Freed to Lead

Good morning, CCW.

If you got your Bible, turn it to the book of Galatians.

And we are going to the next two weeks finish this book of the Bible.

It's been 10 weeks, and so I'm excited, and it's been good.

I hope you've enjoyed the Freedom Book of the Bible.

And whatever you get from me this morning, I have to preemptively let you know that I left Friday morning with a bunch of children from our children's ministry and went to Chaco Springs to kids' camp.

All right.

Kindergarten through fifth graders, and it was a blast.

It really was.

Their smiles were amazing, and seeing them have fun was great.

But uh you might have been with us.

A lot of noise, a lot of activity, and uh it was exciting.

Me and Weston left early this morning.

Some of y'all will be picking up your kids.

They'll be coming back from camp, but we got to leave early this morning.

We did pass licking good donuts, so I amped up a little bit.

I usually don't eat before preaching about that.

I've been with kids all weekend, so I'm gonna eat a donut.

But anyways, Galatians chapter 6, that happened.

Galatians 6 · chapter mention

I know that Dave and the young couples took a group to uh the Okoi and did some whitewater rafting.

You know, I used to hear some churches tell me that in the summertime they lay low and take it easy.

And I'm like, that ain't CCW.

We are not your church.

If you want to lay low in the summer, we kind of amp it up a little more.

And so uh it's been exciting.

The uh teenage boys went camping.

This was beautiful, so as God's given us this acreage and seeing it be used, the upward soccer, all the things that we have.

But there was a mess of them out here on the field with Pastor Joe and Pastor Eli running amok on Wednesday night in tents.

Pastor Joe's never put a tent together.

It was beautiful.

I left at 10 o'clock.

It was beautiful.

So, anyhow, uh, it's been an exciting week here at the church, and I'm thankful that you're here.

It blesses my heart to see these chairs filling up.

And I know that a lot of people go on vacations and all that in the summer, so thank you for being here.

Thank you, guests.

Galatians 6, this morning, I'm gonna read a verse and then we're gonna jump right in.

Galatians 6, verse 1 says, Brethren, if a man is overtaken in a trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

First thing this morning I want you to see is that it's building the church.

Building the church.

This freedom that we're looking at today is freedom to lead.

Free to lead.

Or you could write this down if you want to write.

Leaders help.

Leaders help.

And so Paul is talking to the Galatians about building that church.

The whole reason for the letter to the Galatians was he was concerned about this church that he planted.

And so I want to pose to you a thought today.

Why are you here at church?

A local New Testament church.

Why do you feel like you're here?

Is it for a motivational time?

I want you to know you can get motivated a lot better than what we can do.

Why are you here?

You see, Jesus Christ loves the church.

He died for the church, his bride.

And it's not the building, it's you, the body.

He loves the church.

And not everyone is the leader of the local New Testament assembly, this body, but everyone here can lead.

What do I mean by that?

People here can lead, you see, because Jesus said the greatest that is among you to his disciples is the one that serves.

He says, the greatest here on earth, the greatest thing, the greatest way to feel elevated here on earth is to serve.

In other words, help.

He says, we can help.

So Paul is telling us today, and we're going to talk about starting how to build up the church.

Let me pray.

Father, we love you, and I thank you so much for this body of believers that meets, and God encourages me, equips me for my week to go out stirred up.

And God, I just pray that you would use today's message that Paul wrote long ago, God, to put on the hearts of people why it is we're the church and how we can lead and help people all around us.

Lord, we love you and thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So we see what he says in verse 1 is this there's help for the fallen.

Now, this is this letter is not written to the one who has fallen, it's written to those who are privy to the fall, those who have seen somebody that's fallen.

That's why he says, if a man is overtaken in something, you who are spiritual restore.

So it's not about the person that falls, it's about the person that's there to watch.

Now remember what the whole issue was: that the Judaizers were pushing fear-based behavior modification.

And so he's saying this look, it's not about laws and rules and all this.

He's saying, if somebody gets off course in the body, if somebody falls, you who have learned, help them.

He says, Help! Help those who have fallen.

There's a great philosopher named the Beatles who said, Help! I need somebody.

Help, not just anybody, right?

I'm not talking about you as a body member giving a handout.

