1 00:00:09,870 --> 00:00:12,870 Welcome to the podcast of the White Church in Adelaide, South 2 00:00:12,870 --> 00:00:13,590 Australia. Excellent. 3 00:00:14,270 --> 00:00:17,630 I'm going to be inviting Bianca. Bianca's going to be sharing the 4 00:00:17,630 --> 00:00:19,230 Word of God with us this morning. 5 00:00:19,470 --> 00:00:22,310 Why don't you come and pray for Bianca and for us, Santel? 6 00:00:22,830 --> 00:00:25,750 Lord Jesus, we just thank you for the message that you have 7 00:00:25,750 --> 00:00:28,030 placed on Bianca's heart to share with us. 8 00:00:28,030 --> 00:00:31,880 Lord Jesus, we just thank you for the empowerment of the Holy 9 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,600 Spirit just to come upon her right now to speak with clarity 10 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:39,160 and with boldness of God that we would receive it, Lord Jesus, 11 00:00:39,160 --> 00:00:41,480 and we would put it into practice in a great measure. 12 00:00:41,480 --> 00:00:44,760 Lord, this sweet God, we just prepare our hearts right now to 13 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,960 receive what you have for us today for this daily bread, Lord 14 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,360 God, and we just thank you and we bless your name and we give 15 00:00:51,360 --> 00:00:52,760 you honor and praise. Amen, Amen. 16 00:00:54,120 --> 00:00:56,880 Thank you. Well good morning everyone. 17 00:00:58,240 --> 00:01:02,560 I am going to try and speak a lot slower than I did last time 18 00:01:02,560 --> 00:01:07,640 I did this, but I also when I get excited it just gets faster. 19 00:01:07,640 --> 00:01:11,720 So if at any point I am going way too fast, just raise your 20 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:15,160 hand and I'll try and put my foot on the break a little bit. 21 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,000 So over the past couple of weeks, we've we've heard a bit 22 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:23,960 about cultures. So Ty spoke on 6 cultures that 23 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:26,880 we can contend for. I was going to throw it out to 24 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:30,880 our community group here to, to throw me some, but most of them 25 00:01:30,880 --> 00:01:33,600 aren't here. So we had a culture of Christ, 26 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:38,480 culture of conviction, culture of caring, culture of community, 27 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,080 culture of calling and a culture of commissioning. 28 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,920 And then Hilary shared last week on Kingdom family, which is a 29 00:01:45,920 --> 00:01:48,160 culture that we carry. It's not just a family culture, 30 00:01:48,160 --> 00:01:50,200 but we want a Kingdom family culture. 31 00:01:50,680 --> 00:01:54,320 And so today I really had all my heart to share about how do we 32 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:58,080 establish a Kingdom culture that will last for generations? 33 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:01,680 Because we know that God's not just building for right now, 34 00:02:01,680 --> 00:02:04,360 He's building for the generations to come. 35 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:09,039 He's not, I like, I liken it to God's not building a castle, a 36 00:02:09,039 --> 00:02:12,560 building that's just once off built, done and dusted, but he's 37 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:14,840 building a Kingdom. A Kingdom is something that 38 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:19,880 keeps taking ground, keeps growing, keeps getting bigger. 39 00:02:20,520 --> 00:02:24,560 And so we see this in God's promise to Noah right in 40 00:02:24,560 --> 00:02:26,480 Genesis. It's all throughout the Bible. 41 00:02:26,480 --> 00:02:31,480 In Genesis 912, God speaks to Noah about the promise, the 42 00:02:31,480 --> 00:02:33,960 rainbow that he puts in the sky, and the promise after the 43 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,120 floods. And it's not just a promise for 44 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:38,680 Noah. It doesn't just say that this is 45 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:40,760 what I'm doing so you'll survive. 46 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:42,120 There's going to be no more floods for you. 47 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:46,960 But it says this is the sign of the covenant I am making between 48 00:02:46,960 --> 00:02:50,200 me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant 49 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:53,960 for all generations to come. We see it again in Abraham. 50 00:02:54,040 --> 00:02:58,000 When God promises Abraham that we will, he will have nations 51 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,520 come from him. I will Genesis 17 seven. 