You Can Only Give What You Have

What Kind of Friend Are You?

Sermon #1 of Series

Credit Pastor Sam Rodriguez

Talk about what we see in society today. Does the government respond with what people need, what they want, or what they think they need. Expound.

Have illustration volunteers come out and act out the Scripture as I read it.

Acts 3:1 NIV

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.

Are You Giving God Your Time?

Just a thought: Peter and John WERE THE CHURCH on their way to “church meetings.” It is 3 in the afternoon and they are going to church. Tradition would say they have already been twice that day. They realized that going to church was very important.

Acts 3:2–10 NIV

Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

BE THE CHURCH!

Get them what they need, not just what they want

Don’t Just Look at the beautiful, live in the beautiful.

Don't even try to act like you haven't been “lame.” (expound)

I am thankful for the people in my life that did not leave me at the gate beautiful. It is great to have friends, but it is a blessing to have those friends. Friends who will tell you what you need to hear when the time is right. Friends who will just sit and say nothing. Most of us cannot relate to laying at the doors of the church begging, but I believe most of us have had to rely on others to “carry” us at some time or another. Have you never had to be carried by someone? Come on….. Expound

We don’t want to admit we can relate. We often think, I am the friend helping others to get what they want(instead of what they need), or that we are Peter and John possibly giving what they need. How much easier is it to be them when you realize that you have been “cripple and dependent” before. Expound.

Due to his condition, they were not allowed to carry him in the temple. In fact, he was not allowed to enter due to his present circumstances. He lived seeing others step into the beautiful, only to be left sitting outside watching.

His Condition Determined His Position. Does Yours?

Jesus died to grant all of us entrance into the beautiful. Everyone has access to the Presence of God. Don’t let anyone tell you any different. We ALL HAVE ACCESS. YOU HAVE ACCESS. PRAISE HIM

It is no longer my or your condition that determines my position. It is His Mercy, His Grace, His Forgiveness, His Love,.

“I am where I am because of the Great I Am. “ - Pastor Samuel Rodriguez

When you are born again, God’s Presence lives inside of you so you can live in God’s Presence. When you are born again you don’t hang out outside the gate, you dwell in His presence.

When you are born again, you don’t just look at the temple, you are the Temple

1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV

Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

Psalm 84:10 NIV

Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.

Sitting around looking at something beautiful but never ever stepping in. You are like the guy who wants to ask the beautiful girl out in high school , college, or work. You see her, you see her beauty, and you sit. You never ask her out, only to find out at your 10 year reunion that she was mad, crushing on you the whole time. But there you sat, just like you do today.

Some of you are like this lame man. Some of you are denying that you have, but you have been there. You may find yourself crippled by your condition or your surroundings (expound). You may be handicapped by what you were born with and crippled by what is around you, but get ready. GET READY, GET READY, GET READY.

Your time of looking in and only seeing the outer court can end today! Are you ready to step into beautiful things? You are about to go from the outside looking in to living in. You are about to go from broken to beautiful. Don’t just look at the beautiful, live in the beautiful.

Thank God for those who carried me when I needed them to. Prayers, physically, emotionally, spiritually, and a number of other ways.

Don’t Just Focus on Your Wants, but Focus On Your Needs.

How many of us do this? What percentage of time do you think about your “true” needs versus what is really a want that we justify as a need.

Expound

This is a story of 4 sets of people and 1 man. (2 groups are on stage right now.). There is a group of people who will help us get what we want, and a group of people who will help facilitate us getting what we need. He wanted a temporary fix but needed a permanent solution. A choice between make me comfortable or change me. (Do you think that there are some churches who deal with this) Expound on how we all want to be comfortable, and most of us want change without being uncomfortable.

YOU ARE WHO SURROUNDS YOU and WHO ARE YOU FOCUSED ON

Absent Friends

per Dictionary.com absent means: adjective

not in a certain place at a given time; away, missing (opposed to present): absent from class.

lacking; nonexistent: Revenge is absent from his mind. not attentive; preoccupied; absent-minded: an absent look on his face.

