When Practical Love Meets Political Pretext: A Review of ‘Living For Christ Looks Like This’

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:00] For the love of God, this scripture is teaching us in Romans chapter 15, verses 22 to 29.
[00:00:06] And if you would, I'll read the first verse. If you'll pick it up and read it on verse 23rd, you guys will be reading the odd-numbered verses. And are you guys ready? I know it's first service.
[00:00:17] I always like bragging about you guys to second and third, especially third service.
[00:00:24] Third service is a hard... They're a hard... Ken Ham asked me the other week, do you know you have like three different churches that attend here in one day?
[00:00:35] That's true.
[00:00:36] Every church has its personality.
[00:00:38] It's remarkable.
[00:00:39] It's really remarkable.
[00:00:40] But you guys are nice and loud.
[00:00:43] Third service, I like to be able to say, can third service read it louder than first service?
[00:00:48] And they go, I don't know.
[00:00:50] We don't know if we can.
[00:00:53] But it's beautiful.
[00:00:54] The Lord hears it nonetheless, amen?
[00:00:57] For this reason, I also have been much hindered, says the Apostle Paul, from coming to you.

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:01:03] I'm in a place in these parts and having a great desire these many years to come to you.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:01:11] Whenever I journey to Spain, I shall come to you for I hope to see you on my journey and to be helped on my way there by you.
[00:01:19] If first, I may enjoy your company for a while.

[00:01:24] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:01:24] But now I'm going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:01:28] Verse 26, for it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.

[00:01:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:01:40] It pleased them indeed, and they are their debtors.
[00:01:44] For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them material things.

[00:01:53] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:01:53] Therefore, when I have performed this and have sealed to them this fruit, I shall go by way of you to Spain.

[00:02:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:02:00] but I know that when I come to you I shall come in the fullness of the blessings of the gospel of Christ

[00:02:07] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:02:07] Lord we thank you Father I think we all are always radically impressed with Paul the Apostle's ability to say things his ability obviously not speaking English in those days but speaking Greek and Hebrew and Aramaic
[00:02:27] and so many other languages probably even more than that You're probably Latin as well, who knows what.
[00:02:34] This man was so brilliant and sharp, and it comes out in how you used him, even in his sentence structure.
[00:02:42] To use words arranged this way to communicate deep truths is a thing of God, is a thing of you, Lord.
[00:02:48] And we pray that this morning, Father, that you'd work through our weaknesses.
[00:02:53] God, that you'd make us attentive to your word and that you'd speak to us out of your word.
[00:02:58] Father, that by the time we leave here today, it'd be very evident to all that that we've been with you that you have been our teacher and that our lives would be affected as you have commissioned this
[00:03:12] church to make disciples of all people we want to grow deeper in knowing you and we want to do it for the love of God for nor the reason but for the love of God we pray in Jesus name and all God's people said amen you may be seated
[00:03:30] to church. And part two, as we dive into this, we saw last time part one, we're able to look at that in our first point regarding the love of God. As a Christian, our motivation must always be
[00:03:45] for the love of God. And if you keep that as your focus, if you are aware that that is our focus, that we serve the Lord because we love the Lord, please listen to this. I got a challenge for you
[00:03:56] at the end of this sentence or two, that when we sing in worship or whatever we do in worship, whatever we participate in in the act of worship, all of it is to be for the love of God.
[00:04:10] Paul the Apostle warned the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians that it doesn't matter what you do, even to the point of giving your life to be burned.
[00:04:20] If you don't do it out of love, it's a life lost.
[00:04:24] he said you could give everything in the way of monetary wealth and if you don't have love it matters nothing i just love the fact that the bible when you take the time to read it
[00:04:41] it just answers and speaks to all of those things that actually matter to us if we realize it or not every single one of us deal and operate and move in the realm where love
[00:04:56] in my opinion is required love i spoke to a bunch of high school um well i'll call them men high school men they're men right by the time you're in high school should be a man a man i mean they're
[00:05:10] young men but uh they act like they're men right they make demands like they're men i want the keys of the car that's funny you sound like a man as they stand there but listen i mean all of that
[00:05:24] Not to put that down, but of course, you know, they're growing up and there comes a point, mom, where you gotta start treating your high schooler like a man.
[00:05:33] And again, I had a chance to speak to all these young men and had taken that opportunity.
[00:05:41] I thought I would speak to them and talk to them about the things that maybe nobody has ever had a chance to talk to them about.
[00:05:48] So we talked about the birds and the bees.
[00:05:51] And you could hear a pin drop, I think out of boredom because I don't think I could have taught them anything.
[00:05:57] In this day and age, people who are 17 are going on 37 in this world around us.
[00:06:05] But all of it was to challenge these young men that no matter where you go in life, you need to conduct yourself loving others.
[00:06:12] When you go on a date, that girl ought to feel safe with you because you are a man of God.
[00:06:19] And you ought to conduct yourself wisely.
[00:06:21] We talked about details of that, of which you are never going to hear from me here on a Sunday morning. But it was profitable.
[00:06:31] If love is the driving factor of our lives as a church and as a Christian, it will affect how we treat people, how we speak to people. It will also matter how we conduct ourselves in the world
[00:06:42] around us, that we will be viable believers. And so we saw this, for the love of God, we saw this and we're asking the question, for the love of God, will you go to the ends of the earth? Because
[00:06:54] that's what Paul the Apostle was all about.
[00:06:56] We talked about three major things about that.
[00:06:59] As believers, church, every generation is to be willing and obedient by being a sender or a goer to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.
[00:07:12] You and I, most of us cannot go to the ends of the earth because we're not called to do that, but we are called to support those who go to the ends of the earth.
[00:07:21] And so we saw these three things.
