Sunday Service 3-26-2023

Why are egos to keep this going here? Thank you for that Miss Rani on it. Matthew chapter 6, this will be our last week in the sermon of the mount. That's 5 6 and 7 in Matthew where Jesus is kind of shotgunning blast everybody with with things about the scriptures that they didn't know they hadn't heard it was so much of it that they'd grown up with always believing And then Jesus comes along and says, yeah, that's not right. How many of us when we turned a test into the teacher? And it comes back with a big old X over it? And we decide to, we need that one question. That's the one question, what you don't understand and they look at you and they say I understand it's the wrong answer. and but, but I I meant Well, that's not what you put on the paper. and in Jesus comes along, and That they honestly believe this their whole life. And I we can all think of things in our minds at that growing up. We believed it to be true and then somewhere along the line, it was like, nope. That's not true. And how do we?

I've been challenged to keep the microphone. Closer so cuz I guess I fade-in and fade-out so we'll will keep working with that. So we didn't Matthew chapter 6. And it's the, the question we start off with his, what are we looking for? I had some pastors friends asked their churches. When you come to church, what are you expecting? What are you looking for out of church? And it's a fair question. Some guys got very offended. Oh, you know, they should just be worried about Jesus and not worried about all the other stuff, but it's not unfair to have an expectation of your church. To feed you spiritually. I'm not sure we go. As far as entertaining cuz we have become a very entertainment driven Society. And if we're not entertain, it wouldn't good.

I went to a church where the drummer's would would why they were playing worship songs world in the drumsticks and then catch them without in the congregation was not focused on the word of God or the word of the songs. They were such a thing as a drummer is going to do today.

Jesus comes along and he's he's just, I can't even imagine sitting there trying to take notes. Not, you know, of everything. He's he's dumping on them. David Platt, a well-known? Southern Baptist pastor. There's a thing called secret Church. And he started off going to countries where Christianity was not allowed. And so they would they would meet they would sneak him into a place to meet. There would be he would he would look up and they're b2030 for you people. Some didn't have Bible some, their Bibles were a hundred year old Bibles, tattered and torn. Coming to hear the word of God. Because they're not allowed to have church, they're not allowed to read the Bible. And David Platt was sharing about what is it? You share with somebody. That is so hungry and so desperate for the word of God and he said we started sharing. And next time, I knew we've been sharing for 9 hours.

Later on, he went to another country. He said we shared for 11 hours.

And if people just sat there, they're fixated on him expounding on the word of God that they never heard it. We did secret church here. One night. How fast it? Your pastor is a little. 80hd just a little squirrel, you know, but we were there for 8 hours. Thank you started for the afternoon and we went till midnight and it was non stop preaching word of God and he's a good preacher too. And so He he he doesn't now and and he's got half a million people. Signing up for secret sharks, all over the world. Do you hear they're doing Jonah this? This next time coming up but in Matthew, Jesus has been hitting the people with more and more and more of stuff that they may or may not have heard you. Start sit in verse 19, Lane, do not lay up for yourselves, Treasures on Earth, where moth and rust, destroy and thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves, Treasures, in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy, and where thieves do not break and steel. Lay up yourselves. Treasures in Heaven. You know that there's been a lot of discussion. When I die, I get to heaven. What am I going to get? You know, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that, you know, I'm dead, I'm gone.

