Summer Jams 24 Part 5 | 24k, Bruno Mars with Chris Schlotterbeck

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Thank you and enjoy the message.

24 karat magic in the air.

Look out!

Pop pop it's showtime, showtime, showtime.

Guess who's back again?

They don't know?

They don't know?

I bet they know as soon as we walk in.

Wearing Cuban links, yes, yes, yes.

Inga wants to find his shoes.

Don't look too hard, might hurt yourself.

No need to use the color red, the blues.

Kill!

I'm a dangerous man with some money in my pocket.

Keep up!

So many pretty girls around me and they know just how to talk.

Keep up!

Why you mad?

Get your face in my butt that you'll be jumping.

Keep up!

Play your zone then, come on.

Put your biggie legs up, do the move.

Girls, what you're trying to do?

24 karat magic in the air.

Had you told me so bad?

Look out!

Second verse for the hustlers.

Gangsters, pretty ladies and all of their friends.

Can I preach?

Can I preach?

I gotta show them how to do it again.

Verse, take your dip, do your dip.

Spend your money like money don't quit.

Too fresh, got the moment on Jesus.

Hashtag, play, stay ready for me.

I'm a dangerous man with some money in my pocket.

Keep up!

So many pretty girls around me and they know just how to talk.

Keep up!

Why you mad?

Get your face in my butt that you'll be jumping.

Keep up!

Play your zone then, come on.

Put your biggie legs up, do the move.

Girls, what you're trying to do?

What you're trying to do?

24K every magic in the air.

Had you told me so bad?

Look out!

Everywhere I go it be like ooh, so play down.

It be like ooh, so play down.

Everywhere I go it be like ooh, so play down.

Now, now, now, now let me break it down like uh.

24K, 24K magic.

What's that sound?

24K, 24K magic.

Come on now.

24K, 24K magic.

Don't fight the feeling, invite the feeling.

Just put your biggie legs up, do the move.

Girls, what you're trying to do?

What you're trying to do?

24K every magic in the air.

Had you told me so bad?

Put your biggie legs up, do the move.

Girls, what you're trying to do?

What you're trying to do?

24K every magic in the air.

Had you told me so bad?

Look out!

Applause

Excellent!

What a way to close out Summer Jams!

That was a challenging one and of course it was the song that I chose.

And encouraged them to do.

Because I wanted to launch a new series today with the help of that song.

So if you're joining us from home, thank you for welcoming us into your space.

It is great to have you with us.

As many of you know, for the last four weeks we have been looking at culture songs.

Songs that are sung and written for us to listen to.

But looking at them through a godly perspective in our Summer Jams series.

This morning you just heard 24K Magic.

A song by American singer Bruno Mars.

Released by Atlantic Records on October 7th of 2016.

The song has been described as a funk, disco and contemporary R&B track.

While its lyrics address extravagance, glamour and the party lifestyle.

The song of course had initial commercial success.

It debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.

And peaked at number 4 in the United States.

Remained in the top 10 for at least two months.

It has been certified five times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Though Mars was praised for his world class vocals.

Thank you Alan Tolentino on the song.

Many critics felt the song was nothing new or creative and actually left listeners wanting more.

It simply kept the party going.

24K Magic refers to the fact that money is what makes party impossible.

24K of course is the purest kind of gold and Bruno Mars is enjoying the good times his wealth enables him to have.

Next you heard Mars sing about what he was wearing and words to others not to look too hard because they might hurt themselves.

Of course he's wearing Cuban links, designer minks and Inglewood's finest shoes.

He describes himself as being on fire and also believes that his lifestyle is on fire.

Of course you heard him credit Jesus when he sings hashtag blessed they ain't ready for me.

He claims seemingly tongue-in-cheek that his skills musical talent and charisma is a special design by God.

Now one critic concluded 24K Magic is an excellent example of a song that's designed entirely to create a loose party feeling with nothing important to say.

The critic goes on to say there's a time and place for these songs so I don't condemn the song itself.

But it's certainly not a piece of art and is rather a product made by a music industry capable of using writers, designers and producers to manufacture something they will think will sell rather than to create something beautiful or honest about what life is really like.

In other words the song was written as a means to sell records.

They were pushing the party life, they were pushing the party lifestyle and within 24K Magic it leaves people feeling empty and without.

In a world full of people who have become selfish consumers and takers what does it mean to live a generous life?

Because see a generous life is the exact opposite of the song you just heard sung.

And in fact the Bible contradicts what this song is all about.