[00:07:23] one in verse 22, we saw that we must put up with the challenges, the difficulties. We learned about the hardships that Paul said that he was hindered many times in coming to the believers that were
[00:07:34] in Rome. A lot of opposition. And far too many times we as Christians give up when we are being opposed when we're doing a good work. We think maybe God's not in it just because opposition
[00:07:46] comes. But the truth of the matter is Satan hates your guts. Aren't you glad you're here this morning, I wanted to make sure I communicated that to you too. Yes, God loves you and Satan
[00:07:55] hates your guts. And that's a beautiful place to be. And he wants to hinder the furtherance of the gospel. And so we need to embrace the challenges of all of that. Some of those challenges come
[00:08:07] from ourselves. Some of the challenges from the outside world, of course. And some of those challenges the Bible tells us from demonic sources as well. And the second thing we saw last time is verse 23 and that is that we must be open to what god has next for us always be open now i love the
[00:08:29] fact that this is a church and i've watched this over 35 years i've watched this church go through the what's the word i guess i guess it would be a demographic dynamic that might not even
[00:08:43] be accurate because i would say the pigmentation of this church stays the same which i'm super we're happy about.
[00:08:51] Pigmentation meaning black, white, Hispanic, all of the various backgrounds and cultures.
[00:09:00] I love the fact that there's a centrality of that here in this church.
[00:09:04] There are people, of course, situated where we're at in the nation.
[00:09:09] Southern California draws people from all of the 50 states or 49 states, but also California looking west draws the great Pacific Rim cultures, and I love that.
[00:09:22] But now to see the young generation, I'm very happy about this.
[00:09:26] As an old man, I now get to see here at this same church a new generation of people coming in and growing up and working and hearing the call of God.
[00:09:39] Why?
[00:09:39] Because that's how God moves.
[00:09:40] And I think we need to just be ready and be usable by God for whatever the challenges are next, but also able to stand in a place of being used, but don't block it all up.
[00:09:53] Does that make sense?
[00:09:54] Let God use you, but don't get in the way.
[00:09:57] Let God use you, so be in the flow.
[00:10:00] And the fun thing about that is we get to see young people hear the call of God upon their life, and the first generation of this church gets to hand them the baton and have them run.
[00:10:12] And it's a great, great thing.
[00:10:14] But listen, we've gotta be willing embrace the challenges that come and we need to be able to be open to god's next call upon our lives we learned that and then the latter end in verse 24 of will we go to the ends of the earth was
[00:10:27] this point and that's where we ended and it's this we must be willing to work together that the body of christ must work together and uh i want all of you to remember this never hear me out never
[00:10:43] never think that you have come to a gathering no matter what that gathering might be could be a project at work could be a team or it could be even a church never think for a moment that if
[00:11:01] you make unity the reason why you come together the point i'm going to tell you why so jack isn't unity great? Unity's great. But so many people fail and projects fail and churches fail when
[00:11:17] they say something like this, we've got to be united. We just have to be united. What does that mean? Well, Jack, doesn't the Bible say that the Lord loves how beautiful it is and how much he
[00:11:31] loves it when the brethren dwell together in unity? Yes, that's a Bible verse, but there's qualifier to the word unity it's brethren do you know what brethren means brethren means that we've come together in one mind with one understanding in
[00:11:47] one spirit how do we do that truth truth well our church is all about unity watch out it won't be unified for long and it's probably unified right now only by falsehood when truth goes out folks truth divides it's almost like if an
[00:12:09] arrow was to go shooting through across this room it would divide people truth when it goes out divides people and then once the brethren that is the body of Christ the Christian responds to God's truth and the Christian will gather
[00:12:24] around God's truth even if they're all alone and then God will populate that point of truth and you know what the result of gathering around truth is that we become brothers and sisters in Christ. And therein is the unity. And that's when things
[00:12:42] happen. Let the truth of God flow from us lovingly, but united upon the word of God. Never, never sacrifice truth on the altar of unity. And that's a very important thing in this day and age.
[00:12:59] And we want to know the truth. Jesus said, notice, he didn't say it's the unity that will set you free, did he? He said, the truth will set you free. And that's a great thing. So here we go.
[00:13:09] Let's dive in. Point number two for the love of God is this. Will we display the practical love of God? And he says, but now I'm going to Jerusalem to minister to the saints. Verse 26 goes on for
[00:13:23] it pleased those from Macedonia and Cai to make a certain contribution. We'll talk on this here.
[00:13:29] for the poor among the saints who are in Jerusalem.
[00:13:34] Verse 27, here's the word, it pleased again.
[00:13:38] It pleased them indeed that they are the debtors.
[00:13:43] For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister to them in material things.
[00:13:51] Church, mark it down, number one, what in the world's going on here about displaying practical love?
[00:13:56] Yeah, Paul is saying from Corinth, Greece, where he writes to the church at Rome, Book of Romans.
[00:14:01] He's saying, I'm gonna come by and I'm gonna swing by you guys there in Spain, or I mean, on my way to Spain.
[00:14:08] I'm gonna stop in Rome, but before I do that, I'm gonna go from Corinth, Greece.
[00:14:13] You know, guys, your geography is Greece is up here and Jerusalem, Israel's down here.
[00:14:21] He's gonna leave Greece.
[00:14:23] He's gonna go down to Jerusalem deliver money to the poor saints that are at jerusalem and then he's going to head on over to rome and then from rome to spain okay you got that in your mind's eye and so you got to keep
[00:14:40] these things together because it's um it's quite precious and at the same time it could have been avoidable and i think some of the things that we'll hear today will will be remarkably current And so please mark this down.
[00:14:58] As our love, as brothers and sisters, love looks for the opportunity.
[00:15:03] As Christians, we look for opportunity.
[00:15:05] So when we display the practical love of God, we're talking about loving each other practically.
[00:15:10] If you and I know a need of somebody else in this body, we need to find out.
[00:15:17] Are you guys listening?
[00:15:18] We need to find out.
[00:15:20] Hey, I just found this out about the church or about the church that I attend, my church.
[00:15:27] I just heard this about my church, that there's this person or there's this family or what's going on.
