1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:06,560 Today I'm beginning a new series called faithful stewards faithful stewards and 2 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:13,640 Starting today for the next few weeks. We're gonna look at different principles of biblical stewardship 3 00:00:13,640 --> 00:00:18,120 You don't know what that word is. You're gonna know what it is before the end of today's service. Amen 4 00:00:18,240 --> 00:00:21,620 I'm gonna invite you if you can we're gonna go to the book of Psalms 5 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:26,240 chapter 50 and verse 10 Psalms chapter 50 in verse 10 6 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:29,520 one verse and 7 00:00:29,520 --> 00:00:31,520 then we're going to 8 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:38,240 Jump back to the book of Leviticus but Psalm 50 and verse 10 9 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:46,320 Amen the word of the Lord says for every beast of the forest is 10 00:00:47,480 --> 00:00:49,480 mine and 11 00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,360 The cattle someone say the cattle 12 00:00:53,160 --> 00:00:55,720 on a thousand hills 13 00:00:55,720 --> 00:01:00,440 Amen now, let's read Leviticus 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:07,200 Leviticus chapter 27 and verse 32 15 00:01:08,640 --> 00:01:13,760 Thank you for your patience and standing for a few more moments. I know we've been standing but you'll be seated in just a moment 16 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:19,180 Leviticus chapter 27 verse 32 again just one verse 17 00:01:19,180 --> 00:01:25,820 It reads and concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock of 18 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:30,580 Whatever passes under the rod one tenth shall be 19 00:01:31,380 --> 00:01:32,620 holy 20 00:01:32,620 --> 00:01:34,620 to the Lord 21 00:01:35,220 --> 00:01:40,020 Amen for my title today. I want to borrow a famous line that some of you 22 00:01:40,180 --> 00:01:45,900 You probably never heard before but some of you have from an old commercial. I'm gonna call this message 23 00:01:45,900 --> 00:01:49,900 Where's the beef? 24 00:01:52,900 --> 00:01:54,900 Someone say where's the beef 25 00:01:55,380 --> 00:01:57,380 today's message asks a 26 00:01:58,460 --> 00:02:02,060 Spiritual version of this question. We're not gonna talking about food today 27 00:02:03,060 --> 00:02:05,940 When it comes to giving God our all 28 00:02:06,860 --> 00:02:13,260 Stewardship and giving why don't we pray together father? I thank you for your spirit. That is so 29 00:02:13,260 --> 00:02:16,260 tangible in this place today God and 30 00:02:17,060 --> 00:02:19,700 Gathering us here God from every walk of life 31 00:02:20,860 --> 00:02:24,420 Overcoming different challenges adversities Lord by your grace 32 00:02:24,420 --> 00:02:29,540 We are here today and we've come with a purpose to lift up your name Lord in worship 33 00:02:30,060 --> 00:02:33,300 To give you our very best God and receive from the word now 34 00:02:33,300 --> 00:02:40,060 I pray that you would anoint the ears the hearts of everyone in this place God that this word would fall on good ground 35 00:02:40,060 --> 00:02:45,420 Lord, I believe that the ground has been prepared anoint my lips of clay Lord 36 00:02:45,980 --> 00:02:49,380 That the word that you have deposited into my spirit 37 00:02:49,380 --> 00:02:55,940 I can preach that word just as you gave it to me and let your people be edified in Jesus name 38 00:02:56,100 --> 00:03:01,300 We pray somebody say amen. Amen. You can be seated in God's presence 39 00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:07,060 Amen, you know the old lady from the Wendy's commercial became famous 40 00:03:07,060 --> 00:03:14,380 For asking a simple but very pointed question when she said where's the beef 41 00:03:16,180 --> 00:03:18,180 Where's the beef in the commercial? 42 00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:25,340 And if you have that you might remember some of you this commercial she peers over a massive hamburger bun 43 00:03:27,060 --> 00:03:32,060 Hiding a small patty underneath there and she demands to know 44 00:03:33,380 --> 00:03:35,380 Where the substance is 45 00:03:35,380 --> 00:03:40,380 And I agree with this little lady, I think especially when it comes to burgers 46 00:03:40,380 --> 00:03:43,380 I don't know if I got any burger lovers out there, but nothing is more 47 00:03:44,300 --> 00:03:46,020 pitiful 48 00:03:46,020 --> 00:03:50,820 You could feel my pain right now. Then when the bun is bigger than the patty 49 00:03:52,980 --> 00:03:55,780 I'd rather have the patty be bigger than the bun 50 00:03:56,500 --> 00:04:01,500 Because I can bite off the edges of that meat. You all don't know what that's like. Hey, man 51 00:04:01,500 --> 00:04:07,220 Amen and the same can be said when it comes to our tithing our giving our stewardship 52 00:04:07,740 --> 00:04:11,740 We can be all bun and no beef 53 00:04:12,780 --> 00:04:16,940 We can present something that looks right impressive on the outside 54 00:04:16,940 --> 00:04:22,940 But when lifted up for examination it lacks the substance that God is looking for 55 00:04:23,260 --> 00:04:26,340 And so when it comes to our giving our our 56 00:04:26,340 --> 00:04:32,180 Stewardship our offering our tithe and all of the above when it comes to that even our worship 57 00:04:32,180 --> 00:04:36,500 Every aspect of our life because let me tell you that as we go through this series 58 00:04:36,500 --> 00:04:40,340 We're gonna look at different aspects of stewardship people here stewardship, especially Christian 59 00:04:40,340 --> 00:04:44,260 They go pastor's gonna talk about just money through this whole series. No, we're not 60 00:04:44,660 --> 00:04:50,660 We're gonna talk about various aspects of stewardship of our life of our time of our of our of our 61 00:04:50,660 --> 00:04:55,700 The truth there are many stewardship principles in God's word 62 00:04:56,020 --> 00:04:59,860 And when we look at these things, it's important that God is looking for substance 63 00:04:59,860 --> 00:05:04,900 We can present the right things, but the question that God might be asking us today is 64 00:05:05,620 --> 00:05:11,460 Where's the beef? Where is the beef now? Let's look at psalm chapter 50 written by 65 00:05:12,020 --> 00:05:16,420 Asaph who was a levitical worship leader and a man of faith 66 00:05:16,420 --> 00:05:22,900 So if you look at Psalm 50, it's written by Asaph who was a levitical worship leader and psalmist 67 00:05:23,460 --> 00:05:27,300 With a prophetic message he wasn't just a songwriter. It wasn't just a poetic guy 68 00:05:27,780 --> 00:05:33,380 He he had a prophetic message for God's people and the entire psalm I encourage you to read psalm 50 69 00:05:33,780 --> 00:05:41,300 It plays out like a a courtroom a courtroom scene if you can envision this in your mind with God as the judge of the courtroom 70 00:05:41,300 --> 00:05:44,880 and he is judging his people. 71 00:05:44,880 --> 00:05:48,020 And God in this glorious courtroom 72 00:05:48,020 --> 00:05:51,140 is calling his people to account. 73 00:05:51,140 --> 00:05:54,100 He's calling them to account for their giving 74 00:05:54,100 --> 00:05:58,900 and their worship habits and their overall attitude 75 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:03,100 towards his temple and towards him himself. 76 00:06:03,100 --> 00:06:06,540 And so this is a very serious moment. 77 00:06:06,540 --> 00:06:08,800 And I think the courtroom is probably 78 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,380 the most fitting example for the seriousness 79 00:06:11,380 --> 00:06:15,180 that we are reading this text as very serious. 80 00:06:15,180 --> 00:06:19,660 And God is in this Psalm through his servant Asaph 81 00:06:19,660 --> 00:06:24,660 reproving his people to move beyond the empty ritualism 82 00:06:27,220 --> 00:06:29,100 that they have or the lip service 83 00:06:29,100 --> 00:06:31,020 or whatever you wanna call it, 84 00:06:31,020 --> 00:06:33,780 to get beyond the superficialness 85 00:06:33,780 --> 00:06:37,380 and to embrace his model of giving 86 00:06:37,380 --> 00:06:39,420 and stewardship and worship. 87 00:06:39,420 --> 00:06:42,700 And so God is, he's reproving his people. 88 00:06:42,700 --> 00:06:46,020 And this is one of those types of scenes of scripture 89 00:06:46,020 --> 00:06:47,660 where the tone is serious, 90 00:06:47,660 --> 00:06:50,420 but it's all because God loves his people 91 00:06:50,420 --> 00:06:52,260 and God has a way. 92 00:06:52,260 --> 00:06:54,540 God has a plan, God has a system. 