I'm talking about a hand up.

There is a difference.

Helping somebody.

You remember the old life alert commercial?

Anyone watch Prices Right lately?

You might still see it.

Help! I've fallen and I can't get up.

Right?

And so he's talking about help for those that have fallen.

And we lead in this way to help.

To understand how to help, we need to understand some causes why people fall.

To understand how to help somebody, you need to know the circumstances that we're going into.

Three reasons scriptures talk about for a spiritual fall.

Number one is a haughty spirit.

Now, most people would say pride.

Everybody says pride comes before a fall, pride comes before destruction.

A haughty spirit before a fall.

What's a haughty spirit?

I haven't used that word lately, Pastor.

What does that mean?

It's arrogance.

Some people know some arrogance, right?

You know some arrogant people.

He says a spiritual stumble to the glacier.

He says sometimes somebody gets arrogant, they get self-righteous.

And that's a recipe for a fall.

That's a recipe for, oh no, no, no, I'm okay.

I've seen them, but I'm okay.

I'm gonna be alright.

And so a haughty spirit comes before a fall.

Watch that spirit.

You see people come down and come to an altar or somebody broke, you say, Well, that's okay for them, but I've been a Christian a long time.

Maybe you're suffering with a haughty spirit.

Well, I uh other people aren't gonna see me like that.

Why can't you be broken?

Why can't you be a mess?

Just you are a mess.

Let's just be honest about it.

There's some honest people about their mess, and then there's some people who try to cover up a mess with a, you know, a white, clear, whatever, right?

We're a mess.

And so a haughty spirit is one thing.

A second reason for a spiritual fall is our priorities.

Anything in Scripture, anything that usurps God's place in our life causes a fall.

It'll cause a fall in your life.

I'm reading in my devotions through the book of Judges, and it's a perpetual fall.

They leave God, they serve other idols, and they fall.

And then they repent, and God receives their repentance, restores them, and then they go back to evil, and guess what happens?

Because of their priorities, they fall again, and then they repent, and God restores them, and then they go back to their evil, and then they it's all read judges.

I'm telling you, it's a roller coaster that make you go crazy.

It's like we're not getting it.

Their priorities.

Where's your priorities?

And there's some people here today.

Man, I'm so thankful.

I watch your life and the way that you conduct yourself, and I go, man, their priorities are in the right place.

I can just see God's blessing.

Whatever they do, God's hand is on those people.

Why is that?

They begin to tell me.

And and they're living it right, they're following right.

Priorities.

Number three, spiritual falls is compromising for sin.

We compromise.

We just allow something in the door, we we allow some justification in our mind, and we say, you know what?

It's probably okay.

And I want you to know it's probably not.

It's probably not okay.

There was a young boy who kept falling out of his bed.

Finally, he asked his mother, said, Mom, why do I keep falling out of my bed?

She said, Son, it's because you don't stay far enough in.

You're too close to the edge.

That's why you keep falling.

Y'all hearing me?

We can't entertain that compromise.

It's easier to fall.

And so Paul says, restore.

That's an important word.

Say restore.

It's the the Hebrew word, the Greek word is keratizo.

Keratizo means to set in joint as a dislocated bone or something dislocated has been reset.

I don't know if any of you have seen this scene.

It comes up every now and then on my phone.

Kobe Bryant was in a basketball game and he hurt his thumb and he went over to the coach and he's holding his thumb down.

And he goes with the coach and here comes somebody.

I don't know who this guy is, but the coach goes like this.

This guy comes and goes, Kobe has a grimace for a second, and he's back in the game.

Coach came over, pulled his thumb, put it back in joint.

He reset him.

And that is what we're being told by Paul as the spiritual ones.

If you see a fall, you reset, you restore.

You don't go, hey, here's a few bucks.

Maybe that'll help.

Here's a verse.

We get them up, we wipe them off, we make sure that that thing's back in place.

So they can move forward.

He says, You which are spiritual lead with help.

We should endeavor to set them in joint again.

Mend what's been broken.

He says at the end of the verse, in a spirit of meekness, lest you be tempted.

You remember when you've fallen.

Remember how that felt.

Remember when your finances went down the drain.

Remember when you made a bad choice.