[00:15:34] Can I help?
[00:15:36] Now, you guys, we don't post things up like that, but we make those things available when you call and ask.
[00:15:46] You have no idea the love that, and you will be blessed by, I can't wait to see you on the day of judgment because when you're standing there and you're getting blessed by God because you put a nickel,
[00:16:00] I'm making that up, you put a nickel in the offering and then you found out that over the course of time you kept this family that was hurting or this widow or widower or whatever it might be,
[00:16:16] their house, you kept their house warm or the lights on.
[00:16:20] Did you know this happens?
[00:16:21] I can't even tell you, I can't even count how often this happens in this body.
[00:16:26] And you know, I mean, you don't know this unless you know them or you are that person.
[00:16:31] But I gotta tell you, it's pretty amazing, a ministry of this size that we can pick up the phone and contact, for example, SoCal Edison or Gas or whoever it might be and say, this is Calvary Chapel, we're calling on behalf of so-and-so
[00:16:46] and we'd like to talk about their situation regarding what's happened to them and we want you to reduce their rate or defer their payment or redirect the payment that is reduced, we're not dumb, reduce the payment because of their situation
[00:17:03] and send it to us, we'll pay the bill.
[00:17:05] This happens all the time.
[00:17:10] This church just acted on the behalf of a mother that was in need, abandoned mother with children in need of housing.
[00:17:19] And by a series of a couple phone calls and somebody called this person and called that group and then called that attorney and came back and did this and the other thing as it goes around
[00:17:29] almost like an electronic ping pong as it were conversation and she didn't know any of these people she doesn't know any of these people in this church who wound up announcing to her this is all taken care of for you and your kids here's the address practical love not just saying i love
[00:17:52] you be careful if we just say it we need to say it we need to do it and i am preaching to the choir i'm happy to report you guys are amazing but god brings needs into a church's awareness so that we
[00:18:08] might exercise practically the very love of god and so the bible tells us here that when he says in verse 25 but now i'm going to jerusalem to minister to the saints um i think i might have
[00:18:24] mentioned this last week i'm not sure but it would be equivalent to you and i saying we're going to go right now after church we're going to go minister to the saints in south central or we're
[00:18:35] we're going to go minister to the saints in, yeah, who would have ever thought of this? We're going to go minister to the saints in Malibu or the Palisades. You ever think about that? What? Why
[00:18:49] would we go there? Because some people, listen, some people inherited those mansions. Did you know that? Listen, we went out there, we were talking to people, we did a news report from the Palisades. Did you know that some of those people who you would look at, you think they're
[00:19:03] just gushing money did you know that we met people who actually inherited those homes from their grandparents who the guy the guy works for FedEx he could never buy this multi-million dollar home but his grandfather built the home and over the years and he's the recipient of it through
[00:19:23] through inheritance it's not like well the guy lives in Palisades why does he just pull out a couple of hundred million dollars or do whatever. It's not like that. When that home burned down, they lost everything. Or Eaton Canyon and the love of God. And I want you to know,
[00:19:44] we'll give you some details when we can show you pictures of. But I had a meeting earlier this week and I'll just shorten it this way. I said this, I cannot wait for the day when we get to show
[00:19:55] these images to the body of Christ who made this possible for those in Eaton Canyon in the homes that were lost.
[00:20:04] You did that.
[00:20:07] Franklin Graham sent me a personal letter for the work that you did outside of this church.
[00:20:15] You were able to bless them to the tune of multiple millions of dollars that went directly to those who were devastated by the fires.
[00:20:24] You did that from this church.
[00:20:27] I boast in the Lord over you.
[00:20:31] Practical love.
[00:20:34] And we're to look for it.
[00:20:35] And Jerusalem was hurting.
[00:20:39] They were hurting very badly.
[00:20:42] We're going to know why here in a moment.
[00:20:45] But that word minister, you say, well, that's a heavy duty.
[00:20:47] I don't have a degree, and I don't know if I should.
[00:20:49] Listen, calm down.
[00:20:50] The word minister simply means this.
[00:20:52] One who's an administrator or a contributor, a servant, a supporter, a server, to show a rendering of the nature of Jesus.
[00:21:02] Listen, are you a Christian?
[00:21:03] Raise your hand if you're a Christian.
[00:21:05] You, by nature of being a born-again Christian believer, you are a minister.
[00:21:11] Look at all you guys.
[00:21:14] It's not just people standing up here behind a microphone.
[00:21:18] That's not how the body of Christ works.
[00:21:20] It's all of us.
[00:21:21] Listen to this.
[00:21:23] There's some insight that we get.
[00:21:25] 2 Corinthians 8, verse 1.
[00:21:27] 2 Corinthians 8, verse 1 says, Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia.
[00:21:36] That sounds like Romans, doesn't it?
[00:21:39] They were being tested by many troubles and they are very poor, but they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
[00:21:50] For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more.
[00:21:57] Wow.
[00:21:59] And they did it of their own free will.
[00:22:03] Can you please remember verse three?
[00:22:04] The next time you hear a televangelist evangelist begging you for money?
[00:22:10] You should send them 2 Corinthians 8 verse three.
[00:22:15] They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers where?
[00:22:22] In where?
[00:22:23] Jerusalem.
[00:22:24] Now for what in the world had happened in Jerusalem for the body of Christ all over the ancient world to have to send them money?
[00:22:33] I mean, what's the deal?
[00:22:34] Well, they were persecuted.
[00:22:35] That's true.
[00:22:36] They were persecuted.
[00:22:38] No doubt about it.
[00:22:40] but all the churches were being persecuted to some level throughout the world at that time.
[00:22:47] What was going on?
[00:22:49] Listen to this.
[00:22:51] You might be shocked to find this out.
[00:22:54] Read this carefully, you guys ready?
[00:22:57] Why is the church of Jerusalem a burden when it comes to them needing money?
[00:23:03] Acts chapter two begins at verse 44, Acts 2 44.
