2019-11-24-LIVE OAKS - Gather to give
fighting over a funeral of a gentleman and they're five people at the funeral and you know, it was an immediate question to me that I had to answer cuz last week I said preach the gospel die be forgotten and here I am presiding over funeral five people in attendance going on man. I got all the weight.
Make this should be my funeral. One of the remarks that I that I that I shared because his his stepson told me there really isn't much to say about my dad. He was such a simple man. Service country love his wife. Love the Lord. And I remember this being very struck by how complicated a complex and mostly terrible the world is around us and it occurred to me that maybe saying that someone is simple is is one of the most powerful measures of greatness we could see right now. to be simple That's what I'm seeing in the in the little series that we've been going through in and looking at ask is that the church wasn't a complicated thing. It was very simple. People that have been resurrected by Jesus Gather in his name to glorify Jesus. Now that flushes out in a thousand different ways, but it's not complicated it. It's come across to me as being very simple doesn't mean easy, but it's simple and we're finishing up this little mini series on that on the church in Acts. What it means to gather? You been an ax 1 through 4? And what we see in all of the book of Acts is that it is primarily a descriptive book. There's not a lot of pre-scripted command in Acts, but when we see the church described in Acts and we imagine our own Gathering our own church. We we very simply go
Why does my church seem so different? Why don't I see these things happening in in my church? Why don't we see these things happening in our church. So it it prompts a lot of questions, and and that's not a bad thing. That's not a bad thing. We talked about a lot of the reasons in the simple reasons that that Why We Gather we first gather so we can wait patiently, which is super exciting night would gather took two to wait Faithfully. We also gather to be empowered like the Holy Spirit coming upon the Church of Pentecost of the birth of the Church of Jesus Christ when power descended flow to on and through the Church of Jesus Christ, so we gather to be empowered last week and talked about Gathering to scatter. the week We Gather to to to be encouraged lift it up and powered and then we scatter we We Believe We scattered to then gather the scattered together until Jesus returns and we're all gathered around him and this week. I want us to talk about what we do. Why do we gather? We also gather to give K We Gather to give We give the gospel to the world. We give the glory to Jesus and by Jesus and for Jesus and through Jesus, we give to each other everything. So let's talk about the first one to talk about giving the gospel to the world. And where in Acts chapter 4. I'm going to read verses 1 through 12. We Gather to give the gospel to the world
This is Peter and John before the council. We we we read some of this last week. As they were speaking to the people the priest and the captain of the temple and the Sadducees Came Upon them greatly annoyed, which I just think it's just a beautiful thought. I just I love the idea of people being annoyed by The Church of Jesus Christ because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead and they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day for it was already evening, but many of those who had heard the word believed and the number of men came to about 5,000 on the next day the rulers and elders and scribes gathered together in Jerusalem with anise the high priest and Caiaphas and John Alexander and all who were of the high Priestly family and what they mean when they had set them in the Mets. They inquired by what power or by what name did you do this? Then Peter filled with the Holy Spirit said to them rulers of the people and Elders if we're being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled Man by what means this man has been healed. Let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus of Nazareth whom you crucified God raised from the dead by him. This man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you the builders, which has become the Cornerstone and there is salvation in no other name and no one else for there is no other name under Heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
so this is Peter and John this is the church sharing giving the gospel with the world. And how are they doing that? Well, first of all, let's remember that Pentecost tells us everything without the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in us through US those are just badly words. So everything is by the peace and power flow of the Holy Spirit, but they're also Very simply speaking the truth Faithfully That's How The Church proclaims the gospel to the world first. We must speak it Faithfully speak the truth Faithfully Romans 1:14 through 17. We read this. I am under obligation both to Greeks and The Barbarians both to the wise and the foolish. So I'm eager to preach the gospel to you. Also who are in Rome for I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes to the Jew first and also to the Greek For in it, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for face. As it is written the righteous shall live by faith. I loved the turn of phrase. They're the truth that it's saying the righteousness of God revealed from faith for Faith. So we Proclaim this gospel Faithfully, we Proclaim this truth Faithfully because we are people of face because we heard the gospel and Faith was born in us. So we now take the face that was Bertha in Us by the power of the Gospel Holy Spirit.