52 00:03:01,520 --> 00:03:05,280 I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between 53 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,360 me and you and your descendants after you and for the 54 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:11,440 generations to come to be your God and the God of your 55 00:03:11,440 --> 00:03:14,560 descendants after you. God promises it to David that he 56 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,320 will sit on, that he will have someone of his throne for 57 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:20,920 generations. I've made a commitment with my 58 00:03:20,920 --> 00:03:23,400 chosen one. I've sworn to David, my servant. 59 00:03:23,640 --> 00:03:26,960 I will establish the line forever and ever and make your 60 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:28,960 throne firm through all generations. 61 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:32,200 So we see over and over the promises of God are for 62 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:35,800 generations. God introduces himself to Moses 63 00:03:35,880 --> 00:03:39,920 as the God of the generations. He says I when Moses says who, 64 00:03:39,920 --> 00:03:41,720 who should you, who should I say? 65 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,240 Sent me to the to save the Israelites from Egypt? 66 00:03:44,440 --> 00:03:47,600 And he says the Lord, the God of your father's, the God of 67 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:50,040 Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob. 68 00:03:50,200 --> 00:03:53,000 He introduces himself as a generational God. 69 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:00,760 Sorry and then, but this isn't just Old Testament. 70 00:04:00,760 --> 00:04:05,240 We see it in the early church as well in Acts 2 when the early 71 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:08,800 church was birthed, when the Holy Spirit came and Peter 72 00:04:09,160 --> 00:04:12,040 preached and thousands were saved and said hundreds were 73 00:04:12,040 --> 00:04:13,360 saved. And he says repent and be 74 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,079 baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the 75 00:04:16,079 --> 00:04:18,760 forgiveness of sins. You will receive the Holy 76 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:21,560 Spirit. But it goes on to say this 77 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:24,720 promise is for you and your children and for all who are far 78 00:04:24,720 --> 00:04:27,720 off, which is the promise that we're living in now. 79 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:30,920 We've received that Holy Spirit. We're living in those days. 80 00:04:30,920 --> 00:04:34,080 We're living in that promise of the generations to come. 81 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:38,200 And so we want to see that for the generations that go after 82 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,240 us. Culture. 83 00:04:40,240 --> 00:04:44,680 We here often say culture isn't created, it's cultivated, which 84 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,480 just means it's not something that we can just say tomorrow, 85 00:04:47,480 --> 00:04:51,520 this is going to be our culture. Like if in our family we wake up 86 00:04:51,520 --> 00:04:54,800 tomorrow and say, OK, kids tomorrow, we're going to put 87 00:04:54,800 --> 00:04:57,640 other people's needs before our own and that is our family 88 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:59,760 culture. Our kids are not just going to 89 00:04:59,760 --> 00:05:02,800 be like that day. No fighting, sharing all of 90 00:05:02,800 --> 00:05:06,800 their toys, giving up for one another doesn't just happen. 91 00:05:06,960 --> 00:05:08,800 It's something that has to be fostered. 92 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:13,200 It has to be developed. And this means that we're 93 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:16,960 leaving a culture, whether it's good or bad, whether we're being 94 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:19,760 intentional with what we're doing or whether we're not. 95 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,320 And that's what Hillary touched on. 96 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:26,600 She said your family has a culture without you even trying. 97 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:28,360 It's just by the way that you live. 98 00:05:28,600 --> 00:05:30,120 That's how you establish a culture. 99 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:32,440 It's what we value, what we don't value. 