadn’t even been born yet.
- Joshua 4:6–7 “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD… These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever.” Click to add your own note
God was already thinking about the next generation.
The stones turned yesterday’s miracle into tomorrow’s faith..
We remember what God did yesterday so we’ll have faith for what He wants to do tomorrow.
That’s why our vision still matters:
- KNOW GOD.
Because every person who meets Jesus becomes another stone.
- GROW HEALTHY.
Because every broken life God restores becomes another stone.
- DISCOVER PURPOSE.
Because every person who discovers God’s calling becomes another stone.
- MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Click to add your own note
the God who has been faithful to Oasis for 25 years isn’t finished with us yet.
“WHO WILL BE SITTING HERE 25 YEARS FROM NOW BECAUSE OF WHAT WE DO TODAY?”
Those aren’t four church programs.
They describe the life Jesus came to give us.
Our Vision:
- KNOW GOD
- You were made to be connected to God. Click to add your own note
John 17:3, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
Everything starts here. Not knowing about God—knowing God. Every service, every ministry, every invitation ultimately points people toward a relationship with Jesus.
- God wants you to LIVE LIFE ON AN Spiritual ADVENTURE
John 10:10“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
Because the first step is knowing God but the second is just as important.
WE are called to
- GROW HEALTHY
- God doesn’t just want to save you. He wants to heal you.
- God wants you to LIVE LIFE WITH JOY AND PEACE Click to add your own note
John 8:36 “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
Psalm 147:3m “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
We believe your past can explain you without having to define you.
GOD DOESN’T WASTE YOUR WOUNDS.
- DISCOVER PURPOSE
- And God didn’t just save you FROM Something GOD SAVED YOU FOR SOMETHING.
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”
- God wants you to LIVE LIFE FULFILLED Click to add your own note
Psalm 16:11: “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”
Notice those words: path, life, joy, presence.
Fulfillment comes when the life I am living begins to align with the life God created me to live.
My life isn’t just about me.
“God put something inside me that somebody else needs.”
Because fulfillment isn’t found in getting more.
Fulfillment is found in becoming who God created you to be.
- MAKE A DIFFERENCE
- God didn’t give you a purpose just to fulfill you. He gave you a purpose to impact others.
- God wants you to LIVE LIFE ON MISSION Click to add your own note
Matthew 5:14–16 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden… let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Philippians 3:13–14 “ But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”
We can become so sentimental about yesterday that we stop dreaming about tomorrow.
We should honor yesterday.
We should celebrate yesterday.
We should learn from yesterday.
But… THE ANCHOR OF YESTERDAY CAN HOLD BACK OUR TOMORROW.
Isaiah 43:18 18 “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.
I SEE A NEW THING.
I SEE MORE PEOPLE MEETING JESUS.
Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…”
That’s why you received that keychain today.
But I want it to represent something enormous.
Someone’s eternity.
So put it on your keys.
And when God opens a door, use it.
Invite somebody.
Share your story.
Tell somebody what Jesus has done for you.
And God may use YOU to reach them.
WHO WILL BE SITTING HERE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF YOU?
THE BEST IS YET TO COME
Twenty-five years ago, we started building stones.
LOOK WHAT THE LORD HAS DONE.
LOOK WHAT THE LORD IS ABOUT TO DO.
Oasis…
Keep knowing God.
Keep growing healthy.
Keep discovering purpose.
Keep making a difference.
Keep inviting.
Keep serving.
Keep giving.
Keep believing.
Keep dreaming.
Because the God who was faithful yesterday…
is already waiting for us tomorrow.
And I believe with everything inside of me:
OUR GREATEST SERVICES HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.
OUR GREATEST SALVATIONS HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.
OUR GREATEST MIRACLES HAVE NOT HAPPENED YET.
OUR GREATEST IMPACT HAS NOT HAPPENED YET.
Twenty-five years are behind us.
But eternity is in front of us.
Gospel Light Church
Matthew series #24
September 6th, 2026
COURAGE FROM THE FATHER
Matthew 10:27–31
Jesus turns the disciples’ attention toward three great realities:
- We have a message worth proclaiming.