And we Proclaim it faithfully and we see Faith come alive. In other people Romans 10 tells us faith comes by hearing. You need to hear it. Don't just live it. Don't lie to yourself and think that's enough now, we're always living and we're always speaking it. There's a gentleman at the gym where I worked for a short while running the front desk and his name is Stan and I remembered his name being stained. I'm bad with names but I remembered him cuz I remembered and I called him in my head stand the bitter old man because he was old and he was bitter. That's how I it's why I named that.
Chad Spain was profoundly sad and heartbroken family had abandoned him and I always felt press to share the gospel with him and I always told my heart shush. I'm living it. I was just kind right. I was helpful. He bought this little MP3 player one day from from across the the mall they brought it over, and he said I was thinking if I filled This MP3 player with the songs that my children remember me playing when they were kids. Maybe I sent it to him. Maybe they listen to it and they remember the good times and they would call me. Yes, but I don't know how to put the music on it. And I said well sir, I do. And I took it home and bought a bunch of music and put it on there and right back to him and I gave it to him and he was very appreciative.
end of story
I did not tell him why. I was satisfied with my living the gospel. inseam for a few weeks I asked some of the other older folks that came in god-awful hour at 4:45 in the morning.
And I said have you guys seen stand and they said stand stand. I don't remember stand on mic. It's kind of cranky. Dinner is all yes Stan he's dead. He died in a car accident on 19 and a head-on collision.
now I trust in a sovereign God. Where Stan is right now? I don't know but this is what I do now my reluctance to share the gospel with this man. God is Not hampered by my faithlessness. He's not hurt by it. What I did was I passed up an opportunity to be used of God is standing with Jesus right? Now. This is what I'm frightened. I'm not frightened that stands in hell. I'm frightened that he's in heaven and I had nothing to do with it. That's what convinced me. We preach it with our mouths with our words, right? We've all of our little kids when they're little but use your words use your words. We preach the gospel Faithfully with our words. Paul says in 1st Corinthians 9 16 to 17 for if I preach the gospel that gives me no ground for boasting for necessity is laid upon me load to me. If I do not preach the gospel Prophet Jeremiah said it's like fire trapped up in his bones. amen We must preach the gospel.
I pray you feel that that we must preach it. You must share it we must speak the truth Faithfully without deceit without exception and without concern for ourselves. And this is what we do. A lot of times we are strategically. Think we're doing the Holy Spirit of favor by changing the play a little bit by gun. This is a little off at a little bit Holy Spirit you get much better results. Believe me. Just wait right or concern for ourselves. Well, or I mean you just don't know what was going to happen to me. If I if I cuz if I so what you need to do, just give me a moment here. Let me let me fill up this MP3 player first with songs, and then maybe I can
I or maybe it's a little bit more nefarious in that. Maybe maybe it's like I want to see Holy Spirit, you know, I you got to know your audience.
All right. Mike is a mean. I'm in luck Peter and John there before authorities that reject Jesus whole cloth. Jesus Is Dead to them literally they think that he's dead to them and the Sadducees even more attention that there in front of Sajid sees the Sadducees don't believe in eternal life at all. To Not only was Jesus a blasphemer, but but he was just abused just a stinking liar telling people on Andrews telling people they're going to live forever. Nobody lives forever. That's what the Sadducees believe in. That's how I remember it. They don't believe in eternal life. So they're sad you see
I wish I'd thought that out but that's how I remembered it. That's it every second season Pharisees. So you're you thinking? Okay. Look look Holy Spirit. This is not the time or the place these people they have power to throw us in prison. They have power to execute us. So if I speak the name here, well then, you know Who knows what might happen?
So let's give it a little time. Heavy weight for a better moment. Back in action for starting in 13 now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John they perceived they were uneducated common men. They were astonished having such boldness come from such common stock right uneducated. They don't have any degrees. They were astonished and they recognized that they had been with Jesus but seeing the man who was healed standing beside them. They had nothing to say. in opposition Do we have a moment yet? This is interesting to me. The most powerful argument made in the world today is yeah, but but this is how I feel. right So in a way, haha, we have the ultimate argument. You know that you have been resurrected by Jesus. So don't let anyone tell you that you're not you can say look. I know that I have been he'll just like that paralyzed man, you know, you're weird the man and we're standing on legs that used to not work. Right? We're looking through eyes that used to be blind where we're here into ears that used to be deaf. And we say look, this is this is what I know. I know I used to be dead and now I'm alive tell me I'm a liar. And weirdly our culture has given us this gift.