[00:23:07] Now all who believed were together and had all things in common.
[00:23:11] You've read that verse before?
[00:23:12] We've all read that verse before.
[00:23:14] Let me tell you what it means.
[00:23:16] All the believers, they were in deep fellowship one with another, and they shared.
[00:23:23] They shared what they had with others.
[00:23:26] Nothing wrong with that.
[00:23:27] In fact, it's very nice, isn't it?
[00:23:29] Very, very great, wonderful.
[00:23:32] If it would only have kept that way, that would have been fine, and we would not be reading what we're reading about today in Romans.
[00:23:40] Go to Acts chapter four.
[00:23:41] Acts chapter four, listen carefully.
[00:23:44] You might be shocked to hear this.
[00:23:47] And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
[00:23:55] And they spoke the word of God with boldness.
[00:23:58] Can I just interject?
[00:24:02] This is a non-denominational church.
[00:24:04] Some of you have come from all kinds of backgrounds.
[00:24:06] Let me read this again.
[00:24:07] Watch me carefully.
[00:24:09] You guys watching?
[00:24:10] When they had prayed in the place where they were assembled together was shaken, they were all filled with the holy spirit and they spoke in tongues no it didn't say that this is that they spoke the word of god with boldness but my pastor told me at my church
[00:24:29] if i don't speak in tongues i'm not a christian that's why you're here today verse 32 now the multitude of those who believed were of listen one heart and of one soul neither did anyone say that
[00:24:44] any of the things would that he possessed was his own but they had all things in common and with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all it's beautiful nor was there anyone among
[00:24:59] them who lacked for all who were possessors of lands watch or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold and laid them at the Apostles feet and they distributed to each one as anyone had need and hoses
[00:25:19] who was also named Barnabas by the apostles, which is translated son of encouragement, a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.
[00:25:36] But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira, his wife, sold a possession.
[00:25:43] Watch this. This is drama, man.
[00:25:44] This is just like a reality program.
[00:25:49] and he Ananias kept back part of the money part of the profits that's not a crime his wife also being aware of it and brought a certain part and laid it at the Apostles feet but Peter said Ananias why is Satan filled your heart
[00:26:11] to light to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the price of the land for yourself. While it remained, was it not your own private ownership? And after it was sold, was it,
[00:26:25] here it is, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God. Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his
[00:26:37] last. Can you imagine going to church and getting killed at church? So great fear came upon, I bet, great fear came upon all those who heard these things and the young man arose wrapped him up
[00:26:52] and carried him out and buried him now it was about three hours later when his wife that's uh sapphira came in uh not knowing what had happened and peter answered her tell me whether you sold the land for such a for such a price then here's where the sin comes in did you sell
[00:27:12] land for 50 bucks she said yeah for 50 bucks then peter said to her how is it that you have agreed together to test the spirit of the lord look the feet of those who have buried your husband
[00:27:27] are at the door and they will carry you out and then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last and the young men came and found her dead and carried her out and buried her by her
[00:27:41] her husband and so great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things what in the world is going on number one number one is they lied about the price that they had sold
[00:27:52] their land for because they wanted to look good in front of people listen to me when peter said didn't you sell the land for such and such isn't that what you're saying it turned out that they
[00:28:06] They were dishonest in what they were announcing.
[00:28:09] They sold it, they sold it for a price, but they said that it was less than.
[00:28:16] Well, we sold it for $1,000.
[00:28:18] That's what we, we sold it for really $1,000.
[00:28:21] But we told you guys, the church, that we sold it for 500, so we're giving it all to God.
[00:28:28] You see that?
[00:28:29] They're keeping it.
[00:28:30] And nobody told them to sell their land.
[00:28:35] Nobody told them to do this.
[00:28:36] they lied. And the Bible says they lied to the Holy Spirit, who is God. And they dropped dead.
[00:28:43] Can you imagine the next time a person lies in church, they drop dead? You could park anywhere you want next week. Jesus said, all men are liars, and that includes women. That's what he said.
[00:29:00] Don't look at me like that. He said that. Church family, listen to this. In the book of Acts, nowhere in the Bible did God say, when you come to Christ, sell everything you have and give it
[00:29:13] away. They did a very sweet thing, no doubt with the right motive, except for Ananias and Sapphira, and everybody had everything in common. You know what happened? You know why the Jerusalem believers went broke? They exercised communism, socialism. They exercised socialism, and socialism
[00:29:32] only lasts for a very short period of time until you run out of other people's money, and then nobody's got anything thus the economy of the church in Jerusalem went so bankrupt by doing something that they thought was a good thing to do and God
[00:29:51] never said to do it and it took them forever to recover hard times Christians were hated they couldn't just restart I just find it amazing that we sometimes grab things out of the Bible and try to turn it around and make it because
[00:30:15] that's exactly what people argued regarding Adolf Hitler argued Acts chapter four. Karl Marx used Acts chapter four. Stalin used Acts chapter four. Lenin used the Bible, Acts, the book of Acts chapter four to prop up socialism, communalism. They said even Jesus taught it. That's not the
[00:30:45] totality of the Bible. How many of you have jobs? Raise your hand. You can put your hand down.
[00:30:52] I don't know where you work, but I know this. You've never worked for a poor person. Have you ever thought about that? How did that person ever have enough resources to hire you? Do you ever
[00:31:08] think about that? We need to embrace socialism in America. You really? You know, everybody who promotes that says things like this. We can do it. It's just never been done right before. We can do
[00:31:21] it. Really now? Are we that smart, huh? You think we're something? We can't even graduate out of the fourth grade and we're going to do it right? It doesn't work. God's Bible from Genesis to
[00:31:36] Revelation displays a capitalistic free market world. Plow a field, grow a crop, sell the corn, give some to God and expand your field. Look at the woman in Proverbs, the Proverbs 31 woman.