- We serve a God worthy of reverence.
- We belong to a Father who knows us completely.
The passage repeatedly addresses fear, while continually directing the disciples toward bold proclamation, holy reverence, divine providence, and personal value.
Jesus is preparing His disciples to live with confidence because their lives rest securely in the hands of their Father.
I. SPEAK WHAT JESUS HAS GIVEN YOU
“Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.” – vs. 27
Jesus begins with communication.
The disciples are receivers before they become proclaimers.
- Their message originates with Christ.
“Whatever I tell you in the dark…”
- The darkness here carries the idea of a private setting.
There are moments when God develops His servants privately.
There are truths God teaches us:
- in prayer
- in Scripture
- in quiet seasons
- in preparation
- in personal encounters with Him
Then comes the moment when private revelation becomes public proclamation.
“Speak in the light.”
- Jesus takes His disciples from hearing to speaking.
What Christ places within us eventually needs expression through us.
- The Christian faith carries a message designed for proclamation.
“Preach on the housetops.”
The flat rooftops common in that culture provided elevated places where a voice could carry through the surrounding area.
Jesus is saying:
- Make the message known.
- Speak clearly.
- Speak openly.
- Speak courageously.
We are MOUTHS OF CHRIST…..what an incredible description of the church!!!
We are voices carrying the message of Jesus into our generation.
- Every believer has a sphere of influence.
Your housetop may be:
- your home
- your workplace
- your classroom
- your team
- your neighborhood
- your friendships
- your community
The gospel deserves a voice.
What has Jesus placed in your heart that someone around you needs to hear?
II. LIVE WITH HOLY REVERENCE
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” – vs. 28
Now Jesus moves from proclamation to perspective.
- The word translated “fear” can carry the idea of awe, reverence, respect, and recognition of authority.
Jesus teaches His disciples to place God in the highest position of honor within their hearts.
- The fear of God gives life proper perspective.
When God becomes greater in our vision, courage grows within our hearts.
“It is to be terrified to be away from God.” — John Bevere
This is the powerful picture of Matthew 10.
- Jesus calls His disciples into such deep reverence for God that His presence, His approval, His Word, and His purposes become supreme.
- Holy fear produces holy courage.
“There is no cure for the fear of man like the fear of God.” — C. H. Spurgeon
When God occupies the highest place in our hearts, His voice carries the greatest weight.
- His Word becomes our authority.
- His pleasure becomes our pursuit.
- His glory becomes our purpose.
- His mission becomes our assignment.
Whose voice carries the greatest weight in my life?
The fear of the Lord establishes the answer:
God’s voice carries the greatest weight.
Bevere teaches that holy fear expresses itself through wholehearted obedience to God’s Word.
Reverence produces obedience, and obedience produces courage
III. TRUST THE PROVIDENCE OF YOUR FATHER
“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.” – vs. 29
Here we see one of the smallest creatures imaginable.
A sparrow.
Two sparrows could be purchased for a copper coin.
Jesus chooses something seemingly insignificant and says:
Your Father sees it.
That tells us something powerful about God.
God’s providence reaches into the smallest details of creation.
The word Father becomes incredibly important here.
- Jesus could have emphasized God’s power.
- Jesus could have emphasized God’s authority.
- Jesus could have emphasized God’s sovereignty.
Instead, Jesus says: “Your Father.”
The God who governs creation relates personally to His children.
Think about what Jesus is teaching.
- Every sparrow lives under the watchful eye of God.
- Every disciple lives under the watchful eye of God.
- Every missionary.
- Every pastor.
- Every parent.
- Every student.
- Every believer.
Your life is lived under the attentive care of your Father.
IV. REST IN HOW COMPLETELY GOD KNOWS YOU
“But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” vs. 30
Now Jesus moves to something even more personal.
Your Father knows you completely.
Jesus chooses something we rarely think about:, the hairs on our heads.
We know ourselves well but God knows us completely.
He knows:
- every thought
- every prayer
- every burden
- every dream
- every decision
- every act of obedience
- every moment of faithfulness
- every detail of our lives
God’s knowledge of His children is incredibly personal.