93 00:06:54,540 --> 00:06:58,380 And then in the middle, in the middle of that chapter, 94 00:06:58,380 --> 00:07:02,180 we come to this very scenic verse in verse 10, 95 00:07:02,180 --> 00:07:06,540 which many of us have quoted or have heard often 96 00:07:06,540 --> 00:07:11,540 telling us that God owns the cattle on a thousand heels. 97 00:07:15,500 --> 00:07:20,500 And this picture reinforces the most fundamental truths 98 00:07:21,020 --> 00:07:24,020 about God and stewardship. 99 00:07:24,020 --> 00:07:26,740 And this is gonna bring me to my first point today. 100 00:07:26,740 --> 00:07:29,100 And I encourage you, if you take notes, 101 00:07:29,100 --> 00:07:32,500 if you're not a note taker, you won't offend me at all 102 00:07:32,500 --> 00:07:33,740 if you take pictures of the things 103 00:07:33,740 --> 00:07:35,580 that we're going to be covering today. 104 00:07:35,580 --> 00:07:37,100 The first point is this, 105 00:07:37,100 --> 00:07:38,820 and I don't think anyone's gonna disagree with it 106 00:07:38,820 --> 00:07:40,720 on the surface, but here it goes. 107 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,780 It's that God owns it all. 108 00:07:43,780 --> 00:07:44,620 Amen. 109 00:07:46,220 --> 00:07:47,060 Amen. 110 00:07:48,300 --> 00:07:49,780 I said, he owns it all. 111 00:07:50,820 --> 00:07:55,320 Now, it's easy to confess this 112 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,700 and on a basic level and accept it. 113 00:07:57,700 --> 00:08:01,120 And I don't think that in general terms, 114 00:08:01,120 --> 00:08:05,760 a Christian would contest this idea 115 00:08:05,760 --> 00:08:08,840 because scripture tells us about God 116 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:11,500 and how he created everything. 117 00:08:11,500 --> 00:08:13,760 And what I want and I hope for us today 118 00:08:13,760 --> 00:08:15,640 is that we can fully grasp and believe. 119 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:19,180 To be sure, God doesn't just own the cattle on the heels, 120 00:08:19,180 --> 00:08:21,600 God owns the heels that the cattle is roam on. 121 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:25,860 And he doesn't just own the heels that the cattle is roam on. 122 00:08:25,860 --> 00:08:29,040 In Psalms 24 and verse one, he also, 123 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,280 the Bible says that the earth is the Lord's 124 00:08:34,280 --> 00:08:36,960 and the fullness thereof, 125 00:08:36,960 --> 00:08:40,600 the world and they that dwell therein, 126 00:08:40,600 --> 00:08:45,200 all of creation belongs to God. 127 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:50,200 The resources, the creation, including you and I, 128 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:52,840 everything belongs to him. 129 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:56,160 It's all his. 130 00:08:56,160 --> 00:08:59,760 He created it, every thought, every good idea, 131 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:03,000 every invention, because even with the mind 132 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:07,240 that creates and invents, God gave us that mind to do so. 133 00:09:08,260 --> 00:09:10,320 God owns all of it. 134 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:13,400 The Lord himself deposited every diamond, 135 00:09:13,400 --> 00:09:15,800 ruby, emerald and sapphire, 136 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:19,760 every nugget of gold and silver into the crust of the earth. 137 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:22,840 In Haggai 2 and 8, it says the silver is mine, 138 00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:27,800 the gold is mine, says the Lord of hosts. 139 00:09:27,800 --> 00:09:31,240 And you'll find verse scripture after scripture 140 00:09:31,240 --> 00:09:36,240 in the Bible, which attest to God's ownership of everything. 141 00:09:36,680 --> 00:09:40,000 Don't have time to read them all, but hear me today. 142 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,240 Take me at my word that God owns it all. 143 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:44,440 But in Bible times, cattle, 144 00:09:45,400 --> 00:09:47,280 because that's the object we're looking at today, 145 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:52,280 cattle were the most common form of monetary means. 146 00:09:52,280 --> 00:09:55,760 Currency and exchange, cattle. 147 00:09:55,760 --> 00:09:56,960 Now, some of you might be thinking, 148 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,840 I thought it was gold and silver. 149 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:01,880 Well, for the wealthy, probably, 150 00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,960 but gold and silver were mostly used 151 00:10:04,960 --> 00:10:07,240 for big purchases like land, 152 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:12,880 but not for everyday expenses, cost of living stuff. 153 00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:13,960 That was cattle. 154 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:18,960 So cattle was the equivalent to cash or liquid assets. 155 00:10:19,640 --> 00:10:21,800 This is what cattle represented. 156 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,480 Like money, people exchanged cattle for goods, 157 00:10:25,480 --> 00:10:28,680 for services, for food, for payments. 158 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:33,240 It was their currency that they used to live their life. 159 00:10:33,240 --> 00:10:37,520 Not gold and silver, but most of all, cattle. 160 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:41,080 It was used for a variety of reasons 161 00:10:42,440 --> 00:10:45,840 to even pay payments or pay the dowry, 162 00:10:45,840 --> 00:10:50,840 the price to a bride's family before they can get married. 163 00:10:50,840 --> 00:10:53,680 I think we should bring that one back, huh? 164 00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:54,960 Bring me some cattle. 165 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:58,800 My father-in-law is here today. 166 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,040 He didn't ask for any cattle, but you know, 167 00:11:01,040 --> 00:11:03,440 if he did, I would have had to go get some cattle. 168 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:09,280 Cattle was also used for collateral, for debts. 169 00:11:09,280 --> 00:11:13,040 Cattle even had legal protection. 170 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:14,680 They were FDIC insured. 171 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:17,480 If someone stole your cattle, 172 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,320 you had a legal right to restitution. 173 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,160 That's how valuable it was. 174 00:11:24,160 --> 00:11:27,000 Cattle under the law of Moses was very significant. 175 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:32,000 However, cattle's highest value was its spiritual value. 176 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:39,920 Serving as a means of physical offering and tangible faith. 177 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:44,840 All the forms of giving throughout the Word of God, 178 00:11:44,840 --> 00:11:47,320 all the forms, especially in the Old Testament, 179 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:50,640 was through cattle, and cattle was used for offerings, 180 00:11:50,640 --> 00:11:52,880 tithe, which is the 10% of income. 181 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:56,480 All of this, cattle was the primary source, 182 00:11:56,480 --> 00:12:00,640 the primary means of offering to the Lord. 183 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:05,240 So God owns all the cattle on a thousand hills. 184 00:12:05,240 --> 00:12:07,680 He gave his people the cattle, 185 00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:10,120 not just so that they can have the cattle 186 00:12:10,120 --> 00:12:13,520 and grow a great, big, large cattle ranch, 187 00:12:13,520 --> 00:12:15,280 but so that through that cattle, 188 00:12:15,280 --> 00:12:19,440 they also might return to the Lord what was his 189 00:12:19,440 --> 00:12:21,400 and bless the work of God. 190 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:25,640 And as a sign of gratitude, 191 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:27,680 as a sign of praise and worship, 192 00:12:27,680 --> 00:12:31,880 cattle was the currency that God gave his people. 