It's too late to do anything different ones once I'm gone. But when they started talking about this part, laying up of treasures, He brings us back to the Beatitudes. chapter 5 Beast versus Blessed are the poor in spirit for there shall be the Kingdom of Heaven. Blessed, are those who mourn for they shall be? Comforted blessed, are the meek. So they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. Blessed, are the merciful show they show obtain. Mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see. God blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake? For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. That's what he's talking about. Do those things and you're storing up your Treasures in Heaven. We've become such. I'm a cheerful Society. I don't know where it happened. I don't know how it happened. I know growing up personally. She's going to hear my message or what I say. My mom always has to listen to my messages but her my dad grew up in the depression with nothing. And then they got jobs and they money and she did not want any of the old reminders of how bad things were. Put them out. Drag get him a note. Nope. Nope. We don't want to think about it. That was not a good time in our lives. You be going without. I remember I was I was probably 11 or 12. And they drug a piece of furniture out to the road for the garbage men to collect. And it was grandmother's break, ramp somebody in the families deal and and I and I kind of messed it up cuz I got hold of it and drugged it and it kind of wore the feet on it, dragging it back up to the house and in my dad was like, what do you want with that old thing? I said there's history behind that old thing so we're going to help me put in the attic and as soon as you're married you're going to get that thing out of my house. Do you know? We weren't married a week. Hey. When are you come, we are in Georgia and there. When are you coming to get your stuff? Turn the attic. Is it in the way? No, but, but I told you to get it out of here. Janice is mom, got a hold of that old piece of furniture and she refinished it and it was prices cuz my mom came to her house and she cuz that is such a beautiful piece of furniture. Where did you get it from? And it sits right in our kitchen today. And I'm like, you don't know, do you? But forgetting the old for it for forgetting this stuff money. I don't need it.

Michigan, been trying to get me on the hoarder show. She thinks I'm a certified hoarder. And, and there may be some truth to I got rid of some stuff from 1976 that I thought I was going to use.

And and I was still, but I know you're not going to use it. If you haven't used it in many years is it can't even do the math, almost 50 years, you're probably not going to use.

But we've become such a society that we have to have, and we have to get more and more, and more in. And, and can you Top This? I know when we First came to Cody L, my son was kind of adopted by a family and he came back. He said Dad they have the greatest life I said, what do you mean they have a boat? They have four wheelers, they have a jet ski, have an RV. They have Camp there on a hunting lease and he's going on and on and on I said dude you do realize you have to pay for that stuff. It it's not you know and talk kid with The gentleman cuz I'm like, yeah, you're my richest friend.

My kids know, if anything happens to us, you've got them, man. They're going to you but we can come such a society where we have to have more and more and more and end. It doesn't make us happy. We eventually run out of The better, the nicer, the newer and a lot of times the older stuff better than the new stuff. I work all the time. People buy a new washer and dryer. 2 years into it, the things broke.

He goes on here. A 21 for where your treasure is, that's where your heart will be, you know, the time for the, for those of us that have children. It's so short with your children, they did. They grow up so fast and they're gone. And unfortunately, most of the time When were growing up with them? It's our working years, okay? You got the choice. I stay home or I work and in the the working window isn't as it's not an optional, I have to go to work. I know the grandkids papapa papapa, just let's go fishing. Let's go fishing. Might my son, grandson would live on a pod. Fishing all day all night. I've left them out and thunderstorms admit it I sat in the truck and he kept fishing and but where your treasure is there is your heart also and Jesus was trying to get them focused on Not not the stuff, it's not the stuff that matters it. It's your heart and even what you do with the stuff somebody asked me one time. Is it a sin to be rich?

At the same time probably not going to happen. I don't know. I mean but it depends what you use it for you know. I know rich people that orphanages schools churches. We were in DeRidder, we had a billionaire in our church, be with a b-word, billionaire. And this guy would come to church on Sundays and he put a $500,000 check in the offering plate, half a million. And no one would know it till you the tellers were counting on Monday morning and you here, hollering and stuff from The Counting Room that was going on. This guy poured, his money, It into everything he could to help because he grew up with nothing. And started a business that happened to do very well. And so he gave back so much. It was, it was amazing. You don't laying up the treasure in heaven. It's, it's goes back to the Beatitudes. Blessed are The kind, the meat. The Humble, the peacemakers are our society. Does not relish peacemakers. We like the in-your-face. Confrontational. That there's not a lot of Glory for those trying to, to calm things down. He goes on a 22, the lamp in the body is the eye. If Therefore, your eye is good, your whole body is full of life, that's not talk. If you see well, it's what your eye. Tasting. What is it? The eye is looking for. What is it? The eye is absorbing. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of Darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is Darkness how great a Darkness