Proverbs chapter 11 verse 25 says the generous will prosper.

Proverbs 11:25

Those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

And Psalm 37 26 reads the righteous are always generous and lend freely their children will be a blessing.

So as you can see talking about wanting more and looking and playing the part and living a lifestyle of just greed is the exact opposite of what God wants.

In fact Jesus when discussing the issue of generosity says it is more blessed to give than to receive.

So this morning as we conclude our Summer Jams 2024 I am kicking off a new series that focuses on what it means to daily live a generous life.

Why? Because our culture communicates that we should put ourselves first.

Our culture dictates that we should focus on what makes us happy, what we need to have a good time and be successful.

And that is what we are doing to Bruno Mars that is spending all your money on looking good creating a carefree party image that does not have a care in the world.

But if we are honest, if we are really honest our initial response to being generous and listen to the definition of generous liberal in giving or sharing unselfish a generous gift.

And if we think about that description our initial physical personal reaction to generosity is reluctance.

Because of our sin nature, because of the culture we live we are constantly bombarded and taught to be selfish.

We are taught to be tight fisted with our time, talents, money, stuff and energy.

Well Jesus says no, if you are in a relationship with me be different, focus on the kingdom and live life open handed.

Which in fact it is kind of ironic when I was researching the word generous in dictionary.com the synonym for generous is living an open handed life.

And that is exactly what Jesus calls us to do.

As we kick off this new series let's open in prayer to invite the Holy Spirit to come and just overwhelm us with His love.

God we are just so thankful for time and talent and energy.

We are thankful for our team that is able to just sing and perform and use their talents for us.

God bless them mightily for this past month God.

Thank you for using them to further your kingdom.

And God as we kick off this new series on generosity may we all reflect and be different than we walked in God.

Change our hearts, change our minds, change our entire outlook on this word.

In Jesus name, amen.

So all of that leads us to our first thought.

You see kingdom generosity is achieved through a lifestyle of worship.

And before we jump into generous and generosity I am going to look at that word first, that word kingdom.

Because I believe in order to understand generosity and to be generous with our life we have to understand what the kingdom is.

And please understand kingdom it is not a King James word.

It is not a spiritual word.

It does not make us more holy because we say the word kingdom.

Kingdom simply defined is two words the kings domain.

That is all it means. That is what kingdom means.

The kings domain when Jesus came to earth John the Baptist is recorded as saying in Matthew 3 2.

Repent of your sins and turn to God for the kingdom of heaven is near or the kingdom of God is near.

And what is he talking about?

Well he is talking about what the Bible recorded that Jesus what did he do?

He performed many miracles and he preached the good news of the kingdom.

So the kings domain is simply this.

It is living out the great commission.

That is the kingdom.

It is establishing heaven right no more tears no more crying right no more pain here on earth.

That is what the kingdom is.

Quite often at the beginning of football contests or soccer games across our country many teams gather to kneel and pray the Lord's prayer before games.

Right our father who art in heaven hallowed be your name.

May your kingdom come soon Matthew 16.

May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Now could you imagine could you just imagine for a second if when those teams were praying God actually broke in and released his kingdom in that huddle as they were praying.

Guess what there would be no football game.

Because they would be out in his presence and they wouldn't want to go and compete because they would be experiencing heaven.

And see what we have to realize is when we pray that prayer there is power in it.

It is not just words.

When Jesus said pray this way he meant it.

He meant that we are actually praying for something.

We are asking God to do something when we reference the kingdom and if you are in a relationship with Jesus our responsibility as his followers is to establish the kingdom of God on the kingdom of earth.

That is our responsibility.

In other words we are called to colonize earth with the atmosphere of praise.

With the atmosphere of breakthrough.

With the atmosphere of joy that we will experience in heaven.

We are called to bring it here.

Okay when we read the word kingdom it is not a holy word.

It is not an old testament word.

It is a word that should activate our faith.

It is a word that should activate our praise.

It is a word that should activate our testimony and begin to expand the kingdom of God.

And all of this happens church outside of this place.

It doesn't happen in here.

When we gather together this is a celebration of people coming together to celebrate all that God is doing in our midst.

Church and the kingdom of God starts when we leave this place.

When this gathering is over that is when you start being the church.

Look around.

The church did her hair this morning.

Look around.

Hopefully the church brushed his teeth this morning.

Look around.

Hopefully the church got a shower this morning.

That is what the church is.

We are the church.

We are the kingdom of God in motion.