The hairs of your head are numbered.
This speaks of detailed knowledge. You are fully known by God.
- God knows exactly where you are.
- God knows exactly what you need.
- God knows exactly what He has called you to do.
- God knows exactly how He intends to use your life.
The same Father who watches the sparrow watches over you.
V. LIVE FROM YOUR GOD-GIVEN VALUE
“Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – vs. 31
Jesus brings the entire teaching together with one word:
“Therefore.”
- Because the Father sees the sparrow…
- Because the Father knows every hair…
- Because the Father knows every detail…
- Because the Father holds your life…
You can walk courageously.
Then Jesus makes this deeply personal:
“You are of more value than many sparrows.”
- Jesus wanted His disciples to understand their worth as they entered difficult places carrying the gospel.
Spurgeon beautifully described verses 29–31 as a sermon where “sparrows are the text.”
Think about that.
Every bird in the sky becomes a reminder:
- My Father sees me. Every sparrow becomes a sermon:
- My Father knows me. Every detail becomes a declaration:
- My Father values me.
SO WHAT??
1. God has given me something to say.
- “Speak in the light.”
- The gospel has been entrusted to us.
- Our generation needs believers willing to proclaim Jesus clearly.
2. God deserves the highest place in my heart.
- “Rather fear Him…”
- Holy reverence produces courageous obedience.
- When God becomes supreme in our hearts, we become increasingly ready to follow His direction.
3. God knows me and values me.
- “You are of more value than many sparrows.”
- Your Father knows your life in extraordinary detail.
You are:
Seen.
Known.
Valued.
Called.
Held by the Father.
The Holy Spirit
A Breath of Fresh Air
9/6/26
Pastor Mark England
Acts 19:1-2 (CSB)
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions and came to Ephesus. He found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” “No,” they told him, “We haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
A Breath of Fresh Air
– a wind, breath, a violent exhalation, blast of breath.
Genesis 1:2 (CSB)
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
– a current of air, blast of breath, a strong breeze.
John 6:63 (CSB)
The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
Wind is .
John 14:16-17 (NIV)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
Wind is .
John 3:8 (CSB)
Jesus answered… “The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
Wind is .
Acts 1:8 (CSB)
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Wind is .
1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (CSB)
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human heart has conceived— God has prepared these things for those who love him. 10 Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, since the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
Perspectives of The Holy Spirit
- : The belief that miraculous spiritual gifts stopped after the time of the first apostles.
1 Corinthians 13:8 (CSB)
Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end.
1 Corinthians 13:9-10 (CSB)
For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, 10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will come to an end.
- : The use of shocking, theatrical, and feeling-led methods to provoke strong emotional reaction around faith.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 (CSB)
For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, will multiply teachers for themselves because they have an itch to hear what they want to hear. 4 They will turn away from hearing the truth and will turn aside to myths.
- : The belief that God is a Triune-Being, and exists in three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (CSB)
Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (CSB)
Now concerning spiritual gifts: brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware… 4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person. 7 A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good: 8 to one is given a message of wisdom through the Spirit, to another, a message of knowledge by the same Spirit, 9 to another, faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another, the performing of miracles, to another, prophecy, to another, distinguishing between spirits, to another, different kinds of tongues, to another, interpretation of tongues. 11 One and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as he wills.
Acts 2:38 (CSB)
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
God wants to of you.
We should desire to of Him.
Christianity is not a where you only move forward under your own strength.
Christianity is a that moves forward by the fresh wind (Pneuma) empowering it.
Do you need a behind your sails?
Take a Deep
Ephesians 4:30 (CSB)
And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by him for the day of redemption.
- Let go of and .
Proverbs 3:5 (CSB)
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding.
- Go .
Jeremiah 29:13 (CSB)
You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart.
- Develop an with the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 13:14 (NKJV)
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
God the Father .
God the Son .
God the Holy Spirit .
The Joy of Sacrifice (oxymoron)
OT: Different types of sacrifices / offerings
They were to express thanks, worship, devotion, commitment to God, gratitude, thanksgiving, and atonement.