193 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,800 And he entrusted them with cattle 194 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,680 in order to bring him the beef. 195 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,640 Someone say the beef. 196 00:12:41,640 --> 00:12:42,480 The beef. 197 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:44,800 Stewardship. 198 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:45,960 This brings me to my next point, 199 00:12:45,960 --> 00:12:50,960 which is that stewardship determines where the beef is. 200 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:54,480 God owns it all. 201 00:12:56,080 --> 00:12:57,560 Amen. 202 00:12:57,560 --> 00:13:00,200 But you are responsible, you and I are responsible 203 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:05,200 for managing what God has entrusted into our personal care, 204 00:13:05,320 --> 00:13:09,520 the cattle that you keep or return to him. 205 00:13:09,520 --> 00:13:12,880 Now what you do with your cattle matters. 206 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:15,440 And this is where I think at some point, 207 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:17,920 we may find some hair splitting 208 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:21,960 on what exactly cattle is meant for. 209 00:13:21,960 --> 00:13:24,240 And of course, we're not talking about 210 00:13:24,240 --> 00:13:26,360 the cows that are roaming the street. 211 00:13:26,360 --> 00:13:27,280 We all understand. 212 00:13:27,280 --> 00:13:29,440 We're talking about financial resources 213 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:31,600 and monetary means, okay? 214 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:35,000 Scripture gives us two cautionary examples 215 00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:38,960 of how your relationship with cattle or finances 216 00:13:38,960 --> 00:13:42,040 can determine your destiny. 217 00:13:42,040 --> 00:13:43,960 There is a very direct connection 218 00:13:43,960 --> 00:13:48,240 between the way we steward our resources in our lives 219 00:13:48,240 --> 00:13:49,840 that God has blessed us with 220 00:13:49,840 --> 00:13:54,840 and the destiny that God has for us in a spiritual sense. 221 00:13:54,880 --> 00:13:55,840 The two are connected. 222 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:58,240 One seems very tangible, very literal, 223 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,320 and another can seem very spiritual or eternal, 224 00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:05,880 but you need to see the direct connection between the two. 225 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:09,720 The first example from Scripture I wanna point out for you 226 00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:12,280 is that we have the Israelites in the desert 227 00:14:13,200 --> 00:14:17,160 who turned their gold into, 228 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:19,640 of all the animals they could have chosen, 229 00:14:20,640 --> 00:14:25,640 a golden calf or a young cow. 230 00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,040 Hmm, I don't know if that's where they got the term cash cow, 231 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:33,480 but there it is. 232 00:14:33,480 --> 00:14:34,320 There it is. 233 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:36,240 Now this is a very bizarre case. 234 00:14:36,240 --> 00:14:39,120 Now for you Bible students 235 00:14:39,120 --> 00:14:43,400 or those who remember the story of when Israel 236 00:14:43,400 --> 00:14:47,840 took their gold and they casted this golden image, 237 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:50,760 on the one hand, this is what's bizarre about it, 238 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,760 on the one hand, it's very generous of them 239 00:14:53,760 --> 00:14:56,360 that they donated their gold to this thing. 240 00:14:57,320 --> 00:15:00,120 It's not like these were stingy people. 241 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:02,560 They donated their gold to the, 242 00:15:02,560 --> 00:15:06,520 so on the one hand, that was good that they donated, 243 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:09,280 but on the other hand, their giving was misguided. 244 00:15:10,360 --> 00:15:12,920 They gave, someone say they gave, 245 00:15:14,080 --> 00:15:19,080 but they gave to the wrong thing and for the wrong reason. 246 00:15:19,320 --> 00:15:21,480 They were sincere, you know you can be sincere, 247 00:15:21,480 --> 00:15:23,840 but sincerely wrong. 248 00:15:25,080 --> 00:15:26,600 They were not stingy. 249 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,640 No, we're not saying that they're stingy people. 250 00:15:28,640 --> 00:15:30,080 We're not saying they're withholding people. 251 00:15:30,080 --> 00:15:32,320 No, it's just that they gave to something 252 00:15:32,320 --> 00:15:34,440 that God didn't tell them to give to. 253 00:15:34,440 --> 00:15:36,440 Now watch, they didn't mold the calf. 254 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:38,400 Now people say, oh they just wanted to worship idol. 255 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:39,760 They didn't mold the calf 256 00:15:39,760 --> 00:15:42,120 because they wanted to be idolaters. 257 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,080 If you read the text clearly, 258 00:15:44,080 --> 00:15:47,000 it says that they lost faith. 259 00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,560 They lost faith in Moses and in God's plan. 260 00:15:50,560 --> 00:15:53,200 And because they weren't understanding what was going on, 261 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:54,960 they couldn't understand what was happening. 262 00:15:54,960 --> 00:15:58,320 They couldn't understand why Moses was taking so long. 263 00:15:58,320 --> 00:15:59,880 You read the story, there they were 264 00:15:59,880 --> 00:16:01,480 at the bottom of Mount Sinai. 265 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:02,880 Once Moses kind of come back, 266 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:04,920 it was their lack of patience 267 00:16:04,920 --> 00:16:07,280 for what God was eventually going to do 268 00:16:07,280 --> 00:16:10,000 that led them to say, let's take all the gold that we have 269 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,880 and mold from our something to our liking, 270 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:15,400 something that we like, something that we have, 271 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:17,240 you know, that we can do. 272 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,600 And this is exactly what they did. 273 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:21,040 And of course, you know the story. 274 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:22,880 Moses comes down from the mountain. 275 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:25,520 He sees what happened and he is hot. 276 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:27,160 The Lord is hot, I should say. 277 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:28,640 The Lord wanted to wipe them out. 278 00:16:28,640 --> 00:16:30,520 The Lord wanted to destroy these people. 279 00:16:30,520 --> 00:16:33,320 He said, you know what the Lord told Moses after that? 280 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:35,160 He said, why don't we just forget all these people 281 00:16:35,160 --> 00:16:36,120 and start over? 282 00:16:37,760 --> 00:16:39,360 You read your Bible, that's what he said. 283 00:16:39,360 --> 00:16:40,320 Why don't we just forget it? 284 00:16:40,320 --> 00:16:43,560 And I'll just start with you, Moses. 285 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:45,640 But it was Moses, the people didn't know this, 286 00:16:45,640 --> 00:16:47,720 but Moses was interceding for them. 287 00:16:47,720 --> 00:16:50,600 Say, God, please hold back your wrath. 288 00:16:50,600 --> 00:16:52,480 It's like Jesus, we said, Lord, forgive them 289 00:16:52,480 --> 00:16:54,520 for they know not what they do. 290 00:16:54,520 --> 00:16:56,920 They're doing it, but they're doing it sincerely wrong. 291 00:16:56,920 --> 00:16:58,160 And Moses intercedes. 