1 00:00:03,320 --> 00:00:05,960 Welcome to the Liberty Baptist Sermon Archives. 2 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,040 The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist 3 00:00:09,040 --> 00:00:13,040 Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us 4 00:00:13,040 --> 00:00:17,280 or contact us at my libertybaptist.org or just look 5 00:00:17,280 --> 00:00:19,760 us up on Facebook. And now we hope that this 6 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:25,320 message from God's Word will be a blessing to you on Wednesday 7 00:00:25,320 --> 00:00:27,800 night. Just a reminder, we looked at 8 00:00:27,800 --> 00:00:31,000 the principle of faith promise. Will everybody agree there's a 9 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:35,320 principle and that principle is based upon giving outside of 10 00:00:35,320 --> 00:00:38,720 your locality. That principle is based upon the 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:42,320 grace of God. That principle is based upon the 12 00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:46,600 debt that we owe to the gospel. And just as the church at 13 00:00:46,600 --> 00:00:50,920 Corinth and, and the other churches of Aki and the churches 14 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:55,320 of Macedonia, Paul was trying to get across to them that they owe 15 00:00:55,320 --> 00:00:57,760 a debt to the church at Jerusalem. 16 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:01,560 And now they're in a situation that we can help them and that 17 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:04,280 they did. So we looked at the we looked at 18 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:07,880 the principal and then last night we looked at the 19 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:10,480 performance. And Paul had challenged the 20 00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:14,200 church to just do what they had gotten on board a year earlier. 21 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,640 Now tonight we're going to look at the process of giving. 22 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,080 In other words, what does giving actually do? 23 00:01:22,080 --> 00:01:26,440 What what is going to happen? Paul is going to explain to them 24 00:01:26,440 --> 00:01:31,160 in Chapter 9, this is what will happen if you're involved in 25 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,360 this offering that we are taking up. 26 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,240 So let's begin reading in verse number one. 27 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,240 Man, I got cornbread and chili laying on me right now. 28 00:01:42,240 --> 00:01:45,680 And so and I'm a windsucker. So we need some I'm I'm may need 29 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:47,800 some help here. I might bust a gizzard in just a 30 00:01:47,800 --> 00:01:51,560 second, for as touching the ministering to the Saints, it's 31 00:01:51,560 --> 00:01:54,840 superfluous for me to write to you. 32 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:59,880 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of 33 00:01:59,880 --> 00:02:05,200 you to them of Macedonia, and I basically let Macedonia know 34 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:11,600 that AKI was ready a year ago, and your zeal has provoked very 35 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,400 many. Yet have I sent the brethren, 36 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:20,240 lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf that I 37 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,920 said you may be ready. So here he is. 38 00:02:22,920 --> 00:02:27,640 He says I'm sending some brethren ahead to make sure that 39 00:02:27,640 --> 00:02:29,560 you have done what you said you will do. 40 00:02:29,560 --> 00:02:32,400 And we already know from chapter 8. 41 00:02:32,400 --> 00:02:36,880 He's challenging them based on the churches of Macedonia who 42 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:41,520 needed no prompting, but but had given and given of themselves 43 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:43,640 and such as that. Verse 4. 44 00:02:43,640 --> 00:02:47,400 Lest happily, if they of Macedonia come with me, and find 45 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:53,840 you unprepared, we that we say not ye should be ashamed in the 46 00:02:53,840 --> 00:02:58,000 same confident boasting. Therefore Paul said, I thought 47 00:02:58,000 --> 00:03:01,800 it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go 48 00:03:02,120 --> 00:03:05,120 before unto you, and make up before your bounty. 49 00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,200 Where have you had noticed before that the same might be 50 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:12,040 ready as a matter of bounty, and not of covetousness? 51 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:17,400 But this I say, he which soweth sparingly shall reap also 52 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:21,600 sparingly, and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also 53 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:25,560 bountifully every man, according as he hath purposed in his 54 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,360 heart. Notice Paul never said how much, 55 00:03:28,360 --> 00:03:31,440 he just said, Whatever God lays on your heart. 56 00:03:31,960 --> 00:03:35,720 So let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity. 57 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,800 For God loveth A cheerful giver, and God is able to make all 58 00:03:40,800 --> 00:03:46,040 grace bound toward you, that ye always having all sufficiency in 59 00:03:46,040 --> 00:03:49,720 all things, may abound to every good work, as it is written. 60 00:03:50,280 --> 00:03:55,840 He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor, His 61 00:03:55,840 --> 00:04:00,880 righteousness remaineth forever. Now he that ministered seed to 62 00:04:00,880 --> 00:04:05,560 the sower both minister bread for your food and multiply your 63 00:04:05,560 --> 00:04:08,840 seeds sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 64 00:04:09,400 --> 00:04:13,160 being enriched in everything to all bountifulness which causeth 65 00:04:14,480 --> 00:04:18,680 through US Thanksgiving to God. For the administration of this 66 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:24,200 service not only supply the want of the Saints, but is abundant 67 00:04:24,200 --> 00:04:27,600 also by many thanksgivings unto God. 68 00:04:27,600 --> 00:04:31,400 Isn't that amazing that Paul said that if you give to this 69 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:36,880 offering in verse #12 not only will it supply the need of the 70 00:04:36,880 --> 00:04:42,240 Saints, but it will also be by many thanksgivings by God. 71 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:45,920 That's awesome. Whilst by the experiment of this 72 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:50,280 ministration they glorify God for your perverse subjection 73 00:04:50,280 --> 00:04:54,720 under the gospel of Christ and for your liberal distribution 74 00:04:54,720 --> 00:04:59,600 unto them and into all men, and by their prayer for you, which 75 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:03,320 long after you, for the exceeding grace of God in you. 76 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,040 Thanks being to God for his unspeakable gift. 77 00:05:07,040 --> 00:05:09,280 Wow. Now, first thing somebody's 78 00:05:09,280 --> 00:05:11,120 going to say, you're going to preach that whole chapter. 79 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:14,360 And the answer is yes. So Lord, help us tonight. 80 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:16,320 I pray. Thank you for those that are 81 00:05:16,320 --> 00:05:19,000 here tonight, those that have been here the last few nights, 82 00:05:19,440 --> 00:05:23,800 and what we've learned, Lord, about the principle of giving by 83 00:05:23,800 --> 00:05:25,320 faith. And the principle of faith, 84 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:27,600 promise, mission, giving, the performance of it. 85 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,720 Lord, as we saw last night as Paul challenged him, just to do 86 00:05:30,720 --> 00:05:34,200 what God's laid on your heart. Do what you promised, do what 87 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:38,120 you were excited about a year ago, being reminded that Jesus 88 00:05:38,120 --> 00:05:42,680 Christ is the great equalizer in giving and receiving, but he is 89 00:05:42,680 --> 00:05:47,320 also the example when it comes to giving as he gave it all to 90 00:05:47,320 --> 00:05:50,320 that we might be saved. And so I pray tonight that we 91 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:53,040 also, we might understand what does giving do? 92 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:57,480 What is the process that takes place in the life of a believer 93 00:05:57,920 --> 00:06:01,880 and in the life of a church? And then I pray that by the end 94 00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,920 of the night you would speak to our hearts on this matter of 95 00:06:04,920 --> 00:06:09,520 faith, promise, mission, giving once again in Jesus name, Amen. 96 00:06:09,520 --> 00:06:11,920 Thank you so much for standing. You may be seated. 97 00:06:12,280 --> 00:06:16,640 I appreciate it so very much. You know, a lot of people act 98 00:06:16,640 --> 00:06:20,600 like they don't want to talk about money, and they certainly 99 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:22,640 don't want the preacher to talk about money. 100 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:27,520 And here's what I found as a pastor for close to 36 years, 101 00:06:28,280 --> 00:06:32,000 actually. Yeah, actually 37, closer to 37 102 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:35,080 years as pastor. If you ever preach on money one 103 00:06:35,080 --> 00:06:38,440 time, then there's going to always be that element of people 104 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:41,200 say all he ever does is preach on money. 