We all have absent friends: friends that don’t think of us until we are absolutely in front of them. Then they are slightly attentive to our needs. These are the friends that are walking by and giving ”alms”. They make themselves feel and look good by giving something, and continuing on life’s way. They have an investment, but not a personal one.

Side note: Why do we spend more time worrying about absent friends more than the others. If you worry about who is not liking or commenting on your social media posts, then you have a problem with an absent friend mentality. It is a poverty mentality.

Friends are not true friends if they are offended easily. We worry more about offending OTHERS more than offending GOD! What offends God?

Regular Friends

(point to them). A well meaning, a group of friends who truly care about you. They care about you so much that they don’t want to OFFEND you in today’s society. They are the group that will help you get what you want, and not go out on a limb and help you get what you need. We depend upon them to help “carry us” to a place that we think we need. Hear me, that does not mean this group has ill intentions. They are giving you what they have. They think they are helping you. They are being a “good friend.” They have compassion for you.

This is not a bad group of friends to have or to be. But there comes a time when we must step up. We must be different. But you can only give what you have, and this group lacks the true thing that will CHANGE others lives. “Compassion without conviction can lead to control. When conviction is delivered with compassion that can lead to change “ - Pastor Sam Rodriguez

Real Friends

Surround yourself with people that help you address your needs and not your wants. Surround yourself with people who will tell you what God has to say, not just what you want to hear. Surround yourself with people who will ignite your faith, not just validate your feelings. Surround yourself with people who will help you create an atmosphere for your anointing to thrive, and not just for you to survive. Surround yourself with people that love you enough to tell you to stop begging and start believing. God has a greater purpose for you!

Look at your neighbor, and say “I need a REAL Friend.” Look to the other person…..

You have been carried for too long. You have been dependent for too long. You have been carried to the beautiful so long you think you will never get in. The friends who carried you let you down at the last minute as they went ahead and entered. You surround yourself with people who will sympathize with and comfort you, but never help you get over or get through. They will help you survive, but never thrive.

Today I am declaring that we WILL BE a church of Peter and John’s. That we will not be happy just to see our ”neighbors” (who is our neighbor, read the Bible and find out) survive, but thrive in all that God has for them. We will want to be the group that wants to see lame beggars become leaping worshippers.

We Can Only Give What We Have. If you are not a carrier of the Holy Spirit and believe that God is who he says he is, and can do what He says he can do, then do you really have anything to offer.

You can only give what we have. If you have the anointing, the presence of God, you can give them what they NEED! Christians we need to have the faith to look at others and say “look at me” and CHARACTER BE OUR CURRENCY!

Note who said this here. Go into telling how Peter said it and not John. Go into the difference. How John was the Beloved, and Peter had done all he did. Simulate how Peter probably did this.

The real church needs to stand up and look at me (in a Peter context). Look at what I was, where I have been, what I have done. The people who are afraid to stand up and say look at me are the people who are afraid to show either where they have been, where they are, or both. When you are washed in the blood of Jesus we should have no fear to say “look at me.”

Quote the Scripture where he says get up and walk. “In the name of Jesus Christ” There is one name that shifts the atmosphere. (EXPOUND)

John 14:12–14 NIV

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

There is still power in the name of Jesus.

And don't just pray on it, act on it. Peter reached out and took his hand

When he got his miracle, he went to the place he had always wanted to others go into. He did not do it so you could make a tic tok, or an IG story, he does your miracle so that you will be able to step into everything that He has ordained you to step into and was never able to before.

Dont just look at the beautiful, live in the beautiful, leap in the beautiful

Surround yourself with people who just dont give you what you want, but what you need.

Dont just pray on it act on it.

But there is a 4th group, found in

Acts 3:9–11 NIV

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.

The group that was in the temple who ran out to Solomon’s porch. They had seen him before but never like this. This group is your family, friends, your “churchy” and probably some haters who are going “How did you get here” They are the “Surprised” group.

Why did he hold onto Peter. Why? He wanted to be around people who had the faith to give him what he needed rather than what he wanted. My friends, that should be New Beginnings today. We should be there for each other, especially when they are using what is new to them. We should be there for them to hold on tightly for a season.