Giving - Week 3

Amen, if you got a Bible, we're gonna start. We're

gonna jump back in Matthew chapter twenty three like last week,

but we want to take a relatively deep dive but

quick dive today and finish up our series on giving.

I think that this is one.

Of the areas that a lot of people struggle, is

the area of giving, because it feels like, especially where

we live, that it is the most vital.

To us being able to make it.

How many of you have ever been in a place

where you had just a little bit of money and

you didn't feel like you were gonna make it, and

it stresses you out and you don't quite you know,

you just don't know how the ends are gonna meet,

and it becomes an overwhelming thought and it's hard to

shake and get past. And the enemy uses that and

he'll bring things into our lives. And it's easy when

we look at giving to look at it from a

very legalistic standpoint, and.

I don't want you to do that.

As a matter of fact, let's go ahead and talk

about legalism. Let's define legalism today. Legalism is the practice

of treating rule keeping as the basis of our relationship

with God.

Let me say that again.

You treat rule keeping as the basis for your relationship

with God, that's legalism. In other words, my whole relationship

with God is based on a certain set of dos

and don'ts. If that is our mindset and that is

the way we come to God, then that is not

a pure relationship with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It is based on every other relationship that we have

in our lives, only at a much deeper level. You know,

my life doesn't and I know that anybody that knows

me very well can testify to this. My wife does

not love me because I do everything right. I was

actually expected more laughter than that. I said, thank y'all

for respecting your pastor right that she doesn't love me

because I always get it right. You know that there's

a lot of times where holidays come around and I

don't know if I'm responsible for getting the gift or not.

Come on, somebody like I don't know if my wife

gets an Easter basket or not. My children are grown,

do I am I responsible for getting a Mother's Day

gift as well? On our anniversary? It's also my anniversary,

and I feel like I have been a blessing to her.

So some of y'all are like, you better just not

even go home today. But when we come to God

thinking that if I do all the right things and

I don't do the wrong things, God loves me more,

that is a perverted view of Jesus. Now, the pursuit

of holiness is something that we should absolutely chase after,

but that has nothing to do with the love that

God has for us. So understanding that context, we can

talk about giving. Because nowhere does giving effect your relationship

with Jesus. Let me say that again, giving does not

affect your relationship with Jesus, not one iota. Salvation is

a free gift, and the deeper we fall in love

with Jesus, the more we chase after the things that

He provides for us. Matthew chapter twenty three, Verse twenty

three says, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for

you pay tithe of mint and a niece and cuman,

and have neglected the weight of your matters of the law,

justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have

done without leaving the others undone blind guides who strain

out a gnat and swallow a camel. Let's pray, Father,

we thank you for your word. It's the only change

agent on the face of the planet.

And I pray God that you work and move like

only you can. Father.

I pray that you do miracles in us and through

us today, that we would see new dimensions of your

power and new depths of your holiness, that you would

captivate our hearts in Jesus'.

Name, Amen, Amen, and amen.

You know, I think a lot of times we look

at this and Jesus is saying, Hey, there are some

matters that are good for you, say me. And there

are some things that are good for others, say others.

And a lot of times what we want to do

is we want to make the biggest deal about the

things that are good for us and treat the things

that are good for others as less weightier issues, because,

after all, those people are not the main character in

the story, right, And we look at things and we

come to God in that context, and we always think

that God is more concerned with us than he is

other people, and needs you to get through this hard

part than we'll get into the good part. But God

is not more concerned with you than he is anybody else.

God is not more concerned. He doesn't care more or

less about you than he does any other part of creation.

He is passionately in love with his creation.

And we are all level at the foot of the cross,

every single one of us. But when we come to

God and we think that he owes us something special

because of who we are, or because of the way

we see the world, then the enemy gets involved and

he begins to tie our minds up, and he begins

to show us things in scripture that are not there.

Because the Gospel.

Scripture is the least selfish thing you will ever experience

in your life. After all, the premise of the Gospel

is give your life away. That's the whole premise of

the Gospel is to give your life away. But somehow,

in the modern church especially, we take the concept of

give your life away and somehow say.

This is about me getting what I want in the

time that I want it.