100 00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:36,880 So our question, the question I wanted to talk about today was 101 00:05:36,880 --> 00:05:39,440 how do we establish a Kingdom culture that will last for 102 00:05:39,440 --> 00:05:42,320 generations? So the first thing we see in the 103 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:47,120 Bible is we teach His commands all throughout Exodus and 104 00:05:47,120 --> 00:05:49,480 Leviticus. When God's giving the law to his 105 00:05:49,480 --> 00:05:54,080 people, they're being taught to keep these laws for generations 106 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:58,080 in Exodus. Let's just pull out Exodus 2942 107 00:05:58,840 --> 00:06:02,320 talking about the burnt offerings for the generations to 108 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,600 come. This burnt offering is to be 109 00:06:04,600 --> 00:06:07,320 made regularly at the entrance of the tenor meeting before the 110 00:06:07,320 --> 00:06:10,120 Lord. It's a law that's meant to be 111 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:13,360 passed down. God was not planning on coming 112 00:06:13,360 --> 00:06:16,840 back in 30 years to tell all the next generation of Israelites, 113 00:06:17,080 --> 00:06:19,360 these are my laws. This is what you need to do. 114 00:06:19,360 --> 00:06:24,520 It was a responsibility of what they called the ancestors or to 115 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:28,480 pass it down so that wouldn't be forgotten. 116 00:06:28,840 --> 00:06:34,040 It was God's design in Deuteronomy 6 verse one to two. 117 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:36,680 I'm just going to turn in my Bible. 118 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:39,240 Feel free to turn with me if you've got your Bibles with you 119 00:06:39,240 --> 00:06:45,760 to Deuteronomy 6. So Deuteronomy 6 starting in 120 00:06:45,760 --> 00:06:47,480 verse one because it sets a context. 121 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,440 These are the commands, decrees, and laws. 122 00:06:50,440 --> 00:06:55,160 So the commands of the Lord your God directed by me to teach you 123 00:06:55,280 --> 00:06:58,360 to observe in the land that you're crossing the Jordan, to 124 00:06:58,360 --> 00:07:02,080 possess, so that you, your children and their children 125 00:07:02,080 --> 00:07:03,840 after them, why are they doing it? 126 00:07:04,080 --> 00:07:07,240 That may fear the Lord as long as they live by keeping his 127 00:07:07,240 --> 00:07:11,480 decrees and commands so that you may enjoy long life. 128 00:07:12,120 --> 00:07:15,640 So we see the reason for passing down the law, the reason for 129 00:07:15,640 --> 00:07:18,880 teaching it was actually so that they will live longer. 130 00:07:18,880 --> 00:07:21,760 They will live prosperity prosperously. 131 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:26,640 And so jumping down to verse 6, these commandments that I give 132 00:07:26,640 --> 00:07:28,360 to you today are to be on your hearts. 133 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:31,960 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit 134 00:07:31,960 --> 00:07:34,800 down at home, when you walk along the road, when you lie 135 00:07:34,800 --> 00:07:37,880 down, when you get up. Tie them as a symbol on your 136 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:39,800 hands, bind them on your foreheads. 137 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,080 Write them on the door frames of your house and on your gates. 138 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:47,440 So God's design was that these things are passed down and 139 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,520 taught and taught and taught and talked about and taught so that 140 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,240 it would be something that the next generation would continue 141 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,880 to carry and that they would continue to pass down. 142 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,360 And, and the beautiful thing is that this is exactly what Jesus 143 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:03,080 has called us to do. We see it in the Great 144 00:08:03,080 --> 00:08:07,360 Commission in Matthew 2818 to 20, which we all know very well. 145 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,240 In verse 20 it says, sorry, so they're 19. 146 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:14,560 Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them 147 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:18,000 in the name of the Father, the Son of the Holy Spirit, and 148 00:08:19,360 --> 00:08:23,320 teaching them to obey everything I've commanded. 