292 00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:00,920 God, please don't judge them. 293 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:02,080 Don't judge them, Lord. 294 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:02,920 Don't judge them. 295 00:17:02,920 --> 00:17:04,440 God withholds his judgment. 296 00:17:04,440 --> 00:17:06,680 But the moral of the story is, 297 00:17:06,680 --> 00:17:09,760 is a group of people, the children of Israel, 298 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:11,680 who lost faith in God's system, 299 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:13,640 lost faith in what was going on, 300 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,320 and then they took their resources 301 00:17:15,320 --> 00:17:16,960 and they molded this calf, 302 00:17:16,960 --> 00:17:19,360 and then of course it becomes an idolatrous thing. 303 00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:21,880 Believers today face a similar dilemma 304 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:25,120 when they start losing faith in God or his system, 305 00:17:25,120 --> 00:17:28,120 and they start trusting and idolizing their cattle, 306 00:17:28,120 --> 00:17:30,440 and they start molding their giving to their liking. 307 00:17:30,440 --> 00:17:33,440 And, my friend, that's not how it works. 308 00:17:33,440 --> 00:17:34,280 Amen. 309 00:17:36,280 --> 00:17:39,120 When you give and you tithe regularly, 310 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:41,280 you are returning it to God. 311 00:17:41,280 --> 00:17:42,120 Why? 312 00:17:42,120 --> 00:17:43,520 Because it's his. 313 00:17:46,680 --> 00:17:47,960 Somebody say amen today. 314 00:17:47,960 --> 00:17:48,800 Amen. 315 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:54,840 And then what happens next is in his hands. 316 00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:55,920 It's in his hands. 317 00:17:55,920 --> 00:17:57,960 It's God's business. 318 00:17:57,960 --> 00:17:59,320 It's his business. 319 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:00,360 We do our part. 320 00:18:00,360 --> 00:18:01,760 I give unto the Lord, 321 00:18:01,760 --> 00:18:03,880 and I give my tithe or my offering 322 00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:06,360 or a free will and extraordinary offering 323 00:18:06,360 --> 00:18:07,840 that I feel to give to God. 324 00:18:07,840 --> 00:18:11,360 When I do that, what happens next is in God's hand. 325 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:12,760 All I know is this. 326 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:13,840 I did my part. 327 00:18:15,160 --> 00:18:16,640 God will do his. 328 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:21,040 And what God does with that is God's business. 329 00:18:21,040 --> 00:18:24,080 But I do my part and God will do his. 330 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:27,040 God will judge all things in due time, 331 00:18:27,040 --> 00:18:28,800 both man and system. 332 00:18:28,800 --> 00:18:31,680 What he's looking for is my heart. 333 00:18:31,680 --> 00:18:35,480 He's looking for my obedience to his word. 334 00:18:35,480 --> 00:18:38,040 And I come to tell somebody today 335 00:18:38,040 --> 00:18:40,480 that when we think about stewardship, 336 00:18:40,480 --> 00:18:44,760 it's not that God needs anything that we have to offer him. 337 00:18:44,760 --> 00:18:46,520 God doesn't need our money. 338 00:18:46,520 --> 00:18:48,320 He doesn't need our houses. 339 00:18:48,320 --> 00:18:49,560 He doesn't need any of that. 340 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,440 What he wants is our heart. 341 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:56,160 He wants us to, he wants to know that we trust him, 342 00:18:56,160 --> 00:18:59,320 that he's the source of everything that we have 343 00:18:59,320 --> 00:19:02,160 and that he is a provider for all that are need. 344 00:19:02,160 --> 00:19:04,000 Somebody give God some praise today. 345 00:19:04,000 --> 00:19:04,840 Hallelujah. 346 00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:05,680 Yeah. 347 00:19:05,680 --> 00:19:06,520 Hallelujah. 348 00:19:06,520 --> 00:19:07,520 Hallelujah. 349 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:14,120 The second example comes from the Israelite tribes 350 00:19:14,120 --> 00:19:16,080 of Gad and Reuben. 351 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,200 One of another interesting cattle story. 352 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,920 They famously settled on the east side of the Jordan 353 00:19:25,920 --> 00:19:28,880 instead of crossing into Canaan 354 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:32,880 and possessing their true inheritance. 355 00:19:32,880 --> 00:19:35,000 I pray to the Lord, before I read this verse, 356 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:38,720 I pray to the Lord deeply over this. 357 00:19:38,720 --> 00:19:42,840 And I understand you get into these topics, 358 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:44,480 sometimes it can go a little sideways 359 00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:45,640 for people in their mind. 360 00:19:45,640 --> 00:19:47,400 But what I pray to the Lord is that, 361 00:19:47,400 --> 00:19:50,760 if there's any room for conviction in someone's heart today, 362 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,640 I pray that this point might be the one that does it. 363 00:19:53,640 --> 00:19:58,640 You know, sometimes one sermon is not gonna do it, 364 00:19:58,840 --> 00:20:00,200 but sometimes it can. 365 00:20:01,640 --> 00:20:02,680 What was the reason? 366 00:20:02,680 --> 00:20:04,120 Here is a group of people. 367 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:06,600 They were part of the 12 tribes of Israel. 368 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:07,920 They were a group of people 369 00:20:07,920 --> 00:20:10,360 whom had been brought out of Egypt. 370 00:20:10,360 --> 00:20:14,160 God delivered them from sin and bondage 371 00:20:14,160 --> 00:20:15,600 from the hand of Pharaoh. 372 00:20:15,600 --> 00:20:17,560 They walked through the Red Sea. 373 00:20:17,560 --> 00:20:20,760 They experienced the pillar of fire by night 374 00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:22,080 and the cloud by day. 375 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:25,960 They saw the wonders of God in their life. 376 00:20:25,960 --> 00:20:29,480 And it was all leading them to a land, 377 00:20:29,480 --> 00:20:31,600 a land of promise, the land of Canaan. 378 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:33,280 That was their destiny. 379 00:20:33,280 --> 00:20:34,960 That was the point of it all, 380 00:20:34,960 --> 00:20:37,800 not just to get through and just, you know, celebrate, 381 00:20:37,800 --> 00:20:39,080 but it was to make it. 382 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:43,080 We've got to arrive where God is calling us to go. 383 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:47,200 But then they got to the junction of the Jordan River. 384 00:20:47,200 --> 00:20:50,120 And it was at that junction of this crossing over 385 00:20:50,120 --> 00:20:53,720 into the next phase of their destiny in God, 386 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:55,200 the promised land. 387 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:59,440 They decided that they could not go any further. 388 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,600 And let me show you the reason why. 389 00:21:01,600 --> 00:21:05,640 In Numbers 32 and verse one, this is what they said. 390 00:21:05,640 --> 00:21:09,480 Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad 391 00:21:09,480 --> 00:21:14,480 had a, watch this, very great multitude of livestock. 392 00:21:16,240 --> 00:21:19,480 And when they saw the land of Jaser 393 00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:21,200 and the land of Gilead, 394 00:21:21,200 --> 00:21:25,480 that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 395 00:21:25,480 --> 00:21:30,320 they told Joshua, Joshua, if it's possible, 396 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:34,120 can we stay on this side of the Jordan 397 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:38,600 instead of crossing over because we've got too much cattle 398 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:40,480 and we don't want to let go of it. 399 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:45,920 Their top priority was preserving their cattle, 400 00:21:45,920 --> 00:21:50,920 which led them to settle on the outside of the promised land. 401 00:21:53,400 --> 00:21:56,800 It got me thinking how sometimes the more we possess, 402 00:21:56,800 --> 00:21:58,520 the more it possesses us. 403 00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:05,760 They had all this cattle, they said, 404 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:06,720 what are we gonna do? 405 00:22:06,720 --> 00:22:09,320 Sometimes you can't take all your cattle with you. 406 00:22:10,920 --> 00:22:12,600 Oh man, hallelujah. 