105 00:06:41,880 --> 00:06:44,240 I preach on money when it's in the text. 106 00:06:45,040 --> 00:06:47,320 If it's in the text, I'm going to preach on it. 107 00:06:47,800 --> 00:06:51,440 And here it's in the text and it's been in the text in chapter 108 00:06:51,440 --> 00:06:55,920 8 and chapter #9. And so while people don't maybe 109 00:06:55,920 --> 00:07:00,800 like to talk about money, the truth is, is money is a part of 110 00:07:00,800 --> 00:07:05,640 everyday life. I mean, I, I'm very, I'm very 111 00:07:06,160 --> 00:07:10,920 serious about making sure that every dollar that I have is in 112 00:07:10,920 --> 00:07:14,160 the, is in them, is in my budget, is in my YNAB. 113 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:15,680 You know what I'm saying? You need a budget. 114 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:18,040 It's a, it's the program that I use. 115 00:07:18,040 --> 00:07:21,920 And so I have all of these categories that money's supposed 116 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:24,000 to go to. Now, what I didn't understand 117 00:07:24,280 --> 00:07:27,320 was that I was going to have to make a like a budget line item 118 00:07:27,320 --> 00:07:29,120 for grandchildren. I didn't realize that was going 119 00:07:29,120 --> 00:07:31,760 to take place. But here's what I found out. 120 00:07:31,760 --> 00:07:36,800 People spend money on things that are important to them and 121 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:41,000 everybody's maybe has a hobby or something they like to be 122 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:44,360 involved in, whether that's, you know, for me it's golf. 123 00:07:44,360 --> 00:07:48,240 There's no golf equipment that cost too much. 124 00:07:48,880 --> 00:07:54,000 There's no golf equipment that if it, listen, if I have to pay 125 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,320 a certain amount of money to cut 2 strokes, 2 strokes off of my 126 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,160 game, no amount of money is going to keep me from buying 127 00:08:01,160 --> 00:08:04,520 whatever that new gadget is that's coming, coming out. 128 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:08,280 I like jackets. My wife says I have way too 129 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:10,440 many. And then I began to talk to her 130 00:08:10,440 --> 00:08:14,120 about how many purses she has. So she doesn't talk to me about 131 00:08:14,120 --> 00:08:17,080 my jackets if I don't talk to her about her purses. 132 00:08:17,080 --> 00:08:21,600 One time I asked her, I said, Robin, do you know how many 133 00:08:21,600 --> 00:08:25,960 purses you have? And she said, Jeff, do you know 134 00:08:25,960 --> 00:08:30,440 how many golf bags you have? To which I said, OK, you got a 135 00:08:30,440 --> 00:08:33,960 point there, all right. So you just don't don't mess 136 00:08:33,960 --> 00:08:37,679 with my golf bags and I won't mess with your purses. 137 00:08:37,679 --> 00:08:41,919 Somebody say Amen. So the truth is, is there are 138 00:08:41,919 --> 00:08:46,720 things that we spend our money on because we might enjoy those 139 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:52,560 things like grandkids. And and so there is no girl in 140 00:08:52,560 --> 00:08:56,640 America that is has a relationship with my wife who is 141 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:01,080 somewhere under the age of 10, basically between the age of 8 142 00:09:01,080 --> 00:09:04,720 and 11 that she doesn't believe needs an American girl doll. 143 00:09:05,040 --> 00:09:08,440 And she will do whatever she can to help them possess that the 144 00:09:08,520 --> 00:09:12,200 that doll. Well, tonight we're going to 145 00:09:12,200 --> 00:09:17,440 move to Chapter 9 where Paul literally in this whole chapter 146 00:09:17,440 --> 00:09:21,760 talks about money and about the offering that we've looked at 147 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:26,360 the last couple of nights. Paul is writing to stir this 148 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,080 church up about what they had gotten excited about a year 149 00:09:30,080 --> 00:09:32,800 earlier. Remember, Paul came to them and 150 00:09:32,800 --> 00:09:36,440 he was preaching the message that we saw in Romans chapter 151 00:09:36,440 --> 00:09:39,920 15, that they owed a debt to the gospel. 152 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:43,560 They owed a debt to the Church of Jerusalem and because of the 153 00:09:43,840 --> 00:09:47,960 spiritual blessings that they had received from this church in 154 00:09:47,960 --> 00:09:51,920 Jerusalem that Paul said the least that we could do is use 155 00:09:51,920 --> 00:09:56,400 our carnal or money that we might help them in their need. 156 00:09:56,920 --> 00:10:02,120 He boasted to the churches of Macedonia about the excitement 157 00:10:02,120 --> 00:10:05,320 that the church at Corinth had a year earlier. 158 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:10,920 And when Paul literally writes Chapter 9, he is teaching us 159 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:15,680 about the true spirit of giving and what God does and the 160 00:10:15,680 --> 00:10:19,600 process that takes place not upon, not only upon an 161 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:23,360 individual, because he's not really talking to an individual 162 00:10:23,360 --> 00:10:25,320 here. He's talking to a church. 163 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,880 But we all know that churches are made-up of individuals. 164 00:10:30,200 --> 00:10:33,080 They're made-up of the people inside of the church. 165 00:10:33,400 --> 00:10:37,240 So he is going to teach the church about what can take place 166 00:10:37,560 --> 00:10:41,560 in the church and the blessing that can come to the church if 167 00:10:41,560 --> 00:10:44,560 they will give. Now here's what I want you to 168 00:10:44,560 --> 00:10:46,720 understand tonight, and I'm going to look at this. 169 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:52,520 There are just certain things that happen when a church is a 170 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,280 giving church. There are certain things that 171 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:59,480 happens to an individual when they give with the right kind of 172 00:10:59,480 --> 00:11:01,360 heart. Here's the way I look at it. 173 00:11:01,480 --> 00:11:06,640 I, I call it a process. It's a process that takes place. 174 00:11:06,640 --> 00:11:12,280 If anybody knows anything about college football, probably Nick 175 00:11:12,280 --> 00:11:17,000 Saban is considered the Dean of college football over the last 176 00:11:17,000 --> 00:11:20,480 15 years. And he wrote a book and I read 177 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:25,480 the book because I like college football and I like, I like 178 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,960 leadership books. I like to how how men lead other 179 00:11:28,960 --> 00:11:32,400 men and, and things like that. I'm not an Alabama fan. 180 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:36,000 I'm a Tennessee fan. And you cannot be an Alabama fan 181 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,360 if you're a Tennessee fan. It's not allowed in the home. 182 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:41,960 It's not allowed. You cannot be. 183 00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:46,200 But you can be a respecter of Alabama football. 184 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:50,360 And I do respect what took place there over the years. 185 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,880 I didn't always like it, but I respected it. 186 00:11:54,760 --> 00:11:58,400 And so as I was reading the book, it is exactly what you'll 187 00:11:58,400 --> 00:12:00,640 hear. You would hear Nick Saban say 188 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:04,360 when he would stand on Tuesdays or Mondays before the press and 189 00:12:04,360 --> 00:12:08,520 he would begin to talk about the process of his football team. 190 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:12,200 And if you've ever heard Nick Saban say, he's talks about the 191 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:17,040 process, the process. And he has this whole formula. 192 00:12:17,040 --> 00:12:21,280 He has this whole thing of how he starts out on day one in this 193 00:12:21,360 --> 00:12:25,640 new football team because the old the the the seniors have 194 00:12:25,640 --> 00:12:29,440 graduated, the freshmen have come in and so now everybody's 195 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:33,880 moved up one peg and he starts on day one with the process that 196 00:12:33,920 --> 00:12:37,080 he wants to happen. Now, what is his ultimate goal 197 00:12:37,080 --> 00:12:40,680 in this process? The ultimate goal in the process 198 00:12:40,680 --> 00:12:44,840 that Nick Saban had for Alabama football was at the end of the 199 00:12:44,840 --> 00:12:47,320 year that they would win the national championship. 200 00:12:47,960 --> 00:12:50,680 That was the end goal of his process. 201 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:53,800 Then you could also go to a book like Moneyball. 202 00:12:54,880 --> 00:12:59,800 Moneyball was a famous book that was written in the early 2000s, 203 00:12:59,800 --> 00:13:05,160 late 1990s, a movie was made about analytics and baseball and 204 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:10,520 how that how that we are to take the analytics of baseball and 205 00:13:10,520 --> 00:13:15,400 the quadrant, the quadrants of the strike zone and when to run 206 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,600 and when not to run and when to bun and when not to bun. 207 00:13:18,600 --> 00:13:21,440 And and and and now they've come to the place where they got 208 00:13:21,440 --> 00:13:24,920 trajectory and hit up on the ball and that all this kind of 209 00:13:24,920 --> 00:13:26,480 stuff. And you know what they called 210 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:29,080 it? You know what you a process, if 211 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,760 you can follow this process, we believe that it will make help 212 00:13:32,760 --> 00:13:36,280 us to win more games than we did last year. 213 00:13:36,280 --> 00:13:40,720 Now I said that to say this giving has a process. 