Why God Asks for Sacrifice

1 Kings 17: 7-16

Welcome to today’s sermon with Pastor Colin, where we delve into the essence of true leadership within the context of our faith. Today’s message focuses on the biblical principle that effective leadership often involves guiding others to make significant sacrifices with the promise of experiencing even greater joy. Pastor Colin illustrates this through the compelling narrative of Elijah, who, even as he confronted scarcity at the brook of Cherith, trusted in God’s provision and obeyed His commands. This story becomes a poignant reminder that as leaders, sometimes the brooks we rely on will run dry, challenging us to trust God’s continual provision through changing circumstances.

The sermon further explores the dynamics of God’s provision as Elijah is instructed to relocate to Zarephath, where he encounters a widow facing her own dire situation. Despite her limited resources, Elijah requests her to make a bold sacrifice. Here, we confront the truth that our reliance should be on God, the provider, rather than the resource itself. Pastor Colin encourages us to trust in God’s multifaceted ways of provision, especially when our expected channels seem to be diminishing. The message serves as a powerful call to faith and obedience, to seek not the means but the God who provides, and to embrace His new blessings without clinging to the past. Indeed, the sermon serves as an invigorating challenge to lead well by modelling sacrifice with the hope of greater joy, supremely exemplified by Jesus Christ. Amen.

1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:03,360 Our series is about leadership and today our title is 2 00:00:03,360 –> 00:00:06,740 that leaders ask for great sacrifice 3 00:00:06,740 –> 00:00:09,140 for the sake of greater joy. 4 00:00:09,140 –> 00:00:11,800 Leaders ask for great sacrifice, 5 00:00:11,800 –> 00:00:15,780 and they do it for the sake of greater joy. 6 00:00:15,780 –> 00:00:17,379 That was true of Elijah 7 00:00:17,379 –> 00:00:19,680 as we will see in the story today. 8 00:00:19,680 –> 00:00:22,580 It should be true of every leader. 9 00:00:22,580 –> 00:00:25,320 Every leader should ask for great sacrifice 10 00:00:25,320 –> 00:00:27,940 for the sake of greater joy. 11 00:00:27,940 –> 00:00:29,299 And if you look through history, 12 00:00:29,420 –> 00:00:31,180 you will find that that is the pattern 13 00:00:31,180 –> 00:00:33,639 of great and strong leadership, 14 00:00:33,639 –> 00:00:37,380 it is of course supremely true of Jesus Christ 15 00:00:37,380 –> 00:00:39,720 that more than any other, 16 00:00:39,720 –> 00:00:42,820 he asks for great sacrifice 17 00:00:42,820 –> 00:00:46,959 for the sake of greater joy. 18 00:00:47,799 –> 00:00:48,959 Now we pick up the story 19 00:00:48,959 –> 00:00:50,900 where Elijah is at Cherith, 20 00:00:50,900 –> 00:00:53,400 a remote place where God hides him 21 00:00:53,400 –> 00:00:55,439 and feeds him and leads him. 22 00:00:55,439 –> 00:00:58,020 We ended last time in verse six 23 00:00:58,080 –> 00:01:03,080 where we read that Elijah drank from the brook. 24 00:01:03,419 –> 00:01:05,160 Now what a marvelous picture that is 25 00:01:05,160 –> 00:01:06,860 if we pause there just for a moment. 26 00:01:06,860 –> 00:01:08,300 Here is this man of God 27 00:01:08,300 –> 00:01:11,019 and he trusts God and he obeys God 28 00:01:11,019 –> 00:01:13,900 and God is providing for him. 29 00:01:13,900 –> 00:01:17,300 There’s a brook and we’re told 30 00:01:17,300 –> 00:01:20,339 that Elijah drank from it. 31 00:01:20,339 –> 00:01:24,300 And when he did, he must have said thank you, Lord 32 00:01:24,300 –> 00:01:26,739 here we are in a dry time 33 00:01:27,180 –> 00:01:29,739 and you are providing for me through a brook 34 00:01:29,739 –> 00:01:33,059 and you provide for me every day. 35 00:01:34,779 –> 00:01:36,220 But now look at verse seven. 36 00:01:37,300 –> 00:01:42,000 After a while, the brook dried up 37 00:01:42,000 –> 00:01:45,699 because there was no rain in the land. 38 00:01:46,699 –> 00:01:50,419 So God had used this brook to sustain Elijah 39 00:01:50,419 –> 00:01:53,019 and now the very means that God had used 40 00:01:53,139 –> 00:01:58,019 to provide for his servant begins to dry up. 41 00:01:58,019 –> 00:02:01,820 And straight away many of us will resonate 42 00:02:01,820 –> 00:02:04,860 with the position Elijah is in here. 43 00:02:04,860 –> 00:02:09,539 God has provided for you a stream of income. 44 00:02:09,539 –> 00:02:11,479 God has provided that stream 45 00:02:11,479 –> 00:02:14,740 through a certain form of work. 46 00:02:15,699 –> 00:02:18,220 But now things are changing. 47 00:02:18,220 –> 00:02:19,580 The work you have done, 48 00:02:19,580 –> 00:02:22,020 the business that you have pursued 49 00:02:22,020 –> 00:02:24,619 that has been your brook, it’s drying up. 50 00:02:24,619 –> 00:02:27,660 What was working before is not working for you now 51 00:02:27,660 –> 00:02:28,619 in the same way. 52 00:02:28,619 –> 00:02:30,940 And it becomes obvious that in some way 53 00:02:30,940 –> 00:02:33,300 you have to move on. 54 00:02:34,500 –> 00:02:36,380 Others of you are not there yet, 55 00:02:36,380 –> 00:02:40,179 but you can see that there is less water, as it were, 56 00:02:40,179 –> 00:02:42,699 running in the brook than there used to be. 57 00:02:42,699 –> 00:02:44,820 You wonder what the future will hold for you. 58 00:02:44,820 –> 00:02:47,740 How long is this going to be able to sustain me? 59 00:02:47,740 –> 00:02:48,580 And you say, 60 00:02:48,580 –> 00:02:51,779 now what happens if this brook dries up all together? 61 00:02:51,779 –> 00:02:55,899 This is speaking directly into scores and scores of lives 62 00:02:55,899 –> 00:02:58,419 in our congregation today. 63 00:02:59,539 –> 00:03:02,899 Elijah must have expected this. 64 00:03:02,899 –> 00:03:04,580 Remember he had told the king, 65 00:03:04,580 –> 00:03:07,979 there will be no rain in the land. 66 00:03:08,899 –> 00:03:10,080 And if there is no rain, 67 00:03:10,080 –> 00:03:12,940 obviously, at some point, the brook will dry up. 68 00:03:12,940 –> 00:03:15,380 And the drying brook is evidence, therefore, 69 00:03:15,380 –> 00:03:18,479 that God keeps His promise. 70 00:03:18,479 –> 00:03:22,119 In this case, God is keeping His promise of judgment, 71 00:03:22,119 –> 00:03:24,279 but the God who keeps His promises of judgment 72 00:03:24,279 –> 00:03:27,199 is also the God who keeps His promises of mercy. 73 00:03:28,119 –> 00:03:33,119 And the same hand that is holding back the rain over Israel 74 00:03:33,259 –> 00:03:36,880 will very soon be pouring out a fresh provision 75 00:03:36,880 –> 00:03:39,080 for Elijah the servant of God 76 00:03:39,080 –> 00:03:43,479 through the flour and through the oil. 77 00:03:44,360 –> 00:03:46,559 Now follow the story with me in verse eight. 78 00:03:46,679 –> 00:03:49,520 When the brook dries up, God tells Elijah to move on. 79 00:03:49,520 –> 00:03:51,759 The word of the Lord came to him. 80 00:03:51,759 –> 00:03:54,399 Arise and go to Zarephath 81 00:03:54,399 –> 00:03:57,440 which belongs to Sidon and dwell there. 82 00:03:58,320 –> 00:04:02,580 Behold I have commanded a widow to feed you. 83 00:04:04,199 –> 00:04:06,800 And so what we learned here is that God has more 84 00:04:06,800 –> 00:04:09,440 than one way of supplying what you need. 85 00:04:09,440 –> 00:04:13,220 That is a wonderful truth for us to hold on to today. 