Remember when you needed help.

He says, remember that.

Remember, not with an arrogancy.

Oh, you're doing okay now, but remember how it felt not to be okay and help.

James chapter 5, 19 and 20 says, Whoever brings back a sinner saves a soul from death and will cover a multitude of sin.

James 5 · chapter mention

When you reset somebody, let me tell you the circle that their life influences and how far that ripple can go is unknown.

So when you take the time to help somebody, you may be helping their family.

You may be helping their family's family.

You may be helping their community because you restored, you set them back in joint.

I want you to see Ephesians chapter 4 for a minute.

Ephesians 4 · chapter mention

What Paul had to say here.

I've seen churches that use this as their church mission.

This is their body statement of who they are.

But look at verse 12.

Why the church exists.

Now it's talking before verse 12 about the spiritual gifts, why God gave you a spiritual gift.

But this is what it says in verse 12.

Look for the words with the letter E.

For the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, the measure of stature, the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer, listen, we should no longer be children.

He's saying, if you help, people will grow, that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind of doctrine.

Hello, this is what he was saying to the Galatians, right?

That you were just tricked, that's the next line, by the trickery of men and the craftiness of deceitful plotting.

But speaking, listen, listen to this.

Everybody here that's been a Christian for a while needs to hear this line.

But speaking the truth, how?

In love.

Now, some of us get the first part okay.

Some of y'all real good about speaking the truth.

Somebody you next to somebody you can go ahead and point to them.

They're good at speaking the truth.

That's right in church.

You can do this, husbands.

They can speak the truth.

But it says in love.

Now, I'll be honest, some people are real good about being real kind and do everything in love, but they don't they don't want to speak the truth.

They want to skate around things.

So there's a little bit of both, but it says speak the truth in love.

So we see some things there.

That first letter E, he says, edify, which is back to the first point.

It's building.

I tell my kids all the time this verse, Ephesians 4.29, let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth that which is used to edify or build people up.

Don't speak if you're not gonna build.

If you gotta be negative, go do it with yourself.

Go somewhere else.

Don't tear people down with words.

Build up.

And he says, for the use, the reason you've got a spiritual gift is to use it to build, to edify.

And then he says, equip.

So you're helping them.

When you come to church, it is not just about this.

You need to use what you got to get somebody and start helping.

I don't care if you're 80 in here or if you're 10, you're supposed to encourage.

If you're the body of Christ, that is your purpose.

That's why you're here, to equip and edify.

Speak the truth in love.

Now he's talking that last part, and this goes back to where we're at.

Speak the truth in love.

Sometimes somebody's fallen and they need you to gently, hey, I see that you made a mistake.

I've made mistakes too.

Let me help you.

No, no, no, no.

I'm not leaving.

Let me help you through this.

Don't go down that road again.

I've been down this road.

So you gently, you don't come over there and say, I knew this.

Everybody's real excited when the person says, I knew I was gonna be right.

Okay, way to go, Patricia.

Nobody needs that speech.

I always knew this was gonna happen.

Okay.

I didn't know you were a prophet.

Way to go.

Help, restore in the spirit of gentleness.

Why?

He says, lest you be tempted, lest you're gonna fall too.

So we see first that restore is talking about help for the fallen.

Well, it goes further.

I want you to read verse 2.

He continues bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Bearing burdens.

Letter B this morning is this the help for the fatigued.

We have help for the fallen.

And this is about help for the fatigued.

I think the guys in the back here have a picture of a couple of runners I want you to see.

Um, and as you see these pulled up, you'll notice the man on the left probably looks familiar to most people here.

The man on the left is the fastest man alive in human history so far.

This is Usain Boltz.

Usain Bolt, 9.58 seconds, ran the 100 meter.

Alright.

I mean, looks like he's floating.

Anyone know?

I said the man on the left.

Did I mix him up?

Okay.

Does anyone know the other man in the picture?

Man, this would be a shock to me.

Anyone know the other man's name?

Nope.

Eliud Kipchog.

Eliud Kipchog is the fastest to run a marathon.

26.2 miles, two hours, one minute, and some seconds.

Alright?

So there's a great difference between a sprinter and a marathon runner.