407 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:17,280 I told my wife, I'm gonna buy some cricket sprays. 408 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,560 Whenever I hear crickets in the church, we can spray them. 409 00:22:22,280 --> 00:22:23,720 Getting a little quiet now. 410 00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:26,360 I brought my cricket spray today. 411 00:22:32,120 --> 00:22:34,240 The harder it becomes. 412 00:22:34,240 --> 00:22:37,720 And I wonder what was going on in the mind of Gad and Reuben. 413 00:22:37,720 --> 00:22:41,520 They're right there, I mean, they're right there. 414 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:43,760 They've already been delivered from Egypt. 415 00:22:43,760 --> 00:22:46,360 We're not talking about like salvation from Egypt. 416 00:22:46,360 --> 00:22:49,920 We're talking about a destiny in God. 417 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:55,080 And if they've only would have just surrendered, 418 00:22:55,080 --> 00:22:58,240 given up some of that cattle that they had 419 00:22:58,240 --> 00:23:02,640 and gave it up and realized that there's more 420 00:23:02,640 --> 00:23:05,120 that God has in store for them. 421 00:23:05,120 --> 00:23:07,480 Giving the Lord's way, what will it do? 422 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,840 It'll break the grip of greed in our lives. 423 00:23:10,840 --> 00:23:13,920 It'll break that some are hostage to that. 424 00:23:13,920 --> 00:23:18,000 The children of Gad and Reuben, I've said this before, 425 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:20,680 they were not children of God, they were children of Gad. 426 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:22,720 Amen, we've got some children of God 427 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,320 and we've got some children of Gad, amen. 428 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:29,040 I don't wanna be a Gad fear, I wanna be a God fear. 429 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:32,240 But if you're a Gad fear, you're constantly living 430 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:33,960 in a state of preservation. 431 00:23:33,960 --> 00:23:35,720 Oh, I've built too much now. 432 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:38,240 Now I don't know if I can really trust it. 433 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:39,480 Who are you trusting? 434 00:23:39,480 --> 00:23:42,640 Some trust in chariots, some trust in their army, 435 00:23:42,640 --> 00:23:46,840 but we will remember the name of the Lord our God. 436 00:23:46,840 --> 00:23:49,960 Giving the Lord's way breaks the grip of all of that. 437 00:23:49,960 --> 00:23:52,760 Greediness is not the same as stinginess. 438 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:55,280 Let me tell you, you can give and still be greedy 439 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:57,600 when it's not what the Holy Ghost asked for. 440 00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,160 What are you talking about, Pastor Jacob? 441 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:03,080 I invite you to interview Ananias and Sapphira. 442 00:24:03,080 --> 00:24:06,560 It wasn't that they were stingy, they gave, 443 00:24:06,560 --> 00:24:08,160 it's just that they didn't give everything 444 00:24:08,160 --> 00:24:09,800 that God asked them to give. 445 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,280 They wanted to present, they wanted to look like everybody 446 00:24:13,280 --> 00:24:15,000 and say, hey, everybody's giving, everybody's tithing, 447 00:24:15,000 --> 00:24:17,120 everybody's giving, everybody's giving, everybody's giving. 448 00:24:17,120 --> 00:24:18,920 And the Lord judged them. 449 00:24:21,760 --> 00:24:23,320 He judged them, he said, why? 450 00:24:23,320 --> 00:24:26,440 Because you're not really giving what I asked you to give. 451 00:24:27,640 --> 00:24:29,680 You're giving on your terms. 452 00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:35,640 You say, oh man, but that's the New Testament. 453 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:37,600 That's not the old, we think God only struck people down 454 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:38,440 in the Old Testament. 455 00:24:38,440 --> 00:24:41,000 No one's gonna get struck down here, I don't think. 456 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:42,520 That's not what God wants to do. 457 00:24:42,520 --> 00:24:44,520 But I'm here to tell you that if, 458 00:24:44,520 --> 00:24:46,200 you know what the Bible says about the land 459 00:24:46,200 --> 00:24:47,400 that they were going to? 460 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:52,040 It was a land that was flowing with milk and honey. 461 00:24:52,040 --> 00:24:54,760 Now I'm no farmer, but where do you think 462 00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:55,800 the milk comes from? 463 00:24:57,400 --> 00:24:59,480 And don't be funny and say goats. 464 00:25:00,760 --> 00:25:02,680 Goats, oh yes, they probably do, 465 00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:07,680 but they also come from cows, from cattle. 466 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,640 Here's the point, the very thing that they were afraid 467 00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:14,200 to give up and surrender, God says, 468 00:25:14,200 --> 00:25:16,520 I've got a land that's flowing with it. 469 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,600 Oh my God, you mean to tell me, 470 00:25:20,600 --> 00:25:23,320 I've been holding back and holding out 471 00:25:23,320 --> 00:25:26,120 if I just gave to the Lord the Lord's way, 472 00:25:26,120 --> 00:25:28,200 to my church, to the Lord's word, 473 00:25:28,200 --> 00:25:31,000 then God's got way more in store for me, 474 00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:35,560 absolutely, it's a land that's flowing with milk and honey. 475 00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,560 Let me tell somebody today, you can never out give God. 476 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,360 You can't do it, you can't do it. 477 00:25:44,360 --> 00:25:46,360 I'll be just a few more moments, but you can't do it. 478 00:25:46,360 --> 00:25:47,880 You can never out give God. 479 00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:49,880 When you tithe, when you give, 480 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:51,640 your 10% which belongs to the Lord, 481 00:25:51,640 --> 00:25:53,160 it's not yours, it belongs to God. 482 00:25:53,160 --> 00:25:55,800 He will always provide what you need. 483 00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,760 The Lord said this in Malachi 3 and verse 10, 484 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:02,760 he says, bring all the tithe into the storehouse. 485 00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:04,280 Whose storehouse? 486 00:26:04,280 --> 00:26:06,760 Not mine, God's storehouse, 487 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,320 that there may be food in my house 488 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,840 and try me now in this says the Lord of hosts, 489 00:26:12,840 --> 00:26:15,800 if I will not open, hallelujah, 490 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:20,520 the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing 491 00:26:20,520 --> 00:26:24,200 that there will not be room enough to receive. 