214 00:13:41,200 --> 00:13:45,440 There's an end result of that process if people give with the 215 00:13:45,440 --> 00:13:49,240 right kind of motive and the right kind of heart. 216 00:13:49,240 --> 00:13:52,920 Now just as historical prospect, I think I said this called I've 217 00:13:52,920 --> 00:13:56,360 only been a member of three churches, The church I was saved 218 00:13:56,360 --> 00:13:59,400 in while I was in the military and the two churches that I've 219 00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:05,320 pastored for the last 36 years. The church at at Nam Noster 220 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:08,040 called Calvary Baptist Church close to 12 years. 221 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,720 And now just was able to celebrate my 25th anniversary, 222 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:15,520 which is unbelievably how fast that has gone by 25 years. 223 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:17,240 Now here's what I want to tell you about both of those 224 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,960 churches. Both of those churches were led 225 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:23,880 in faith promise, mission giving. 226 00:14:24,680 --> 00:14:28,360 I led the church in Knob Noster, which really didn't have a big 227 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:31,880 faith promise. I continued that process of 228 00:14:31,880 --> 00:14:35,200 faith promise when I went to when I went to Bream Baptist 229 00:14:35,200 --> 00:14:38,760 Church in October of 2000. Now let me tell you about those 230 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:40,760 churches. They're not perfect, neither one 231 00:14:40,760 --> 00:14:43,160 of them, but they've been blessed by God. 232 00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:47,280 And let me tell you why they've been blessed by God is because 233 00:14:47,280 --> 00:14:50,720 of their attitude in giving towards missions. 234 00:14:51,240 --> 00:14:53,400 Now, we as a church, just listen to this. 235 00:14:53,400 --> 00:14:56,080 Now I'm going to talk about Bream Baptist Church for just a 236 00:14:56,080 --> 00:14:59,600 second. We've started 34 churches in 237 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:02,080 America. I'm not even talking about the 238 00:15:02,080 --> 00:15:06,120 churches that have been started out of our church as far as 239 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:09,800 missions in the foreign field. We've got church plants. 240 00:15:09,800 --> 00:15:13,560 We have, we have like 45 or 50 churches in El Salvador. 241 00:15:14,440 --> 00:15:16,760 That was started by one man with one church. 242 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,040 And then that church started another church and that started 243 00:15:19,040 --> 00:15:21,320 another church. They had a Bible institute and 244 00:15:21,320 --> 00:15:25,240 men went out from that church. And then the civil war in El 245 00:15:25,240 --> 00:15:29,360 Salvador came and our missionary had to leave El Salvador, his, 246 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:32,200 his, his family with gunfire going all the way. 247 00:15:32,400 --> 00:15:37,560 He went down to southern Mexico, Kumtani Row in that area there, 248 00:15:37,760 --> 00:15:41,160 and he started with, he got a man got saved. 249 00:15:41,160 --> 00:15:45,040 They started with one church and then he had a Bible institute 250 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:46,400 and people started getting saved. 251 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,800 Men started calling the preach. And we probably got 30 churches 252 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,840 in Mexico. And then we could go to, we 253 00:15:53,840 --> 00:15:58,160 could go to Germany, Jim Garrison, we could go to Canada, 254 00:15:58,160 --> 00:16:03,360 Larry Harrison, Yukon Territory, we could go to Albania, King, we 255 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:05,760 can go to Australia where we started three churches in 256 00:16:05,760 --> 00:16:09,040 Australia with several missionaries that I trained, a 257 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:12,400 couple from Calvary Baptist up there, Bruce Carr. 258 00:16:13,440 --> 00:16:16,680 Then Butch Schrope is over there out of our church, Mike Meredith 259 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:19,320 out of our church. And so I'm not, I'm just saying 260 00:16:19,360 --> 00:16:21,880 in America, we've started 34 churches. 261 00:16:22,880 --> 00:16:27,600 We're in the process right now of talking about the 35th church 262 00:16:27,600 --> 00:16:30,200 plant. Our 34th is brother Shane 263 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:33,880 Mallard, and y'all support him. That's our 34th church plant. 264 00:16:33,880 --> 00:16:35,800 Shane's doing a great job down there. 265 00:16:36,200 --> 00:16:38,920 It's a blessing. We have another young man in our 266 00:16:38,920 --> 00:16:41,920 church that we believe is getting ready to go out and 267 00:16:41,920 --> 00:16:46,280 start our 35th church. Now, what does that take to do 268 00:16:46,280 --> 00:16:49,840 that? Number one, it takes a man who 269 00:16:49,840 --> 00:16:56,480 has a burden to go somewhere #2 it takes a stick to itiveness to 270 00:16:56,480 --> 00:17:01,600 go there and it and that's it. That's all it takes. 271 00:17:02,080 --> 00:17:05,599 And it takes a church helping them to go to that place. 272 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:10,280 So really what it means though, as far as a church, listen to 273 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:13,599 this. For a church, it means that you 274 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:19,160 must be willing to give up your best, the best people in your 275 00:17:19,160 --> 00:17:22,160 church to go out and start churches. 276 00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:27,359 We're not trying to build a Kingdom at Berean Baptist 277 00:17:27,359 --> 00:17:29,240 Church. We're trying to build the 278 00:17:29,240 --> 00:17:33,040 Kingdom of God. And, and, and every church 279 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:36,080 should be a part of building the Kingdom of God. 280 00:17:36,600 --> 00:17:38,400 Now that's a good time to say Amen right there. 281 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:43,040 So our church has been willing not only to give money, but to 282 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:45,680 give our people to go out and plant churches. 283 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:49,960 Now remember what we learned on Monday, not Monday night, 284 00:17:49,960 --> 00:17:52,960 Wednesday night, that we're always going to owe a debt, 285 00:17:52,960 --> 00:17:54,440 right? There's always going to be a 286 00:17:54,440 --> 00:17:57,920 debt that we owe. Even if you have a home that's 287 00:17:57,920 --> 00:18:02,280 debt free, you still owe taxes, You still owe insurance, monthly 288 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:04,720 electricity. And and here's what is amazing. 289 00:18:04,720 --> 00:18:11,200 Nobody pulls up to the gas pump because if they take that thing 290 00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:14,320 off and stick it in there and start taking get putting the gas 291 00:18:14,320 --> 00:18:16,920 in it, nobody yells at the gas pump. 292 00:18:17,720 --> 00:18:20,000 And says, I can't believe you're, you're charging me this 293 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:21,920 much. You know what they do? 294 00:18:21,920 --> 00:18:24,360 They pay it because they want to drive. 295 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:27,720 Remember, several years ago we had a gas shortage. 296 00:18:27,760 --> 00:18:29,360 Things were getting a little tight. 297 00:18:29,360 --> 00:18:33,280 Gas prices were moving up. And I stood up one day in church 298 00:18:33,280 --> 00:18:34,920 and I said, let me tell you what's going to happen. 299 00:18:35,320 --> 00:18:38,720 I said, you know what's going to happen if gas goes to $6 a 300 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:40,720 gallon? And they all sitting on their 301 00:18:40,720 --> 00:18:42,880 edge of the seat. Oh, Pastor Abel's has got great 302 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:44,560 wisdom. You know, he's going to give us 303 00:18:44,560 --> 00:18:46,800 something good. I said, here's going to come. 304 00:18:46,840 --> 00:18:50,440 Here's what's going to happen. If gas goes to $6 a gallon, 305 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:56,840 you're going to pay it because Americans love their cars and 306 00:18:56,840 --> 00:18:59,840 they love to get to wherever they need to go, and they'd have 307 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:01,840 to drive to work. Is everybody understanding what 308 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:04,800 I'm saying? You you pay money for the 309 00:19:04,800 --> 00:19:06,360 things. That you like. 310 00:19:07,320 --> 00:19:10,560 And nobody says I can't believe they sent me another insurance 311 00:19:10,560 --> 00:19:12,840 bill. I can't believe they sent me 312 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:15,600 another electricity bill. I can't believe they sent me 313 00:19:15,600 --> 00:19:19,040 another tax bill. This is, this is November and I 314 00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:23,280 just got my, I got my taxes in, in, in an e-mail. 315 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:24,440 They don't want to send it to you in the mail. 316 00:19:24,440 --> 00:19:25,840 They want to make sure you get it right away. 317 00:19:27,240 --> 00:19:28,360 And I'm like, I'm not going to pay. 318 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,040 You know what? I pay my taxes the last day of 319 00:19:31,040 --> 00:19:34,040 the year. That's when I pay mine because I 320 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:35,320 want to keep it as long as I can. 321 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:39,960 But the debt to the gospel also needs to be paid. 322 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,760 And when you as an individual gives and as a church 323 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:48,280 corporately gives, God's got a process that he wants to. 324 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,640 Talk to you about. God has a process that He wants 325 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:55,600 you to follow so that you can give honor and glory to God by 326 00:19:55,600 --> 00:19:58,480 sending the gospel all over the world. 