149 00:08:23,480 --> 00:08:25,760 And surely I'm with you. So that's our job now. 150 00:08:25,760 --> 00:08:31,160 Our job is to teach the next generation, teach those that are 151 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,320 new to faith and coming in. It's our responsibility to teach 152 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:39,280 them the laws, the commands, the things that have been passed 153 00:08:39,280 --> 00:08:43,320 down to us. If you want to turn with me to 154 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:50,240 Psalm 78, we see this. Our worked Psalm 78 picking up 155 00:08:50,240 --> 00:08:55,320 in verse 5 says he decreed statutes for Jacob and 156 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:59,600 established the law in Israel which he commanded our ancestors 157 00:08:59,760 --> 00:09:04,160 to teach their children so the next generation would know them, 158 00:09:05,080 --> 00:09:08,000 even the children yet to be born, that they in turn would 159 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:12,400 tell their children. Then they would put their trust 160 00:09:12,400 --> 00:09:16,200 in God and would not forget His deeds, but would keep His 161 00:09:16,200 --> 00:09:19,120 commands. Goes on to say that they would 162 00:09:19,120 --> 00:09:22,800 not be like their ancestors, A stubborn, rebellious generation 163 00:09:22,800 --> 00:09:26,480 whose hearts were not loyal. So we see what happens when we 164 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:30,000 don't pass these things down, when we don't teach His 165 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:32,240 commands. We don't set up the next 166 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:35,800 generation very well because they get stuck in all of the 167 00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:37,680 things that we probably got stuck in. 168 00:09:37,880 --> 00:09:39,520 We want them to go further than us. 169 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:43,640 So the first thing we need to do is teach His commands. 170 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:48,120 The second thing, even in this passage that it referencing is 171 00:09:48,120 --> 00:09:50,200 tell of His power and good works. 172 00:09:50,680 --> 00:09:56,000 So if we read from verse 4, Psalm 78, verse 4, it says we 173 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:58,720 will not hide them from their descendants. 174 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:02,120 We will tell to the next generation the praiseworthy 175 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,880 deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. 176 00:10:06,640 --> 00:10:10,480 Psalm 7118. Even when I am old and Gray. 177 00:10:10,480 --> 00:10:13,720 Now I'm just saying, if you've got Gray hair, this one's for 178 00:10:13,720 --> 00:10:16,920 you. Even when I am Gray, old and 179 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:19,800 Gray. Do not forsake me, my God, till 180 00:10:19,800 --> 00:10:24,480 I declare your power to the next generation, Your mighty axe to 181 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:28,680 all who are to come. But this isn't when we tell of 182 00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:31,120 His wonders. It's not just something that we 183 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:37,840 see passed down. If we turn to Psalm 145 picking 184 00:10:37,840 --> 00:10:41,400 up in verse 4, it's actually we see it's both ways. 185 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:46,800 Psalm 145 says one generation commends your works to another. 186 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:51,640 They tell of your mighty axe. They speak, sorry, they lost the 187 00:10:51,640 --> 00:10:56,000 most part the They tell of your mighty axe, they speak of your 188 00:10:56,000 --> 00:11:00,640 glorious spender, of your majesty, and I will meditate on 189 00:11:00,640 --> 00:11:04,160 your wonderful works. They tell of the power of your 190 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:07,960 awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. 191 00:11:08,200 --> 00:11:12,160 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of 192 00:11:12,160 --> 00:11:14,800 your righteousness. So we see this when the 193 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:17,080 generation, other generations are doing it. 194 00:11:17,080 --> 00:11:22,760 It has an effect on us too. I liken it to how encouraged I 195 00:11:22,760 --> 00:11:26,360 am when I see my kids just go and start praying for one 196 00:11:26,360 --> 00:11:28,360 another. If someone gets hurt and they go 197 00:11:28,360 --> 00:11:31,680 out and they say I'll, I'll pray and they'll pray for each other. 