That's what we can do. We can stand in front of people and say I know what he has done in me. But they had nothing to say in opposition back in verse 14, but when they had commanded them to leave the council they conferred with one another saying what shall we do with these men for 4 that a notable sign has been performed through them is evident to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it. I look so don't even know that they can't deny what's happening. Okay, so they have a choice to make they can Bowser knee. They can repent means they will repent means to change your mind. They can change their mind about Jesus and they can choose to serve him or they can go with a nefarious strategy route, but in order back in 17, but in order that it may spread no further among the people. Let us warn them to speak no more to anyone in this name. So they called them and charge them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus Sookie. We're going to hit that in a second, but Peter and John answered them whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God. You must judge for we cannot speak of what we have but we for we cannot but speak. can't not Speak of what we have seen and heard and when they had further threatened them, they let them go finding no way to punish them because of the people for all were praising God for what had happened all there just politicians. They're not men of conviction their men of politics and Power. For the man on whom this sign of healing was performed was more than 40 years old. Dammit do was old?
We Faithfully we Faithfully. Without fear that ourselves without concern for the circumstances or setting we Faithfully share the gospel with the world the good news of Jesus because we also we we don't just give the world the gospel. We give Jesus to Glory.
We do that by trusting in his sovereignty and the power of the holy spirit in the midst of the struggle. Here's that Hears A different example that just speaks beautiful to me from 2nd Samuel chapter 10 verses 9 through 12 when joab saw that the battle was set against him both in front. And in the rear he chose some of the best men of Israel and a raid them against the syrians the rest of his men who put in the charge of abishai his brother and he arrayed them against the ammonites and he said if the syrians are too strong for me, then you should help me but if the ammonites are too strong for you, then I will come and help you be of good courage and let us be courageous for our people and for the cities of our God and may the Lord do what seems good to him. Look at what they did. They threw themselves in the battle and said let God decide what he's going to do Lord. Have your will. Show us we stand in front of whatever unfriendly audience. We trust in the sovereignty of God whether this puts me in prison or not with this puts me to death or not. Whether this cost me my my raise my promotion within this cost me my job or not. I'm going to just let God do what seems good to him. Just have your way. That's how we give God glory. That's how we give Jesus the glory.
Close friend of myself my family known him for years that God has got his work through him to provide for my family more than just money and employment from time to time. He is a faithful faithful man prayer and he found out he has cancer. Has two masses in his lungs and in the in the words of the doctor his lymph nodes lit up like a Christmas tree during the Pet Scan. We've heard the story. Haven't we heard this story? You don't know his name, but you've heard the story. While my boys are getting haircuts the other day. I'm talking to Joey and he says put look.
If God heals me Jesus gets the glory. If I die Jesus gets the glory.
Let God do what he's going to do.
It goes, I want to see my boys grow up. I want to see my girls grow up and get married. That's what I like.
Jesus is going to do what's right to my faith and my trust is in him. He's giving Jesus the glory.
We give Jesus Glory by humbly remembering that it's Christ's work and the current work of the holy spirit that we represent and serve as a conduit. Palacios peaks in 2nd Timothy 1 1 through 14 to this is Paul. He's discipling Timothy this young up-and-comer for whippersnapper. Timothy being made an elder and put in charge of stuff to Paul's encouraging him instructing him sharing with him. Paul says, I'm reminded of your sincere Faith by faith that drop first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now I'm sure dwells in you as well for this reason. I remind you to Fan into Flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control therefore who do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord north of me his prisoner but share in suffering. for the gospel by the power of God who saved us and called us to a holy calling not because of our works but because of his own purpose and Grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began and which now has been manifested through the appearing of Our Savior Jesus Christ who abolished death and brought life anymore tality to light through the gospel for which I was appointed a preacher in Apostle and teacher which is why I suffer as I do when I'm not ashamed for I know whom I have believed and I'm convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of sound words that you have heard from me in the face and love. That are in Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit who dwells within us guard the good deposit entrusted to you. We are just conduits of the Holy Spirit. We are just conduits of The Sovereign will of God. So years ago with was Stan. I was just a blocked up stubborn conduit I didn't want to be used he was he was he he made me feel unsettled. He made me feel uncomfortable.