[00:31:56] What is she acknowledged for? A woman who works with her own hands, she sells the stuff she makes, she clothes her kids and she saves up a little bit and then she goes out and buys a plot of land
[00:32:05] and she has it farmed so that she can increase her income so that she can help other people.
[00:32:11] end of story. If, listen, if God blesses you, God blesses you because you, I hope you've worked hard at your job. He's multiplied your income. You can expand and you can hire more people and
[00:32:23] more people have babies and more people strengthen economy and more people, people strengthen a nation. That's how it works, everybody. And right now we all got this lunacy, theoretical, theoretical way of living that's being propagated on our university campuses. All the while, those
[00:32:43] fat, rich university professors are being paid by the parents that work their jobs so hard and saved up for decades to send their kids to college to get indoctrinated by a socialist, and then you're giving them 350 grand a year?
[00:33:04] What is wrong?
[00:33:06] Okay, I'm done.
[00:33:07] That was my political statements.
[00:33:10] It doesn't work.
[00:33:12] In Revelation chapter 21, listen, we need to be strong and we need to be men and women of faith and we need to be walking with the Lord and we want to be a people
[00:33:22] who are engaging and advancing the gospel.
[00:33:28] Now listen to this.
[00:33:29] For the love of God, Revelation chapter 21, and he, that's Jesus speaking, says to John, it's done.
[00:33:36] I'm the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end.
[00:33:39] I will give of the fountain and the water of life freely to him who thirsts.
[00:33:43] He who comes shall inherit all things.
[00:33:46] Notice that invitation.
[00:33:48] And I will be his God and he shall be my son.
[00:33:51] But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, the sorcerers or the hallucinogenics, drug users, adulterers, and all, what?
[00:34:08] Liars shall have their part in the lake, or that is the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone.
[00:34:14] Isn't it fascinating that Jesus, at the end of the book of Revelation, saying, come, come to me.
[00:34:20] I want everybody to come.
[00:34:22] And oh, by the way, in hell, there are those who are, first word, timid.
[00:34:32] Wow, timid.
[00:34:35] That's quite a statement.
[00:34:37] The headliner of those that are in hell are those who are cowardice.
[00:34:43] And I want to put this up, if we have it.
[00:34:45] I didn't ask the guys to put it up, but it's from Thayer's Greek lexicon.
[00:34:49] Oh, great, thank you guys.
[00:34:50] Listen to this.
[00:34:51] From Thayer's Greek lexicon.
[00:34:54] And yes, it's the same Thayer if you go to, is it Annapolis or West Point?
[00:35:02] I think West Point.
[00:35:03] The statue of Thayer.
[00:35:05] This is the same guy.
[00:35:06] he says cowardly the word surfaces four times in the new testament each instance exposing the tensions between fear rooted in unbelief and the fear of man versus courage that flows from faith and reverent awe of god everybody this challenges every single one of us the word describes a spirit
[00:35:31] within a person who pulls back or shrinks back when god calls them or invites them to move forward in trust and obedience, contrasting sharply with the bold confidence produced by the Spirit.
[00:35:46] Wow, everybody listen. We must be a people, and as a church, we cannot entertain what is being warned here to be cowardice. You say, I would never be a coward. Cowardice, the word means to be timid. It means to tiptoe with the things of God, and you tiptoe around
[00:36:10] like they're gonna break or you might mess up or I don't know if God is gonna help me through that.
[00:36:16] I know I'm gonna obey God to do this, but maybe not, maybe God won't help me.
[00:36:22] We would say playing it safe regarding the things of God.
[00:36:28] Remarkable statement.
[00:36:30] See, why do you bring this up?
[00:36:31] Because Paul is talking about a bunch of believers who like in Corinthians, they had nothing, but they scrounged around in their pockets and found a few nickels and they shipped it off to the church in need in Jerusalem.
[00:36:47] And Rome is about to do the same thing, the believers.
[00:36:51] The second thing we find here in verse 26 is that for the love of God, will we display the practical love of God is that as love responds to the need.
[00:36:59] Love's always gonna respond.
[00:37:01] It says, for it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia.
[00:37:05] The word pleased, it's an amazing word.
[00:37:07] Let's look at this.
[00:37:07] Are you guys hanging in with me?
[00:37:09] Okay, I need you to, yeah, I need you to just get rowdy with me here for a minute.
[00:37:19] The word please means to think well of or to have chosen gladly, with good pleasure.
[00:37:28] It was good pleasure for them to give Paul a nickel, to take it to the believers hurting in Jerusalem, to have taken pleasure in it, to be well content with, happy to have been involved, happy to do your part.
[00:37:42] pleased them that's a beautiful thing to do something i am totally convinced i got a note from a group of grandmothers in the ukraine and our sermons get get to the to the ukraine i don't
[00:38:04] even know how maybe the real life network i don't know but they they wrote a letter and they said we pray for you every week you're on our wow exactly and i'm thinking oh my goodness
[00:38:20] never underestimate for a moment when you bow your head to pray and you pray something like this lord bring my grandchildren to saving faith in you in jesus name amen when you pray lord cause
[00:38:32] my teenager in my life to put you number one in their life instead of something else you don't you don't feel like it makes a difference it makes a difference be patient be persistent no time to get into it now but i believe i am personally a byproduct of my grandmother's
[00:38:51] prayers on my father's side i believe though i only met her once in my life i believe that my grandmother was a i know she was a praying woman and i believe that maybe god touched my
[00:39:03] life because of her intercession do not give up in your life don't pull back don't step back it pleased them listen instead of being safe about whatever you do step out and do what you do in a pleasing manner meaning you know what
[00:39:20] forget cowardice forget being timid I'm gonna sign up and I'm gonna find out how I can move the gospel forward and moving that gospel forward is always taking care of the body of christ at the same time hand in hand second corinthians chapter nine this is
[00:39:40] fun i hope you get some fun out of this verse second corinthians chapter nine verse six but uh it says but this i say he who's so sparingly you you make you know what that means right so
[00:39:51] let's say let's say you have an acre of land and uh you you have a bag of seeds and you put a seed here and then a seed here and then you a seed there because you know you want to save your
[00:40:07] seeds because the seeds are very important you go over here seed and you got some and then you why i got 25 seeds left i'm just i better save them because they're very valuable dude do you understand how seeds work they're not going to grow in the bag
[00:40:25] if you sow a little bit here a little bit there and then you wait for harvest time and your family's all like, yay.