86 00:04:13,220 –> 00:04:16,079 God has more than one way of supplying 87 00:04:16,640 –> 00:04:18,059 what you need. 88 00:04:18,059 –> 00:04:20,579 When one way dries up, 89 00:04:20,579 –> 00:04:23,899 God is able to provide another. 90 00:04:23,899 –> 00:04:27,260 And so what we must learn here is to trust 91 00:04:27,260 –> 00:04:29,899 the God who provides, 92 00:04:29,899 –> 00:04:34,279 not the particular means of supply. 93 00:04:34,279 –> 00:04:37,100 Because the God who provides never changes 94 00:04:37,100 –> 00:04:40,899 and he never fails, the means of supply will change 95 00:04:40,899 –> 00:04:44,359 in the course of your life. 96 00:04:44,359 –> 00:04:47,559 If you see you have a steady, stable job, 97 00:04:47,559 –> 00:04:50,440 a steady source of family income, 98 00:04:50,440 –> 00:04:51,799 and that’s been the pattern of life 99 00:04:51,799 –> 00:04:55,059 for 5, 10, 20 or more years, 100 00:04:55,059 –> 00:04:57,399 it is very easy to get the idea 101 00:04:57,399 –> 00:05:00,279 that it is the job that provides for you. 102 00:05:00,279 –> 00:05:04,000 No, the job is God’s means of supply. 103 00:05:04,000 –> 00:05:05,959 It is God who provides for you. 104 00:05:05,959 –> 00:05:08,760 He may have done this for 5, 10, 20, 25 years 105 00:05:08,760 –> 00:05:10,279 through this particular job, 106 00:05:10,279 –> 00:05:12,619 but if the job dries up he will provide for you 107 00:05:12,619 –> 00:05:13,459 in another way. 108 00:05:13,500 –> 00:05:17,119 That’s a wonderful principle to hold on to. 109 00:05:17,119 –> 00:05:19,420 And it’s not only in relation to money. 110 00:05:20,500 –> 00:05:21,420 You see you may say, 111 00:05:21,420 –> 00:05:23,480 well you know God is providing for me in my life 112 00:05:23,480 –> 00:05:24,359 in wonderful ways. 113 00:05:24,359 –> 00:05:27,559 He provides for me in my life group. 114 00:05:27,559 –> 00:05:29,160 I find such support there, 115 00:05:29,160 –> 00:05:31,000 I have made a friend here, 116 00:05:31,000 –> 00:05:32,559 and that friend mentors me 117 00:05:32,559 –> 00:05:34,679 and has been a source of growth 118 00:05:34,679 –> 00:05:35,559 in my Christian life. 119 00:05:35,559 –> 00:05:37,480 I see that God has provided for me 120 00:05:37,480 –> 00:05:38,480 through that person. 121 00:05:38,480 –> 00:05:40,359 I see God has provided for me here 122 00:05:40,359 –> 00:05:42,559 through a church in which I am being fed 123 00:05:42,660 –> 00:05:43,859 and so forth and so on. 124 00:05:43,859 –> 00:05:46,559 And you list the means by which God supplies. 125 00:05:46,559 –> 00:05:48,179 But here’s the reality, 126 00:05:48,179 –> 00:05:50,100 your life will change. 127 00:05:51,380 –> 00:05:54,619 And the means of supply will be different 128 00:05:54,619 –> 00:05:56,519 at different points in your life. 129 00:05:57,500 –> 00:05:59,500 What you need to hold on to 130 00:05:59,500 –> 00:06:01,480 is not the means of supply, 131 00:06:01,480 –> 00:06:03,420 but the God who provides. 132 00:06:03,420 –> 00:06:05,700 It’s very important. 133 00:06:05,700 –> 00:06:07,579 And it’s important for this reason 134 00:06:07,579 –> 00:06:09,700 that if you cling 135 00:06:09,820 –> 00:06:12,880 to how God has blessed you in the past, 136 00:06:12,880 –> 00:06:16,059 you may miss how he will bless you in the future. 137 00:06:17,000 –> 00:06:18,480 There’s no use, Elijah, 138 00:06:18,480 –> 00:06:20,179 getting all sentimental about Chereth, 139 00:06:20,179 –> 00:06:21,760 oh, this is such a wonderful place 140 00:06:21,760 –> 00:06:23,839 where you’ve supplied for me through the brook. 141 00:06:23,839 –> 00:06:25,380 The brook’s not running there now, 142 00:06:25,380 –> 00:06:28,019 and God says, you gotta move on. 143 00:06:28,019 –> 00:06:30,320 And I’m gonna supply for you in another place 144 00:06:30,320 –> 00:06:31,480 and in another way that’s 145 00:06:31,480 –> 00:06:33,399 beyond anything that you’ve experienced before. 146 00:06:33,399 –> 00:06:35,079 It’s gonna be very different. 147 00:06:35,899 –> 00:06:39,200 But I’m calling you to walk with me 148 00:06:39,200 –> 00:06:41,339 in faith and in obedience. 149 00:06:41,339 –> 00:06:42,700 So understand this, 150 00:06:42,700 –> 00:06:46,579 to cling to the means by which God has blessed you 151 00:06:46,579 –> 00:06:50,100 in the past may very well be to miss 152 00:06:50,100 –> 00:06:52,540 how he will bless you in the future, 153 00:06:52,540 –> 00:06:56,339 very important principle from the story for us today. 154 00:06:56,339 –> 00:06:58,839 So God says to Elijah, in effect, 155 00:06:58,839 –> 00:07:01,420 the brook that was such a blessing to you in the past 156 00:07:01,420 –> 00:07:04,559 that this Chereth that you cherish 157 00:07:04,559 –> 00:07:07,179 it’s not what I have for you now. 158 00:07:07,179 –> 00:07:08,720 I am drying it up, 159 00:07:08,720 –> 00:07:11,959 but as you continue to walk with me 160 00:07:11,959 –> 00:07:13,540 in faith and obedience, Elijah, 161 00:07:13,540 –> 00:07:16,260 there is blessing, there is ministry. 162 00:07:16,260 –> 00:07:18,459 There is provision for you 163 00:07:18,459 –> 00:07:20,720 in a place where you would least expect it. 164 00:07:20,720 –> 00:07:22,959 And now get up and go to Zarephath. 165 00:07:25,239 –> 00:07:28,200 So let’s follow the story, verse 10. 166 00:07:28,200 –> 00:07:31,880 He arose and he went to Zarephath, 167 00:07:32,799 –> 00:07:36,920 and when he came to the gate of the city, 168 00:07:36,920 –> 00:07:41,600 behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. 169 00:07:43,079 –> 00:07:47,059 Now here is a woman who is in desperate poverty. 170 00:07:48,239 –> 00:07:50,100 She’s outside the city. 171 00:07:50,100 –> 00:07:51,880 He meets her at the city gate. 172 00:07:52,760 –> 00:07:55,079 Assume from that that she was gathering sticks 173 00:07:55,079 –> 00:07:56,299 from the city dump 174 00:07:56,299 –> 00:07:59,380 that would have been outside the gates. 175 00:08:00,380 –> 00:08:03,320 And Elijah asks this woman for a drink 176 00:08:03,320 –> 00:08:05,100 and as the woman, verse 11, 177 00:08:05,100 –> 00:08:08,420 turns to go and get him the drink that he asks for, 178 00:08:08,420 –> 00:08:11,399 Elijah says, and bring me some bread. 179 00:08:12,660 –> 00:08:14,420 And the woman says, verse 12, 180 00:08:14,420 –> 00:08:18,980 as the Lord your God lives, 181 00:08:18,980 –> 00:08:21,140 by the way, just to pause there for a moment, 182 00:08:21,140 –> 00:08:25,399 notice that the Lord, your God, 183 00:08:25,399 –> 00:08:27,859 she doesn’t say our God, 184 00:08:27,859 –> 00:08:29,220 she says the Lord your God. 185 00:08:30,040 –> 00:08:31,579 She moves to a different position by the end of the chapter 186 00:08:31,579 –> 00:08:32,599 which we’ll see next week. 187 00:08:32,599 –> 00:08:35,799 But at this point, she describes the living God 188 00:08:35,799 –> 00:08:38,619 as Elijah’s God, not hers. 189 00:08:39,479 –> 00:08:41,940 I take it from that, 190 00:08:41,940 –> 00:08:46,059 that at this point, she was not yet a believer. 