So I place my comfort above the glory of Jesus.
and above stand I was lured.
Got to give Jesus The Glory by just being used of him. So we don't get puffed up. We don't get really proud We have done nothing. God does everything. All we're doing is just bowing. That's right. And an even that surrender in that Faith the surrender comes from him actually God. We had nothing to bring to the table. It's a liberating awesome, but it is for me, right? Anybody feel like a failure anybody feel inadequate? Write anybody feel like I'm prepared for the task if you're a few degrees shy. Cute few cards short of a deck few sharp knives short of a drawer. I don't know. Just stopped while I was ahead. I'm just just trying to prove my point.
Give the world the gospel whether they like it or not, whether it annoys them or not. We know it brings life. Don't have to apologize. We give Jesus the glory. And by Jesus for Jesus and through Jesus we give each other everything.
You & I we give each other everything by Jesus for Jesus through Jesus we give each other everything what does that mean acts 4 starting in 23 When they were released they went to find their friends and reported what the chief priests in the elders it said to them and when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said Sovereign Lord who made the Heaven and the Earth in the sea and everything in them who through the mouth of Our Father David your servant said by the Holy Spirit, why did the Gentiles rage the people plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves in the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his anointed for truly in this city. There were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus whom you anoint both Herod and Pontius Pilate along with the Gentiles and the people of Israel to do whatever your hand and your plan had three destined to take place. So here's here's what it means. Here's what everything means. We give each other the gospel. I already said that what we do is give the world of gospel. Guess what we give each other the gospel. We share the gospel to each other. The grace of Jesus the grace upon Grace of Jesus we get it to one another the church makes too terrible mistakes with the gospel one. We don't preach the gospel to those who are lost number to we stop preaching the gospel to those who are found.
That I need to know the gospel. So me to remind you of it, so I'm going to remind you of the Gospel Mara. I'm supposed to live my life as a reminder of the Gospel Tom. It's the gospel.
That's why you weren't buried on the other side of the Earth by the grace of God, you live and move and have your being. It wasn't your work.
Mark wasn't your work Tom Chad is not your work. It's Chrysler. And I don't know why but he chose you he chose you chose me.
3 inch Rossi it was Jesus's hands that were the creating hands back in the garden, you know, when when it when he can go to the dust of the ground and informed it and shaped it and then breathed into it in and then it became a living man wouldn't be but that's all that's what price did for the power of the Holy Spirit. He picked up you you are a lump of Play You're a Jerk you were just and he breathed into you. That's Grace when we stopped teaching each other when he's not proclaiming to each other when we stop preaching to each other you are here by grace and grace alone. You know that does it it takes down every wall and takes on every barrier everything that would divide you for me. It's gone when we're both standing and moving and breathing by the grace of God. It eliminates my fancy works in your fancy Works, cuz they're all Jesus's works.
I'm being used of him as a preacher, praise God. In the Senate right now you're being used him as a worshipper. We got people live in the use of Hindman and slapping some Lumber together to make to make a nativity scene. We will people you know. What are the knobs and stuff for the magic wires that makes these things happen? We're Shepherds looking over this flock.
with open eyes looking for wolves
by the grace of God, they're serving their being used Grace upon Grace upon Grace upon Grace. We give each other the gospel. The gospel is not just a part of the message at the end of the message. That declares that one part of the messages how to get to heaven. The Sovereign might love Grace and Justice of God is the good news is the gospel and it's the language we are to speak. To everyone especially to each other.
Look, we're not like a like a bilingual household. That speaks gospel out there, but when we're here, we just, you know, just relax and speak their native language. Hi, this is not who we are. We have one language. the gospel and we speak it to one another first while we're gathered so that when we scatter we know it and we have it to share.