A sprinter needs great muscle to have short, intense bursts off the line, and a marathon runner focuses his energies on stamina for a long and grueling battle.

Totally different.

Hebrews 12, 1 and 2 says, This church, that the race that we're in is not a sprint.

It says, Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that does so easily beset us.

And it says, and it ensnares us and let us run with, listen to this word, endurance, the race that is before us, looking where?

Unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured, there's that word again, the cross, despising this shame.

And so this is what we know that in life, this Christian race is a marathon that we're in, and we have to be ready to endure.

And so what we're told here by Paul says, you gotta help people who get fatigued.

There's gonna be fatigue because it's a marathon.

And in life, God gave us teammates and coaches for help for that marathon.

He says, but this, you gotta keep focused.

For you to be able to help somebody else, you gotta stay focused.

You gotta stay focused, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher.

So to end that race well, we have to stay focused on vision.

Jesus, and he says, This is what you do.

You bear one another's burdens.

And I never thought there would be a feeling when I got in ministry.

God's given me opportunity.

Sometimes He's sent me gift wrapped baskets.

People.

That's what I mean.

People showed up at my doorstep needing to be saved, basically.

Knocking on my door.

I had a student one time knocking on my door at 3 o'clock, and it was like a gift wrapped basket.

He was ready, he was willing, and God let me.

I didn't go after that, it was just there.

That's the right kind of fishing, guys.

You know what I'm talking about.

When the fish jumps right in the boat, Danny, that's what happened.

And so I led Stephen to the Lord that day.

But listen, this is what it is.

I never thought there'd be a feeling like winning somebody to Christ until I took my first missions trip with teenagers, and I watched teenagers that I had been teaching lead children to Christ.

And I went, wow, look at this thing.

God's a let me be involved in that life and let me help that life, and now that life is helping another life.

And so what I'm trying to help you understand, Paul was trying to direct the building of his church.

And he says, bear one another's burdens, teach, grow together as a church.

God uses a body.

So he says, bear burdens.

We are not here just for a message.

That's why we just kicked off back in March the connect groups.

And you're gonna hear me, it's gonna sound like an old commercial.

Look, I love the idea of connect groups.

And if you're not in a connect group, you're missing something vital to the church.

Listen, I know there's some people, your job, your work, there's things that that maybe Sunday morning's all you can get.

And I'm not condemning, but what I'm telling you, the body of Christ needs to be able to bear burdens.

You need somebody next to you, you need somebody around you because it's a marathon.

And here's the problem for a lot of people, and probably I had to be honest.

My problem sometimes, my knee-jerk reaction when a problem hits is too often not to run for help.

How about you?

Figure it out on my own.

I'm gonna figure this out, right?

There are people here, church, that are overwhelmed.

And you're going, I'll figure it out.

There's uh right, you're overwhelmed.

And there's people here today you're tired, and there's stuff in your life that's tense, and there's people here today that you've been discouraged and down, and you can be crushed by a burden when the resource is near you that can help.

You can be crushed, and the body is right here to help with the burden.

Man, I was thinking about some scripture.

1 Thessalonians 5 14 says this to us warn the idle, encourage the faint-hearted, and help the weak.

God has put some incredible saints of God in mine and Heather's life.

I couldn't even begin.

There's so many, but even though my propensity is to carry my own burden within myself, God has allowed and put people right in my life.

And look, I need Brandon, Brandon.

Would you stand up?

I need Brandon to stand.

Y'all look at Brandon.

Say hi, Brandon.

Look, Brandon, look, I I asked Brandon earlier this week if uh I my my driveway's been a mess for a while, and I need a pressure.

Washer well in a conversation we were talking about, he said he had a pressure washer.

So I remembered that.

And I said, at first, look, this is what I did.

My knee jerk was uh I still have a coupon at the house,$129.

And I thought about calling it a couple of times.

And I said, you know what?

I can do this work and save the family the money.

Why would I?

I just need a pressure washer.

So I text Brandon, I said, Brent, hey, um, I want to.

Can I borrow your pressure washer?

No problem.

He said, it wasn't anything to him.

He just no problem.

I got a pressure washer.

You're a fellow member of my church, you're my friend.

Yeah.

Sure.

Well, that would be great, right?