And if we want to bring heaven to earth we have to learn to worship.

We have to learn to worship.

What is worship? It is a daily sacrifice.

It is a sacrifice of ourselves so that we can become conduits to bring heaven to earth.

And it comes through worship.

And friends please understand it does not involve lyrics.

It has nothing to do with lyrics.

This is true worship.

Romans 12.1.

Dear brothers and sisters I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you.

Let them be a living and holy sacrifice.

The kind he will find acceptable.

Notice this is truly the way to worship him.

We worship him by laying our lives down.

Worship is not singing.

Because if worship was singing and you were standing beside me while I was out there worshiping you would think that has nothing to do with heaven.

Because my voice, right?

You cringe when you hear my voice.

It is cringe worthy.

Worship is not lyrics.

Worship is a lifestyle.

It is faith in action.

And please understand the kingdom of God is not reserved for a church gathering.

Okay?

This is just a pep rally.

This gets us stirred and excited to move outside of these walls.

To go to our cities, our neighborhoods, our workplaces, our schools.

And it is my prayer that the kingdom of God flows through you this week.

And you bring heaven to earth.

Right?

It is bringing the kingdom of God to earth.

Where there is no worship team.

Where there is no prayer team.

Where there is no Maverick City playing on your play list.

Right?

It is living the kingdom.

Ask yourself a question.

Is the kingdom of God in my marriage?

Is the kingdom of God in my parenting?

In my parenting?

In my workplace?

Does the kingdom of God change how I use social media and what I post?

My prayer is, and it does.

Because that is what church is all about.

It is empowering you to reach more people.

To see lives change in the tri-state area.

I mean look at Matthew 11-12.

From the time John the Baptist began preaching until now.

Remember what John the Baptist preached?

Jesus is bringing the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing.

And violent people are attacking it.

And my challenge to you church is this.

Let's take this city by force.

The kingdom of God is forcefully advancing.

Let's come against addiction by force.

Let's participate in seeing people mentally healed and set free with force.

Let's release those that are caught in trafficking and slavery.

And see them set free.

Let's release meaning and significance in people's lives by what?

By force.

And if we're going to do that church, this means we have to stop being distracted.

We have to stop being distracted.

We have to go against our culture.

And Bruno Mars singing, don't fight the feeling, invite the feeling.

Inviting us to spend our hard earned money and focus and our time on our cell phones.

And on partying and on a carefree attitude.

But church, we have to make the sacrifice to worship in order to be generous.

If you want to be generous, it all starts with worship.

Which leads us to our next thought.

Kingdom generosity requires a currency exchange.

Now some of you are sitting there thinking, what? A currency exchange?

See when Justin and I, we recently went to Kenya, we had to learn that the money in my pocket

that Bruno was singing about, right?

It had a different value in Africa.

We were experiencing a different country with a different system

and we had to figure out what the exchange rate was in order for us to make transactions.

Now some of you are thinking, well, okay, that's great. That's Africa.

Let me bring it back to the U.S. for you.

I was driving by Chuck E. Cheese this week on Vesel Boulevard.

Everybody knows where Chuck E. Cheese is, right?

And I noticed, it's closed!

What's up? Chuck E. closed!

Chuck E. Cheese closed!

Now some of you parents are sitting there thinking, thank God.

Thank God Chuck E. Cheese closed.

And it was the weirdest thing because that's what went into my mind.

I thought, man, thank goodness that place was closed.

That pizza was terrible. My kids were afraid of Chuck E.

Cheese. It was a waste of money.

Now, as I continued to drive though, I got this flood of memories

of taking my children to Chuck E. Cheese.

And I had to smile because they were good memories, right?

I laughed and chuckled at several of my kids that were afraid.

Right? They roll in, they see Chuck E.

They're like, I'm out of here.

Getting behind me, they're like, don't let him near me.

Don't let him near me.

But Chuck E. Cheese, now think about it.

Chuck E. Cheese has a system that as soon as you walk into the restaurant,

you have to spend your hard earned money on tokens.

Because cash didn't work in Chuck E. Cheese.

You couldn't play games. You couldn't roll the bocce balls.

You could do nothing without the tokens.

Cash didn't work.

And the tokens allowed for my kids to play games.

And when they played the games, guess what they earned?

They earned tickets.

They earned their tickets.

In exchange for the cash, right, they got the tokens.

The tokens then gave them tickets.

And what is that? That's a currency exchange.

Because then they would take all these tickets

that they collected throughout the time at the restaurant.