327 00:19:58,480 --> 00:20:00,760 And we do that through our faith, promise, mission, giving. 328 00:20:00,760 --> 00:20:03,680 So I think I've got three things here, maybe, maybe 4. 329 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:05,960 What does the process of giving look like? 330 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,360 All right, look at verse #1 I'm sorry. 331 00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:12,240 Look at verse #2 because I'm not going to go back to verse #1 for 332 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:16,480 I know the forewarnedness of your mind, for which I boast of 333 00:20:16,480 --> 00:20:21,360 you to them of Macedonia. That AKI was ready a year ago. 334 00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,160 Now notice what it knows, the next words here. 335 00:20:24,680 --> 00:20:28,360 Your zeal has provoked very many. 336 00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:32,040 So the first thing that giving does is it provokes other 337 00:20:32,040 --> 00:20:35,080 people. It provokes other people to 338 00:20:35,080 --> 00:20:37,080 give. Now, we don't do this in our 339 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,800 church, and I know some churches do, and we used to do it back in 340 00:20:40,800 --> 00:20:42,760 the early days. We might have done this at 341 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,400 Calvary, I can't remember, but we did it in the early days at 342 00:20:46,400 --> 00:20:48,320 Berean. And I can't do it anymore 343 00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:51,240 because half the people don't turn in their faith promise 344 00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:53,360 mission cards till the, till the end of the month. 345 00:20:53,360 --> 00:20:55,680 I say, well, you got the whole month to do it. 346 00:20:55,680 --> 00:20:57,920 And so they're like me paying my taxes. 347 00:20:57,920 --> 00:20:59,280 They don't do it till the last Sunday. 348 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,360 But we, but I remember early we would, we would set up the 349 00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:06,200 projector, you know, and we'd have somebody over there on the 350 00:21:06,360 --> 00:21:10,040 calculator and, and we would look at the, we would look at 351 00:21:10,040 --> 00:21:12,360 the first one and we'd say 20. Dollars. 352 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,800 They put the $20 up there and then somebody would say 150 and 353 00:21:17,800 --> 00:21:20,760 we have people in our church that give $150.00 a week and 354 00:21:20,760 --> 00:21:23,760 they'd. Put it up there and then and, 355 00:21:23,760 --> 00:21:27,520 and so everybody that is sitting there and listening that 356 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:32,960 somebody that gives $20 or like somebody gives $40 and it 357 00:21:32,960 --> 00:21:35,560 provokes them. You mean there's somebody in our 358 00:21:35,560 --> 00:21:42,240 church that gives $150.00 a week and then somebody might say $300 359 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:47,120 and you go, are you serious? And I say yes. 360 00:21:48,160 --> 00:21:51,160 And, and when you, when that process begins to take place and 361 00:21:51,160 --> 00:21:55,920 people begin to see and nobody, we don't put no name on it, but 362 00:21:55,920 --> 00:22:01,080 it's just a process of it provokes other people based on 363 00:22:01,080 --> 00:22:04,520 what they're giving and they have to think about what they're 364 00:22:04,520 --> 00:22:08,960 giving. And so, so the process takes 365 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:14,080 place just like when Paul came to Corinth and preached to them, 366 00:22:14,120 --> 00:22:17,320 you owe a debt. They said, hi, we're excited 367 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:20,400 about it. And Paul goes down to Macedonia 368 00:22:20,400 --> 00:22:24,760 and tells these churches about the forewarnedness of of 369 00:22:24,840 --> 00:22:27,360 Corinth. And they go, yes, we want to be 370 00:22:27,360 --> 00:22:29,840 on board too, even though they didn't have a lot of money. 371 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:32,760 Remember what it was said about Macedonia? 372 00:22:33,000 --> 00:22:36,680 It said things like great trial of affliction, deep poverty 373 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,800 abounded. And that's the kind of churches 374 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:42,240 that were in Macedonia. You know, every pastor that I've 375 00:22:42,240 --> 00:22:46,760 ever known love loves Hebrews. 10/25. 376 00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:51,720 Every preacher can quote Hebrews. 1025 and they're like 377 00:22:52,240 --> 00:22:55,120 not forsaking the assembling is ours of ourselves together as 378 00:22:55,120 --> 00:22:57,920 the manner of some is that's how much the boys you see today 379 00:22:57,920 --> 00:22:59,240 approaching. And you know, that's in the 380 00:22:59,240 --> 00:23:01,080 Bible, and you know what that means? 381 00:23:01,360 --> 00:23:05,240 That means God's people should assemble themselves, and they 382 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:07,120 should. And you can't assemble unless 383 00:23:07,120 --> 00:23:09,720 you all come together. And what the preacher's trying 384 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:12,920 to say is come to church, be in your place. 385 00:23:13,280 --> 00:23:17,600 But I want you to listen to the verses before Hebrews 10/25. 386 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,200 I want you to listen verses 21 through 24. 387 00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,080 Here's what it says. And having a high priest over 388 00:23:23,080 --> 00:23:26,080 the House of God. Let us draw near with a true 389 00:23:26,080 --> 00:23:28,360 heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts 390 00:23:28,360 --> 00:23:31,160 sprinkle from an evil conscience, and our bodies 391 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,600 washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession 392 00:23:34,600 --> 00:23:38,240 of our faith without wavering, for He is faithful that 393 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:39,720 promised. And then look at this. 394 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,560 This is what I want you to see. And let us consider one another 395 00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:47,880 to provoke under love and the good works. 396 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,040 Then it says, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves 397 00:23:52,040 --> 00:23:55,440 together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, 398 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:58,120 and so much the more as you see the day approaching. 399 00:23:58,120 --> 00:24:01,400 Did you notice there it says that God wants us to provoke 400 00:24:01,400 --> 00:24:04,880 unto love and to good works among the brethren. 401 00:24:05,480 --> 00:24:10,600 So in a church listen, I always say this, if we have some, some 402 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,920 something that happens in service that maybe was out of 403 00:24:13,920 --> 00:24:19,000 the ordinary, like somebody got saved or the invitation went way 404 00:24:19,000 --> 00:24:23,280 longer than it normally does or something, or the music was just 405 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,360 over the top, which it is at Bren. 406 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:28,640 It blows my mind. Or the little kids sing and 407 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:30,920 they're like and one of them picked their nose while they 408 00:24:30,920 --> 00:24:33,960 were singing. Do you don't want to miss? 409 00:24:33,960 --> 00:24:38,240 That, but you'll miss that if you're not at church. 410 00:24:39,040 --> 00:24:41,920 So I'll always say, well, if somebody ain't here tonight, go 411 00:24:41,920 --> 00:24:43,960 home and tell them what they missed or go call them on the 412 00:24:43,960 --> 00:24:45,120 weeks. I know you should have been 413 00:24:45,120 --> 00:24:46,880 there. And then most of them today, I 414 00:24:46,880 --> 00:24:48,880 say. Well, we saw it on live stream 415 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,040 preacher. It ain't the same. 416 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:54,960 As being there. And here's what I want to say 417 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,480 about this. I kind of like the idea of 418 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,880 considering one another because that's what Paul had done as he 419 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:04,760 had played the two churches of the Macedonian churches. 420 00:25:05,040 --> 00:25:09,000 The zeal of the Macedonia, the the zeal of the Corinth 421 00:25:09,560 --> 00:25:13,560 excitement had had had got the Macedonian churches fired up, 422 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,200 and now Paul is trying to turn that around and tell the church 423 00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:20,040 in court what Macedonia is doing. 