492 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:27,320 Either God is lying or he's telling the truth, 493 00:26:27,320 --> 00:26:31,160 but my Bible says that God is not a man that he should lie. 494 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:35,160 So if my Bible tells me, if I bring my treasures, 495 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:39,160 I bring my offering of my tithe to the house of the Lord, 496 00:26:39,160 --> 00:26:40,920 God's gonna bless, 497 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:44,280 God's gonna open up the windows of heaven 498 00:26:44,280 --> 00:26:46,360 and let me remind you today 499 00:26:46,360 --> 00:26:48,680 that those blessings that come down, 500 00:26:48,680 --> 00:26:51,880 it's not always in the form of financial resources, 501 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:55,880 my brother, it's not always in the form of a check 502 00:26:55,880 --> 00:26:59,160 or a check in the mail or a bonus at work, 503 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,040 God will bless you in manifold ways. 504 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:03,880 He'll bless your relationship, 505 00:27:03,880 --> 00:27:05,640 he'll bless your family, 506 00:27:05,640 --> 00:27:07,640 he'll bless your ministry. 507 00:27:07,640 --> 00:27:11,320 Oh, I want the windows of heaven to open. 508 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:15,560 Somebody clap your hands and let's give God a praise today. 509 00:27:15,560 --> 00:27:16,680 Hallelujah. 510 00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:21,680 I'm here to tell you that number three, 511 00:27:23,400 --> 00:27:25,640 before I close, let me give you this last point 512 00:27:25,640 --> 00:27:29,960 that giving, faithful giving fuels revival. 513 00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:31,720 I want you to see the powerful way 514 00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,840 that giving fuels the church and revival. 515 00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,640 Giving, tithing, this is so apostolic. 516 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,080 Watch the book of Acts and the other books 517 00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:43,760 that record how the members, they went above and beyond. 518 00:27:43,760 --> 00:27:45,880 They sold their possessions, their goods, 519 00:27:45,880 --> 00:27:48,920 and they gave regularly to the Lord's church. 520 00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:53,320 Acts chapter two, Acts chapter four, Acts chapter five, 521 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:55,440 you keep going down the chapters. 522 00:27:55,440 --> 00:27:58,960 First Corinthians nine, First Corinthians 16, 523 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:02,200 Second Corinthians chapters eight through nine, 524 00:28:02,200 --> 00:28:04,160 on and on and on. 525 00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,880 We see there is a direct connection 526 00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,720 between the generosity and the giving 527 00:28:09,720 --> 00:28:12,960 and the support of the people to the revival 528 00:28:12,960 --> 00:28:15,000 that God is working through his church. 529 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,240 Hallelujah. 530 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:20,840 This is, oh, this is apostolic doctrine. 531 00:28:20,840 --> 00:28:23,840 This is as much doctrine and apostolic 532 00:28:23,840 --> 00:28:26,600 as any other apostolic doctrine that we teach 533 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:28,680 and practice in our lives. 534 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,560 Tithes and offering, it's one of our 19 doctrinal points 535 00:28:32,560 --> 00:28:34,960 as being a part of an apostolic assembly. 536 00:28:34,960 --> 00:28:38,760 It's the economic system that God has set up in the church. 537 00:28:38,760 --> 00:28:40,760 And I have come to encourage you 538 00:28:40,760 --> 00:28:42,240 that if you would get ahold of it, 539 00:28:42,240 --> 00:28:45,320 if there's any room, give God a centimeter 540 00:28:45,320 --> 00:28:46,840 and God will give you a mile. 541 00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:49,520 God will show you if there's any room, 542 00:28:49,520 --> 00:28:51,880 is there any room for conviction? 543 00:28:51,880 --> 00:28:55,800 If I just open up a little bit and say, God work in me, 544 00:28:55,800 --> 00:28:58,200 would you not believe that God will bless you? 545 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:01,120 Can I testify here for a few moments if that's all right? 546 00:29:01,120 --> 00:29:02,840 Somebody say, go ahead. 547 00:29:02,840 --> 00:29:06,560 I am standing in this place not to gloat, not to boast, 548 00:29:06,560 --> 00:29:08,120 but I am a blessed man. 549 00:29:08,120 --> 00:29:09,960 I stand here today as a fourth 550 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:11,840 and the fifth generation apostolic, 551 00:29:11,840 --> 00:29:13,680 not to pat myself on the back, 552 00:29:13,680 --> 00:29:16,120 but here today we've got at least five 553 00:29:16,120 --> 00:29:18,800 or four generations of apostolic believers. 554 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:21,280 We've got my wife's grandma that is here. 555 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:23,800 We love our grandma B, she's here, hallelujah. 556 00:29:23,800 --> 00:29:27,120 I've got my parents and my in-laws that are here. 557 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:29,240 We've got myself and my wife that are here. 558 00:29:29,240 --> 00:29:31,320 I've got my son that is here back there 559 00:29:31,320 --> 00:29:34,720 running the multimedia and my daughter that's in class. 560 00:29:34,720 --> 00:29:36,680 And then of course we've got the saints 561 00:29:36,680 --> 00:29:40,120 that went ahead of us already in the presence of the Lord. 562 00:29:40,120 --> 00:29:43,760 Let me tell you one of the secrets of longevity 563 00:29:43,760 --> 00:29:45,040 in the kingdom of God. 564 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:46,840 For some of you who have not been in this 565 00:29:46,840 --> 00:29:49,120 as long as our families have. 566 00:29:49,120 --> 00:29:52,320 Financial commitment to God 567 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:57,160 and the giving of our tithe regularly to the Lord 568 00:29:57,160 --> 00:30:01,960 and devoting our offerings to him. 569 00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:06,680 I'm talking about almost a hundred years of faithfulness. 570 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:08,960 Now you think, oh, they've always been blessed. 571 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:11,280 We go down the list and they were only able to give 572 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:14,280 maybe just a few dollars or cents 573 00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:16,080 that they would give to the Lord, 574 00:30:16,080 --> 00:30:19,080 but the Lord always provided. 575 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:22,440 He made sure that there was food in the pantry. 576 00:30:22,440 --> 00:30:25,480 He made sure that there was gas in the car. 577 00:30:25,480 --> 00:30:29,200 He made sure there was a roof over their head. 578 00:30:29,200 --> 00:30:32,000 He made sure, I wonder if there's anybody 579 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:34,360 that can testify with me today, 580 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:39,360 that the Lord is good and his mercy endures forever. 581 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:45,440 Oh, pastor, are you saying that prayer? 582 00:30:45,440 --> 00:30:47,320 No, prayer's important. 583 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,520 You ought to pray, you ought to fast, 584 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:51,880 but don't shortchange God. 585 00:30:51,880 --> 00:30:54,720 Say, Lord, here it is, it's yours. 586 00:30:57,400 --> 00:31:00,320 And I'm not here to go, I'm not here to parade my family. 587 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:01,560 That's not why they're here. 588 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:03,280 That's not why this is happening. 589 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:06,720 But I just felt in the Holy Ghost to testify to somebody. 590 00:31:06,720 --> 00:31:08,560 You could be the difference maker. 591 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:12,040 You can turn that thinking around. 592 00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:14,360 It can start with you and say, 593 00:31:14,360 --> 00:31:19,120 we're gonna trust in the Lord with our 10%. 594 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:20,920 We're gonna trust in the Lord. 595 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:23,160 We're gonna give unto the Lord. 596 00:31:23,160 --> 00:31:25,120 And I'm here to tell you today, church, 597 00:31:25,120 --> 00:31:27,600 things are gonna start shifting in the spirit. 