And they would spend those tickets on worthless junk.

Heck, I still remember, I was thinking one time,

I walked up to, I don't even remember who it was.

I walked up to one of my kids.

I was like, hey, let me have a token.

I want to go play Galaga or Ms. Pacman.

You know, I wanted to relive my childhood a little bit.

I was like, let me borrow a token.

They're like, no.

No.

Like, you're not getting a token.

That game don't give you any tickets.

Okay, that's just a game.

We don't play that game.

We play a game to get what? Tickets.

They wanted the tickets.

So they were keeping all their tokens

so they could get these tickets for a piece of junk.

Okay, we were not learning what it means

to be generous and chuck-a-cheese.

Okay, doesn't matter, they were good memories.

Okay, we gave those kids all that money

to spend on those tokens that then became tickets.

Right, so I'm wondering in the church,

is there a currency exchange where God wants your story?

Is there a currency exchange where God wants

to use your testimony to change someone else's life?

Is there a currency exchange where God wants to use

your gifts and your talents to give to others,

but instead, we're holding on to our tickets?

We're holding on to our gifts and our talents

and our testimony because we're embarrassed

or we're fearful of man or whatever it may be.

But when in reality, when we do,

when we share ourselves with God,

when we make a sacrifice of worship for God's kingdom,

it may not be that we receive natural value,

but in God's kingdom, that becomes supernatural value,

and that's what's important.

We have to realize that our marriage,

our finances, our relationships,

our freedom that we experience in God each and every day

is a result of people that came before us.

See, so often, we forget about the people

that came before us.

Jesus tells us this in John chapter 12.

John 12 · chapter mention

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat

is planted in the soil and dies, it remains alone.

But its death will produce many new kernels,

a plentiful harvest of new lives.

Those who love their life in this world will lose it.

Those who care nothing for their life in this world

will keep it for eternity.

See, friends, there were individuals who came before us

that did not trade in their tickets for worthless stuff.

They traded in their tickets for what has eternal value.

They invested in the kingdom of God,

and the result is this church became a reality.

This church is here today and has been here for 18 years

making a difference in Washington County

because people well before me gave their time

and their talents and their energy

so that I could meet Jesus, have my life transformed,

thus fast forward that he could then build this church

so that hundreds and thousands of people

could see their lives transformed and changed for eternity.

See, those people gave their gifts, their time,

their money, and their energy to the local church, right?

Where we now have worship teams and prayer teams,

and we have a team of freedom fighters

that's trying to end child slavery, right?

We have outreach teams, we have staff,

we have a building, and all of this stuff

is so that people can experience Jesus.

What if today God wants to do a currency exchange in your life?

What if today we offer ourselves, we make a sacrifice,

and give of our time, our energy, our talents, and our abilities?

What if we actually began to give of our financial resources?

And see, some of you, right, you were fine with time, talent, energy,

you were fine with serving, but suddenly, oh, he said money.

Oh, you all were good until suddenly there's money.

And why is it within our culture, within us as people,

when we hear money, a nervous stroke?

Because some of you, just being honest, you have a hurt,

you have a pain, you have a heartache, right?

Maybe you grew up without money.

Maybe you didn't have enough.

Maybe you weren't able to do all the things you wanted to do

because of finances.

Okay, maybe you were poor, maybe you were forgotten,

maybe a previous church took advantage of you.

Of that, I am saying I am sorry.

But what I do want to say is the kingdom of God needs you, right?

There is a person in your life that needs to hear the good news

about the kingdom, about Jesus, and all that he has done for the world,

so that you can be used to bring them to that freedom, right?

You can be used to give and to give out of the extravagance of your heart, right?

So that we can add services and add a campus

and continue to expand and make a difference in the tri-state area.

God is calling you to make a difference in a child's life

that is poor and forgotten and hungry and living in a third world country

and doesn't have the resources to survive, but you can change their life.

We need to begin to focus on kingdom generosity

that will exchange in kingdom currency

so that we as a church always operate with more than enough, not just enough.

Because that is who God is.

And when we realize that our freedom, that our relationship with Jesus

is the result of someone else's currency exchange,

then we want to get involved.

So God, right, he will never ask you to give something that he doesn't plan to fill.

He never will, right?

Think about Chuck E. Cheese. My kid wanted these tickets, right?

They want these tickets. They want more tickets

so they could exchange them for a piece of junk

that was going to fall apart within two hours of the time he left the restaurant, right?