You know, the reality is is that God loves us

and will give to us, and he opens opportunities for

us and doors for us to walk through into the

systems that He has put in place. The systems that

God has put in place, Now does God work outside

of his systems. Yes, are there times where God just

does something because he's God. Certainly, how many times have

you seen God work just because he's God. God's done

things for me that I didn't deserve. God's done things

feels like to me. Come on, somebody that I know

I didn't deserve. I mean, when I compare myself to

the rest of y'all, I'm up there, I mean you know,

I mean, y'all are too serious today. Come on, now,

this is not the congregation that I usually preach to.

I don't know why y'all are uptight, but loosen up

a little bit.

If I take the best part of me and compare

it to the worst part of anybody in here.

I'm gonna be okay. Well, now, if I take the best.

Part of me and I compare it to the best

parts of you, I also understand that I am lacking,

and it brings humility and spiritual confidence all at the

same time. See, the reality is, even though legalism is

not about coming to God and performing for our relationship,

at the same thing, at the same time, our heart

is more impacted through obedience than sacrifice.

Our hearts are more impacted through obedience than they are

through sacrifice.

But for those outside the kingdom, obedience looks like sacrifice.

If you were not.

Inside the kingdom, obedience looks like sacrifice if somebody is

standing outside the kingdom and they don't understand the goodness

of God. For you to just simply be obedient in

giving looks like sacrifice.

Amen.

For people outside the kingdom, for you to be obedient

and show up every Sunday morning, some of you at

eight am or before to be able to get ready

seems like sacrifice.

But for us, that's just simple obedience.

And it's that relationship building portion where we don't do

it to prove ourselves to God. But God has done

so much and we owe him so much that it

just simply spills out of us as an action and

a response to his love. You know, Scripture is full

of what I call if then blessings.

If you do this, then God does that.

If you do this, then God will do that full

of them. For the beatitudes are full of these blessings

that are formed in that way. In Matthew chapter five,

verse five, it says, blessed or the meek, for they

shall inherit the earth.

Now listen. The Bible says, if your meek, you.

Will inherit the earth. You know what it also says

in that passage of scripture.

If you're not, you won't right.

If you have bridled power, power under control. That's what

meekness means. It means power under control. If you are

a person who has self restrain and self control, understanding

the power of God, and you're focused and disciplined, and

you move according to kingdom principles, you shall inherit the earth.

That's what that passage of scripture says. And then it says,

we'll keep going to verse six. Blessed are those who

hunger and thirst for right righteousness, for they shall be filled.

So if you hunger and.

Thirst after righteousness, you'll be filled. If you don't, if

you just have a casual, lackadaisical process of life.

Then you won't be filled.

Has nothing to do with your relationship with Jesus. Has

nothing to do with how much he loves you, whether

he's angry with you. Those things have nothing to do

with how Jesus feels about you. He's simply putting systems

in place that says, if this, then that, and you

can participate in any number of those things you want

to participate in, but you're certainly not bound to participate

in any of them. Then he goes on and he says,

blessed or the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. And

we don't struggle with these We understand these things. Let

me give you another one. Let's go to Matthew chapter six,

starting in verse fourteen. For if you forgive men their trespasses,

your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you

do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your father

forgive your trespasses.

Forgiveness is a good thing. Say good.

You gotta say it like that.

Good forgiveness is a good thing.

We all want to operate in forgiveness, so we learn

to be forgiving people.

I have more prayer crying.

Sessions with people because they know they need to forgive

somebody than probably anything else in the world. They know

they've been hurt and they they won't forgiveness. They don't

know how to get forgiveness, but they know they want

to be forgiven, so they are trying to be forgiving people.

Watch this have nothing to do with how much Jesus

loves you. Nothing to do with how much Jesus loves you.

These are all systems that God puts in place, and

he says, hey, these are things you can participate in,

and when you participate, there is a natural response from

the Kingdom of God. Does that make sense? In other words,

your kid cleans his room, you give him a fight

dollar bill, inflation a twenty dollar bill.

Right.