191 00:08:46,059 –> 00:08:48,960 She knows who the God of Israel is, 192 00:08:48,960 –> 00:08:51,640 she has heard of the fame of the Lord, 193 00:08:51,640 –> 00:08:53,479 but at this point in the story, 194 00:08:53,479 –> 00:08:58,479 God is Elijah’s God, your God, not hers. 195 00:09:00,179 –> 00:09:03,539 But she says, as the Lord, your God, lives, 196 00:09:03,539 –> 00:09:08,539 I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour 197 00:09:09,359 –> 00:09:14,200 in a jar and a little oil in a jug. 198 00:09:14,780 –> 00:09:17,979 So here she is, she’s gathering sticks to make a fire 199 00:09:17,979 –> 00:09:20,919 and she’s making a fire in order to make bread 200 00:09:20,919 –> 00:09:23,099 and she’s making bread out of the last 201 00:09:23,099 –> 00:09:24,799 of these ingredients that she has 202 00:09:24,799 –> 00:09:27,700 and therefore expects that it will be her last meal. 203 00:09:27,780 –> 00:09:31,859 It is a tragic picture of need. 204 00:09:33,580 –> 00:09:36,679 Then we have the astonishing words of verse 13. 205 00:09:37,859 –> 00:09:41,239 Elijah said to her, do not fear, 206 00:09:42,440 –> 00:09:47,440 go and do as you have said but first, 207 00:09:47,460 –> 00:09:52,359 make me a little cake of it and bring it to me 208 00:09:52,359 –> 00:09:56,440 and afterward make something for yourself and for your son. 209 00:09:58,260 –> 00:10:02,119 So by any standards, Elijah, at this moment, 210 00:10:02,119 –> 00:10:05,539 asks for an astonishing sacrifice. 211 00:10:06,719 –> 00:10:08,340 Got enough to make one cake 212 00:10:08,340 –> 00:10:10,559 and I expect it will be my last meal 213 00:10:10,559 –> 00:10:12,280 and Elijah says, now don’t be afraid, 214 00:10:12,280 –> 00:10:13,359 you can go and do what you say 215 00:10:13,359 –> 00:10:14,840 but first I want you to make something 216 00:10:14,840 –> 00:10:17,799 out of that minimal amount that you have 217 00:10:17,799 –> 00:10:18,799 and give it to me. 218 00:10:20,200 –> 00:10:21,260 Can you imagine it? 219 00:10:22,200 –> 00:10:24,340 Astonishing, invasive. 220 00:10:25,340 –> 00:10:28,820 Now, remember Elijah was a prophet 221 00:10:29,820 –> 00:10:32,539 and what this means is that as a prophet 222 00:10:32,539 –> 00:10:36,059 he spoke the word of God. 223 00:10:36,059 –> 00:10:39,539 What the prophet says, God says 224 00:10:39,539 –> 00:10:41,619 and so the word of the Lord comes 225 00:10:41,619 –> 00:10:43,260 to this woman through Elijah. 226 00:10:43,260 –> 00:10:47,940 It is God who is calling her to make a great sacrifice 227 00:10:49,380 –> 00:10:51,659 but then I want you to notice that 228 00:10:51,659 –> 00:10:54,280 Elijah, speaking the word of God, 229 00:10:55,140 –> 00:10:57,479 gives her a great promise 230 00:10:57,479 –> 00:10:59,840 for thus verse 14 says the Lord, 231 00:10:59,840 –> 00:11:01,539 the God of Israel, 232 00:11:01,539 –> 00:11:05,599 the jar of flower shall not be spent 233 00:11:05,599 –> 00:11:09,280 and the jug of oil shall not be empty 234 00:11:09,280 –> 00:11:14,280 until the day that Lord sends rain on the earth. 235 00:11:16,080 –> 00:11:21,080 So there is this astonishing call for great sacrifice 236 00:11:21,479 –> 00:11:23,979 but it is for the sake of greater joy 237 00:11:24,020 –> 00:11:26,659 because there is an amazing promise 238 00:11:26,659 –> 00:11:28,080 that is tied to it. 239 00:11:29,500 –> 00:11:31,940 Now alarm bells will be going off in some minds, 240 00:11:31,940 –> 00:11:33,059 I am sure, and someone say, 241 00:11:33,059 –> 00:11:34,520 whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute, 242 00:11:34,520 –> 00:11:36,299 is this health and wealth or what? 243 00:11:36,299 –> 00:11:37,520 Not a bit of it. 244 00:11:37,520 –> 00:11:39,599 You will never hear that from this pulpit. 245 00:11:41,580 –> 00:11:44,280 Let me tell you why it’s not health and wealth. 246 00:11:44,280 –> 00:11:47,739 God never promised wealth to this woman. 247 00:11:49,580 –> 00:11:50,880 The promise was not, 248 00:11:51,119 –> 00:11:55,979 bake me a cake and I’ll give you a bread factory. 249 00:11:55,979 –> 00:11:57,200 That’s health and wealth. 250 00:11:59,159 –> 00:12:00,520 God wants you rich. 251 00:12:01,520 –> 00:12:02,880 There’s none of that here. 252 00:12:04,039 –> 00:12:06,780 The promise was, and it’s a very important promise 253 00:12:06,780 –> 00:12:08,780 for every one of us to receive. 254 00:12:08,780 –> 00:12:12,559 Bake me a cake and the jar of flour will not be empty 255 00:12:12,559 –> 00:12:15,140 and the jug of oil will not run dry. 256 00:12:16,599 –> 00:12:20,440 It’s not that the jar and the jug will be overflowing, 257 00:12:20,440 –> 00:12:23,479 it’s that there will always be enough in the bottom. 258 00:12:25,239 –> 00:12:26,500 That’s the promise. 259 00:12:27,440 –> 00:12:32,179 The promise is this, God will provide what you need 260 00:12:32,179 –> 00:12:35,640 as you need it, as you walk with him 261 00:12:35,640 –> 00:12:39,200 in faith and in obedience, and that is a promise 262 00:12:39,200 –> 00:12:42,559 that every Christian desperately needs to understand 263 00:12:42,559 –> 00:12:44,880 and to hold and to live on. 264 00:12:45,760 –> 00:12:48,000 And it’s right here in the story of Elijah. 265 00:12:48,039 –> 00:12:51,940 Leaders ask for great sacrifice for the sake 266 00:12:51,940 –> 00:12:54,080 of greater joy. 267 00:12:55,460 –> 00:12:58,140 Elijah makes an astonishing ask, 268 00:12:58,140 –> 00:13:00,739 gives an amazing promise, 269 00:13:00,739 –> 00:13:04,020 and these are the very words of God. 270 00:13:05,820 –> 00:13:10,820 Now, Elijah is a type of Jesus Christ here, 271 00:13:13,479 –> 00:13:15,700 let me explain what that means. 272 00:13:15,739 –> 00:13:20,619 Then what that means, Elijah pictures for us 273 00:13:20,619 –> 00:13:25,099 what Jesus Christ would do when he came, 274 00:13:26,119 –> 00:13:27,500 and think about the parallels, 275 00:13:27,500 –> 00:13:29,599 think about how Elijah, as it were, 276 00:13:29,599 –> 00:13:32,739 shines a light on Jesus. 277 00:13:33,640 –> 00:13:36,799 Christ came to people in great need 278 00:13:36,799 –> 00:13:40,640 just like Elijah came to this woman in great need. 279 00:13:40,640 –> 00:13:44,239 Here we are, and what defines us most fundamentally 280 00:13:45,239 –> 00:13:49,260 is whatever our particular situations in life right now, 281 00:13:49,260 –> 00:13:52,599 every one of us like this woman is on the way to death, 282 00:13:52,599 –> 00:13:53,820 every one of us. 283 00:13:55,219 –> 00:13:57,840 Most of us are a lot further away from death 284 00:13:57,840 –> 00:14:00,520 than she was when Elijah arrived on the scene, 285 00:14:00,520 –> 00:14:02,140 but we’re exactly on the same path, 286 00:14:02,140 –> 00:14:04,119 we have exactly the same position. 287 00:14:04,119 –> 00:14:08,080 Every one of us here today is on the way to death, 288 00:14:08,080 –> 00:14:10,520 we’re in exactly the same situation 289 00:14:10,520 –> 00:14:12,919 of need as that poor widow. 290 00:14:12,919 –> 00:14:16,820 Second, when Christ comes into the situation 291 00:14:16,820 –> 00:14:20,299 of great need, he calls for great sacrifice. 292 00:14:22,020 –> 00:14:25,159 Mark 8 in verse 34 you know these words of Jesus. 