When in reality, if I would have spent the same amount of money on a Build-A-Bear,

they would have it for ten years.

The same goes with the kingdom economy, right?

God has so much more for us.

There's blessings and riches and peace and joy.

Please understand prosperity is not just finances.

Okay, eradicate that lie from our culture that prosperity is finances.

Prosperity can be experienced in our health, in our relationships,

in our families, right?

And I wonder all that God has for us if we would simply trust him with our tickets.

We have to begin to trust him with our tickets.

But friends, we have to fight against that cultural norm to accumulate more stuff,

that cultural norm to focus on yourself and your needs to party and make yourself feel good.

That lifestyle, it leads to emptiness and frustration

while Jesus challenges us with these words.

Give and you will receive.

Your gift will return in full, pressed down, shaken together to make room for more.

Running over and poured into your lap, the amount you give will determine the amount you get back.

See, God's currency is the exact opposite of our culture's currency,

which leads me to four simple truths that I want to share with you about generosity.

I don't want to give you steps to be in generous

because if it doesn't start with the heart and the truths that we find in the Bible,

then you're never going to be generous.

Okay, it's got to start with your heart.

And number one, we are God's plan.

Look at your neighbor, look at your neighbor and say, I am God's plan.

That's right, it's not Drake, okay?

It's not Drake.

You are God's plan.

And to drive home this point about kingdom generosity,

I'm going to jump into the Old Testament and look at a man named Abram, right?

Abram who became Abraham, a man who had a father that was an idol worshiper.

Abram, a man that didn't have a good example of what it meant to be a man and to have godly manhood.

Abram who got buried, tried to have children and couldn't, right?

Basically his whole life because he was trying to do things in his own strength and was constantly failing.

Then God, then God spoke to him with this promise in Genesis 12, 1 through 3.

The Lord said to Abram, leave your native country, your relatives, your father's family,

and go to the land that I will show you and I will make you into a great nation.

Now Paul is there for a second.

He couldn't have kids.

He had no children and here God's promising and make him what?

A great nation.

I will bless you and make you famous and you will be a blessing to others.

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.

All the families on the earth will be blessed through you.

And he couldn't have children.

But Abraham received that promise from God, right?

Because he began to understand that God wanted to use him in the kingdom currency.

That God was going to use him to restore the covenant that God had with man that Adam and Eve messed up in the Garden of Eden when they sinned.

God would use Abram to restore the connection with his creation.

Now think about this.

A man who could not have children.

I'm going to make you a great nation.

A man who had no purpose.

No, right?

He had no plan and he says, I will bless you and make you famous.

See, God wants to do the same in your life.

God can use you and me to bless others.

Right?

Someone without pedigree.

Someone without history.

Right?

Someone that has messed up time and time and time again.

God can use you to change lives.

How do I know that?

Well, it's all throughout the Bible.

Think about the lady named Rahab.

Rahab operated a prostitution house.

And God used a prostitute to preserve the lineage of Jesus that came down the Davidic line.

God took her history and made a currency exchange with her life.

Look at Joshua 6.25.

So Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute and her relatives who were with her in the house

because she had hidden the spies Joshua sent to Jericho.

And she lives among the Israelites to this day.

And then in Matthew 1.5, looking at Jesus' lineage,

Sammon was the father of Boaz whose mother was Rahab.

God can use a prostitute.

God can use someone like David.

And if you don't know anything about David, he doesn't just sin.

He messes it all up.

All right?

Look at Samuel 12.9 through 10 and 13.

Why then have you despised the word of the Lord and done this horrible deed?

For you have murdered Uriah the Hittite with the sword of the Ammonites and stolen his wife.

From this time on your family will live by the sword because you have despised me

by taking Uriah's wife to be your own.

Think about it.

David lusted.

Wanted this woman.

Had her and then killed her husband.

Murderer.

Adopted her.

Let's continue.

And David confessed to Nathan, I have sinned against the Lord.

And Nathan replied, yes, but the Lord has forgiven you and you won't die for this sin.

God called David to repentance.

And then we learn when we read the Bible that David was a man after God's heart.

Because God worked in him and changed him.

There was a currency exchange so that his kingdom could be advanced.

And in the same way that God used Abraham and Rahab and David, guess what?

God wants to use you to make a difference in the lives of others.

But we have to stop trying to buy our happiness.

We have to stop striving as a means of earning recognition.

I am here to tell you this morning, you are God's plan to redeem the world.

You.

And how do we do that?

Revelation 12, 11.

And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.