So I come pulling up from camp this morning.

Kids can't have been just, you know, slaving with the children for Jesus.

Loving little ones of Jesus.

I helped Brandon's daughter learn how to make a sprite float with honey in it this week.

I mean, what greater thing is that?

Ice cream sprite and honey.

So helping, I pull up to my driveway and I'm t he pressure washed my whole driveway.

I seriously got a tear in my eye, church.

It was like I was driving into heaven.

It was so pearly white.

But can I tell you about the help of the body?

I'm serious.

Now I know that was a lot of work, but what a blessing.

And I've seen this guy, and I'm not just trying to, I could brag on anybody here, but since Brandon and his family have been here, he's sort of like the ADD church servant.

He's cooked brisket for men's night.

I seen him here working on the building one time.

He coached up for soccer.

He sang on the stage, like this is helping.

You see a need and you go, Oh, I can help that.

I have a I have a means to help that, so I'll help that.

I've got the time to help that, so I'll help that.

Bearing one another's burdens.

Church, it is our joyous opportunity to help.

Smile at your neighbor right now, the person next to you, and say this, you need help.

Look at the other one and say, You definitely need help.

I'm serious.

There's depth to this bearing of burdens.

You need more than our Sunday message.

Jesus Christ had an inner circle.

So let me ask you, who's your 12?

When you come to this body, is there 12 people that you talk to every week?

Man, what a challenge.

Is there 12 people that you text with?

Is there 12 people that you pray with?

This is Jesus' three-year ministry, constantly 12 people.

Look, I'm thinking you might need more than Jesus, just a thought.

But do you got 12?

Do you got five?

Look, this is gonna wear off, I'm telling you.

I love preaching, I love the word, but I'm telling you, once Monday hits and everything goes down, it's a long time till Sunday some weeks.

Are you with me?

You need to bear one another's burden.

So who's in your circle?

Who is it?

Well, I want you to look at verse 3 through 5.

He says, For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he's nothing, these strong words, he deceives himself.

But let each one examine his work own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.

For each one shall bear his own load.

So, what's this mean?

Second point this morning, sharing in contribution.

Sharing in the contribution.

Um, you're gonna hear, you get tired of hearing this, but I used to move furniture, and here's what I know mathematically about moving furniture.

If I grab Cole and I say, Cole, let's pick up a dresser, Cole is getting half the weight.

Genius, right?

There's no distribution of that that's gonna go in.

Now, I may be feeling like I'm doing more of the work because he's not able to, but if we go up a set of stairs, I got half and Cole's got half.

Now, guess what?

If I ask Wade to come in, me and Cole will be doing nothing because Wade is strong and big.

But the more people that I get involved in the work, guess what the weight feels like?

Have you ever carried something really heavy and had a bunch of people and like, I don't even guys, I'm not doing anything.

And then the other guy's like, I'm not doing anything.

It's because you all just distributed 300 pounds between 10 people and it's nothing.

Sharing in contribution.

Paul said, now examine and make sure that you're doing your load.

Now, the next two points, I gotta be honest with you in church, it can get awkward to teach about the next couple of things, but I'm just gonna be honest with you.

In our church, part of our creed who we are, we teach the whole council of the Word of God.

I'm gonna go through these verses, and it's awkward anytime, at least for me, I'm not a salesman pastor.

It's awkward to talk about giving, all right?

Um, but you know this lights are on, air conditioning's on, and we've got a field full of stuff to do.

Look, it takes giving.

And so, but giving has three parts.

Letter A is this giving to the grind.

The three parts of giving are time, talents, and treasure.

Not one or the other, but all.

There's some people that they'll come to church and say, Oh, the preacher talked about giving.

I don't want to go back.

Please hear my heart.

God wants your heart, he does not need your wallet.

If he has your heart, everything else will follow.

Good word.

Amen.

Paul might have been referring in this verse.

I like verse 3.

I bet Pastor Dave likes verse 3.

If anyone thinks himself to be something when he is nothing, because this is what he preached on.

It might have gone back to when he was talking to James and Peter, who was he was stood to the face, and you're supposed to be something.

I don't know what it is, he said.

I don't know what you are, but he says, if you think yourself to be something and you're nothing, what is that?