One of my favorite scenes in any movie is Christmas

vacation and the grandparents come in and she grabs a

little boy and she says, if you'll rub my bion,

I'll give you a whole quarter and I'll give.

Your assystem and he's like a whole quarter inflation.

We have to understand that the things in the kingdom

have nothing to do with the ruler of the Kingdom.

That Jesus can love you as much as he loves me,

and me as much as he loves you, and we

are at two different places because we have two different

activation points.

In the systems of the Kingdom.

If you share your faith with people, people come to

know Jesus.

You store reward in heaven.

If you have a prayer life that's active and fervent

and thriving, sin becomes more detestable to you.

There are just some things that when we do them,

there is a natural kingdom response.

The Old Testament law was designed to be punitive. New

Testament law, or knew the New Testament is transformational. When

we look at the Old Testament law, everything had an

immediate consequence. If you do this, then this happens. If

you do that, then that happens. And listen, there's some

crazy ones. There's some crazy ones. There's one about if

you invite people over to your home and after dinner

they go to your roof. I mean, I've never had

anybody come to my house and end up on the roof.

First of all, okay, that's never happened, and my whole

life has never happened. They go to your roof and

they fall off and die. Because you don't have a

parapat a rail, you don't have a rail around your roof,

then you will be stormed because you're guilty of murder.

That's one of the six fifteen. Baby, that's one of

the six hundred and fifteen laws that we struggle over

so much. Now here's the thing. I don't understand that

because I don't.

Go to my roof.

I don't spend a.

Lot of time up there, but if I did, even

though that rule doesn't matter anymore, it's probably a good

idea to have a rail. Amen, probably a pretty good

practice for us to have a rail around the balcony.

Y'all saw Lucas right, no rail concussion minimum. So when

we look at these things there were, it was punitive.

In the New Testament.

However, now let me say this, six hundred and fifteen

laws in the Old Testament. I'm gonna get to giving.

I promise six hundred and fifteen laws in the Old Testament,

and most of us rejoice because we think those things

have been done away with.

Did you know that there.

Was six hundred and fifteen laws in the Old Testament.

But Jesus gives over six hundred and fifty commands in

the New Testament, not suggestions, commands. If God tells you

to do something, you should. Sounds like a pretty staunch

rule to me. And Jesus takes the things in the

Old Covenant and he drives them deeper and makes them

harder for us to attain. In the New Testament, he says, listen,

you say don't murder. I say, don't even have it

in your heart. You say, don't commit adultery. I say,

don't even look at a woman with lust. You've already

committed that sin as well. Jesus is serious about the

way we live and what we.

Do and the things that we interact.

With, because he wants the best for us, and he

puts these systems in place so that we can live

our very best life. It's like carrying your kid to

the Grand Canyon. You say, Okay, we're here's the greatest

place on earth. Just go and do whatever you want

to do. Nobody says that. Nobody says, just go what

oh that trail, Yeah, try that trail. No, nobody does that.

They go and they say, hey, you see.

That rail right there, don't go over that rail. You

see that trash can, don't go to the left of it.

That trash can, don't go to.

The right of it.

That is safety, That is true freedom, because we have

parameters set that say, as long as I'm operating in

this I am safe and I can do whatever I

want to do. Nobody is gonna get me. I'm not

gonna end up at the bottom of the hole. Come on, somebody,

I'm not gonna end up on a donkey trail going

the wrong way. None of those things are gonna happen.

I'm safe because somebody's watching over me, and they've given

me the context of safety.

That's why Jesus tells.

Us to do things. Now, let's jump into giving. That

wasn't my introduction.

I'm almost done, so don't panic. Don't panic.

In Malachi chapter three, verse ten, bring all the tithe

into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house,

and try me now in this, says the Lord of Hosts.

I'm not open for you the windows of heaven and

pour out for you such blessing that there will not

be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke

the devour for your sake, so that he will not

destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine

fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says

the Lord of Hosts.

Let's just stop reading right there now. Yeah. Did we

go back to the Old Testament and pick this up?

Yes?

And here's why, because I.

Need you to see the system that God put in

place and what it says and what it doesn't say.

Because this is just like anything else that we've talked.

About you do not have to tithe.