424 00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:21,520 What is he doing? What is he doing? 425 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:24,760 He's doing the process of giving, and that is that it 426 00:25:24,760 --> 00:25:27,960 provokes other people. There's nothing wrong with 427 00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:31,720 asking people to give by faith and then you in turn promise to 428 00:25:31,720 --> 00:25:34,480 do that again. He didn't tell them how much to 429 00:25:34,480 --> 00:25:36,640 give, but rather to give what they had promised. 430 00:25:37,200 --> 00:25:41,280 And in verse three of our text tonight he says this, Don't let 431 00:25:41,280 --> 00:25:46,480 my boasting of you be in vain because I boasted of your 432 00:25:46,480 --> 00:25:50,040 excitement. And Paul said, don't let my 433 00:25:50,040 --> 00:25:53,200 boasting of you be in vain. The greatest motivation in 434 00:25:53,200 --> 00:25:57,080 giving is that it pleased the Lord not to be seen of men in 435 00:25:57,080 --> 00:25:59,360 the 1st place now. I'm going to go through this 436 00:25:59,360 --> 00:26:00,880 process right now. I'm going to do this. 437 00:26:00,880 --> 00:26:02,520 I want you to listen to me and I'll tell you what I'm doing 438 00:26:02,520 --> 00:26:06,160 when I get to the end. In 1969, and I've gone back and 439 00:26:06,160 --> 00:26:07,880 looked the records of bringing Baptist Church. 440 00:26:08,440 --> 00:26:12,600 Our church was started in 1966. Next year in May, we will 441 00:26:12,600 --> 00:26:14,840 celebrate our 60th year anniversary. 442 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,640 And so we were a church for three years before we started 443 00:26:18,640 --> 00:26:21,120 Faith Promise. Before that, we were. 444 00:26:21,240 --> 00:26:23,720 A lot a light, a lot like a lot of. 445 00:26:23,720 --> 00:26:26,200 Churches. And that day they would give 446 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:30,400 percentages of their general fund to admissions. 447 00:26:30,680 --> 00:26:33,720 And it was always a small, small amount compared to what you can 448 00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:39,640 do for the Faith Promise. So in 1969, if you were alive, 449 00:26:39,640 --> 00:26:44,320 if you weren't, well, OK, I was nine years old in 1969, Church, 450 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,240 our church was three years old. Our first year of Faith Promise, 451 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:49,480 we gave listen to this, listen to this, listen, listen, Linda, 452 00:26:49,480 --> 00:26:56,800 listen $1050. That is $20 a week. 453 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,680 That's what our church gave. 1969. 454 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,040 Now I'm not going to go through the whole process but in 1995 455 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:09,360 I'll just Fast forward to 1995. We gave $68,000 which is about 456 00:27:09,360 --> 00:27:14,080 $1300 per week. In the year 2000 of October I 457 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:20,280 became the pastor and our church had given $88,000 to missions 458 00:27:20,880 --> 00:27:25,400 which was about $1700 a week. Now let me say this, the church 459 00:27:25,400 --> 00:27:29,320 that I had just left in Knob Nostir gave over 70,000. 460 00:27:29,920 --> 00:27:33,920 So when you compare the 2 sizes of the church, the church in Nam 461 00:27:33,920 --> 00:27:37,640 Noster was giving way more in proportion to the church at 462 00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:40,960 Bream Baptist Church. And I saw this and it fired me 463 00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:42,120 up. I'm like what's wrong with these 464 00:27:42,120 --> 00:27:45,600 people? So I came up with this plan and 465 00:27:45,600 --> 00:27:47,680 I got there in October. We're going to have our faith 466 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:50,720 promise our we always have ours in April, usually the first or 467 00:27:50,720 --> 00:27:53,640 second week of April. And I stood up before the church 468 00:27:53,640 --> 00:27:55,960 and I said, hey, listen, we're going to have a special guest 469 00:27:55,960 --> 00:27:58,400 preacher. It's going to be here for our 470 00:27:58,400 --> 00:28:00,840 faith, My Faith Promise mission Conference. 471 00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,720 You need to give, give. He needs a good love offering. 472 00:28:04,440 --> 00:28:06,640 I said, we got to have these missionaries and they're like, 473 00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:08,920 oh, who's it going to be? Who's the 1st? 474 00:28:09,080 --> 00:28:13,120 Who's brother Abel's bringing in to be the first missions 475 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:15,960 conference preacher? And I told him who it was. 476 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:20,960 It was me because God kind of laid on my heart. 477 00:28:21,360 --> 00:28:23,320 Why don't you preach the first mission conference? 478 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:26,920 Why don't you lay your burden out for the church and son, I 479 00:28:26,920 --> 00:28:29,880 was not easy on them. I've never been easy on anybody. 480 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,640 Have I had it? No, I'm not easy on anybody. 481 00:28:33,560 --> 00:28:38,360 And I'm telling you, that year we went from 88,000 for the 482 00:28:38,360 --> 00:28:41,960 first time in the history of our church in 2001. 483 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:48,600 A hundred over $100,000 for the first time, $131,000 is what we 484 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,960 gave in 2001. That's $2500 per week. 485 00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:58,240 Now, for the last 10 years at Bryn, we've given over $300,000 486 00:28:58,240 --> 00:29:01,960 per year. Last year we gave just a little 487 00:29:01,960 --> 00:29:09,120 bit over $307,000 and we've given as much as $320,000. 488 00:29:09,880 --> 00:29:14,120 It's over $6000 a week now. Here's what I just did. 489 00:29:15,280 --> 00:29:17,840 I tried the best that I could just to provoke you. 490 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:23,840 To think about, think about it because. 491 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:27,240 Collectively we're exhorted to give look at verse 5. 492 00:29:27,920 --> 00:29:31,280 Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren that they 493 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:36,760 would go before funded you and make up before your bounty where 494 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,560 of you had noticed before, and the same might be ready as a 495 00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:41,560 matter of bounty and not of covetousness. 496 00:29:42,200 --> 00:29:44,720 Did you notice that word bounty in there is used twice? 497 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:46,800 You know what a bounty is. You ever watch the Western and 498 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:50,240 they have a bounty on somebody and they'll have the little or 499 00:29:50,240 --> 00:29:53,320 the cartoon that has a little thing, $500 bounty. 500 00:29:53,320 --> 00:29:58,040 Do you know $500 like in 1882 was a lot of money. 501 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,320 So when he uses the word bounty, you know what he's doing. 502 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:05,920 He's using a term of generosity. We're not talking about tipping 503 00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:08,800 tithing. We're talking about a good 504 00:30:08,800 --> 00:30:12,200 offering. And and so the idea is that 505 00:30:12,200 --> 00:30:16,640 bounty equals a generous gift because Westerns and bounty 100 506 00:30:16,640 --> 00:30:20,720 means a generous reward. And Paul is exhorting no 507 00:30:20,720 --> 00:30:24,520 pressure, but rather says, let your generosity be a matter of 508 00:30:24,520 --> 00:30:28,240 bounty and not something squeezed out of you. 509 00:30:28,840 --> 00:30:30,840 Meaning is a matter of covetousness. 510 00:30:31,440 --> 00:30:34,080 So #1 giving will provoke others. 511 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:38,080 Here's the second thing that giving does. 512 00:30:39,120 --> 00:30:43,200 Giving will make provision for the one who gives. 513 00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:49,080 Giving will make provision for the one who gives. 514 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:51,800 All right, look at what it says in verse 6. 515 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,240 But this I say, now here's what he's saying. 516 00:30:55,240 --> 00:30:59,520 Here's the provision. If you sow sparingly, you shall 517 00:30:59,520 --> 00:31:03,280 also spare, you shall reap also sparingly. 518 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:07,760 If you sow bountifully, you shall also reap bountifully. 519 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:11,560 Every man as he is, according according as he has purpose in 520 00:31:11,560 --> 00:31:15,200 his heart. So let him give, not grudgingly 521 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:21,000 or of necessity, but God is a but God loves a loveth, A 522 00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,960 cheerful giver. You know, last night we saw this 523 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:29,520 over in verse #8 of chapter 8 where Paul said, if you want to 524 00:31:29,520 --> 00:31:33,560 prove the sincerity of your love, my advice is that this 525 00:31:33,560 --> 00:31:36,200 will be profitable for you. Well, this is kind of the same 526 00:31:36,200 --> 00:31:39,120 idea. He says he said over in chapter 527 00:31:39,120 --> 00:31:40,360 8. He said, I want to give you my 528 00:31:40,360 --> 00:31:44,680 advice and remember what we said last night, even though Paul is 529 00:31:44,680 --> 00:31:48,080 writing, I want to give you my advice that this is under the 530 00:31:48,080 --> 00:31:50,320 inspiration of the Holy Ghost of God. 531 00:31:50,560 --> 00:31:55,160 And so it's not just Paul giving advice, it's God giving advice. 