A little twist on a familiar saying if you don't have anything gospel to say don't say anything at all.
2nd Timothy 4 1 through 5. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus who is to judge the living and the dead and by his appearing and his kingdom preach the word be ready in season and out of season reprove rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching but having itching ears it will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and water off in a miss. As for you always be sober-minded and do our suffering do the work of an evangelist fulfill your ministry. We give each other boldness and Grace. Acts 4:29 233 and now Lord look upon their threats and Grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness while you stretch out your hand to heal and signs and wonders to perform through the name of your holy servant Jesus and when they had prayed the place in which they were gathered together was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continue to speak the word of God with boldness. Now the phone number of those who believed were of one heart and soul and no one said that any of the things that belong to him was his own but they had everything in common and with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of Lord Jesus and great grace was upon them all.
We give each other boldness and Grace is certainly a part of everything. You have. No idea how much the a men's fuel me. In our lives with our words. Are we a meeting one another? Amen? Yes, let it be May It Be
Give each other our treasure.
catch that
no one said that any of the things that belong to him was his own but they had everything in common.
We give each other. treasure
There was not a needy person among them verse 34 of Acts forces there was not a needy person among them for as many as were owners of land or houses that sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to each as any head need. That's Joseph who is also called by the apostles Barnabas which means son of encouragement a levite a native of Cyprus sold a field that belong to him and brought the money laid it at the apostles feet. Now again axis is descriptive not prescriptive. There is not a law that says Thou shalt sell your lands and cash in your retirement and we certainly have the freedom to do that though, don't we? In remission in a second. We are free to do that. You know why? Because we have no fear. And in this is not this this is this is treasure, but I'm going to lay at the feet of Jesus. Hi, this is shining in the world says it has value and I'm just going to lay at the feet of Jesus because Jesus is the one that has real value, and I know that. I heard of a of a church and I heard the pastor speaking at a conference in great Revival was happening in his church, and he was leading his elders and there was one particular night where they just stay prayed for hours and they wept
and and they laid car keys have extra vehicles in the middle of the table that they cashed in their retirement. They cashed in life insurance. And you know why they said I don't need to fear when I'm gone. You will take care of my family not this account not this money, but you will and you will and you will. Here's the words of Jesus Matthew 6 19 through 24. Do not lay up for yourselves Treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys or where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there. Your heart will be also the eye is the lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of Darkness. If then light in you is Darkness How great is the darkness? No, one can serve two masters for either. He will hate the one and love the other or he'll be devoted to one and despise the other you cannot serve God and money. And here's the part that really is weird to me. It sticks out of me is odd. It's almost like Jesus had a little bit of the add like I tend to have and he just lost his track there for a moment Straight Talk About Eyes for some reason he was talking about money and these are lies. Oh, wait, what was it talk about William Munny, you can't serve both God and money. That's what it looks like to me. But then as I actually read it and submitted myself to the truth of what it's sharing.
Here's what I heard yours what I saw. What Glitters in your eyes gets a room in your heart?
What Glitters in your eyes gets room in your heart? So is that money is that position is that security is that Fame whatever can be true for a person to be true for the church. So what glitter is in the eye of Live Oaks Bible Church?
Right that tells us where our Treasurer really is tells us where a heart really is. Who do we really treasure? Who do we really value? Our own individual lies our own individual things. Or Christ and if Christ then we also love Christ Church.
So we share the gospel with the world. We give the glory to God and we give everything to one another. Let's pray.
Panasonic giving that we need to do.
Not law. 9mm Law, you didn't make me to make it a law. It's not a rule that we have to follow. It's the life that we follow. And we're following you Jesus for following your life your death and your Resurrection. You lived simply you gave your father all the glory and light and healing and provision follows you wherever you went and and you died. in service of of us
But you were resurrected if we would just follow you. It's not a law. We're just following you. Who proclaim the gospel to the world? Give you the glory. Give each other everything. We love you, Lord, Jesus. We thank you. Thank you. Thank you and your name we pray. Amen. Now we have an opportunity to go and be God's people will share the gospel with the world Amen.