198 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:36,200 Or how many times a young kid just stands up or reminds you 199 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:41,000 that it's OK, Jesus loves you. Sometimes those little just tiny 200 00:11:41,200 --> 00:11:45,440 simple revelations, watching the kids jump up and down and praise 201 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:49,960 God with everything they bring us who are we're not the next 202 00:11:49,960 --> 00:11:52,080 generation. We've gone before them, but they 203 00:11:52,080 --> 00:11:55,320 bring us encouragement. They bring they, they build us 204 00:11:55,320 --> 00:11:56,640 up. They sometimes they give us 205 00:11:56,640 --> 00:12:00,720 revelation of the simplicity of, of, of what faith can be 206 00:12:00,720 --> 00:12:06,560 sometimes. And verse 10 of Psalm 145 says 207 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:09,960 all your works praise you, Lord, your faithful people extol you. 208 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:14,120 They tell of your glory, of your glory, of your Kingdom, and 209 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:18,240 speak of your mind so that all people may know your mighty 210 00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:21,120 acts, all the glorious splendour of your Kingdom. 211 00:12:21,400 --> 00:12:23,960 And why do we do it? Because your Kingdom is an 212 00:12:23,960 --> 00:12:28,320 everlasting Kingdom, and your dominion endures through all 213 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,400 generations. That's why it matters. 214 00:12:31,560 --> 00:12:33,640 It's not just for us, it's for God. 215 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:39,280 And He chooses to partner with us to keep His praise enduring 216 00:12:39,280 --> 00:12:43,920 for generations. So how do we create a Kingdom 217 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,680 culture that will last for generations? 218 00:12:45,680 --> 00:12:49,360 We teach His commands. We tell of His good works and 219 00:12:49,360 --> 00:12:53,240 His power, and #3 we testify of His faithfulness. 220 00:12:53,920 --> 00:12:59,240 Psalm 89.1 says I will sing of the Lord's great love forever 221 00:12:59,520 --> 00:13:02,440 with my mouth. I will make faithfulness known 222 00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:06,760 through all the generations. Psalm 40, verse 10, I do not 223 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:08,560 hide Your righteousness in my heart. 224 00:13:08,840 --> 00:13:11,920 I speak of Your faithfulness and Your saving health. 225 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:15,560 I do not conceal Your love and Your faithfulness from the great 226 00:13:15,560 --> 00:13:18,160 assembly or in other versions they say the congregation. 227 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,920 It's something that we need to testify of because it's 228 00:13:21,920 --> 00:13:26,040 personal. Psalm 66 says come and hear all 229 00:13:26,040 --> 00:13:29,400 you who fear God. Let me tell you what he has done 230 00:13:29,400 --> 00:13:31,560 for me. There is nothing like the 231 00:13:31,560 --> 00:13:35,720 personal revelation of what you've experienced, what God has 232 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:39,400 done in your life, the way you have seen him come through, the 233 00:13:39,440 --> 00:13:44,000 way you have seen him work. And that being passed down in to 234 00:13:44,000 --> 00:13:46,960 Timothy 15, we see its effect on Timothy. 235 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,280 So Paul writes to Timothy and he says, I'm reminded of your 236 00:13:50,280 --> 00:13:54,640 sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois, and 237 00:13:54,640 --> 00:13:58,240 then in your mother Eunice, and now I am persuaded lives in you 238 00:13:58,240 --> 00:14:01,160 also. It's a faith that is passed down 239 00:14:01,160 --> 00:14:02,920 and that's done through testifying. 240 00:14:03,240 --> 00:14:06,320 If we just keep it to ourselves, the next generation's never 241 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:09,480 going to know, and it's hard for them to stand on the faith that 242 00:14:09,480 --> 00:14:13,880 we have as well and go further. So we teach his commands, we 243 00:14:13,880 --> 00:14:17,600 tell of his parent good works, and we testify to his 244 00:14:17,600 --> 00:14:21,000 faithfulness. But I just want to pause there 245 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,960 for a second because there was a little, I've been thinking about 246 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,120 this as a there's an activity that we used to do in primary 247 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,280 school and it was called show and tell. 248 00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:31,680 Anyone remember that from back in the day? 249 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,800 Show and tell. So basically as a kid, you would 250 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,440 have to bring something in and it would be your job. 251 00:14:38,440 --> 00:14:41,160 When the teacher said it was your turn, you'd get up, you'd 252 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:43,560 tell the class about something and you'd show them what you 253 00:14:43,560 --> 00:14:46,600 brought in. It wasn't enough to just tell 254 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:49,280 everyone because we know little 5-6 year olds, I've got their 255 00:14:49,280 --> 00:14:52,440 imagination, they could be dinosaurs and who knows what 256 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:55,320 involved the the bringing in and the showing. 