532 00:31:55,520 --> 00:31:57,960 And God says, let me give you some advice about giving. 533 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:01,480 It's expedient for you. It's profitable for you here. 534 00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:04,400 Paul says it will make provision for you. 535 00:32:04,560 --> 00:32:08,720 In other words, if you sow a little bit of seed, you're going 536 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:13,080 to get a little bit of grass. If you sow a lot of seed, you're 537 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:17,280 going to get a lot of grass. And what he's saying is we reap 538 00:32:17,760 --> 00:32:22,200 by the measure we sow and we reap as we sow with the right 539 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:24,000 attitude. That's what he meant by verse 540 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,600 number 7. And our giving must come from 541 00:32:26,600 --> 00:32:30,720 the heart because we're not to be sad givers, which is 542 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:34,080 grudgingly. We're not to be mad givers, 543 00:32:34,400 --> 00:32:38,640 which is of necessity. We're to be glad givers because 544 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:42,280 that's cheerful giving and the word, you know, many people know 545 00:32:42,280 --> 00:32:45,760 this, but the Greek word where we get cheerful giving is the 546 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:52,920 word hilarious. So it means when we give, we 547 00:32:52,920 --> 00:32:55,400 should laugh about it. It's hilarious. 548 00:32:56,360 --> 00:33:00,920 It's hilarious that you can give 10% a tithe and God can do can 549 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,240 help you with 90% of your income better than 100%. 550 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:07,840 That's funny. That's what your coworkers 551 00:33:07,840 --> 00:33:10,560 think. But it's even more hilarious if 552 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:17,080 you go past the tithe and you give generous offerings because 553 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:20,480 that's cheerful giving. I don't like mad givers and I 554 00:33:20,480 --> 00:33:27,680 don't like sad givers. I like glad givers you know I am 555 00:33:27,680 --> 00:33:30,040 not a fan of. Trees, and you may love trees 556 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:35,240 and I'm not listen, I don't like trees, I like grass. 557 00:33:36,400 --> 00:33:41,680 I'm one of those guys that say, hey, stay off my lawn, You know 558 00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:42,920 what I'm saying? Get off my lawn. 559 00:33:43,840 --> 00:33:48,080 Can you not see that? I've lined it and fertilized it 560 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:50,840 and watered it. Greatest thing I told my wife, 561 00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,280 man, I used to water grass, water grass, water grass. 562 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:57,280 We built a house in 2019. It's got a water system in it. 563 00:34:00,280 --> 00:34:02,120 I love standing out there watching that. 564 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,440 Goes off at 6:00 in the morning 3. 565 00:34:04,440 --> 00:34:06,640 Days a week. Plus, I turn it off, which I 566 00:34:06,640 --> 00:34:10,880 usually don't because I want my grass to be beautiful. 567 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:15,000 I want to walk in my bare feet through the grass. 568 00:34:15,440 --> 00:34:19,320 I don't want no dog doing its business on my grass. 569 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:25,760 I don't want no cat on my grass. I want grass. 570 00:34:26,440 --> 00:34:28,280 And you know what happens if you have trees? 571 00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:30,239 It too much shade. You can't get the grass. 572 00:34:30,239 --> 00:34:32,520 I got one. I got one tree in my front yard 573 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:35,400 and it's beautiful and I talk to it all the time. 574 00:34:35,400 --> 00:34:37,800 If you ever shade out my grass, you're going down. 575 00:34:39,880 --> 00:34:43,600 Well, the first house we bought when we moved to Springfield had 576 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:46,520 27 trees. I was mad the day I bought the 577 00:34:46,520 --> 00:34:49,520 house. I was mad but. 578 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:53,360 But we had gone through so many houses and I was trying hard to 579 00:34:53,360 --> 00:34:55,800 find a house. We finally found this house. 580 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,560 We were able to purchase it, but it had 27 trees. 581 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:03,200 That's ridiculous. So I came up with a plan. 582 00:35:03,360 --> 00:35:09,000 It's called a chainsaw and I was going to take down these trees 583 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,240 and I was going to take down these trees and I kept some over 584 00:35:11,240 --> 00:35:13,320 the shade of the house and different things like that. 585 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:16,080 But that y'all had this beautiful yard but you couldn't 586 00:35:16,080 --> 00:35:20,320 grow anything in it. So I started cutting trees down, 587 00:35:20,320 --> 00:35:23,640 cutting trees down, cutting this lady next door to me, she, she 588 00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:28,880 had one of these porches that came out kind of look down upon, 589 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:31,120 you know, where we were at. And one day. 590 00:35:31,320 --> 00:35:33,160 Don't you love people who ask you things like this? 591 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,560 What are you doing? I hate. 592 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:39,800 I can't stand stupid, you know what I'm saying? 593 00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:46,720 It just annoys me if you're cutting down trees and somebody 594 00:35:46,720 --> 00:35:48,800 sees you cutting down trees. Why do they? 595 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:53,400 Ask you, what are you doing? And I said, I wanted to say, 596 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:54,680 what does it look like I'm doing? 597 00:35:55,760 --> 00:35:57,960 I'm cutting down trees. She goes, you can't do that. 598 00:35:59,800 --> 00:36:03,920 I said, excuse me, She goes, those trees are beautiful. 599 00:36:03,920 --> 00:36:07,560 You can't cut those down. I said, I own this property. 600 00:36:07,720 --> 00:36:10,120 This ain't China. I'll cut down every. 601 00:36:10,320 --> 00:36:13,000 I probably cut down more trees than I would have just because 602 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:16,560 of her attitude. So I cut down a few extra trees. 603 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:19,880 So I finally had these trees where the sun would actually 604 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,920 come down, and now all I got is dirt. 605 00:36:21,920 --> 00:36:25,160 So I go to a man in our church named Dan Fortner who knows 606 00:36:25,160 --> 00:36:27,520 everybody and everything about Springfield. 607 00:36:27,960 --> 00:36:29,920 I said, Dan, I'm getting ready to redo my yard. 608 00:36:29,920 --> 00:36:31,680 Where would you suggest that I get my seed? 609 00:36:31,680 --> 00:36:33,720 And he goes, go down the Nixa hardware. 610 00:36:33,720 --> 00:36:36,680 They have 27 grain. They have 20 to 7 different 611 00:36:36,680 --> 00:36:40,000 kinds of grass seed. I didn't even know that existed. 612 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,000 So I go down there, I had my square footage. 613 00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:46,760 I had my little piece of paper. I went into the the grass 614 00:36:46,760 --> 00:36:49,360 ologist guy. You know, the guy knows grass. 615 00:36:49,360 --> 00:36:53,360 Ologist says the guy knows all about grass or Umunovics. 616 00:36:53,400 --> 00:36:56,200 I don't know what you call them. The guy that knows about grass, 617 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:59,800 I told him my grass seed story. I told him how much I had and 618 00:37:00,240 --> 00:37:03,040 and he said I said how much do I need whatever and I can't 619 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:05,400 remember. I think it was like he said I 620 00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:09,760 need like 8 lbs, let's just use that and whatever he said. 621 00:37:09,760 --> 00:37:14,520 I said well give me £20 and the guy look at me and he said well 622 00:37:14,520 --> 00:37:17,840 Sir, you don't need 20 lbs. I said are you trying to sell 623 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:21,520 grass seed or not? Had you'd rather sell 8 lbs of 624 00:37:21,520 --> 00:37:24,960 grass seed? Or you'd rather spend spend. 625 00:37:25,040 --> 00:37:27,960 Or you'd rather sell 20 lbs of grass seed and he's. 626 00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,200 Like, Oh well, what a goober. OK, I'll sell you 20 lbs, he 627 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:35,200 said, why would you do 20 lbs? I said the biblical principle, 628 00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:40,960 if you sow bountifully, ye shall also reap bountifully. 629 00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:46,800 And I'm telling you right now, I sowed that seed, put that hay on 630 00:37:46,800 --> 00:37:52,960 top of it. I might have shot a squirrel, I 631 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:54,800 might have thrown a rock at a bird. 632 00:37:56,640 --> 00:37:59,360 I might have run a cat off of my property. 633 00:38:00,120 --> 00:38:01,080 I can't. I can't. 634 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:06,600 I'm not going to incriminate myself, but I so grassy. 