293 00:14:25,159 –> 00:14:30,159 He says, if anyone would come after me, 294 00:14:30,419 –> 00:14:35,440 let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 295 00:14:36,820 –> 00:14:37,979 That’s what Jesus said. 296 00:14:39,260 –> 00:14:42,739 It’s easy for us 2,000 or more years later to say 297 00:14:42,760 –> 00:14:44,719 well of course that must be for the really seriously 298 00:14:44,719 –> 00:14:45,960 committed and so forth people 299 00:14:45,960 –> 00:14:47,900 like Peter and James and John, no. 300 00:14:50,200 –> 00:14:53,080 The Bible says Jesus called the crowd to him. 301 00:14:54,179 –> 00:14:55,739 People that were trying to make up their minds 302 00:14:55,739 –> 00:14:58,599 whether to become Christians, he called them to them. 303 00:14:59,760 –> 00:15:03,880 And together with his disciples Jesus said to them, 304 00:15:03,880 –> 00:15:05,520 Mark 8 in 34. 305 00:15:06,859 –> 00:15:09,580 If anyone, while you’re thinking about 306 00:15:09,580 –> 00:15:11,979 whether you’re going to be my follower for real. 307 00:15:12,859 –> 00:15:14,239 Let me tell you what it involves, 308 00:15:14,239 –> 00:15:17,979 if anyone would come after me, here’s what it is. 309 00:15:17,979 –> 00:15:21,820 Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 310 00:15:21,820 –> 00:15:26,359 Jesus does not put a life of sacrifice in the small print. 311 00:15:26,359 –> 00:15:30,299 Jesus puts the life of sacrifice in the headline, 312 00:15:30,299 –> 00:15:31,940 said you got to know that if you follow me 313 00:15:31,940 –> 00:15:35,900 this is what it is, understand that. 314 00:15:37,219 –> 00:15:40,880 Following Christ can never be a slice of your life. 315 00:15:42,940 –> 00:15:45,780 You follow Christ, it is your life. 316 00:15:45,780 –> 00:15:48,960 Let a man deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 317 00:15:51,799 –> 00:15:53,880 So Christ comes into the situation of great need 318 00:15:53,880 –> 00:15:55,239 and what does he do? 319 00:15:55,239 –> 00:15:57,580 He calls for great sacrifice. 320 00:15:57,580 –> 00:15:58,820 And then what else does he do? 321 00:15:58,820 –> 00:16:01,159 He promises greater joy. 322 00:16:02,619 –> 00:16:06,500 The very next verse, for whoever, Mark 8 35, 323 00:16:06,500 –> 00:16:08,919 would save his life will lose it. 324 00:16:09,799 –> 00:16:11,659 Try and live your life. 325 00:16:11,719 –> 00:16:14,219 It just slips through your fingers and it’s gone. 326 00:16:15,159 –> 00:16:17,200 Whoever would save his life will lose it, 327 00:16:17,200 –> 00:16:21,039 but whoever loses his life for my sake 328 00:16:21,039 –> 00:16:22,960 and the gospels will save it. 329 00:16:22,960 –> 00:16:24,219 That’s what Jesus said. 330 00:16:24,219 –> 00:16:28,080 You lose your life, you give it away, you lay it down 331 00:16:28,080 –> 00:16:32,239 for my sake and for the gospels you will save your life. 332 00:16:33,500 –> 00:16:35,280 And that’s what it means to follow. 333 00:16:35,280 –> 00:16:38,739 So here’s Christ and he comes and he comes to great need 334 00:16:38,760 –> 00:16:40,799 and he calls for great sacrifice 335 00:16:40,799 –> 00:16:44,280 and he promises greater joy. 336 00:16:47,000 –> 00:16:48,479 Folks, I have been really moved 337 00:16:48,479 –> 00:16:52,280 by reading the story of Adeniron Judson. 338 00:16:52,280 –> 00:16:53,659 Some of you will have read his story, 339 00:16:53,659 –> 00:16:55,900 if not, it’s powerful stuff. 340 00:16:56,820 –> 00:17:01,820 The great American missionary to Burma born in 1788. 341 00:17:01,859 –> 00:17:06,660 Adeniron Judson fell in love with 342 00:17:09,660 –> 00:17:12,099 a girl by the name of Ann Hasseltine 343 00:17:13,479 –> 00:17:16,300 and he wrote to her father 344 00:17:17,199 –> 00:17:21,400 asking for his consent to their marriage, 345 00:17:21,400 –> 00:17:23,099 knowing that what that meant would be 346 00:17:23,099 –> 00:17:24,839 that together they would be embarking 347 00:17:24,839 –> 00:17:27,800 on a missionary life in Burma, 348 00:17:27,800 –> 00:17:29,420 which at that point was unreached 349 00:17:29,520 –> 00:17:32,339 with the gospel and was full of danger. 350 00:17:33,339 –> 00:17:36,660 I want to read to you the letter that Judson wrote 351 00:17:36,660 –> 00:17:39,260 to his future father-in-law 352 00:17:39,260 –> 00:17:41,459 as he asked for this man’s consent 353 00:17:41,459 –> 00:17:44,359 for the daughter’s hand in marriage, 354 00:17:44,359 –> 00:17:47,140 and this should run deep with every father 355 00:17:47,140 –> 00:17:48,319 in the congregation. 356 00:17:50,500 –> 00:17:53,219 I have now to ask, he says, 357 00:17:54,079 –> 00:17:58,479 whether you can consent to part with your daughter 358 00:17:59,140 –> 00:18:00,199 by early next spring 359 00:18:00,199 –> 00:18:02,900 and to see her no more in this world. 360 00:18:04,599 –> 00:18:07,959 Whether you can consent to her departure 361 00:18:07,959 –> 00:18:10,280 and her subjection to the hardships 362 00:18:10,280 –> 00:18:12,300 and sufferings of a missionary life, 363 00:18:14,000 –> 00:18:16,640 whether you can consent to her exposure 364 00:18:16,640 –> 00:18:19,000 to the dangers of the ocean, 365 00:18:19,000 –> 00:18:22,280 to every kind of want and distress, 366 00:18:22,280 –> 00:18:26,439 to degradation, insult, persecutions, 367 00:18:26,439 –> 00:18:29,140 and perhaps, a violent death. 368 00:18:30,339 –> 00:18:33,020 Can you, sir, consent to all this 369 00:18:33,020 –> 00:18:37,160 for the sake of him who left his Heavenly home 370 00:18:37,160 –> 00:18:40,540 and died for her and for you, 371 00:18:40,540 –> 00:18:43,040 for the sake of perishing immortal souls 372 00:18:43,040 –> 00:18:45,959 and for the sake of the glory of God? 373 00:18:45,959 –> 00:18:49,180 Can you consent to all this in the hope 374 00:18:49,180 –> 00:18:53,199 of soon meeting your daughter in a world of glory 375 00:18:53,199 –> 00:18:55,520 with the crown of righteousness 376 00:18:55,520 –> 00:18:58,579 brightened with the acclamations of praise, 377 00:18:58,579 –> 00:19:02,459 which shall redound to her savior from heathen saved 378 00:19:02,459 –> 00:19:06,739 through her means from eternal woe and from despair? 379 00:19:08,680 –> 00:19:11,300 What would you have said in response to that letter? 380 00:19:14,020 –> 00:19:16,739 God gave to me two wonderful sons. 381 00:19:18,859 –> 00:19:23,859 And now, as of three weeks ago, I have a granddaughter. 382 00:19:24,260 –> 00:19:25,199 Ah, thank you. 383 00:19:26,959 –> 00:19:30,020 What a joy. 384 00:19:33,099 –> 00:19:36,140 What if God, in 20 years’ time, were to bring 385 00:19:36,140 –> 00:19:40,219 a 21st century Aden iron judson into her life? 386 00:19:42,800 –> 00:19:47,439 Would I say, yes, yes. 387 00:19:47,780 –> 00:19:48,900 I hope I would. 388 00:19:51,079 –> 00:19:51,939 What about you? 389 00:19:55,280 –> 00:19:57,959 Dietrich Bonhoeffer famously said, 390 00:19:57,959 –> 00:20:00,780 when Christ calls a man, 391 00:20:00,780 –> 00:20:04,880 he bids him to come and die. 392 00:20:04,880 –> 00:20:06,199 And he’s taking that, of course, 393 00:20:06,199 –> 00:20:08,199 directly from the words of Jesus that we quoted. 394 00:20:08,199 –> 00:20:10,339 If anyone would come after me, Jesus says, 395 00:20:10,339 –> 00:20:13,280 he must take up his cross and follow me. 396 00:20:13,739 –> 00:20:16,199 He says, he will take up his cross and follow me. 397 00:20:16,199 –> 00:20:19,579 What is taking up the cross mean? 398 00:20:19,579 –> 00:20:21,619 Taking up the cross means 399 00:20:21,619 –> 00:20:25,520 that you consider yourself already dead. 400 00:20:26,640 –> 00:20:28,280 That’s what it means. 