257 00:14:55,640 --> 00:14:58,800 It was like adding a reality to it that the other kids could 258 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:00,920 say. It was also adding an 259 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:02,800 authenticity. You couldn't just make up a 260 00:15:02,800 --> 00:15:08,440 story because you'd need to bring something in like and and 261 00:15:08,440 --> 00:15:09,800 that's what the world is looking for. 262 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:12,400 They're looking for that reality, that authenticity. 263 00:15:13,160 --> 00:15:18,480 It's why things like in Exodus, the Israelites were given manna 264 00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,760 provided by God when they were journeying through the 265 00:15:20,760 --> 00:15:23,040 wilderness and they were given manna. 266 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:28,800 They went, Hey, God, let's let's put some in a jar and preserve 267 00:15:28,880 --> 00:15:32,640 it so that all the generations come won't just hear us telling 268 00:15:32,640 --> 00:15:36,800 that God did this amazing thing. They can actually see in the jar 269 00:15:37,080 --> 00:15:41,120 that this is what God did. There's the eastern tribes when 270 00:15:41,280 --> 00:15:44,320 the when they went back to settle on the eastern side of 271 00:15:44,320 --> 00:15:48,960 the Jordan and the western and the other tribes went to settle 272 00:15:48,960 --> 00:15:51,240 in the western side of the Jordan in their promised land. 273 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:55,200 They built an altar and there was a big uproar like why are 274 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:57,320 you building an altar? You've strayed from God's ways. 275 00:15:57,640 --> 00:16:01,120 But they basically came back and said, this isn't for burning 276 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:02,880 any. This is not to, you know, 277 00:16:02,880 --> 00:16:05,600 disobey God. We want something that the 278 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:10,400 generations to come can see and know that this is what God did. 279 00:16:10,840 --> 00:16:13,320 It's not something that we can just tell them, yeah, God did 280 00:16:13,320 --> 00:16:14,080 it. Yeah, God did it. 281 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,920 Yeah, God did it. And if your guys forget, we 282 00:16:16,920 --> 00:16:18,720 don't want them to be kind of left out. 283 00:16:18,960 --> 00:16:23,040 They did it for generations, they could have quite easily 284 00:16:23,040 --> 00:16:25,200 gone. Yep we get to be in the promised 285 00:16:25,200 --> 00:16:26,200 land. This is awesome. 286 00:16:26,200 --> 00:16:28,480 Let's go make our homes have our livestock. 287 00:16:28,480 --> 00:16:32,160 This is amazing with no care for the next generation. 288 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:36,000 And we could have seen people left behind but their thought 289 00:16:36,000 --> 00:16:37,960 was on. We need something that the 290 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:42,440 generations to come can physically see so that they 291 00:16:42,440 --> 00:16:46,240 won't be left behind. It's not enough for us to just 292 00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,800 teach and testify and tell, but we need to be able to live it. 293 00:16:50,800 --> 00:16:57,120 We see in Abraham, so back in Genesis, Abraham tithes to God. 294 00:16:57,120 --> 00:16:59,360 It's the first time we hear about tithing. 295 00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:02,520 He comes back with the spoils of war and he chooses out of his 296 00:17:02,520 --> 00:17:05,000 revelation to give a tenth back to God. 297 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:14,280 It says in Genesis 1420. And praise, praise be to God, 298 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:16,720 the Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand. 299 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:18,920 Then Abraham gave him a 10th of everything. 300 00:17:19,960 --> 00:17:21,760 We see Isaac, he's very generous. 