[00:40:37] And then a couple of things pop up and you're like, daddy, where's the rest of it?
[00:40:45] Well, honey, that's all I planted.
[00:40:48] Yeah, okay, great.
[00:40:49] How are we supposed to survive winter?
[00:40:54] Well, I wanted to make sure I saved these other seeds and played it safe.
[00:40:59] And then the seeds, they'll rot in the bag if you don't plant them.
[00:41:03] The Bible says if you sow sparingly, you are going to what?
[00:41:07] Reap sparingly.
[00:41:08] that is science folks and he who sows bountifully will also rebound bountifully makes sense so let each one each one of us give as he purposes in his heart i love this not grudgingly or of necessity
[00:41:27] for or because god loves a here's the greek word the greek word is hilarious you ever heard that word before? God loves a hilarious giver. I mean, that's amazing.
[00:41:41] So, you know, we can't get too radical in church. No, we have to, we have to be very respectful.
[00:41:47] I understand that, but isn't it cute? Isn't it cute that God says, I love a hilarious giver.
[00:41:53] You know what it means? It's, yeah, I can't wait. Oh, it's so great. We're almost to church. Wow.
[00:42:00] He's all fired up about it. And then you, I'm almost there. We're almost in there.
[00:42:05] And then you're sitting down and the worship's going, whoa, yeah, worship, praise the Lord.
[00:42:10] And then when are they going to bring the offering?
[00:42:13] When are they going to bring the offering?
[00:42:15] Let's do this thing, woo-hoo.
[00:42:17] And the offering comes by and the person's like, yeah, you know, whatever they're doing.
[00:42:22] Even if it's a nickel, a nickel, the amount doesn't matter.
[00:42:27] The amount doesn't matter.
[00:42:30] It's the heart connected to what you give.
[00:42:35] Dr. Harry Ironside, great Bible expositor.
[00:42:38] by any book he ever wrote.
[00:42:40] Dr. H.A. Ironside was coming from Chicago to Los Angeles and he was on a train and he stopped, I believe it was in North or South Dakota, one of the Dakotas, and he was preaching
[00:42:51] and outdoor service by the train stop and people began to gather and they took an offering and as they passed the offering, way in the back, there was this very large Blackfoot Indian And when the plate came, the Indian said, lower.
[00:43:13] The guy goes, what?
[00:43:14] He goes, lower.
[00:43:16] So the guy holds it down, and the Indian goes, lower.
[00:43:21] Set it on the ground.
[00:43:23] And the deacon is like, what is this guy doing?
[00:43:26] So the guy set the offering on the ground, and that big Blackfoot Indian, he stood inside the offering, and he goes, all right.
[00:43:36] Is that great?
[00:43:38] That's the right heart.
[00:43:43] You gotta love what you know what God is about to do.
[00:43:49] You gotta love it.
[00:43:49] And look, you've heard this a thousand times.
[00:43:51] None of us are taking our money, time, or resources with us into heaven.
[00:43:55] It's not going.
[00:43:57] You know what's tragic?
[00:43:59] I deal with a lot of family counseling, and this is happening more and more, where a family has a husband and wife who worked hard all their life.
[00:44:08] They've accumulated things.
[00:44:09] god has blessed them and their kids are a bunch of drug addicts or bums and because they feel spiritually torn they don't know what to do they'll come and talk to me and i tell them what
[00:44:23] what is true in my home i said what you did you look god gave you those resources they're god's resources folks you all know that the money that you have whatever you own even whatever you're
[00:44:34] still buying belongs to god because the bank belongs to god are you hearing me you don't own anything. You only think you do. I don't own anything. We just pretend. Let's be honest. We do pretend. The car you're driving, who owns it? You or the bank? You say, I do. No, you don't.
[00:44:53] He does. Here's the thing. If we're not taking it with us, what are we doing with it? Whatever we're doing with it should open up doors of opportunity of ministry to advance the gospel or discipleship. I'm not being funny right now about this, but you know, there's a bunch of car
[00:45:15] people in this church, real car people. And it's so cute when you talk to them because these guys are icons and they say, cars are nothing. That's just our industry. That's what we work. It's all
[00:45:28] about us giving the gospel to those who are in the car industry. And so what does God do? God advances their position because they keep sharing the gospel with F1 drivers. They keep sharing the
[00:45:42] gospel with anybody who washes or waxes their cars. They keep sharing the gospel with anybody who's got a race car. Are you hearing what I'm saying? You and I don't go there, but aren't those places people lost also? Some of you, I met a guy that's up to God, but I met a guy on this
[00:46:08] campus who's a born again christian i'm not going to say his name but he's a big deal uh is it mma is that the fighting now to me that's weird yeah praise the lord god give me victory help me kill
[00:46:22] this guy i don't it's like yeah really i don't know but anyway i do i don't get the gospel out to the mma but he does somebody shared the gospel i found out last week at the music awards we all
[00:46:39] saw it on TV. Well, actually, actually, I didn't see it. I saw the news. I didn't watch those lunatics in Hollywood. Hey, they don't watch us. We won't watch them. Jelly Roll. I thought I knew
[00:46:54] what a Jelly Roll was. Apparently, I don't. It turns out that this guy was a real super hot mess and he's still pretty rough around the edges. But it turns out that Brandon Lake is a musician
[00:47:07] and he shared the gospel with Jelly Roll and they did some songs together and now Jelly Roll stands up in front of the microphone to the entire world and preaches Christ crucified and resurrected from the dead.
[00:47:23] Who would have done that?