401 00:20:28,280 –> 00:20:31,319 A guy who is carrying the cross 402 00:20:31,319 –> 00:20:33,160 is not simply carrying a heavy load, 403 00:20:33,160 –> 00:20:35,979 he is on the way to his execution. 404 00:20:35,979 –> 00:20:37,560 He’s got one hour left to live. 405 00:20:37,560 –> 00:20:41,040 He considers himself already dead. 406 00:20:41,839 –> 00:20:43,900 And friend that is at 407 00:20:43,900 –> 00:20:47,020 the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. 408 00:20:47,020 –> 00:20:49,119 Colossians chapter 3, 409 00:20:49,119 –> 00:20:50,839 you died. 410 00:20:50,839 –> 00:20:53,239 That’s the starting point of being a Christian. 411 00:20:53,239 –> 00:20:58,180 And your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 412 00:20:58,180 –> 00:21:01,560 And if you count yourself dead already, 413 00:21:01,560 –> 00:21:04,959 truly then all that you have has 414 00:21:04,959 –> 00:21:07,119 already been released because 415 00:21:07,119 –> 00:21:10,099 that’s what happens when a person dies. 416 00:21:10,099 –> 00:21:13,119 The owner died and all that you once 417 00:21:13,119 –> 00:21:15,579 owned is now in the hands of God 418 00:21:15,579 –> 00:21:18,680 and it has already passed from you 419 00:21:18,680 –> 00:21:20,300 and you live with that knowledge. 420 00:21:20,300 –> 00:21:22,060 It is not mine. 421 00:21:22,060 –> 00:21:24,400 I died. 422 00:21:24,400 –> 00:21:27,599 If you count yourself dead already, 423 00:21:27,599 –> 00:21:29,459 you will no longer be asking, 424 00:21:29,459 –> 00:21:32,560 what am I going to do with my life? 425 00:21:32,760 –> 00:21:35,060 A Christian is a person who has 426 00:21:35,060 –> 00:21:38,760 given debt up already, I died. 427 00:21:39,380 –> 00:21:40,560 The Christian is a person who is 428 00:21:40,560 –> 00:21:42,760 asking a new question, which is, 429 00:21:42,760 –> 00:21:44,859 what does Jesus Christ want 430 00:21:44,859 –> 00:21:46,760 me to do with my life and what is 431 00:21:46,760 –> 00:21:48,160 the single most useful thing 432 00:21:48,160 –> 00:21:50,500 that I can now do for Him? 433 00:21:50,500 –> 00:21:53,819 What is the best that I can do for my God? 434 00:21:53,819 –> 00:21:57,319 That is a totally different question 435 00:21:57,319 –> 00:21:59,780 and it will lead to a totally different life. 436 00:21:59,780 –> 00:22:03,000 What is the best 437 00:22:03,000 –> 00:22:08,540 that you can do for your God? 438 00:22:08,540 –> 00:22:11,780 God may allow you to earn twice, 439 00:22:11,780 –> 00:22:14,400 three times, four times the amount 440 00:22:14,400 –> 00:22:16,920 that other people in this congregation earn 441 00:22:16,920 –> 00:22:18,760 and then to give half, three-quarters 442 00:22:18,760 –> 00:22:20,880 or more than that away 443 00:22:20,880 –> 00:22:22,599 for the advance of the gospel. 444 00:22:22,599 –> 00:22:24,000 That would be the best you could do. 445 00:22:24,000 –> 00:22:25,979 That would be fantastic. 446 00:22:25,979 –> 00:22:27,560 And think what could be accomplished 447 00:22:27,560 –> 00:22:32,560 through that in ten years of ministry. 448 00:22:34,660 –> 00:22:37,079 God may call others of you 449 00:22:37,099 –> 00:22:42,099 to live on half of what you were living before 450 00:22:42,839 –> 00:22:47,839 and to show what it means to be content 451 00:22:47,839 –> 00:22:52,839 and to love Christ in a simpler lifestyle 452 00:22:54,099 –> 00:22:58,000 and think of the power of that testimony 453 00:22:58,000 –> 00:23:03,000 in this suffocatingly materialistic culture. 454 00:23:03,800 –> 00:23:08,060 The best you can do for your God 455 00:23:08,060 –> 00:23:12,800 may be for some of us to move to Southeast Asia 456 00:23:14,260 –> 00:23:16,959 and for you to use your professional expertise 457 00:23:16,959 –> 00:23:21,959 as a teacher, as a medic or as a business person 458 00:23:23,319 –> 00:23:25,959 to build a platform from which churches 459 00:23:25,959 –> 00:23:29,599 may be planted among 250 million 460 00:23:29,599 –> 00:23:32,900 Malay speaking Muslims, 250 million. 461 00:23:34,880 –> 00:23:37,260 Our team left just Friday 462 00:23:38,660 –> 00:23:42,199 to meet with Asian church leaders that are there today 463 00:23:42,199 –> 00:23:44,839 to identify what the Orchard can do 464 00:23:44,839 –> 00:23:47,579 to bring the Gospel to communities of people 465 00:23:47,579 –> 00:23:52,479 among 250 million Malay-speaking Muslims 466 00:23:52,479 –> 00:23:56,199 who desperately need to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. 467 00:23:56,199 –> 00:23:59,280 Asians must plant the church 468 00:23:59,280 –> 00:24:00,760 but what we’ve been asked to do 469 00:24:00,760 –> 00:24:05,079 is to be able to send people with professional expertise 470 00:24:05,079 –> 00:24:07,020 who can build platforms from which 471 00:24:07,020 –> 00:24:10,079 the church will be built in a very hostile culture. 472 00:24:12,339 –> 00:24:17,060 And when they come back, we will be beginning to pray 473 00:24:17,060 –> 00:24:20,040 to look for folks in this congregation 474 00:24:20,040 –> 00:24:22,260 who will go and will serve for a year. 475 00:24:22,260 –> 00:24:23,459 We’ll serve for two years. 476 00:24:23,459 –> 00:24:26,400 We’ll build these platforms so churches will be planted. 477 00:24:26,420 –> 00:24:30,180 And friends this is not travel experiences for Christians. 478 00:24:31,900 –> 00:24:33,459 It could mean you becoming 479 00:24:33,459 –> 00:24:36,880 the orchard’s first missionary martyr. 480 00:24:39,160 –> 00:24:41,680 But if you count yourself dead already, 481 00:24:41,680 –> 00:24:43,060 that will not deter you. 482 00:24:45,280 –> 00:24:50,280 Leaders ask, they ask for great sacrifices. 483 00:24:50,280 –> 00:24:55,260 Every father is placed by God 484 00:24:56,560 –> 00:25:00,079 in a position of leadership responsibility in his family. 485 00:25:01,979 –> 00:25:05,359 So what are you asking of your son dad? 486 00:25:06,560 –> 00:25:07,859 What are you calling him to? 487 00:25:07,859 –> 00:25:10,239 What is the vision of life you’re modeled for him? 488 00:25:10,239 –> 00:25:13,099 What are the commitments you’re asking of your daughter? 489 00:25:14,939 –> 00:25:16,959 The default pattern in our culture 490 00:25:17,000 –> 00:25:20,219 has so often become that we as parents 491 00:25:20,219 –> 00:25:22,800 ask our children what they want 492 00:25:22,800 –> 00:25:24,920 and then see that the definition of a good parent 493 00:25:24,920 –> 00:25:28,160 is to give them what they want, 494 00:25:28,160 –> 00:25:29,800 to give them what they ask, 495 00:25:29,800 –> 00:25:31,880 that’s completely the wrong way around. 496 00:25:33,479 –> 00:25:34,839 If your approach to parenting 497 00:25:34,839 –> 00:25:36,839 is to ask your children what they want, 498 00:25:36,839 –> 00:25:38,920 you are not leading. 