301 00:17:21,760 --> 00:17:24,960 And then we see Jacob, which is his grandson, so not his son, 302 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:31,320 his grandson Jacob. In Genesis 2822, Jacob made a 303 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,120 vow and he said, if God will be with me and watch over me on 304 00:17:34,120 --> 00:17:37,720 this journey I'm taking, give me food to eat, clothes to wear so 305 00:17:37,720 --> 00:17:40,040 that I return safely, then the Lord will be my God. 306 00:17:40,040 --> 00:17:43,120 And this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's 307 00:17:43,120 --> 00:17:45,600 house. And all that you give me, I will 308 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:48,880 give you a 10th. So this is the second reference 309 00:17:48,880 --> 00:17:52,120 to tithing. But what I was blown away by is 310 00:17:52,120 --> 00:17:55,280 this isn't law yet. This isn't something that God's 311 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:56,640 commanded. You give a 10th. 312 00:17:57,000 --> 00:18:00,920 This is something that Abraham lived out and Jacob as his 313 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:05,360 grandson picked up as a culture. This culture is important to 314 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:08,880 give a tenth back to God. I'm sure if Abraham though, was 315 00:18:08,880 --> 00:18:12,280 like now son, grandson, it's very important that we give a 316 00:18:12,280 --> 00:18:14,680 10th of what we had to God. But I'm going to keep all my 317 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,600 things for myself. But but make sure you give a 318 00:18:17,600 --> 00:18:20,600 tenth to God. But but these are all my things. 319 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:23,120 Do we? I doubt Jacob would have been 320 00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:24,800 like, yeah, let's give a tenth to God. 321 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:29,920 That seems like a good idea. No, we don't see like if he was 322 00:18:29,920 --> 00:18:31,720 living it out, if he was showing him. 323 00:18:31,720 --> 00:18:34,320 Hey, grandson, this is how we give a 10th. 324 00:18:34,680 --> 00:18:38,240 This is son. We we were even speaking, Justin 325 00:18:38,240 --> 00:18:39,840 and I about the way that we tithe. 326 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:43,000 And these days everyone's got their phone. 327 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:44,800 We just bank transfer it. Beep, bop, beep bop. 328 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,960 All done. I've given to God, which is 329 00:18:46,960 --> 00:18:49,400 amazing, but we've been challenged. 330 00:18:49,440 --> 00:18:53,480 What do our kids say if we're just constantly being like, it's 331 00:18:53,480 --> 00:18:56,200 important to give to God and it's important to tie? 332 00:18:56,560 --> 00:19:00,480 Is it going to be inconvenient for us to go to an ATM and get 333 00:19:00,480 --> 00:19:02,600 out money to put in the offering box to the back? 334 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,360 Probably we're going to have to take time out. 335 00:19:05,360 --> 00:19:07,760 We're going to have to go a different way to get to the ATM. 336 00:19:08,240 --> 00:19:11,320 But what our kids see is what we're doing. 337 00:19:11,320 --> 00:19:13,960 We're not just telling them and they catch. 338 00:19:13,960 --> 00:19:16,320 You can say I've got measles, I've got measles, I've got 339 00:19:16,320 --> 00:19:19,560 measles, but if I've got mumps, you're going to catch mumps. 340 00:19:20,000 --> 00:19:24,200 So it's really important that what we're telling, we're also 341 00:19:24,320 --> 00:19:29,800 living. Justin is not a dancer and he 342 00:19:29,800 --> 00:19:33,520 knows this. We've been I have AI have a bit 343 00:19:33,520 --> 00:19:36,680 of a background in dance and I married a man with two left 344 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:39,160 feet. I think I think I re 345 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:42,680 choreographed our first dance at our wedding about 10 times 346 00:19:42,680 --> 00:19:46,080 because I just was it was really hard to make him look good. 347 00:19:47,200 --> 00:19:52,840 But I'm so but and and he's the guy who would happily just stand 348 00:19:52,840 --> 00:19:56,520 there with his hands in the air, which is it is amazing. 349 00:19:56,520 --> 00:20:00,560 And that's what he's giving God and I have I have no problems 350 00:20:00,560 --> 00:20:02,360 with that. But the way he's seen in the 351 00:20:02,360 --> 00:20:07,000 last couple of years of us having kids, the importance of 352 00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:09,880 he wants our kids to be extravagant worshippers, 353 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:12,880 extravagant praises. He wants them to see that it's 354 00:20:12,880 --> 00:20:17,240 OK to be a little undignified. You don't have to look great if 355 00:20:17,240 --> 00:20:21,440 it's if God is worth it. And so you see, he'll dance 356 00:20:21,440 --> 00:20:23,160 around the house like a crazy person. 