635 00:38:07,160 --> 00:38:08,760 Does anybody want to guess about what I got? 636 00:38:09,880 --> 00:38:12,600 Grass. Thick grass. 637 00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:16,880 The kind you can walk through and fertilize. 638 00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:20,360 And when I sold that house? Prettiest yard in the 639 00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:22,160 neighborhood, bar none. Do you have? 640 00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:23,720 The prettiest yard in your neighborhood now? 641 00:38:23,720 --> 00:38:26,560 Well, of course I do. And if you don't believe me, 642 00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:31,040 come look at my grass. He that soweth bountifully shall 643 00:38:31,040 --> 00:38:39,160 also reap bountifully, God says. That if you give correctly, it 644 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:44,640 will make provision for you. We money is seed, that's all it 645 00:38:44,640 --> 00:38:47,800 is. The more you sow, the more you 646 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:51,800 reap, and used wisely, it will bring a great harvest. 647 00:38:52,600 --> 00:38:56,320 And basically we're just channels through whom God works 648 00:38:56,320 --> 00:38:58,040 to meet the need of other people. 649 00:38:58,840 --> 00:39:01,680 God, you know why God bless us? You know why God bless us? 650 00:39:02,240 --> 00:39:03,880 So that we can do it again next year. 651 00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:07,880 Look at verse 11 being enriched and everything to all 652 00:39:07,880 --> 00:39:11,760 bountifulness which causeth through US. 653 00:39:11,920 --> 00:39:14,880 Thanksgiving to God. Now here's the third thing. 654 00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:16,160 And I think I'll be done all right. 655 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:21,440 I think it's time to be done. This is the most obvious giving 656 00:39:21,440 --> 00:39:25,680 will provide the needs of others to whom you give to look at 657 00:39:25,680 --> 00:39:31,960 verse #12 for the administration of this service not only supply 658 00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:36,360 at the want of the Saints, but is abundant also by many 659 00:39:36,360 --> 00:39:39,160 Thanksgiving unto God. Did you see that the 660 00:39:39,160 --> 00:39:42,960 administration of this service or of this money or of this 661 00:39:42,960 --> 00:39:48,600 grace or of this offering supply not only supply at the want of 662 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:51,880 the Saints. So that means it does supply the 663 00:39:51,880 --> 00:39:56,840 want of the Saints, but there's also God who has many 664 00:39:56,840 --> 00:39:59,680 Thanksgivings. Now that's the most obvious of 665 00:39:59,680 --> 00:40:01,240 all. Well preacher, I would I could 666 00:40:01,240 --> 00:40:04,720 even told you that. Well, you're not preaching, but 667 00:40:04,720 --> 00:40:08,640 I'm going to tell you giving correctly provokes other people. 668 00:40:08,640 --> 00:40:12,040 Giving correctly makes provision for the giver, but giving 669 00:40:12,120 --> 00:40:14,800 correctly also meets the needs of the missionary. 670 00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:19,360 Or who we give to. And that's the most obvious of 671 00:40:19,360 --> 00:40:24,200 all this ministry, this service is not just about meeting the 672 00:40:24,200 --> 00:40:28,720 material needs of the Saints in Jerusalem, but it also leads to 673 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:32,160 many expressions of Thanksgiving to God. 674 00:40:32,160 --> 00:40:36,320 So Paul is saying this, this offering is not just a practical 675 00:40:36,320 --> 00:40:38,880 exercise. It is it has a spiritual 676 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,840 dimension to it. It elicits worship and 677 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:46,800 Thanksgiving to God from whom those who received the gift and 678 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:51,280 the Corinthians generosity had a Kingdom impact that goes beyond 679 00:40:51,280 --> 00:40:54,080 just meeting spiritual material needs. 680 00:40:54,720 --> 00:40:58,440 And the overall message is that the ministry of financial giving 681 00:40:58,840 --> 00:41:03,080 can produce both tangible and intangible spiritual blessings 682 00:41:03,320 --> 00:41:06,560 when done with the right motive. Well, of course it's going to 683 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:10,680 meet the need of the of the of the missionary, but it's not 684 00:41:10,680 --> 00:41:16,960 just that God's involved in it. So therefore giving is a part of 685 00:41:16,960 --> 00:41:19,680 our worship. I've had people say to me, well, 686 00:41:19,680 --> 00:41:21,040 giving's not part of your worship. 687 00:41:21,040 --> 00:41:23,440 Well, yeah, it is. Yes, it is. 688 00:41:24,520 --> 00:41:29,080 It's it's a part of our according to this, it's a part 689 00:41:29,320 --> 00:41:39,120 of many thanksgivings unto God. When we, I told you last night, 690 00:41:39,120 --> 00:41:41,600 I think it was when we were building the Knob church in Knob 691 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:45,640 Noster that, that church building, I think I look back on 692 00:41:45,640 --> 00:41:47,520 it and that's, that's how her dad got saved. 693 00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:50,800 If we hadn't been building that church building, I don't know 694 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:53,880 that we'd ever got Pat Rodriguez to come to that church. 695 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,720 But through that and the. Testimony of the men and the 696 00:41:57,720 --> 00:42:00,880 preaching of God's word and what I had church had done for their 697 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:03,080 family. Pat got saved. 698 00:42:04,600 --> 00:42:09,000 But while we were building that building, I, I think I told you 699 00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:11,120 this, I can't remember, but. We were getting. 700 00:42:11,120 --> 00:42:12,400 Yeah, I did. I said something about last 701 00:42:12,400 --> 00:42:14,080 night, we're getting ready to have our mission conference. 702 00:42:14,080 --> 00:42:17,280 And remember how Paul, he was kind of it, it seems like in 703 00:42:17,280 --> 00:42:20,880 chapter 8, he was, he was kind of apprehensive of trying to get 704 00:42:20,880 --> 00:42:23,600 the churches of Macedonia to help because he knew their 705 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:26,960 situation of poverty and and deep affliction. 706 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:29,320 He knew that. And he just maybe he kind of 707 00:42:29,320 --> 00:42:31,480 felt like, well, let's, let's let's be easy on him. 708 00:42:31,480 --> 00:42:34,000 And they said no, take we let us get involved. 709 00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:35,440 We want to be involved. We we know. 710 00:42:35,440 --> 00:42:39,120 What we're going through. So, So what during that same 711 00:42:39,120 --> 00:42:42,800 mission conference, one of our men, our dear men, Brother Sam 712 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,880 Varghese, who was the 1st man that I ever baptized as a 713 00:42:45,880 --> 00:42:49,960 pastor. I had I had baptized a few women 714 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:54,400 and a few teenagers, but brother Sam was the very first man that 715 00:42:54,400 --> 00:42:57,040 I ever baptized. And then I brought say he's in, 716 00:42:57,080 --> 00:43:00,080 he's in from India. Sam Varghese is an Indian from 717 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:02,000 India. I remember the first time I said 718 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:04,120 Indian giver. He used to he come to me and 719 00:43:04,120 --> 00:43:05,520 pass that pastor. I'm so confused. 720 00:43:05,520 --> 00:43:06,880 I don't understand what you mean by. 721 00:43:07,320 --> 00:43:09,200 And I was just talking about God's not an Indian giver. 722 00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:11,960 God don't take away what he gives you like in salvation. 723 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:16,040 And Sam who is AI was talking about the saying that we use but 724 00:43:16,040 --> 00:43:19,880 Sam is an Indian from India. He was totally confused. 725 00:43:19,880 --> 00:43:21,800 And I was like, Oh well, yeah, well, I guess I better be 726 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:23,960 careful how you talk about Indians. 727 00:43:23,960 --> 00:43:26,840 Indians, Indians lot. Not chief Indian but Indian over 728 00:43:26,840 --> 00:43:30,000 in India. So I did the best I could try to 729 00:43:30,000 --> 00:43:34,840 explain it to him, but. Brother Sam came into our home 730 00:43:34,880 --> 00:43:38,600 and before he ever got married, we brought him into our home and 731 00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:43,160 my wife taught him phonics because, you know, the accent of 732 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:47,320 an Indian, you know what I mean? You know. 733 00:43:48,800 --> 00:43:50,640 Well, that's the way he talks, brother, don't, don't get 734 00:43:50,640 --> 00:43:53,640 offended, all right? People from Haiti, they talk 735 00:43:53,640 --> 00:43:54,840 different too, you know what I'm saying? 736 00:43:56,440 --> 00:43:59,680 So my wife taught him phonics and I got 2 little kids sitting 737 00:43:59,680 --> 00:44:02,520 there, like 6 and seven years old, and she's teaching them 738 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:05,000 phonics and she's teaching Brother Sam phonics. 739 00:44:05,080 --> 00:44:08,360 And I taught Brother Sam what it meant to be a Baptist and I gave 740 00:44:08,360 --> 00:44:12,240 him Baptist history and Baptist doctrine and, and then I taught 741 00:44:12,240 --> 00:44:14,920 him about a football. Not this soccer stuff, you know, 742 00:44:14,920 --> 00:44:16,400 kicking that. That's not football. 