499 00:25:38,920 –> 00:25:40,579 Leaders ask. 500 00:25:40,579 –> 00:25:42,280 They make the ask. 501 00:25:42,280 –> 00:25:43,660 So what are you asking of your son? 502 00:25:43,660 –> 00:25:45,300 What are you calling him to? 503 00:25:45,339 –> 00:25:47,020 What are you modeling for him? 504 00:25:47,020 –> 00:25:49,579 How are you showing him what a life 505 00:25:49,579 –> 00:25:52,239 that takes up the crosses looks like 506 00:25:52,239 –> 00:25:54,819 so he will have something to admire 507 00:25:54,819 –> 00:25:56,500 and something to follow and say 508 00:25:56,500 –> 00:25:59,219 I see something in Dad that arises 509 00:25:59,219 –> 00:26:00,780 so much from a love of Jesus, 510 00:26:00,780 –> 00:26:03,439 that it’s real and I want something that’s real. 511 00:26:03,439 –> 00:26:05,260 Our kids are desperately looking 512 00:26:05,260 –> 00:26:06,579 for something that is real. 513 00:26:09,819 –> 00:26:11,979 And then what promise are you speaking 514 00:26:11,979 –> 00:26:14,979 into your son or your daughter’s life. 515 00:26:14,979 –> 00:26:18,079 Did you hear that in Adenairon Judson’s letter 516 00:26:18,079 –> 00:26:19,780 to his future father-in-law. 517 00:26:19,780 –> 00:26:23,239 Can you consent to see her no more in this world? 518 00:26:23,239 –> 00:26:25,359 That is an amazing sacrifice, 519 00:26:25,359 –> 00:26:27,300 but did you hear the promise? 520 00:26:27,300 –> 00:26:29,219 But next time you see her, 521 00:26:30,219 –> 00:26:33,660 to see her with a crown of glory on her head. 522 00:26:34,699 –> 00:26:35,939 Can you consent to that? 523 00:26:38,819 –> 00:26:40,920 Leaders call for a great sacrifice 524 00:26:40,920 –> 00:26:44,300 for the sake of greater joy. 525 00:26:45,680 –> 00:26:50,400 Guys, that shows I’ve been in America 16 years. 526 00:26:50,400 –> 00:26:51,300 I’m sorry. 527 00:26:55,339 –> 00:26:57,579 16 years ago you asked me 528 00:26:59,140 –> 00:27:00,979 to come halfway around the world 529 00:27:02,300 –> 00:27:04,719 in order to give leadership to this congregation, 530 00:27:06,520 –> 00:27:09,339 and it continues to be my great privilege 531 00:27:10,500 –> 00:27:13,579 to be entrusted with that calling by you. 532 00:27:15,900 –> 00:27:19,739 But, if you ask someone to lead, 533 00:27:19,739 –> 00:27:22,780 you have to expect them to ask. 534 00:27:24,560 –> 00:27:27,099 To lead you means that I must, 535 00:27:28,000 –> 00:27:31,260 if I am a leader worthy of the name at all, 536 00:27:32,319 –> 00:27:35,319 ask you for great sacrifices, 537 00:27:37,099 –> 00:27:40,439 lead by example in making them myself 538 00:27:41,060 –> 00:27:46,060 and hold before you great promises 539 00:27:47,140 –> 00:27:50,300 of infinitely greater joy. 540 00:27:51,800 –> 00:27:54,780 Let me make three asks of you today. 541 00:27:57,560 –> 00:28:00,060 The first is an ask to serve. 542 00:28:02,099 –> 00:28:03,640 You say you do not want the church 543 00:28:03,640 –> 00:28:05,800 to be like a consumerist mall. 544 00:28:05,800 –> 00:28:07,640 God save us from that. 545 00:28:08,079 –> 00:28:11,239 You want it to be a functioning body. 546 00:28:12,339 –> 00:28:14,400 What will you do? 547 00:28:15,640 –> 00:28:17,239 How are you going to serve? 548 00:28:18,780 –> 00:28:21,160 I ask you to serve. 549 00:28:22,800 –> 00:28:24,319 And I ask you to serve in the way 550 00:28:24,319 –> 00:28:26,260 that will be the best possible thing, 551 00:28:26,260 –> 00:28:27,680 the largest possible thing, 552 00:28:27,680 –> 00:28:29,380 the greatest possible contribution 553 00:28:29,380 –> 00:28:31,699 that you could make to the life 554 00:28:31,699 –> 00:28:34,000 of the body of Christ and the advance 555 00:28:34,000 –> 00:28:35,760 of the gospel here and around the world. 556 00:28:35,839 –> 00:28:38,099 And for someone that may mean Southeast Asia. 557 00:28:39,199 –> 00:28:41,160 For someone it’s a Sunday school class. 558 00:28:42,040 –> 00:28:44,859 But for everyone, it’s something. 559 00:28:47,880 –> 00:28:50,140 Second, I want to ask you to give. 560 00:28:51,800 –> 00:28:54,420 Many in our congregation have established 561 00:28:54,420 –> 00:28:57,280 a regular pattern of giving 562 00:28:57,280 –> 00:29:01,640 as a defining mark of obedience to Christ. 563 00:29:01,640 –> 00:29:02,560 What about you? 564 00:29:03,439 –> 00:29:04,619 Have you done that? 565 00:29:06,599 –> 00:29:08,760 Elijah’s words, by the way, to the widow 566 00:29:08,760 –> 00:29:11,979 hold the key to faithful giving. 567 00:29:11,979 –> 00:29:13,380 Notice it in verse 13. 568 00:29:13,380 –> 00:29:14,800 Very important to grasp this. 569 00:29:14,800 –> 00:29:16,280 Very practical. 570 00:29:16,280 –> 00:29:18,040 Do not fear, that’s where it begins, 571 00:29:18,040 –> 00:29:20,640 you gotta have faith in order to give. 572 00:29:20,640 –> 00:29:22,439 You gotta have faith. 573 00:29:22,439 –> 00:29:25,140 So do not fear, go and do as you have said, 574 00:29:25,140 –> 00:29:29,160 but first, make me a little cake 575 00:29:30,079 –> 00:29:32,079 and bring it to me, and afterwards 576 00:29:32,079 –> 00:29:34,619 make something for yourself and for your son. 577 00:29:35,619 –> 00:29:37,599 And friends, very simply the only way to give 578 00:29:37,599 –> 00:29:40,520 when things are tight is to give 579 00:29:40,520 –> 00:29:43,920 what God is asking of you first. 580 00:29:45,000 –> 00:29:49,319 In other words, set aside what you will give first, 581 00:29:49,319 –> 00:29:54,319 then work out what it will take for you to live on the rest. 582 00:29:55,719 –> 00:29:58,260 I try to encourage couples who come for counseling 583 00:29:58,260 –> 00:30:00,939 for marriage, when I have that opportunity to do that 584 00:30:00,939 –> 00:30:02,839 from the first month they’re married. 585 00:30:03,680 –> 00:30:05,660 So Karin and I have done, 586 00:30:05,660 –> 00:30:08,319 we have a very simple way of doing it. 587 00:30:08,319 –> 00:30:11,219 We have two bank accounts. 588 00:30:11,219 –> 00:30:13,260 One is for living, 589 00:30:13,260 –> 00:30:15,359 and the other is for giving. 590 00:30:16,719 –> 00:30:21,719 And as soon as my salary comes into the account for living, 591 00:30:25,339 –> 00:30:28,280 a significant percentage of it pops out 592 00:30:28,280 –> 00:30:30,699 into the account for giving. 593 00:30:31,660 –> 00:30:35,500 And then from there, it flows into ministry, 594 00:30:35,500 –> 00:30:39,180 mainly overwhelmingly through the orchard, 595 00:30:39,180 –> 00:30:41,599 because the local church always comes first. 596 00:30:42,459 –> 00:30:44,939 And then in some other areas of ministry 597 00:30:44,939 –> 00:30:48,239 to which we are also deeply committed. 598 00:30:49,780 –> 00:30:52,859 We began when we were married saying 599 00:30:52,859 –> 00:30:56,099 that percentage should be 10%. 600 00:30:56,099 –> 00:30:57,619 The moment is much more, 601 00:30:58,300 –> 00:31:01,160 but it’s never less. 602 00:31:01,160 –> 00:31:02,780 That account, the giving account, 603 00:31:02,780 –> 00:31:05,060 gets cleaned out every year. 604 00:31:06,619 –> 00:31:08,579 And once a dollar is in that account, 605 00:31:08,579 –> 00:31:10,920 it is sacred to the Lord. 606 00:31:10,920 –> 00:31:12,599 It never comes backwards. 607 00:31:14,199 –> 00:31:19,199 Now you don’t have to have two accounts to do this. 608 00:31:19,219 –> 00:31:20,979 Some of you are much brighter than me 609 00:31:20,979 –> 00:31:22,839 and can work it out from one account. 610 00:31:24,479 –> 00:31:27,520 But I am urging you to have a plan for giving. 