Let's get to the heart of the matter (1)

Mathew Carlsson

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

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Intro and tension

ever met someone and wondered “What’s your motive here” | Girls C’mon | sussing someone out |

I would argue, not only our response to the word of God matters, but the WHY behind our response - Your Motive - Motives Matter to God | Humans See Actions | God sees your Heart

Ezekiel 36:26–29 ESV

And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God. And I will deliver you from all your uncleannesses. And I will summon the grain and make it abundant and lay no famine upon you.

Strong Words | prophesy of the promise of what God is about to do

Challenging Messages | Let’s lean into what God is trying to say;

Today: Let’s get to the heart of the matter

Hope: You will understand that all God looks at is your heart - If you’re not getting much recognition from the world, comforting, if you are getting it for the wrong reasons, convicting, either way, I encourage you to lean into change.

**Prayer**

illustration: We try and avoid what leads us to death - try and avoid | We wear a Seatbelt |

God here, through His word | Gives a direct picture of what leads to life etc | and what leads to Death.

Barnabas just sold Property and gave it to the apostles | in Direct Contrast a man named ananias, and his Wife Sapphira sold Property, but kept back some of their proceeds - it says;

Acts 5:1–2 ESV

But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Part of it: “Nospizo” = Means to put aside for oneself | Retirement Fund |

Acts 5:3–6 ESV

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

Peter saying: Didn’t have to give it | Could of kept it | However chose to elevate self | Holy Spirit in Peter

what do we do

Galatians 5:16 ESV

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

Romans 8:5 ESV

For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit.

we will choose to walk by the spirit. starve the flesh. Ask yourself, is this flesh?

The Flesh’s motive is always to elevate oneself.

The Spirits Motive is always to elevate God.

The Flesh is looking for Earthly reward

The Spirit is looking at Eternal reward

So then what happens: Peter gives Saphira a chance, confronts her, she lies, she dies as well,

God’s word is clearly trying to tell us sometihng = Coming together, and being the Church leads to LIFE, but holding back, lying, jealousy, Pride, clearly leads to DEATH.

Let’s choose life. What was Annanias and Saphira’s problem?

They wanted acclaim without Sacrafice and Comfort with Commitment.

Listen;

You can’t have acclaim among God without Sacrafice and you can’t have eternal comfort without commitment

Wanted the glory, didn’t want to sacrafice | Early church worked at it | were together | gave up stuff for hteir brother and sister | NOt for hte result, but ironically they got the result

Annanias and saphira wanted Comfort, have miracles, without any commitment.

Then God chose one | Man was Beating wheat in a winepress, hiding | Angel came and said;

Judges 6:12 ESV

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”

Of course it’s gideon and he said what?

Judges 6:13–16 ESV

And Gideon said to him, “Please, my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our fathers recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and given us into the hand of Midian.” And the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” And he said to him, “Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.”

Explain text as reading it | Don’t Miss - But I will be with you

Surely enough | God has promised like early church, a promise of life | but no | Gideon chose to test God | First, he asks the angel to stay there while he goes and prepares a test | Prepares a test a meal of Goat, flour etc and the angel lit it on fire | Gideon then brought down an altar of Baal | Enemies didn’t like this, they formed up together and camped in the valley of Jezreel - but Gideon had as ecret weapon;

Judges 6:34 ESV

But the Spirit of the Lord clothed Gideon, and he sounded the trumpet, and the Abiezrites were called out to follow him.

Then of Course Gideon is ready for battle! No | Tests God again, fleece out if you wet itI will believe, God did, and Gideon Test God again |

isn,t this us?

Then With all his soldiers Gideon was ready to go into Battle | Heh ad 32,000 - God said to Gideon to tell him, who ever is fearful can leave, 22,000 left. Then God said “Still too many”

And God said Judges 7:5

Judges 7:5 ESV

So he brought the people down to the water. And the Lord said to Gideon, “Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink.”

300 was left - God asked for Gideons Commitment again. They went to the enemies camp, with trumpets and jars with flame under them - at 10:00pm, the perfect time | God’s perfect timing | Change of shift, people just waking up, a bit of unrest |

Judges 7:22 ESV

When they blew the 300 trumpets, the Lord set every man’s sword against his comrade and against all the army. And the army fled as far as Beth-shittah toward Zererah, as far as the border of Abel-meholah, by Tabbath.

Absolute Chaos, not knowing who is friend or foe, Gideons army would of looked huge, they where in their camp |

What may look like a big opponent to us, is nothing to God.

Gideon was worried at every point, but all God was askign for was His Commitment. Commit, commit commit. Gideon tried testing him, running away from the calling and in the end, it was the LORD who fought the battle, and it was the LORD who won.

INSPO AND CLOSE

What do we do?

We choose Commitment over Comfort and we choose eternal reward over worldy gratification

You can’t have acclaim among God without Sacrafice and you can’t have eternal comfort without commitment

This story wiht Annanias and Saphira | Heart and motive but deeper issue | Believers here doing miracles and leads to life| followed straight away by a warning, that leads to DEATH.

Do you want LIFE, or do you want DEATH?

Are you like Gideon, hiding away, just playing it safe, or are you clinging onto Comfort.

Are you giving to recieve from Flesh from People, or are you giving because you are looking to receieve your reward in Heaven.

God says a man reaps what he Sows - The one who sews to please his sinful nature (comfort and things of this world), from that heart will reap destruction and spiral downward - Might look alright on the outside, on the inside where God sees it will not.

The one who reaps the SPIRIT and what the SPIRIT wants will REAP ETERNAL LIFE.

We want a Church Body that Leads to LIFE.

Annanais and Saphira made an error - It’s not that they held back what they had | It’s that they lied about it, and more, they tried to get hte life of the SPIRIT, FREEDOM, JOY, PEACE, while operating out of the FLESH - It doesn’t work.

They wanted the acclaim without the sacrafice and the comfort without the commitment.

Gideon, A pretty humble man, hiding from the fight, hiding from his calling, testing the lord, and all the Lord was looking for was His Commitment, not anything else, and ultimately, it lead to His comfort.

Let’s choose commitment, and let’s chase LIFE that God is trying to show us in Acts Here | As a church body let’s choose LIFE.

Head these words from Ezekiel

Ezekiel 36:26–29 ESV

You can defeat every enemy through Him who is IN YOU - and Him, the Holy Spirit who is in YOU, is greater than HE who is in THE WORLD.

What is a MASSIVE battle to you is a TINY battle to God.

**Prayer**

**Altar Call**

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