Ex. 20:24 “‘Make an altar of earth for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, your sheep and goats and your cattle. Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you.
He’s not waiting for you to get something else to sacrifice he wants you to use what you have (until I get a million dollars I will give, vs 10 for 100)
Romans 12:1 – Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship
*The altar isn’t a place we visit, it’s a place we live!
When do we build an altar?
> When I am reminded of the goodness of God (Praise)
PRAISE = The vocal and visual expression of the value of God for Who He is, what He as done, and what He will do.
*Whatever we give our time & attention to, that’s where our praise is going
*Praise creates a shift in the atmosphere of my soul
*Praise takes the focus off of me and my circumstances and puts the emphasis on God
*My definition of PRAISE = Praise is any action or heart intention that is given or done for the purpose of honoring God. — DC
I Build an Altar:
> When Obedience Costs Me My Preference. (Self-Denial)
Galatians 5:16; 19-25 16 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ……19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Colossians 3:2-3; 5; 17; 23 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God; …..5 Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature… 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. ….23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, 24 since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
HEBREWS 13:14-16 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
Sacrifice Def: Willingly giving up something of value for the sake of something—or Someone—of greater value.
2 Samuel 24:21-24 21Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” “To buy your threshing floor,” David answered, “so I can build an altar to the Lord, that the plague on the people may be stopped.” Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take whatever he wishes and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. Your Majesty, Araunah gives all this to the king.” Araunah also said to him, “May the Lord your God accept you.” But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”
*Pain gives you an understanding that knowledge never will
**Every altar in Scripture required a sacrifice. The only question was what would be placed on it.
Matthew 26:10 But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to me.
Another way I build an altar:
> When I give myself for the good of someone or something else (Service)
Isaiah 55:1-3 Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live…
Isaiah 47: 8 Now therefore hear this, you lover of pleasures, who sit securely who say in your heart, “I am, and there is no one besides me…
*What are you filling your life with that doesn’t allow room for God to bring more….
Luke 14:27 Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
Ephesians 4:11-15 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds[c] and teachers,[d] 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,[e] to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love
Many hands make light work
*A healthy church isn’t a few people doing everything. It’s every part doing something.
I build an altar:
> In the midst of offense (Forgiveness)
Luke 17:1-4 He said to His disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, but woe to the one they come through! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 Be on your guard. If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. 4 And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and comes back to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him
The Greek word for offense is skandalon ((sigma kappa alpha ́ nu delta alpha lambda o nu)), which originally referred to the “trigger stick of an animal trap” where bait was placed. It is used throughout the New Testament, most notably in Matthew 18:7 and Luke 17:1, to describe temptations that lead to sin or spiritual entrapment.
The word skandalon is primarily defined in Greek lexicons (like Strong’s Concordance, G4625) as a stumbling block or trap, with the figurative imagery often described as:
- The trigger: The movable stick or mechanism of a trap.
- The lure: The place where the hunter attaches the bait to entice prey.
- The result: Taking the “bait” springs the trap, leading to captivity, bitterness, or spiritual stumbling
Aphiemi (Greek): Translates literally as “to cast away” or “let go.” It signifies releasing someone from a debt, obligation, or offense so they are free to go.
Matthew 6:12 (Lord’s Prayer) “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Luke 23:34
*Altars weren’t merely places where people gave something to God. Altars became places where people discovered something about God.
You won’t sacrifice anything to God that He won’t restore something better to you.
Do everything as unto the Lord
Jesus does not ask for partial surrender.
He asks for:
- All your heart
- All your trust
- All your life
He wants all of us.
“They brought the boats to land, left everything, and followed Him.” — Luke 5:11
*All is what He requires. And all is what He deserves.
There is Gain on the Other side of what you are giving
Genesis 22:1-13 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
John 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.”
Hebrews 12:2 Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God
**Every altar in Scripture required a sacrifice. The only question was what would be placed on it.
TAnd under the New Covenant…
the sacrifice is me.
So the question isn’t, “Lord, what are You going to give me?”
The question is:
“Lord, what part of me have I not yet given You?”