[00:47:26] Jelly Roll stood in the plate, right?
[00:47:29] Those guys in those industries, they stood in the plate.
[00:47:33] I'm the offering.
[00:47:34] I may not have a nickel to give but I'm standing in the plate.
[00:47:38] lord use me people the kingdom of god is so often hindered because we're so dense to think that god's kingdom needs money to advance he doesn't need money he could turn jupiter into a globe of
[00:47:53] gold think about it all of it giving of time honestly come on we live in southern california you know what you know it's way more precious to me than money time time and will we give it
[00:48:16] the bible says whatever we give to god you should be hilarious about it that's amazing i mentioned this to you last week but guess what it changed since last sunday the bible talks about tithing which is funny it's tithing is an old testament doctrine i want you
[00:48:42] you to know that so wait a minute isn't it new testament no it's old testament tithe you know what a tithe means a tenth nowhere in the new testament does the bible tell us to tithe you
[00:48:55] see i like this pastor i'm coming back the new testament is 100 i don't like this pastor i'm we're leaving now true new test old testament 10 new testament 100 lord what do you want me
[00:49:26] to do you know i have to be careful how i say this there's a there's a person in the body of christ that's hurting really bad in a very very very long story kept very short that person's
[00:49:46] going to need special treatment when they're out somebody in this church got a hold of a friend of theirs who's an international rock star and said can you help and this guy says just tell me what
[00:50:05] to do what am i saying even when there's a need in the body of jesus it's an opportunity for you and i to do practical love and god opens up the floodgates of heaven and things start to happen
[00:50:26] friends church family find a brother or sister in need and see how you can help and watch god open doors we should have someday we should have a testimony day just so you can find out how you are leading Muslim women and children to Christ because you
[00:50:51] are paying for doctors in foreign Muslim countries that are snuck in under the guise of medicine all of these born-again physicians treating these Muslim women and children because they're very discarded in the Islamic world, women. And these doctors are all evangelists really at heart before their doctors. I can't go
[00:51:19] there. You cannot go there, but you've sent them there. I can't wait for you to find that out.
[00:51:27] Jesus is going to turn the page. Okay, here's the next one. Calvary, listen up. And there's a parade of children and women who have come out of places that we're not even allowed in. See, the need is
[00:51:46] medicine why let medicine only be medicine can't we make it even better than that can't we attach to it bring it into with the expertise of skilled physicians to do the medicine of course that goes without saying it's all about
[00:52:10] the gospel they tell them the gospel I love it Love responds to the need.
[00:52:20] My goodness, we're running low on time, so I'm gonna cheat right now.
[00:52:25] Look at verse 27, love unites Jew and Gentile alike.
[00:52:30] Love unites Jew and Gentile alike.
[00:52:33] Maybe you saw in the news this last week where Ambassador Mike Huckabee to Israel, a politician, was on the microphone and said, in America there are Christians that are saying that replacement theology is what to embrace
[00:52:50] and to do away with God's promises with Israel.
[00:52:54] This is Ambassador Mike Huckabee, microphone in his face, said, and I quote, "'Far too many people are falling for this heresy, "'and they need to repent and get right with God on this.'" Wow, he's right.
[00:53:09] None of us would have access to the gospel if it wasn't according to the Bible's truth that says that the Jewish people were the custodians of the word of God, that brought the word of God to us,
[00:53:20] but the nation itself rejected God.
[00:53:22] That's Bible prophesied.
[00:53:24] It's said that would happen.
[00:53:25] There's gonna be a time soon when the nation will accept them in Israel.
[00:53:30] But God unites Jew and Gentile by the blood of Christ.
[00:53:34] It says in verse 27, for it pleased them, that's the believing Gentiles indeed, that they are debtors.
[00:53:42] The Gentiles in Spain and in Corinth and in Rome were debtors to the Jews that first heard the gospel in Jerusalem.
[00:53:52] For if the Gentiles have been partakers of their spiritual things, their duty then is also to minister to them in natural things or material things.
[00:54:02] Isn't that great?
[00:54:03] I just love this, it's so simple.
[00:54:09] Luke chapter 21, we have a great example of this.
[00:54:12] Luke 21 verses four, one through four, it says, when he, that is Jesus, looked up and he saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury.
[00:54:21] So they're at the temple, everybody.
[00:54:23] We're almost done.
[00:54:24] That doesn't mean you're leaving.
[00:54:29] Jesus takes the disciples on a field trip to the temple and they're watching.
[00:54:33] They're watching people give.
[00:54:36] Long lines.
[00:54:38] Listen, look, watch.
[00:54:39] I wish I would've thought about this.
[00:54:40] These things were made out of brass.
[00:54:42] They're huge.
[00:54:43] Think of a trumpet.
[00:54:44] You know how a trumpet looks?
[00:54:45] Or a bugle, something like that?
[00:54:48] Turn it upside down so the skinny part's at the top where your mouth would go and the horn part is at the bottom.
[00:54:54] Put it on the ground and set it like that, okay?
[00:54:56] But they're big, they're about four feet tall.
[00:55:01] You stand in line, I'm not kidding, listen.
[00:55:04] You stand in line and you put in your offering to God and you go on your way.
[00:55:10] During the time of Christ, there would be those who would stand in line and everybody around would be listening and the one who made the biggest kaplunk would get applause.
[00:55:24] That's pretty sick, right?
[00:55:25] You know, it still happens today.

[00:55:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:55:28] Hey, everybody, I want you to, I'm going to pass the plate.
[00:55:30] We're going to have you put in a $100 bill.
[00:55:33] Everybody can give a $100 bill.
[00:55:35] You can go pass the plate.
[00:55:36] And there we go.
[00:55:37] How about anybody, a $1,000 bill?
[00:55:39] How about $1,000?
[00:55:40] Anybody got a, it's like, hey, there's another one.
[00:55:45] Hey, there's one there.
[00:55:45] Anybody, anybody?