It is really hard for us today. The guard, our hearts and our minds.

unless you take your TV out of your house, unless you take your cell phone off, I'll be sitting there scrolling through something. And next thing, you know, if I don't have to keep the volume turned up, this is there's a lot of ungodliness that that I don't know why I got it. Why it came? Why they said it? But it's are. You watch TV shows? There's nothing age-appropriate anymore nothing. It does not matter what you're trying to walk, even if you know, some of the cartoon stuff going on, it's like really quick. nnn yet, when we gravitate to it, he's admonishing there because if you willingly choose to go back into darkness to look at Darkness to absorb Darkness to to desire it It's a bad Darkness. It it goes a little deeper than just the eye. I was listening to a pastor that was preaching on this point and he got to talk in the pituitary gland. Doing this. All the medical biological stuff that happens. It's enough to say that. That if you if you desire that which is ungodly, you probably need to do a soul. Check. Because if you were in Christ, if you were a new creature you still going to be tempted. But if you desire to constantly and seek it constantly, I don't know, you know, the fruit it says were known by our fruit and and I try very carefully, you know, I love it when

Y'all aren't the main offenders here but somebody will come to me and say Rodger Bell. Do you think sister? So and so is saved

And I'm like, I don't know. Why do you ask? Oh, she was kind of rude to me. And I don't think she can be a Christian and be rude to me. I'm like, oh, how was she? Rude. She walked in and she told other people, good morning, and she did not tell me good morning. And I just know she's lost and she needs Jesus cuz she would treat me better if she was walking with Jesus. So, I avoid the be passing judgment on who saved. Who's not, God gets to do that. But at the same time, the fruits I was with the gentleman and and he was he was telling me how I go to church, I go to church and and the f word is being used every other word and I was kind of like and he was to me. So what are you doing? At least. I said I'm the pastor at the church and he use the f word again. I mean, it just non-stop and I'm like, you said, oh yeah. Go to church though and I might dude, I don't know where but you know, authors, you may need to do a check on that. The darkness, it's in us. If we go back to that, which is ungodly willingly Desiring, continuingly Eastham self-examination. We're going to be celebrating the Lord's Supper today, and they talked about, but a man examine himself before they receive the body and blood of Christ. He goes on, no one can serve two masters for either will hate the one and love the other or else. He'll be loyal to one despise the other. You cannot serve God and Mammon.

We get to what is Mammon. Where did that word come from?

Some translations of it. Talk about. It being safe, you're serving Satan. And others say it's it's the desire Obsession for things and money. If your wife is driving to get more and more and more and more and more, you're not looking for the things of God. in it, and He says, you've got to choose.

Weather in and some of us will be coming to price and then we want to go back. To the old. Because there might have been good memories there. They might have been just fleeting memories but he says choose you this day who you serve your needs a serving God or you're not there's not some sort of verse 25. Therefore I say to you do not worry about your life what you eat or drink nor about your body. What you put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. But seek first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things will be added. To you.

Yeah, I think we can all think of times in our lives when we were working so hard for something and we didn't get it. and then out of the blue,

something comes to us. Unasked-for, we weren't seeking it. We are just blessed. I don't know if you've ever had.

I don't know, we calling Guardian Angels. Sometimes the Bible talks about there are angels charge to taken care of us, but I've been amazed sometimes. People when I was younger and much poor. You know, there would be so many who I wasn't even family with, I wasn't even close to they come, they put an envelope in my hand and and and that was the rent payment for the month and they didn't know that I was stressing about it. They didn't know that it was something I needed help with. And any talks here that if you were seeking the things of God, God has got you. He will provide for you now. Spending your whole paycheck on lottery tickets. Probably not a wise investment.

but what does it mean to seek God first And I know I've had some people tell me.