But he's saying again, all through Galatians, he says, Don't be deceived.

Again, he's saying, Don't be deceived, don't be deceived.

That Satan wants to deceive you.

And how does he deceive in this way?

You know, Paul, I feel like he goes all Italian or scarface or something here.

You know, he's like, if you think you're something and you're nothing, it sounds like there's some prideful people.

Let me tell you what Spurgeon said is the greatest threat to the salvation of human souls.

Self-righteous people.

The greatest threat to the salvation of human souls is the person here today who says, I really don't need a change.

I'm gonna be okay.

The self-righteous.

I need you to turn quickly just to see in Luke chapter 18.

Luke 18 · chapter mention

Keep your finger back there in Galatians 6, but Luke 18.

There's a few things that the self-righteous do that I just want us to be aware of, because it's easy to fall into it.

And if it's the greatest threat to salvation, we better not fall into it.

Luke 18, verse 11 through 13.

Luke 18:11–13

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself.

God, I thank you that I am not like other men.

Extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

And the tax collector, standing afar enough, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God be merciful to me, a sinner.

Now, which one of those two do you think prayer got to the ear of God?

Let me tell you a few sins of the self-righteous, and we'll move along.

Number one, self-righteous people are always legalistic.

They're watching the rules and they're watching you.

We talked all about that in the third week.

Legalism.

Second, self-righteous people always feed on comparison.

They're looking what others have, what they do, what the world sees as success.

Be careful of comparison.

Comparison is the stealer, the thief of contentment.

Number three, everybody will agree with this.

Self-righteous people know it all, including God.

I know him best.

He is my God for me.

Oh, he answers my prayers.

Did you hear this guy praying?

It's like you want to jump through the Bible and punch him in the mouth.

I fast every week.

I'm not a sinner like this guy.

It's like, man.

Self-righteous people, so we're not gonna like this one.

The self-righteous never apologize.

If you have a hard time with that word, you might need to check your heart.

Self-righteous hate correction.

Don't want to be told.

The self-righteous love to hear their praises.

We had a girl one time in youth ministry.

We were talking, just regular conversation, and she said this, I'd never forgot.

She said, She said, you know, that's probably my favorite thing about myself.

I was like, wow, I've never heard that phrase come out of a human.

One of my favorite, she said, one of my favorite things about myself is, and I was like, Oh my soul.

Wow.

Number seven, the self-righteous, wallow in self-pity.

Woe is me.

Wallow in it.

So he says, examine your work.

That's what Paul says here.

In verse 4, he says, you have to examine your work.

Let each one examine his work, what he's doing.

Be careful.

All right, in a spirit of meekness, not arrogance.

So he says, Don't talk about it.

He says, be about it.

Don't tell me about it.

Show me about it.

A four-letter word that's not a bad word is work.

Everybody say work.

You won't have to talk about work if you work.

Your work will do the talking about you.

You hearing me?

Luke 10, 7 says, the laborer is worthy of his hire.

We talked a few weeks ago, the body metaphor in 1 Corinthians.

The body needs you.

Listen, church, we need you.

We have many needs.

Don't come to this church and ever think you're not needed.

I don't, we don't all have the time to ask everybody individually for all the needs, but let me tell you, you are needed.

You would never look down at your knee and say, listen to me, knee, I would like to walk.

Would you please go?

The knee sees the body and jumps in.

Look at me, go.

Today I was needed, so I jumped in line.

I'm needed, right?

There's my dad joke of the week.

I can promise you, CCW, the church is not the same without you.

I don't know where you're at in your service right now, but if you dare say that you're not needed, you are.

The body is moving.

You just need to get in somewhere and do your piece.

Man, we need connect group leaders for this fall.

We're gonna start back over and we're gonna have hopefully 10 groups.

We need Sunday school workers for the kids.

Awana's about to start over again.

Can you listen to a verse every Wednesday night from kids?

We need a wana, we need serve team workers, we need worship, we need plants.

I've left them buckets empty outside on purpose, hoping somebody would say, Oh, these need some plants.

I don't know nothing about plants, but I'm not, I'm not.

If you want to buy them, please tell me.

We need them.

We need landscaping, we have needs.

We got needs we don't even know we need, right, Pastor Dave?