[00:55:47] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:55:47] Oh, there's one over there.
[00:55:48] And people would stand up and say, I'm going to give $1,000.
[00:55:52] And everybody goes like this.
[00:55:54] Listen, if that's what you're doing, you better eat up that applause, buddy, because that's all you're going to ever get.
[00:56:01] Jesus says, don't even let your right hand know what the left hand is doing.
[00:56:05] When you give, don't let your other hand know you're doing it.
[00:56:08] That's how secretive that would be.
[00:56:12] And the scribes and Pharisees had a ring, an actual brass ring that they wore on their finger.
[00:56:20] And guess what it was?
[00:56:22] A little trumpet.
[00:56:24] And they would pray or come out of prayer or they would come out of giving, ka-plunk.
[00:56:30] and they would blow that pinky ring.
[00:56:38] You actually have known about this all your life.
[00:56:44] I wonder if you know it.
[00:56:45] It's called tooting your own horn.
[00:56:50] That's where it came from.
[00:56:55] So Jesus is watching all this.
[00:56:58] Disciples are watching.
[00:56:59] He knows exactly what he's doing.
[00:57:00] He's giving them a tour and worship, field trip.
[00:57:08] So they saw the rich put in their gifts into the treasury And Jesus saw also a certain poor widow put in two mites.
[00:57:16] Two mites is two quarters.
[00:57:18] Take a penny, cut it in four pieces.
[00:57:20] Two of the pieces are two mites.
[00:57:24] Notice this.
[00:57:25] Everybody, if you don't know Jesus, if you don't follow Jesus, here's a good reason why you should.
[00:57:31] Jesus saw the poor widow.
[00:57:34] It didn't say Peter did.
[00:57:37] Jesus sees you.
[00:57:40] By the way, do you know every church has poor people in it?
[00:57:42] God will see to it did you hear me this I'm gonna get in trouble here you know pastors don't get in fistfights we just wish we would I was in a gathering of pastors several years ago and I wanted to punch this guy in the Lord my any
[00:58:13] wanted to punch him my my Audi conducted myself properly sort of so hey how's it going past just talking about stuff oh yeah well we can't do what you guys do what's that supposed to mean referring to this church you're the pastor at
[00:58:35] Calvary Chapel Chino bills you see why now we'll erase that for television we don't see that that's big yeah that's when the MAA no that really I mean not My adrenaline spiked on that one.
[00:59:05] But I was under control.
[00:59:07] I promise.
[00:59:10] But I got the opportunity to say, yeah, you know what?
[00:59:18] The reason why they're so blessed are the biggest group of givers I've ever seen in my life because you know what God does?
[00:59:24] God brings to this affluent region brothers and sisters who are in need.
[00:59:30] And they love on them.
[00:59:33] And here's the best part.
[00:59:36] People who have and those who have not in the body of Christ, How is your heart ever going to be tested?
[00:59:43] God will bring beautiful brothers and sisters in Christ into the fellowship of the saints here to test our hearts.
[00:59:57] I want you to just think that through for a moment.
[01:00:00] Because in America, if you're poor, you're richer than most people in the world.
[01:00:08] And Jesus said, truly I say to you that this poor woman has put in more than all.
[01:00:14] For all these out of their abundance have put in the offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the bios the word in greek is bios livelihood that she had what does this mean jesus said see that woman she just put in the bios and the disciples must have
[01:00:34] been shocked the word bios for livelihood means this well there you go the word means she put in all that she had to stay alive that day. In other words, she said, Lord, I'm giving you my life.
[01:00:52] I'm going to stand in the offering. I'm going to stand on the plate because I love you, Lord.
[01:00:56] You're all I have. I'm poor. You're all I have. Guess what? I wish Elon Musk knew that.
[01:01:09] I wish Jeff Bezos knew that. CIA estimates that Vladimir Putin is one of, if not the richest man in the world? Did you know that? Stolen money. What should it profit Vladimir Putin if he gains
[01:01:31] the entire world and loses his own soul? All because he wouldn't stand on the plate. Jesus said that woman, now I fully, I totally get this. This is what I expect. That woman out of her life.
[01:01:49] So guys, boys, listen up. He tells them, she, that one going over there, she's probably laughed at by the crowd. Ka-plunk, ka-plunk, ka-plunk, ka-plunk, ka-plunk, tink. And people might have went, oh, look at that. What do you think she's doing? And Jesus saw that and says, boys, see her?
[01:02:14] She gave the most because she's going to go home and die. She needed that money to eat.
[01:02:22] And you wonder, wonder what happened to her? I bet you she got home and there was donkeys lined up with beans and wheat he was like amazon stopped at her house that's how god rolls people father
[01:02:38] we love you lord we're going to pretend we made it all the way through get into a new section next week god you're good you're good you're good lord you're awesome you give us so much
[01:02:53] we're breathing today and like our dear mayor who kissed her husband into the kingdom of god the other day. He's rich. He's richer than any sage or Raja or king or prince that has ever been. My mom is talking with Bob. My dad just met Bob. I bet you Bob's already
[01:03:27] talked to Noah. I know my mom has already talked to Noah. Lord, you're awesome. We love you, God.
[01:03:35] And if you were to take everything away, as our nation wakes up this weekend to find out that on Friday night, the United States Dow Jones Industrial Average reached an all-time world records high.
[01:03:59] People making money, hand over fist.
[01:04:06] Everybody's celebrating, bell ringing, investors popping the cork, and tomorrow could be gone.
[01:04:18] but nothing that the Lord gives does he take away blessed be the name of the Lord because you know what what he really gives is all summed up in this the salvation of your soul
[01:04:35] by the cross of Jesus Christ who loved you so much that he spent his life that he might buy you back from the world of sin and slavery to live his life through you because he loves you
[01:04:50] and he invites you to come and follow him in Jesus name and all God's people said, amen.
[01:04:57] God bless you, church.
[01:04:58] Let's stand.