I'm not going to work cuz I'm staying home and praying all day. Do you have a job? Yeah, but I really didn't feel like going today. I thought I'd just had me some Jesus time. And and there's a time for that. There is times in our lives when we need to stop check. Be still and know God. It's when we continue it for a long. Of time and we're being slothful. And the Bible talks about, he who does not work. Does not eat. But these verses are talkin about. If we are seeking God in our heart is Desiring to be what God wants us to be, he will take care of all the other stuff. Maybe not the way we already.

We'd like it. But he's got it will survive and we'll make it seeking the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God?

God's word talks about it over and over and over things that we should be doing as Christians to enhance the kick them to make the kingdom better. I tell people when they get saved their life but I'm good no more church for me. No more Revival for me. I'm good I'm not going to hell when I die. It is so much more God did not create us for nothing just to walk around be beautiful. You know, he created us with a purpose with the sense and and when we find that purpose and in three different People, you know, people look at me and say what is God's desire for my life? Well there's a big to know God and glorify him forever. That's the big But after that, I don't know. I don't know if you're going as a missionary to Africa, I don't know if you're working as a custodian, I don't know what the specific callings are you but seeking it being open to it, being able to say, Lord. What what do you want out of me? What is you knowing? And for some of us,

we have to be careful when we ask questions. We do not like the answer. You know, grandkids will get you. Out of their mouths will speak truth. you know, and someone we ask a question,

we have to be ready to take the answer. And when we asked a question of God, what is your desire for my life? We have to be ready to take the answer and it's like no you don't understand sort of like the test question. Yeah, I asked you that, but that's not really what I want to do. Okay, so it's about what what I want to do, not what God wants to do with me his righteousness. Righteousness, is that term? It's a it's a judgment type turn. It's a legal type term of being found. Free of charges and guilt. You are being found, right? And and we seek God's righteousness.

That's what we need to be looking for be what our spouse wants us to be. Not to be with her boyfriend or girlfriend wants us to be not to be with our grandparents want us to be, but to be what God wants us to be, and to be found doing what it is that he wants us to do. Anybody here ever disappoint their parents in their career choice? We get Brett. Anybody ever disappoint their parents in the selection of their spouse?

You get that guy. You know, 8 a.m. with God or our choices of what we're looking for. It is, is being able to be open to hear what he wants us guarding. Our hearts Garden are seeking the things that matter to God, not so much us.

I'm amazed. Sometimes that.

People get. Upset about things and and they really think God is getting that upset. Over the same thing. you know, I I I had a lady, tell me one time that She just knew God was upset, because her neighbor was not putting the dog in a coat when they took him outside. She just knew that was ungodly and Jesus had to be upset about that cuz that little dog need you to coat in the cold weather and how could a person called himself a Christian? And a lot of times things we think, Because it bothers us may or may not bother God and and that's why if you have to come back to check his word, I've been hit over and over again. I've, I've been surprised it at some pastors. That I don't necessarily agree with them theologically but they looked out with the people and they should look the things that come out of my mouth. If it doesn't match here, call me on, call me out. And and it's important particularly without not just from up here in the Pulpit when you're sharing things with other people. Godly things, God's business, make sure it's. It's right that what you're thinking about isn't just something you heard you thought you grew up with. Make sure it's what gods were really says. And in one verse isn't always, you know, that they kid about

People open the Bible and just finding things and, you know, Judas hung himself and then you flip the page is over and it says go and do you likewise? You know, that's not what they mean about. Checking things with scripture, it's looking at the theme through it and making sure it's the word of God. We're going to have a time of communion together. This is the remembering what Christ did for us. He had the game from Passover and he broke bread and he had wine. And we practice, here we go. And open communion if you were believer in Jesus Christ. I don't, I don't go around checking your credentials or your cards, it's something between you two take, but if you have doubts or reasons, just just pass it on to the next person.

Text cross.

Where where he leave?

I'll go with him with.

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