It was like I just sucked the wind out of

the Did you feel that nobody was saying he backslid?

You don't have to tithe.

If you don't tithe, you can still go to heaven.

Right, you can still be me, can inherit the earth?

Come on. We don't like when we talk about what

it really says. Sometimes do we?

You don't have to do it, but when you do,

but when you do, there is a system in place

that if this, then that just like forgiveness, just like

blessed or the meat. It's not legalism because we're not

earning favor. We're not buying blessings because you can't. God's

got all he needs. He don't need yours. You are

entering a system that God established, Just like when you

put a seed in the ground and a plant grows,

that is a system that God established.

If man has.

To be involved in it, probably not something God established.

Amen.

So in other words, if you're born a boy and

you don't wake up a girl with no man made

intervention in between, you're a boy, Amen, That is not

a God. That procedure is not God made. Right, there

are some things that just are the way they are,

and there are principles that are the way they are.

Let's break it down. Put that put mallecou, put that

back up on there.

Just let me walk through it.

I know the cameras are gonna say, you turns your back,

but I won't turn my back. Bring all the tithe

into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Now,

this is a direct reflection back to what the Tithe

I did. It supported the levitical priesthood in the Old Testament.

That's what the tithe did. It supported the levitical priesthood.

That was the purpose of the tithe was to support

the levitical priesthood. Jesus did away with that priesthood. He

fulfilled that by becoming our high priest Amen. So now

the things that Jesus does that is responsible for, is

what now the Tithe supports. And try me now in

this says the Lord of Hosts. We like to talk

about that, but you know, just do it and if

it works, it works pretty much. We say, that's the

only place and it's the only place.

That he writes it.

But he says, hey, if you're merciful and you don't

get mercy, you're probably gonna stop doing it anyway, right.

We test God in every promise that he has when

we put it in place. When we don't test God,

it's when we ignore it and we know it's there,

but we keep living the way we want to live.

I did not mean for this to be that kind

of message. Next, if I will not open for you

the windows of heaven and pour out for you such

a blessing that there will not be room enough to

receive it, let's talk about that for a second, because

what we've always been taught is that when we tithe,

there's like naked babies wearing diapers and wings, just angel babies,

and they swing open windows and they throw out hundreds

and we.

Catch them. There is no financial.

There is no financial incre He's associated with hiving.

This is all something else.

When you look at the phrase the windows of heaven,

it's only in the scriptures five times. The other four

times it's mentioned in scripture, it is a direct reference

to rain. God opened the windows of heaven at Noah's flood,

he closed the windows of heaven. Then when the prophet

proclaimed to drought, God shut the windows of heaven.

And then he opened the windows of heaven.

According to every rule of biblical interpretation, if it means

that those other four times, it has to also mean

this on the fifth time. This is speaking directly to

a supernatural rain that falls into our life and prepares

the ground of our heart and our life for the

seeds that.

Are planted in it to grow.

It brings divine preparation for everything in.

Our lives, more peace.

More joy, more kindness, more fill in the blank.

Does it also water the seeds on offering? Yess?

Because God doesn't call tithing seed, He calls offerings seed.

You don't have to tithe. But when you sow seed.

You're sowing in dry ground. So just think about the

things that grow in the desert. I don't want my

life proliferated with cacti.

You get in a sticky situation.

Hey man, But I planned that joke and it just

didn't land.

Oh my gosh.

Next, and I will rebuke the devir for your sakes.

When I get in the system.

If I do this, then this happens.

I don't have to.

Stand up and say, Devil, I rebuke you in the

name of Jesus. Get far from me, Leave me. Jesus

does it for us, He says, oh no, no, no, no, no,

he's mine, he's marked, he's identified, he's chosen as a

child of God. You need to give him some space

and back off, because I got a plan and a

destiny for him. So devil, give us some space because

he's mine.

If then.

Still loves you, you can still go to heaven.

It's just a system.

You can ride a bicycle to work, you can drive

a car to work.

If then.

Right, So that you will not destroy the fruit of

your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit

for you in the field. The things that I labor

over and the things that I put my hand to

will prosper and grow and create fruit in my life

and in other people's lives, because there is a supernatural

principle that where my treasure is there, my heart is also.