And they did not love their lives so much that we're afraid to die.

See, we have to start sharing our stories as a means of overcoming this world.

Some of you are getting drug back in this sin, drug back into temptation, drug back into lies.

Because you're not sharing your testimony of freedom and recovery.

And it happens through sacrifice.

Right?

God called Abram to step out in faith.

How do I know that?

Well, look what happens in Genesis 22, 1.

Right?

So, after God tested Abraham's faith, Abraham, God called.

Yes, he replied, here I am.

So now listen to what happens in verse 2.

And I just want to read it for you so you can hear it.

Take your son, your only son, yes, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah.

Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering.

So suddenly.

Right?

God tells Abram, God speaks to Abraham and says, you're going to be a great nation.

So he has a son named Isaac.

Then God says, no, go and sacrifice him.

Right?

And God is calling us, we'll be looking at this, to sacrifice our shame and share our story.

Right?

Some of you won't share your testimony because you're ashamed of what you did.

Right?

But God says, why don't you go back and help others?

Sacrifice your gifts and your talents, not for yourself, but for others and for God's purpose.

Right?

He calls us to sacrifice our finances for others.

Because we're God's plan.

Right?

Because God wants to use us.

To do what?

To see others changed.

We have to realize our purpose always points back to our pain.

It always points back to our pain.

The word of our testimony, the currency of reaching people in the kingdom of God is your testimony, your story about how God changed your life.

The currency of expanding the kingdom of God, it's inside of us.

It comes out of us.

It's inside of our pockets.

It's called giving and allowing God to use us so we can be a part of his plan.

So that we're called to make a difference.

Some of you heard, we have bags of glow bracelets for you.

Right here.

And they do glow in the dark.

They wake you up at night.

They glow so much.

Right?

So I want to encourage you when you're leaving here, grab a bag.

There's like 25 in each one.

Set it out in the sun all week.

And on Thursday, when you go to see the fireworks, just walk around for five minutes and say, free glow bracelets.

And all these kids will just come running at you.

And you just hand them out.

They love these things.

They're like all up their arm.

And you say, and then you just walk away.

You don't even have to say anything.

You say, Chris, why would I do that?

Because on this bracelet, it says, glow up, Matthew 5 14.

Be a light to the world.

And then it says, come as you are.

Because at some point, guess what?

You don't have to say anything.

But that kid and that family is going to read that bracelet.

And if there's a need in their life, they now have somewhere to go and somewhere to call home.

Right?

See, it's just all about sacrifice.

You heard about the backpack giveaway last year.

We gave away 1,200 backpacks.

1,200 backpacks.

Was it for us?

Did we do it so that we could get the glory?

No, we did it to serve our community.

Right?

Eight years ago, we only gave away 300 backpacks because we weren't that big of a community of faith.

Now we're a larger community of faith, giving away thousands of backpacks.

Right?

And you say, well, Chris, does that make a difference?

Yes, it makes a difference.

It gives value to a child.

It makes them feel loved and accepted.

You are God's plan, which leads us to our next truth.

The church where you're sitting is God's house.

Genesis 22, one through two.

Sometime later, God tested Abraham's faith.

Abraham got called.

Yes, he replied.

Here I am.

Take your son, your only son.

Yes, Isaac, whom you love so much.

And go to the land of Moriah.

And when all Paul is there, everyone say Moriah.

That's good.

Now that's a significant word because the word Moriah is translated as the place of worship.

God told Abraham to go to the place of worship.

And this place that we gather week after week after week, friends, this is a place where people get set free.

This is a place where people meet Jesus.

Right?

In the last three years, we've baptized nearly 400 people in the last three years.

And you say, well, Chris, why is that important?

That's eternally important because when you get baptized and you declare that you're following Jesus publicly,

your date with heaven and eternity starts right then.

And for those of you in a relationship with Jesus, you're already in heaven.

Right?

You're already in.

And God says, OK, bring heaven that you're already in to earth and make a difference.

So God gave Abraham what?

A specific place to sacrifice, a specific place to worship.

Right?

And so many people, they don't quite understand, well, Chris, when it comes to my finances,

why do I need to give to this place called worship?

Or why do I need to give to the house where worship happens?

I'm not even talking about tithing today.

Everyone relax.

Not even mentioning it.

Not even going to teach about it.

That's next week.

OK, so I have a bunch of empty seats.

So I'm going to tithe in next week.

All right.

But notice what Malachi 3.10 says.

Bring all the tithes into the storehouse.

What is the storehouse?