598 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,480 Things are gonna start shifting here in this church. 599 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:32,720 We're gonna renew the emphasis that we need to. 600 00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:34,160 God has dealt with us. 601 00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,520 He's dealt with me on this. 602 00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:39,560 And gone are the days where we just dismiss 603 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:40,880 and just throw whatever we've got 604 00:31:40,880 --> 00:31:43,640 and just head on out the door and forget about the, 605 00:31:43,640 --> 00:31:46,240 no, we might even move the offering back 606 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:48,040 to the middle of the service. 607 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:49,440 You say, why pastor? 608 00:31:49,440 --> 00:31:50,960 That's gonna scare the visitors. 609 00:31:50,960 --> 00:31:52,720 No, I think it scares the members 610 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:54,480 more than it does the visitors. 611 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:56,400 We're gonna bring the offering back and say, 612 00:31:56,400 --> 00:31:59,480 this, I miss the days where bringing our offering. 613 00:31:59,480 --> 00:32:02,320 I know it's all digital, Venmo, Zelle and all that, 614 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:04,160 but I kind of miss the days 615 00:32:04,160 --> 00:32:06,840 where we would bring something physical to God 616 00:32:06,840 --> 00:32:08,800 and put it in the offering basket. 617 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:10,360 You say, oh, you're just trying to show off. 618 00:32:10,360 --> 00:32:12,040 You don't know what they put in there. 619 00:32:12,040 --> 00:32:14,200 That could have been their month's rent. 620 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,120 It could have been anything. 621 00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:18,080 But this is what I know, 622 00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:22,320 that if you give, God will give back to you. 623 00:32:22,320 --> 00:32:24,840 Give and it shall be given. 624 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,640 Shake it, oh, press down. 625 00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:32,640 Shake it together and running over will come out of your bush. 626 00:32:35,520 --> 00:32:37,000 Oh, that son's gone into pastor. 627 00:32:37,000 --> 00:32:38,560 Oh, pastor, he woke up on the wrong side of the bed. 628 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:40,160 He didn't have his Wheaties this morning. 629 00:32:40,160 --> 00:32:41,520 You're right, I didn't have my Wheaties. 630 00:32:41,520 --> 00:32:43,560 I had homemade tortillas and that's the key. 631 00:32:43,560 --> 00:32:48,560 I'm gonna watch out. 632 00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:51,360 I'm gonna be grounded here every week. 633 00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:53,560 This is gonna get kind of crazy up in here. 634 00:32:55,200 --> 00:32:56,280 He said, well, why, why, why, why, why, 635 00:32:56,280 --> 00:32:57,440 why we gotta do all that? 636 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:00,720 Because every revival, every move of God, 637 00:33:00,720 --> 00:33:04,040 you see a direct correlation between the generosity 638 00:33:04,040 --> 00:33:05,240 to giving of the people. 639 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,320 And I think it's time. 640 00:33:07,320 --> 00:33:08,560 I believe it's time. 641 00:33:08,560 --> 00:33:11,360 God is awakening something within us and within the church. 642 00:33:11,360 --> 00:33:12,720 We wanna grow, amen. 643 00:33:12,720 --> 00:33:15,080 We wanna see souls come to the kingdom of God. 644 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:16,520 We wanna see these, oh, yes, 645 00:33:16,520 --> 00:33:18,200 we've got to tell them about Jesus. 646 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:20,400 But we've also gotta be that kind of church, 647 00:33:20,400 --> 00:33:22,200 a Macedonian church. 648 00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:24,200 We gotta be that giving church 649 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:26,480 and pour it out at the altar and say, 650 00:33:26,480 --> 00:33:30,360 here it is, Lord, it's yours. 651 00:33:34,480 --> 00:33:35,760 Oh, hallelujah, God. 652 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:36,760 Hallelujah. 653 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:43,720 Play something good there, brother, like very emotional. 654 00:33:44,880 --> 00:33:46,600 Very emotional. 655 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:48,040 Just kidding. 656 00:33:48,040 --> 00:33:50,480 Yeah, yeah, no, not too emotional, not too emotional. 657 00:33:50,480 --> 00:33:55,360 Listen, I'm gonna give you this final picture 658 00:33:55,360 --> 00:33:58,120 because God showed this to me. 659 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,120 I have books, I have commentaries, 660 00:34:01,120 --> 00:34:02,400 I have all these wonderful things 661 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:03,760 that are nice to age or study. 662 00:34:03,760 --> 00:34:06,360 But I'm gonna tell you, 80% of the things that God gives me, 663 00:34:06,360 --> 00:34:08,240 it comes through revelation. 664 00:34:08,240 --> 00:34:10,480 It comes through my prayer and a Bible. 665 00:34:11,360 --> 00:34:12,400 And this is what the Lord showed me. 666 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:14,040 I didn't get this from anywhere else. 667 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:14,920 Nothing to do with other sons, 668 00:34:14,920 --> 00:34:17,360 so maybe someone else on another continent preached it. 669 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:19,680 But I found this scene in 1 Samuel chapter six 670 00:34:19,680 --> 00:34:24,680 where the Philistines used untrained nursing cows 671 00:34:25,560 --> 00:34:28,520 to return the Ark of the Covenant to God's people. 672 00:34:28,520 --> 00:34:33,200 Some of us may be familiar with that story. 673 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:34,240 The Ark of the Covenant, 674 00:34:34,240 --> 00:34:35,920 which represents the glory of God, 675 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,080 the presence of God was in Philistine hands, enemy hands, 676 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,760 and it was time for it to come back to God's people. 677 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:46,120 And so through divine means, 678 00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:48,320 they send the Ark of the Covenant back 679 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:50,640 and it's being carried. 680 00:34:50,640 --> 00:34:55,640 It's being carried among all things. 681 00:34:56,640 --> 00:34:58,120 It's being delivered. 682 00:35:00,600 --> 00:35:04,120 My God, UPS, here it comes. 683 00:35:06,800 --> 00:35:09,640 But on cows, on cattle. 684 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:12,080 Now their natural instinct, 685 00:35:12,080 --> 00:35:14,560 they were nursing cows, the Bible says. 686 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:17,640 Their natural instinct would be to return to their calves 687 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:19,440 and feed their calves. 688 00:35:19,440 --> 00:35:23,360 Plus they were very unfamiliar with the terrain. 689 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:26,440 Very unfamiliar. 690 00:35:26,440 --> 00:35:29,440 So these cows miraculously walked 691 00:35:30,800 --> 00:35:33,080 from the land of the Philistines, 692 00:35:33,080 --> 00:35:35,760 straight shot to Israel. 693 00:35:37,040 --> 00:35:39,840 Because when you give your cattle a purpose, 694 00:35:41,400 --> 00:35:44,160 don't just give, give with a mission. 695 00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:47,680 I'm gonna bless. 696 00:35:47,680 --> 00:35:50,000 Woo, shan'ta la matah. 697 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,320 I don't, let me tell you something. 