And if my heart is deeply entrenched.

With Jesus, then Jesus things spill out of my life.

Pastor Clay, you guys can come and get ready. So

here's the thing.

I don't think the principle of tithing is legalistic in

any way. And listen, if you find yourself in a

place where you just absolutely.

Cannot give.

First of all, there's some deeper issues in your life.

There's some other alignment that needs to happen, so you

can get.

To that place.

Come on, now, there's another there's another principle that's not

listed in scripture, but one that's very good, kind of

like the parapat is a good idea, and it's called

a budget.

Amen.

We all need safeguards and safety rails and parameters set

so we can operate in safety. But the reality is is.

When we add tithing to offerings.

And the seed is planted in the ground and God

sends the rain, it produces a harvest. Doesn't mean you

can't get one without it, but it certainly does assure

it with it.

And it's just the systems that God put in place.

We want God to be equitable.

We want God to give everybody the same exact thing,

but God doesn't give everybody the same exact thing. God

gives everybody the same gospel and same scripture and the

same opportunities to step into obedience because obedience brings transformation,

and transformation leads to transformation.

So you just have to decide in the area of giving.

If then that's it.

God's not angry God's not upset. I'm not angry.

I'm not upset.

But I want the best for you.

I want spiritual alignment for your life. I want I

want ob seem blessing to flow in your life. I

want people to look and say, I want what Taylor

Forester's got, I want what Taylor's got, I want I

want what Corey's got. Man, I just want to I

want to fall through a roof and break my ankle

and smile about it.

Later.

We didn't listen to the audio part of the recording,

just so you know when we saw that happen.

But guys, stop coming to.

God with a performance based mentality. It's not about performing

for God. It's about God loving you and giving us

the opportunities to step into these things so that we

can see Kingdom principles.

Happen in our lives.

Kingdom systems lead to Kingdom principles, and then we're operating

at a whole other level. You know, there's another kingdom principle.

It's one that we have nothing to do with. It's

the principle of redemption. We don't do anything.

He did everything.

That Jesus looked at our hearts.

Broken and stained, and manipulated by sin, rebellious and contrarian every.

Way, And instead of.

Holding a count towards us, he shouldered the cross, and

he walked those dusty streets of Jerusalem up go Gotha's hill,

and he stretched himself out on the cross, and there,

suspended between heaven and Earth, he whispered these words, it

is finished. Everything they need to come to me is done.

Freedom from sin done, restored relationship with the Holy God done.

And all we do is receive it.

That's it doesn't matter what you've done, doesn't matter how

bad you think you've been, that, none of those things matter.

All that matters is Jesus did it and is offering

it to you.

So every eye close and every head baut of the

room for just a moment.

You know, maybe today you've realized that you've just kind

of seen God.

You thought I had to do these things. You thought

I had to You thought you had to be.

This way and to attain this level for God to

see you and to smile upon you.

But for the first time, have you've just realized that

all that.

Guilt you've been feeling, it's because you've never come to

Him on his terms. You've just fallen into his loving

arms and ask him to forgive you, change you. But

today you want to do that. Today you want Jesus

to to meet you right there at your point of brokenness.

And maybe you thought for a long time you've been

operating under this this guys that that that that I'm

saved because I do You're saved because of what he did.

But today you want to you want to run into

his arms, say save me, Jesus. I didn't realize you

loved me just for who I am and my brokenness

and my insecurities and my fears and my shame and

my guilt and all of those things. I didn't realize

that you just loved me. But today you want to

experience that love. If that's you, slip up your head

and say, that's my pastor. I want to come to him.

I want to run into his arms, want him to

grab me, change me, set me free, start me on

my path towards destiny, Awaken those things on the inside

of me. Wait just a moment, put your hand and

put it right back down. If that's you, Amen, Amen, Amen,

every eye open, everybody's staying with me all over the building.

Passer clauts worshiped together, then we're gonna come and we're

gonna receive communion together in just a moment. Ushers, you

can go ahead and get ready to start serving if

you want to. Pastor Claytess Worship