That's God's house.

So there'll be enough food in my temple if you do, says the Lord of heaven's armies.

I will open the windows of heaven for you and I'll pour out a blessing so great

that you won't have enough for him to take it in.

Try it.

Put me to the test.

Now the window for Abraham, OK, I want you to understand this.

It had nothing to do with finances.

The window for Abraham had everything to do with faith.

Abraham had to step out in faith to believe that God was going to provide a means

that he didn't have to sacrifice his son.

Right?

Because Abraham knew that he needed to love his wife better.

He knew he needed more faith to go on this journey that God was calling him on.

Right?

He found his faith and his support where?

In the house of worship.

Right?

And that's what we do when we gather here.

And when we gather here, you see, God speaks directly to our hearts

through the Holy Spirit when it comes to giving.

And not just remember, not just our finances, but our time, talent, and energy.

2 Corinthians 9, 6 through 8, remember this.

A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop.

But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.

You must each decide in your heart how much to give.

And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure

for God loves a person who gives cheerfully.

Right?

Are you a cheerful giver?

Do you share your kingdom currency with others?

Jesus also challenged us in Luke 12, 34,

wherever your treasure is, there your desires of your heart will also be.

Right?

So ask yourself this morning,

does your time, your energy, your talent show up in God's house?

Do you serve? Do you volunteer?

Do your finances show up in God's house?

Because if they don't, then are you really being generous?

I remember one time, Jess and I stopped by the bank, Phoenix was with us,

hanging out in the back, Jess went into the depository check or something,

I don't remember what it was, but Phoenix and I were having this conversation,

and we were talking about a bank, and then he says to me,

Dad, does God have a bank?

I was like, absolutely He does.

It's called the local church.

That's His bank.

It's where God takes what's natural paper in our pockets

and turns it into supernatural,

where people get set free and spend eternity.

Right?

He turns the natural into the supernatural.

And see, I want to challenge you with you.

If you're not serving at HCV, it's a lack of faith.

If you're not giving to HCV, it's a lack of faith.

If you're not participating in our weekly gatherings and growth groups,

you know what it is?

It's a lack of faith.

And I want to say this,

God challenges us in our faith.

He stretches us in our faith.

Remember last year, God called our community of faith to what?

To build wells in Africa.

Right?

I took a step of faith and I said,

Hey, I feel like God's calling us to make a difference with the Christmas gift

and build wells in Africa.

I had no idea that we would raise nearly $60,000

and build more than five wells in Africa.

Check out this picture for those of you who missed it last week.

Right?

That is a well that we built in Kenya.

And I'm not making that up.

That is a well that we built in Kenya.

And we built five more like that because of your generosity.

Right?

We wrote a Christmas gift to the world.

It had nothing to do with our community of faith.

Why?

Because we want to make a difference.

And for those of you who missed last week,

you heard me share in KS Vision for the opportunity for us to build a kitchen.

Right?

I feel like our community of faith is called to build a kitchen

at a school and a church house in Kenya

that Jess and I visited a few months ago

because to build a kitchen in Kenya only costs $10,000.

$10,000.

Right?

I spent nearly $60,000 on my mom's place, on my house.

$10,000 builds a kitchen.

Church, do you think we can build that kitchen?

I think we can.

I think we can build that kitchen.

And some of you have already been generous and have given, right,

to make a difference so that we can build that kitchen

because the best investment that we can make in this world

is to invest in God's kingdom.

Is to invest in God's kingdom, which leads us to our third truth.

See, God's perspective is always a kingdom perspective.

And this is where it gets real hard.

Genesis 22, 3 through 5, imagine you were Abraham.

The next morning Abraham got up early.

He saddled his donkey, took his two of his servants with him

along with his son Isaac.

Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burn offering

and set out for the place God had told him about.

On the third day of their journey, Abraham looked up

and saw the place in the distance.

Stay here with the donkey, Abraham told his servants.

The boy and I will travel a little further.

We will worship there.

Then we will come right back.

Now, as I was studying these scriptures this week,

it's like God just highlighted for me, I was just like,

wait a minute, God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his son.

True or false?

Okay, so how does this scripture not say, I will be right back?

Right, he told the servants, we will be right back.

But wait a minute Abraham, I thought your son was gonna die.

And see we all have to realize Abraham had a kingdom perspective.

Right, he wasn't going to the mountain to earn God's respect,

he was going to worship.

He had a kingdom perspective, a vision that is different than ours.

Right, ours is always focused on me.