698 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:54,760 We don't give, this is not a charitable, 699 00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:57,520 we don't give donation, we give offerings. 700 00:35:57,520 --> 00:36:00,680 And our money has a mission. 701 00:36:01,560 --> 00:36:04,160 It's anointed money. 702 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:06,680 It's got the Holy Ghost on it. 703 00:36:06,680 --> 00:36:09,360 And when we give it to the Lord, it's with a mission. 704 00:36:09,360 --> 00:36:11,120 And so here come these cows 705 00:36:11,120 --> 00:36:13,080 and they're walking through the terrain 706 00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:14,920 and they're on their way. 707 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:16,000 Oh man. 708 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:19,160 And then, and then they finally get there. 709 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:21,000 Can you imagine the cows like, 710 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,840 yeah, we made it all the way. 711 00:36:23,840 --> 00:36:25,240 Huh? 712 00:36:25,240 --> 00:36:26,840 High five in hooves. 713 00:36:26,840 --> 00:36:28,400 We did it. 714 00:36:28,400 --> 00:36:29,880 We got here. 715 00:36:29,880 --> 00:36:33,640 Oh man, what a journey it was. 716 00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:36,320 And just when they were getting ready to celebrate, 717 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:37,160 huh? 718 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:38,160 Just when they were getting ready, 719 00:36:38,160 --> 00:36:40,520 start making milkshakes and things like that. 720 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:45,520 Here comes the guy with the big ax, 721 00:36:46,640 --> 00:36:50,640 firewood, lighter fluid. 722 00:36:51,960 --> 00:36:54,640 And what those cows didn't realize 723 00:36:54,640 --> 00:36:56,720 is that they were about to become beef. 724 00:36:58,280 --> 00:37:02,400 Oh, I'm sorry to tell you cow, you went all that way. 725 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:04,480 I know you've got a story to tell. 726 00:37:04,480 --> 00:37:06,400 I know that, yes, yes, yes. 727 00:37:06,400 --> 00:37:08,880 There's a whole backstory here, 728 00:37:08,880 --> 00:37:10,920 but you brought the covenant back. 729 00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:13,360 You brought the glory of God back. 730 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:15,040 And when you, hallelujah, 731 00:37:15,040 --> 00:37:17,120 when you release your faith, 732 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:19,400 your finances into the hands of God, 733 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:23,560 it will sustain, it will carry the presence of God. 734 00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:26,080 But that's not all. 735 00:37:26,080 --> 00:37:26,920 Hallelujah. 736 00:37:26,920 --> 00:37:28,600 Oh my God. 737 00:37:28,600 --> 00:37:31,400 It will sanctify your resources. 738 00:37:31,400 --> 00:37:33,800 When the cows arrived, 739 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:36,200 then we asked the question, where's the beef? 740 00:37:36,200 --> 00:37:37,400 Oh my Lord. 741 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:38,240 I'm almost done. 742 00:37:38,240 --> 00:37:42,360 Listen, 1 Samuel in chapter six, verse 14, 743 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,760 it answers the question, where's the beef? 744 00:37:44,760 --> 00:37:47,640 Oh, they didn't come just as a delivery service. 745 00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:49,720 These cows came to die. 746 00:37:49,720 --> 00:37:52,600 They came to give themselves holy. 747 00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:54,960 They came to give all of themselves. 748 00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:55,800 And the Bible says, 749 00:37:55,800 --> 00:38:00,720 then the cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-Shema 750 00:38:00,720 --> 00:38:02,080 and stood there. 751 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,000 A large stone was there. 752 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:06,800 So they split the wood of a cart 753 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:11,800 and they offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 754 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:16,680 And this signified a change 755 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:19,560 in the storyline of God's people, 756 00:38:19,560 --> 00:38:23,400 that the glory of the Lord was back in Israel. 757 00:38:23,400 --> 00:38:25,800 Church, as I conclude right now, 758 00:38:25,800 --> 00:38:29,920 let me tell you that God didn't need the cows so much. 759 00:38:29,920 --> 00:38:31,160 God didn't need all, 760 00:38:31,160 --> 00:38:35,200 but what he did want was the sacrifice. 761 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:37,480 What he wanted was the heart 762 00:38:37,480 --> 00:38:40,840 because Jesus said where your treasure is, 763 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,960 there your heart will be also. 764 00:38:43,960 --> 00:38:47,560 Oh, God's not looking just for a handout today. 765 00:38:47,560 --> 00:38:52,040 God's not looking just for a spare change. 766 00:38:52,040 --> 00:38:55,000 God's not looking for whatever you had under the mattress. 767 00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:58,920 God's not looking, what he's looking for is our hearts. 768 00:38:58,920 --> 00:39:01,800 And he's looking for a cheerful giver, 769 00:39:01,800 --> 00:39:04,280 a cheerful giver of worship, 770 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,880 a cheerful giver of praise. 771 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:10,240 Oh, hallelujah with the sacrifice of praise, 772 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:12,000 the fruit of our lips, 773 00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,880 a cheerful giver in every aspect. 774 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:17,040 I invite you to stand with me here today. 775 00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:18,000 Hallelujah. 776 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:19,520 I don't know about you brothers and sisters, 777 00:39:19,520 --> 00:39:21,440 but I feel the spirit of God here. 778 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:23,440 I feel the Holy Ghost. 779 00:39:23,440 --> 00:39:27,040 Oh, I feel something tugging on my spirit today. 780 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:28,400 Oh, hallelujah. 781 00:39:28,400 --> 00:39:32,760 I feel joy in the house of the Lord. 782 00:39:32,760 --> 00:39:34,160 Oh, hallelujah. 783 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:37,680 The Bible says it's better to give than receive. 784 00:39:37,680 --> 00:39:42,120 And today I wonder if you have something to offer to God 785 00:39:42,120 --> 00:39:44,760 and you can start with your worship 786 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,400 and you can start with your praise 787 00:39:47,400 --> 00:39:50,760 and you can start with the lifting up of your hands. 788 00:39:50,760 --> 00:39:53,720 You can start with the opening up of your mouth. 789 00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:57,600 You can start by acknowledging him as the provider 790 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,120 and the sustainer of your life. 791 00:40:00,120 --> 00:40:05,120 You can start by acknowledging that God owns it all. 792 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:06,400 Hallelujah. 793 00:40:06,400 --> 00:40:09,880 Everything belongs to him. 794 00:40:09,880 --> 00:40:12,680 Oh, I can't hold it back. 795 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:15,680 I've got to give it to the Lord today. 796 00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,880 He's just somebody in this place 797 00:40:17,880 --> 00:40:20,600 that would join me in worship unto God 798 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:25,360 as we offer up the sacrifice of praise, 799 00:40:25,360 --> 00:40:28,600 as we offer up this thanksgiving offering, 800 00:40:28,600 --> 00:40:30,320 as we lift up the voices, 801 00:40:30,320 --> 00:40:32,760 as we magnify the Lord today. 802 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:33,600 Hallelujah. 803 00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:36,840 Thank you, God. 804 00:40:36,840 --> 00:40:59,840 Oh, let me tell you, God's been faithful.