I don't even know.

But your talent and your gift can help us with it.

Just say, hey, I want to get involved in this body.

We gotcha.

Please.

There's a parable that talks about this.

And I don't have time to go through it, but the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, God gave the owner gave in the parable one five talents, one two talents, and one one talent.

The guy with five talents went out, he sowed it and made back five.

The guy with two went out, used his talents, got back two more.

The guy with one went and buried it and didn't use his talent.

In verse 28 of that chapter, you know what the owner came back and said?

He keyed on the one that buried his talent.

He said, You wicked and lazy servant.

Took his talent and he said, I'm giving this to the one that has the ten.

It was taken from him.

So we have to give.

And Paul says, Do your part.

You gotta do your part.

Well, let's look down at verse 6.

Alright.

He says, Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

So again, I told you this is awkward.

Generosity to the godly.

I have to say, church, it is beyond an honor for me to be in the role of pastor of this church.

It's hard for me to believe.

Um, and I've I've given you the example before of the turtle on a fence post.

If you see a turtle on a fence post, you know somebody had to pick it up and put it there.

It didn't get on that fence post on its own.

I don't know how God has put me in this place, but let me tell you, I'm thankful.

And I've heard some things that have made me cringe hearing people say.

Let me tell you one that a pastor told me.

He said, if you're gonna be a pastor, you better have a backup plan if you want your family to be taken care of.

I don't know where that is in scripture.

I need to tell you, church, God has blessed Heather and me in ways that I could only say, God.

Only God.

I believe in this phrase where God guides, God provides.

Um, and God has so done this.

But I want you to know scripture because it's something that we practice with pastors in our life.

1 Timothy 5, 17 says, Let the elder who rules well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and doctrine.

I honor the pastors that have been in my life.

And I have had some major men of God.

I'm so thankful.

I send them messages.

I continue to encourage pastors that have been in my life.

I thank them now for things they were doing years ago in my life.

And let me tell you, I love this church.

I love C CW.

And I can tell you about church, when I thought about this scripture, man, how can you, how can you honor?

I'm not asking for honor, but how can you in this scripture honor me?

Man, sometimes in church, there are weeks where it's devastating, is all I can tell you.

There are weeks where the weight of people's needs, it just feels devastating.

Or the way that somebody gets frustrated, I I can't help it.

I'm not as strong as some others.

I wear people's frustration.

And if people are frustrated about something, I wish I could just fix everything.

And all of it bothers me.

And so all I can say when it feels devastating, pray.

Would you pray for me and my wife?

If you want to honor my family, look, my kids have been involved in every aspect of ministry for the last 17 years.

They've been to camps and they've been drug all over on missions trips.

And I'm telling you, it's the most glorious thing.

And there's times where it's the most devastating.

And all I can say to you in those heaviness times, please, if you would go to this scripture and you want to understand it, pray for us.

Pray for God's protection on my family.

Satan would love nothing more than get in the door, get my children, get my get me, pray for God's protection on my family.

Or family time, pray for that, please.

That God would give us a balance.

There's a million good things in ministry to do, and there's always somebody that has a need.

And I'm called first to my family.

So family time, and the last thing, pray that we would stay so close to Jesus.

I need that prayer.

I want that prayer.

Please pray for me that I'm in his word and it's speaking to me every day.

I pray the prayer of Jabez, unashamedly.

If Jabez could pray, I say, Lord, bless me indeed, enlarge my territory, that your hand would be seen and no harm would be done.

I've been praying that every day for years.

Pray.

And so we're generous in that way.

Well, the last thing is this persevering to cultivate.

I want you to look down at verse 7 through 10.

We persevere to cultivate something.

We're not just doing this to do it.

It's not just something the preacher said, or it's it's it has a reason, it has a reciprocation.

We're doing something for a big task.

Verse 7 and 8 says this Do not be se de be deceived.

God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.

For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap everlasting life.

And let us not grow weary while doing good in due season will reap if we do not lose heart.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially those who are of the household of faith.

And so we're persevering to cultivate.

I was thinking about this this week, and for me, I tried to get a watermelon seed, but it didn't work out.

So we'll pretend this is my watermelon seed.