When God is always focused on his kingdom, he's always focused on others.

Whatever God brought us out of, whatever he set us free from,

listen church, he desires we go and meet more people like us

that were in that position and bring them along.

Our pain is often the means for others to experience freedom.

God wants us to get a vision for his kingdom.

Because Proverbs 29 and 18 tells us,

where there is no vision, the people perish.

Don't ever say I don't use King James, that's King James.

And see when people don't walk in purpose, they don't have a kingdom perspective.

And what is a kingdom perspective? Matthew 20, 28.

Even the son of man came not to be served,

but to serve others and give his life as a ransom for many.

See Abraham had a vision that God was going to provide a means for his son to survive.

Abraham had a kingdom perspective and friends we need to do the same.

We need to adopt a kingdom perspective every single day,

which leads us to our final truth.

Our last is actually our first for the next God moment.

Our last is actually our first for our next God moment.

Genesis 22.

So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac's shoulders

while he himself carried the fire and the knife.

As the two of them walked on together, Isaac turned to Abraham and said,

Father, yes my son Abraham replied.

We have the fire and the wood, the boy said,

but where is the sheet for the burnt offering?

Imagine your son asking you that question.

Abraham continues on, picks up the knife to kill his son as a sacrifice.

At that moment, the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, Abraham, Abraham.

Yes, Abraham replied, here I am.

Don't lay a hand on the boy.

The angel said, do not hurt him in any way.

For now I know that you truly fear God.

You have not withheld for me even your son, your only son.

Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in its horns in a thicket.

So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son.

See what happens in situations like this

when we kick off a series on generosity.

See quite often our sacrifices begin to speak to our hearts louder than the Holy Spirit.

Our sacrifices, those things that God is asking us to give up,

to lay down for the kingdom,

they begin to speak louder than the Holy Spirit.

Well, Chris, I have that money saved for a vacation.

But Chris, I need a new sofa. Mine has holes in it.

But Chris, I only have a 52-inch TV. I'm saving up for a 75.

But Chris, it's a new line of makeup. It's going to end my acne.

And isn't it funny? What do we accumulate through life?

Tickets.

We accumulate all these tickets.

And when our sacrifice, what God's calling us to sacrifice, gets louder than the Holy Spirit,

then we miss out on those God moments.

We have to be willing to say, God, it's not about me. It's all about you.

I want to experience a miracle.

And how do we experience a miracle? It's when we give everything.

Look at Mark 12. Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple

and watched as the crowds dropped in their money.

Many rich people put in large amounts.

Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, I tell you the truth,

this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions,

for they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, gave everything.

We experience a miracle when we participate in the kingdom of God. How do I know that?

In the book of Acts, Jesus took the five loaves and two fish,

looked up toward heaven and he blessed them.

Then breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread to the disciples.

He kept giving the bread to the church so they could distribute it to the people.

And then as they gave to the people, he also divided the fish for everyone to share.

And afterward, the disciples picked up 12 baskets of what?

Of abundance. Right?

And all through life, we just keep collecting tickets.

I got my 401k. I got my white picket fence with my dog. Right?

I got my flat screen surround sound TV. I got perfume. I got shoes.

And we accumulate all these tickets.

And God is saying, are you willing to sacrifice them for me?

Because here's the crazy thing.

In America, we have abundance. We have extravagance.

What did he ask Abraham to give? His one son.

His one son.

And Abraham could have made excuses. Right?

He could have said, but I'm 99. I'm not going to have any more kids.

I can't sacrifice this one that you blessed me with. Right?

Notice he didn't bring the servants. He didn't bring Sarah along

because if Sarah would have known that he was going to sacrifice that son,

Abraham wouldn't have made it.

And now fast forward today.

Because he had a kingdom-minded focus.

And he exchanged that kingdom currency.

He now has, right, a multi-platinum selling song that many of you know.

And you say, what do you mean?

He's got a song that's greater than Bruno Mars.

Okay? Let me start it for you.

And I guarantee you some of you will start singing it.

Father Abraham had many sons.

And many sons had Father Abraham.

And I am on them.

And so are you.

So let's still praise the Lord.

Amen.

All because of one ticket, Dave.

Abraham is a multi-millionaire platinum singing album.

And my question to you is this.

Are you willing to be generous?

Are you willing to take on a kingdom perspective

and move past a selfish perspective

that our culture wants us to adopt?

And focus on the next generation of believers

that will impact and change this world.

Because that's what we're called to do.

Amen.