611 00:31:28,540 –> 00:31:33,079 And to set what that percentage is going to be 612 00:31:33,079 –> 00:31:35,000 for this year and for a husband and a wife 613 00:31:35,000 –> 00:31:36,160 to sit down and to say, 614 00:31:36,160 –> 00:31:37,800 Oh God, this is what you’re giving to us. 615 00:31:37,800 –> 00:31:40,060 What are we going to commit to releasing 616 00:31:40,060 –> 00:31:42,000 right from the beginning, off the top? 617 00:31:43,959 –> 00:31:45,319 So when we came to this country 618 00:31:45,319 –> 00:31:47,520 and found out what we would be living on 619 00:31:47,520 –> 00:31:50,119 we said, okay there’s our giving off the top. 620 00:31:50,119 –> 00:31:51,839 The second thing is we made a commitment 621 00:31:51,839 –> 00:31:54,640 we would go back to England and see our family. 622 00:31:54,640 –> 00:31:56,319 So that’s gonna cost quite a lot of money 623 00:31:56,319 –> 00:31:57,560 with four airfares. 624 00:31:58,000 –> 00:32:00,400 So here’s number one, here’s number two, 625 00:32:00,400 –> 00:32:01,819 now here’s what we live off. 626 00:32:03,040 –> 00:32:05,739 Because these things were commitments, in that order. 627 00:32:06,959 –> 00:32:10,199 And so what can we afford to do living off this? 628 00:32:12,260 –> 00:32:14,859 You will never establish a regular pattern 629 00:32:14,859 –> 00:32:16,699 of obedience to God, unless you start 630 00:32:16,699 –> 00:32:19,079 with the principle of Elijah, 631 00:32:19,079 –> 00:32:22,199 here in 1 Kings chapter 17 verse 13, 632 00:32:22,199 –> 00:32:24,859 but first make me a cake. 633 00:32:24,859 –> 00:32:26,780 And the women’s gonna be saying, 634 00:32:26,939 –> 00:32:29,579 how can I possibly do that? 635 00:32:29,579 –> 00:32:31,540 If you try to give out of what is left 636 00:32:31,540 –> 00:32:33,099 at the end of the month or have a look 637 00:32:33,099 –> 00:32:34,939 at what’s happened at the end of the year 638 00:32:34,939 –> 00:32:36,140 and so forth and so on, 639 00:32:37,699 –> 00:32:40,140 you will never do what God is calling you to do. 640 00:32:43,260 –> 00:32:44,900 And faithfulness in giving, folks, 641 00:32:44,900 –> 00:32:47,719 is going to mean some very tough questions. 642 00:32:49,459 –> 00:32:53,420 Does what we give reflect a life commitment 643 00:32:53,420 –> 00:32:56,619 of our family to make the gospel run 644 00:32:56,619 –> 00:32:58,439 here and around the world, really? 645 00:33:00,060 –> 00:33:02,780 You know, you say to your kids, God first. 646 00:33:04,339 –> 00:33:06,479 Does what we give as a family, 647 00:33:06,479 –> 00:33:07,900 does what we give as a couple, 648 00:33:07,900 –> 00:33:09,579 does what I give as an individual, 649 00:33:09,579 –> 00:33:10,939 whichever that is for you, 650 00:33:10,939 –> 00:33:13,719 does it reflect a life commitment 651 00:33:15,000 –> 00:33:17,619 to make the gospel run here and around the world? 652 00:33:17,619 –> 00:33:19,500 Because if that is not the first commitment 653 00:33:19,500 –> 00:33:20,959 of your life, what is? 654 00:33:23,819 –> 00:33:26,760 Can you really say that your first financial commitment 655 00:33:26,760 –> 00:33:29,140 in good times and in bad is to give to God 656 00:33:29,140 –> 00:33:32,400 a significant portion of what he has given 657 00:33:32,400 –> 00:33:34,939 to you to be used in his great purpose 658 00:33:34,939 –> 00:33:38,859 of the advance of the gospel around the world? 659 00:33:38,859 –> 00:33:40,780 And till the day when you’re there in heaven 660 00:33:40,780 –> 00:33:42,699 with the crown of glory, and you say, 661 00:33:42,699 –> 00:33:44,339 that was the very best thing I did 662 00:33:44,339 –> 00:33:48,060 in all of my life, was why I contributed 663 00:33:48,060 –> 00:33:49,180 to the advance of the gospel 664 00:33:49,180 –> 00:33:51,540 and how I engaged in the advance of the gospel. 665 00:33:54,260 –> 00:33:57,219 Friends, this is not difficult for a person to do 666 00:33:57,219 –> 00:33:59,119 if you have taken up the cross 667 00:33:59,119 –> 00:34:01,599 and counted yourself dead already. 668 00:34:01,599 –> 00:34:04,400 This is certainly not difficult to do 669 00:34:04,400 –> 00:34:06,619 for a person who has heard the promise 670 00:34:06,619 –> 00:34:11,260 that losing your life is the way to keep it. 671 00:34:13,139 –> 00:34:14,679 And then I urge you with this, 672 00:34:14,679 –> 00:34:19,679 because perhaps many of us have got into a position 673 00:34:20,120 –> 00:34:22,520 where we are so straightened financially 674 00:34:22,560 –> 00:34:24,179 because of decisions that we make 675 00:34:24,179 –> 00:34:26,399 that we have lost so much of the liberty 676 00:34:26,399 –> 00:34:28,340 that God intended us to have, 677 00:34:30,159 –> 00:34:33,340 every time you make a financial commitment, 678 00:34:33,340 –> 00:34:37,300 ask yourself what would this mean for my giving to God? 679 00:34:37,300 –> 00:34:38,879 Ask yourself that question. 680 00:34:39,840 –> 00:34:41,679 If I make this financial commitment 681 00:34:41,679 –> 00:34:45,080 what would it mean for my giving to God? 682 00:34:45,080 –> 00:34:48,219 If buying a new house would make it impossible 683 00:34:48,219 –> 00:34:50,199 for you to give 10% of your income, 684 00:34:50,199 –> 00:34:51,919 why would you buy that house? 685 00:34:53,520 –> 00:34:56,179 If your daughter going to a particular college 686 00:34:56,179 –> 00:34:57,639 would make it impossible for you 687 00:34:57,639 –> 00:34:59,699 to honor God in tithing your income, 688 00:34:59,699 –> 00:35:01,800 why would your daughter want to go to that college 689 00:35:01,800 –> 00:35:04,320 if she knew that that was what it meant? 690 00:35:06,879 –> 00:35:08,860 If an investment that you could make 691 00:35:08,860 –> 00:35:11,239 could not be released, 692 00:35:12,239 –> 00:35:16,260 were it that God himself were to move you to do so, 693 00:35:16,260 –> 00:35:18,459 why would you put yourself in that position? 694 00:35:18,899 –> 00:35:23,899 If honoring God with your money means, friend, 695 00:35:24,500 –> 00:35:29,000 selling your house and moving to something smaller, 696 00:35:30,620 –> 00:35:34,699 do it, and tell your children why you are doing it. 697 00:35:34,699 –> 00:35:38,219 Son, we’ve got to honor God first, 698 00:35:38,219 –> 00:35:40,959 and we’ve been believing beyond our means. 699 00:35:40,959 –> 00:35:47,120 Son, you will teach your child more in that move 700 00:35:48,439 –> 00:35:50,159 to trade the American Dream 701 00:35:50,159 –> 00:35:53,739 for a life of serving Jesus Christ than in all your talk. 702 00:35:57,739 –> 00:36:00,479 Christ says whoever saves his life will lose it, 703 00:36:00,479 –> 00:36:03,320 and as long as you pursue the American Dream, 704 00:36:03,479 –> 00:36:04,919 you are losing your life. 705 00:36:04,919 –> 00:36:05,820 It is slipping away. 706 00:36:05,820 –> 00:36:08,300 It’s like sand going through your fingers. 707 00:36:10,959 –> 00:36:12,820 And already you may be in a position 708 00:36:12,820 –> 00:36:15,000 where there were things that you could have done 709 00:36:15,000 –> 00:36:16,860 and you can’t do them now. 710 00:36:18,979 –> 00:36:20,379 And now you’re in a position 711 00:36:20,379 –> 00:36:23,020 where God is speaking into your life. 712 00:36:23,360 –> 00:36:24,320 A few years from now 713 00:36:24,320 –> 00:36:26,919 you may not be able to do what you can do now. 714 00:36:29,879 –> 00:36:32,699 Don’t drift through life, my friend, 715 00:36:32,699 –> 00:36:38,340 and slide into old age a lukewarm Christian. 