743 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:18,080 You understand what I'm saying, son? 744 00:44:18,920 --> 00:44:22,640 Yeah, I'm talking about that oblong thing and football 1st 745 00:44:22,640 --> 00:44:23,880 and 10. Do it again. 746 00:44:24,360 --> 00:44:26,960 He had no idea, you know, and I taught him about football. 747 00:44:27,640 --> 00:44:30,200 I said, listen, my wife will teach you phonics. 748 00:44:30,880 --> 00:44:33,200 I'll teach you football and how to be a Baptist. 749 00:44:33,440 --> 00:44:37,680 And I can tell you right now he is a number one Baptist from the 750 00:44:37,680 --> 00:44:39,720 top of his head to the bottom of his toes. 751 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:45,040 And so, so during that mission conference that I told you about 752 00:44:45,040 --> 00:44:48,880 last night, on the Thursday night of the meeting, we 753 00:44:48,880 --> 00:44:51,000 Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Thursday night of the meeting, 754 00:44:51,640 --> 00:44:55,280 Brother Sam comes into my office and said, preacher, you got a 755 00:44:55,280 --> 00:44:56,280 minute? I said, sure. 756 00:44:57,120 --> 00:45:00,040 He said, and we're, we're in the middle of this building project. 757 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:03,480 We're right in the middle of it. And, and we would move into that 758 00:45:03,480 --> 00:45:05,560 building the next April. This is in September. 759 00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:06,800 So we're still in the old building. 760 00:45:07,280 --> 00:45:09,320 And he goes, preacher, I want to talk to you. 761 00:45:09,600 --> 00:45:13,680 I said, OK, he goes. I, he, people usually that know 762 00:45:13,680 --> 00:45:15,960 me already know what I'm going to tell them when they ask me 763 00:45:15,960 --> 00:45:18,400 something. But sometimes they just need to 764 00:45:18,400 --> 00:45:21,520 hear themselves say it so that I can reaffirm what they need to 765 00:45:21,520 --> 00:45:24,640 hear. And he said, and he was getting 766 00:45:24,640 --> 00:45:27,040 out of the military. He was right in the process of 767 00:45:27,040 --> 00:45:29,760 getting out of the military. And he said, preacher, he goes, 768 00:45:29,760 --> 00:45:31,720 I just want to talk to you for a minute. 769 00:45:31,720 --> 00:45:34,520 I said, OK. He said, I really feel like God 770 00:45:34,520 --> 00:45:39,320 wants me to give four times the amount of money right now that I 771 00:45:39,560 --> 00:45:42,080 that then I've given this year and he's getting ready to get 772 00:45:42,080 --> 00:45:45,400 out of the military. And I said, well, Brother Sam, I 773 00:45:45,520 --> 00:45:48,280 don't know what to tell you except just perform the doing of 774 00:45:48,280 --> 00:45:50,240 it if that's what God wants you to do. 775 00:45:50,240 --> 00:45:52,120 Kind of like I told you that story last night. 776 00:45:52,760 --> 00:45:54,880 Of that man, he said, I know. Will you pray with me about? 777 00:45:54,880 --> 00:45:56,760 It I said, sure. We got down on our knees right 778 00:45:56,760 --> 00:46:00,480 in my office and I laid my hands on Brother Sam and I said, God, 779 00:46:00,480 --> 00:46:03,440 whatever you're doing in Brother Sam's life, make it real to him. 780 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:06,760 Show him the truth, Show him what you want him to do and then 781 00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:08,440 help him perform the doing of it. 782 00:46:09,160 --> 00:46:11,280 And I said, Amen. We got up, we went to the 783 00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:13,680 meeting and I know I didn't think anything else about it. 784 00:46:14,320 --> 00:46:17,680 And next day or two, I asked Brother Sam. 785 00:46:17,680 --> 00:46:22,720 I said he went to a job conference, job fair and I asked 786 00:46:22,720 --> 00:46:25,480 him about thing, you know, and he said he told me he got a job. 787 00:46:25,880 --> 00:46:30,560 He said I got a job at UMB bank and I'm going to be a very low 788 00:46:30,560 --> 00:46:33,240 level tech guy. And this guy was he's so smart 789 00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:36,640 and it makes me cry how smart he is. 790 00:46:36,920 --> 00:46:38,960 I'm not that smart. I'm dumb as a rock. 791 00:46:38,960 --> 00:46:44,400 Anyhow, so, so one day how we do it on time. 792 00:46:44,400 --> 00:46:46,720 I I wasn't going to go past 8:30 and I'm not. 793 00:46:47,240 --> 00:46:52,440 So one day I needed the church van, the oil changed and Brother 794 00:46:52,440 --> 00:46:54,720 Sam was the secretary. He was the treasurer. 795 00:46:55,200 --> 00:47:00,200 So I went by his house and he was sitting in his room. 796 00:47:00,200 --> 00:47:02,920 He he lived him and his wife lived in A1 room house. 797 00:47:03,520 --> 00:47:06,240 I mean, when I say that they had a living room, a bedroom and a 798 00:47:06,240 --> 00:47:10,040 kitchen, that was it. It was real small, probably 700 799 00:47:10,040 --> 00:47:13,760 square feet, 600 square feet. And he's sitting in his in the 800 00:47:13,760 --> 00:47:16,000 middle room and he's got all these books around him. 801 00:47:16,600 --> 00:47:17,960 And I said, Brother Sam, what are you doing? 802 00:47:17,960 --> 00:47:19,880 I'm in his house needed a check sign. 803 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:22,480 We didn't have a we didn't, we didn't have a check. 804 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:25,920 We didn't have a credit card. We paid everything cash or 805 00:47:25,960 --> 00:47:27,800 check. I said, hey, I'm, I got to get 806 00:47:27,800 --> 00:47:30,080 the church van oil changed. And I said, he said, what are 807 00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:32,000 you doing? He said, well, there's a, 808 00:47:32,000 --> 00:47:34,280 there's a problem going on at the bank. 809 00:47:34,280 --> 00:47:38,080 It's a Microsoft problem. And he said they called me in 810 00:47:38,080 --> 00:47:42,280 and asked me if I could help. And he had all these books open 811 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:47,840 and within two days, Brother Sam figured out what needed to 812 00:47:47,840 --> 00:47:52,680 happen to fix the problem at the bank, at the UMB Bank, saved 813 00:47:52,680 --> 00:47:54,760 them thousands and thousands of dollars. 814 00:47:55,680 --> 00:47:59,000 And through that process, they sent him to Seattle. 815 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:01,520 And he became, you may not understand this, but back in the 816 00:48:01,520 --> 00:48:04,800 day they used to have what was called Microsoft engineers. 817 00:48:05,560 --> 00:48:09,480 And they sent him and he became a Microsoft engineer for UMB 818 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:12,080 Bank. And he tells me one day, a 819 00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:15,800 preacher, I got a raise. I said good because I know 820 00:48:15,800 --> 00:48:19,640 Brother Sam. He's a giver and if he he got a 821 00:48:19,640 --> 00:48:21,840 raise, that means more tie somebody say Amen. 822 00:48:22,440 --> 00:48:24,120 That's that. I'm just saying Amen. 823 00:48:24,800 --> 00:48:27,400 Now go one year later. Now listen to this one year 824 00:48:27,400 --> 00:48:30,000 later we're in the mission conference. 825 00:48:30,440 --> 00:48:32,680 But now. We're in the new building. 826 00:48:33,520 --> 00:48:37,680 Her dad got saved. We're in the new building and 827 00:48:37,680 --> 00:48:41,480 Brother Sam knocks on my door in my new office that I could look 828 00:48:41,480 --> 00:48:44,280 out and see the B2 bombers. He goes. 829 00:48:44,280 --> 00:48:46,760 Can I talk to your preacher? I said, yeah, He goes, you 830 00:48:46,760 --> 00:48:48,480 remember that conversation we had one. 831 00:48:48,480 --> 00:48:50,720 He comes to me on a Thursday night of mission coverage. 832 00:48:51,040 --> 00:48:54,320 He said, you remember that, that conversation we had one year 833 00:48:54,320 --> 00:48:55,400 ago? Not on Thursday night. 834 00:48:55,400 --> 00:48:58,920 And I'm looking at him like, no, because my wife can tell you I 835 00:48:58,920 --> 00:49:00,200 can't remember what I ate for breakfast. 836 00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:03,480 He goes, you know, I told you about what God was doing in my 837 00:49:03,480 --> 00:49:05,480 heart about mission. I said, oh, yeah, brother. 838 00:49:05,480 --> 00:49:06,720 Oh. Yeah, we prayed here and we 839 00:49:06,720 --> 00:49:08,720 prayed over the other office. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 840 00:49:09,320 --> 00:49:10,800 I said, how's that working out for you? 841 00:49:12,640 --> 00:49:16,640 And he said, Preacher, I got another race today. 842 00:49:18,240 --> 00:49:21,600 I got another race today. They called me in the office, he 843 00:49:21,600 --> 00:49:24,520 said. As of today, I am making four 844 00:49:24,520 --> 00:49:29,360 times the amount of money that I was making this time last year. 845 00:49:30,160 --> 00:49:33,040 And you know what I said to him, brother, you should have gave 10 846 00:49:33,040 --> 00:49:34,600 times more. What's wrong with you, you know? 847 00:49:36,880 --> 00:49:39,400 What giving does provokes others. 848 00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:43,840 You know what giving does makes provision for the giver. 849 00:49:43,840 --> 00:49:45,200 God said it. I didn't say it. 850 00:49:45,200 --> 00:49:48,000 God said it. I didn't say it, God said it. 851 00:49:48,760 --> 00:49:54,560 And #3 it provides for the needs of those we give to and and. 852 00:49:54,560 --> 00:49:56,120 Truly, it is more blessed to give. 853 00:49:57,200 --> 00:50:00,440 Than it is to receive. Thank you for listening to the 854 00:50:00,440 --> 00:50:03,040 sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church. 855 00:50:03,400 --> 00:50:06,680 If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we 856 00:50:06,680 --> 00:50:09,800 can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at 857 00:50:09,920 --> 00:50:14,680 info@mylibertybaptist.org. Or you can visit us this Sunday 858 00:50:14,880 --> 00:50:18,600 at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA. 859 00:50:18,840 --> 00:50:21,640 May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.