357 00:20:23,320 --> 00:20:25,400 He'll jump around the house. Sometimes I'm worried he's going 358 00:20:25,400 --> 00:20:27,680 to might knock the kids out with the way his hands are flying 359 00:20:27,680 --> 00:20:30,560 around. But he sees the value in showing 360 00:20:30,560 --> 00:20:36,400 them, not just telling them. So how do we establish a culture 361 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,760 that will last for generations? We teach His commands. 362 00:20:40,480 --> 00:20:42,640 We tell of His power and good works. 363 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:50,200 We testify of His faithfulness. And we show we often like to 364 00:20:50,200 --> 00:20:52,840 reference the Scripture of one Samuel 16. 365 00:20:52,840 --> 00:20:55,840 Seven people look at the outward appearance, but God looks at the 366 00:20:55,840 --> 00:20:59,280 heart. God looks at the heart. 100% 367 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:01,160 agree. And everything flows out of our 368 00:21:01,160 --> 00:21:02,760 heart. So our heart has to be in the 369 00:21:02,760 --> 00:21:06,600 right place. But what do the generations see? 370 00:21:07,200 --> 00:21:11,880 They see the outward. What do the generations see? 371 00:21:13,520 --> 00:21:16,560 Jesus set such a perfect example for us. 372 00:21:17,240 --> 00:21:22,240 He came down as a babe to live on this earth and to show us how 373 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:25,960 to live when we have people obviously generations to come, 374 00:21:25,960 --> 00:21:30,760 but we when we have new people coming into faith, we need to be 375 00:21:30,760 --> 00:21:33,760 willing to inconvenience ourselves for the sake of 376 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:37,880 showing them how good God is and how good and how worthy he is. 377 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:43,520 Jesus set an example when he prayed, He didn't just say to 378 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:46,520 the disciples, guys, it's really important to pray, but I like my 379 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:49,400 sleep, so I'm going to sleep in for a couple more hours. 380 00:21:49,400 --> 00:21:52,360 Everyone up before dawn, off you go, go pray, but I'm going to 381 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:56,840 sleep. He was up separating himself, 382 00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,720 spending time with God. So I just want to leave us with 383 00:22:00,720 --> 00:22:02,840 that challenge today. People look at the outward 384 00:22:02,840 --> 00:22:04,560 appearance, but God looks at the heart. 385 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:10,040 Make sure your heart is in the right place and start there, but 386 00:22:10,040 --> 00:22:11,680 then look at what outward people see. 387 00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:15,720 We want to be a people that see a culture that is going to be 388 00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,280 passed down for generations. We're not just living for now, 389 00:22:18,680 --> 00:22:20,480 we're living for the generations to come. 390 00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:24,600 Father, we thank You that You have placed us on this earth for 391 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:28,200 here and now, but we thank You that our purpose is not just for 392 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:30,400 here and now. We thank You that You called us 393 00:22:30,400 --> 00:22:33,400 to go and make disciples and teach them what you've 394 00:22:33,400 --> 00:22:36,000 commanded. So, Father, I pray that you will 395 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:39,800 give us a greater revelation of not just the here and now, but 396 00:22:39,800 --> 00:22:42,080 the eternal purpose that you've called us to. 397 00:22:42,760 --> 00:22:47,800 Father, help us to respond in our hearts to the worthiness and 398 00:22:47,800 --> 00:22:51,000 the glory and the majesty that you are, Father God, but help us 399 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,840 to show it outwardly. Make a way, God. 400 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,600 Make a way for us to show out the faith that we're walking, to 401 00:22:57,600 --> 00:23:00,640 show Your power and good deeds in the way that we live our 402 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,120 lives. To show out your commands Father 403 00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:06,760 God, and we pray all these things in the power of the Holy 404 00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:11,400 Spirit in Jesus name, Amen. Thank you for joining us for 405 00:23:11,400 --> 00:23:13,800 today's message. For more information about The 406 00:23:13,800 --> 00:23:18,160 Way Church, please visit ourwebsite@thewaychurch.com dot 407 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:19,400 AU. Have a blessed day.