716 00:36:38,860 –> 00:36:40,719 That’s losing your life. 717 00:36:41,580 –> 00:36:44,719 Ask us today is simply an ask to pray. 718 00:36:45,919 –> 00:36:47,300 And it comes from a heart 719 00:36:48,080 –> 00:36:51,260 that is increasingly burdened 720 00:36:51,260 –> 00:36:56,620 and increasingly desiring of a greater joy 721 00:36:58,239 –> 00:37:04,159 and a fuller walk with Christ for all of us. 722 00:37:06,239 –> 00:37:07,879 You know, the great missionary William Carey 723 00:37:08,679 –> 00:37:11,320 used to say expect great things from God 724 00:37:11,320 –> 00:37:13,320 and attempt great things for God. 725 00:37:15,800 –> 00:37:18,159 What a terrible thing it would be for an individual 726 00:37:18,159 –> 00:37:20,639 or for a church to stand in the presence of God 727 00:37:20,639 –> 00:37:23,860 on the last day and have James 4,2 quoted to us. 728 00:37:25,320 –> 00:37:27,439 You have not because you ask not. 729 00:37:29,139 –> 00:37:33,439 You do not have because you do not ask. 730 00:37:35,239 –> 00:37:37,719 And I will tell you what is keeping me away 731 00:37:38,399 –> 00:37:43,399 at night, I love this church as I hope you do. 732 00:37:47,280 –> 00:37:51,239 And I’m asking the question what will it take 733 00:37:51,239 –> 00:37:55,320 for this church to leverage its full potential 734 00:37:55,320 –> 00:37:57,479 for the advance of the gospel around the world? 735 00:37:57,479 –> 00:37:58,479 That’s the question. 736 00:37:59,600 –> 00:38:04,600 What will it take for this church to leverage 737 00:38:04,879 –> 00:38:07,939 its full potential for the advance 738 00:38:07,939 –> 00:38:11,300 of the gospel here and around the world? 739 00:38:11,300 –> 00:38:12,959 And my answer begins here. 740 00:38:14,340 –> 00:38:17,620 It will take a movement of the Holy Spirit 741 00:38:17,620 –> 00:38:20,800 to raise the spiritual temperature in all of our lives. 742 00:38:20,800 –> 00:38:22,040 That’s what it will take. 743 00:38:23,340 –> 00:38:28,340 And I ask you to join me in praying for that, risky prayer. 744 00:38:31,379 –> 00:38:33,939 The Bible tells us that a church can be hot. 745 00:38:34,780 –> 00:38:36,760 That a church can be cold. 746 00:38:37,840 –> 00:38:41,340 And that a church can be somewhere in between, lukewarm. 747 00:38:43,060 –> 00:38:45,439 There is such a thing as spiritual temperature, 748 00:38:45,439 –> 00:38:46,959 how do you measure it? 749 00:38:46,959 –> 00:38:50,040 It is a reflection of the commitment, 750 00:38:50,040 –> 00:38:52,679 the sacrifice, the faith, the prayer, the vision, 751 00:38:52,679 –> 00:38:56,020 the passion of God’s people in that community. 752 00:38:56,020 –> 00:38:57,699 That’s spiritual temperature. 753 00:38:59,600 –> 00:39:02,219 Great things have happened in this last year, my friends. 754 00:39:02,219 –> 00:39:04,080 So much has been accomplished 755 00:39:04,080 –> 00:39:05,620 for the advance of the gospel. 756 00:39:05,620 –> 00:39:07,739 But so much more is still to be done. 757 00:39:10,580 –> 00:39:13,340 And I am asking God to lay it on the heart 758 00:39:13,340 –> 00:39:15,379 of every member of this church 759 00:39:15,379 –> 00:39:17,739 who is not yet giving a significant portion 760 00:39:17,739 –> 00:39:20,080 of their income, to begin honoring Christ 761 00:39:20,080 –> 00:39:21,739 by doing so this year. 762 00:39:22,860 –> 00:39:24,379 Will you pray for that with me? 763 00:39:26,340 –> 00:39:27,419 So my last word is this. 764 00:39:27,419 –> 00:39:29,879 Put yourself in the shoes of the widow of Zarephat. 765 00:39:29,879 –> 00:39:31,820 She hears the call to sacrifice. 766 00:39:32,340 –> 00:39:35,340 She hears the great promise of God’s provision. 767 00:39:35,340 –> 00:39:36,540 The challenge is simple. 768 00:39:36,540 –> 00:39:39,020 Does she believe the promise of God or not? 769 00:39:40,000 –> 00:39:41,639 She looks at the jar and the jug. 770 00:39:41,639 –> 00:39:43,600 She looks at the promise of God. 771 00:39:43,600 –> 00:39:44,479 Jar and the jug. 772 00:39:44,479 –> 00:39:45,500 The promise of God. 773 00:39:45,500 –> 00:39:46,340 Jar and the jug. 774 00:39:46,340 –> 00:39:47,439 Promise of God. 775 00:39:48,979 –> 00:39:50,459 Which is she going to trust? 776 00:39:53,179 –> 00:39:56,179 She stakes everything on the promise of God. 777 00:39:57,320 –> 00:39:59,800 And the jar of flour does not fail. 778 00:39:59,820 –> 00:40:04,000 And the jug of oil does not run dry. 779 00:40:06,280 –> 00:40:08,479 What a tragedy, if this woman had said to Elijah, 780 00:40:08,479 –> 00:40:11,280 you know, I’d really like to help you but I just can’t. 781 00:40:12,620 –> 00:40:17,340 Nobody dies wishing they had given Christ less. 782 00:40:18,719 –> 00:40:19,560 Nobody. 783 00:40:22,520 –> 00:40:24,679 I end with this, if you wonder what happened 784 00:40:24,679 –> 00:40:27,840 after Adeniren Judson’s letter. 785 00:40:27,840 –> 00:40:31,719 Well, Anne Haseltine’s father must have said yes 786 00:40:31,719 –> 00:40:33,199 because she became his wife. 787 00:40:35,219 –> 00:40:37,500 And Anne must have said yes. 788 00:40:37,500 –> 00:40:39,959 When I read the letter to the father-in-law, 789 00:40:39,959 –> 00:40:42,260 I wonder what his proposal to Anne was like. 790 00:40:43,219 –> 00:40:44,060 Can you imagine? 791 00:40:45,820 –> 00:40:49,040 And they went together, newly married couple off to Burma. 792 00:40:50,479 –> 00:40:53,659 Judson himself was imprisoned, he was tortured, 793 00:40:53,659 –> 00:40:57,219 he was marched barefoot across the country. 794 00:40:57,219 –> 00:41:01,100 He was suspended for periods upside down by his ankles. 795 00:41:03,179 –> 00:41:06,419 And through his ministry, the church was established 796 00:41:06,419 –> 00:41:10,340 in Burma and flourishes today. 797 00:41:13,020 –> 00:41:15,620 Anne had her own remarkable ministry, 798 00:41:15,620 –> 00:41:19,239 her own life story is compelling reading. 799 00:41:20,439 –> 00:41:22,219 Woman of extraordinary courage, 800 00:41:23,060 –> 00:41:27,540 she did become ill and she died 801 00:41:27,540 –> 00:41:31,179 after just 14 years of marriage. 802 00:41:32,899 –> 00:41:37,320 That was 186 years ago. 803 00:41:39,620 –> 00:41:44,620 And she has been wearing the Crown of Glory ever since. 804 00:41:47,739 –> 00:41:48,580 Pray with me. 805 00:41:49,360 –> 00:41:54,580 Lord, please teach us what it means to lose our lives 806 00:41:54,580 –> 00:41:57,899 for your sake and for the Gospels. 807 00:41:59,340 –> 00:42:04,219 And in doing so, to find them and to keep them 808 00:42:04,219 –> 00:42:09,879 for everlasting life. 809 00:42:09,879 –> 00:42:11,179 In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Colin Smith

Trustee / Founder and Teaching Pastor

Colin Smith is the Senior Pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in the northwest suburbs of Chicago. He has authored a number of books, including Heaven, How I Got Here and Heaven, So Near – So Far. Colin is the Founder and Teaching Pastor for Open the Bible. Follow him on X formerly Twitter.

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