For me, all I need for me to believe in salvation is this seed.

We're gonna pretend it's a watermelon seed, all right?

All I need is this.

I believe Jesus in John 1.1, it says in the beginning was the word and word was with God and the word was God.

Jesus and God were together at creation and they were creating.

And I think at one moment Jesus and God got together, and he was looking at the watermelon seed, and he said, Jesus, let's blow their mind.

Let's put this into the ground and out of the ground, this.

Y'all with me now.

Some of y'all maybe you can get scienced enough.

You can science enough and go, well, I know how that works.

You put the seed in the ground, and then enough water and sunlight and photosynthesis takes place, and then the beautiful watermelon.

You're not seeing the miracle.

This went in the dirt and fed on water and came out this, and then he said, wait until they cut into it.

The pink and red is gonna be amazing.

And then, wait, even better.

It could have just been that.

This could have been a decoration, and we'd have opened up and like, wow, that's really beautiful.

And then he's like, and then wait until a hot summer day, and they're gonna bite into it.

Explosion.

It makes people smile.

All I need right here, look, give me any atheists, and I want them to tell me about the watermelon.

You can't science this up for me.

That's all I need.

He said, look at the watermelon.

Farming.

God gives us a picture of farming.

You know what?

I just can't help.

I can't think that there's too many atheist farmers.

Anybody know an atheist farmer real well?

I see no hands in this whole crowd.

I can't.

Why?

Because everything they do is a miracle.

Y'all with me?

That's the way that I believe.

I know you can science it, but I don't think your science is right.

So we see here that we're persevering to cultivate something.

Doing good is commanded.

Paul said, don't be deceived.

Again, that issue.

Salvation, listen, is by grace plus nothing and minus nothing.

The conditions to salvation are repentance and faith.

Paul says, Don't be bewitched, don't be deceived, don't be fooled.

All of this deception, listen.

Your call to be a part of a church, and so he says, do good.

Don't be deceived, but do good.

God is not mocked.

Whatever you sow, it needs to be sowing good.

Listen, Satan sometimes will use things to delay and discourage people and think all kinds of things.

Satan loves to deceive.

That's why Paul said over and over, don't be deceived.

It's his major use of getting us.

He deceived.

And he says, Don't be deceived.

Maybe you've been hurt.

There's been something that you haven't dealt with.

Either way, Satan is deceiving you to believe that you're not needed.

You're needed.

Paul said, God's not mocked.

So Galatians, love and serve because it fulfills the law.

They were fighting over that old law.

He says, the new law is love, and this sowing seeds.

He says, This is the new law.

This is what we do.

This is what we do.

Some of y'all that like a clean place are getting messed up right now.

Ha ha ha! I'm messing you up.

And so he says, this is the new law.

We he says, sow seed.

Paul says, look, we are farmers.

That's what Paul says.

He says, sow.

And that word sow is spyru, which means to scatter.

That's what it means.

It's derived from a quick, shaky motion of the hand.

Scatter.

That's what Paul says.

2 Corinthians 9 says this.

Listen.

It says, but this I say, he who sows sparingly reaps how.

Anybody get a guess?

Sparingly.

Sparingly.

Does anybody here want the sparingly blessing?

But then he says, every man according as he purposes his heart, so let him give.

Give not grudgingly of necessity.

God loves a cheerful giver, but he says, But he who sows bountifully messing y'all up.

I'm sorry, Miss Jamie.

I see it.

Reaps bountifully.

That's what scripture says.

I promise I will sweep it up.

God wants to bless you in a way that's your blessing.

Let me tell you what Malachi says, and I know you're gonna say this is the, but listen to it.

It's the one time in the Bible where God says, Go ahead and challenge me.

And he's talking about our giving.

He says, Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in my house.

And listen, he says, try me, try me, says the Lord of hosts.

If I will not open up the windows of heaven and pour out, oh man.

I mean, pour out, Jason said, do it, pour out a blessing.

That's what it says.

He says, Pour out from the windows of heaven.

He says, give.

And then you know what?

It doesn't stop with the pouring out of the windows of heaven, and I'll bless you.

He says, and I'll rebuke the devourer.

I'll rebuke the one that's trying to come and steal your blessings, Satan.

He says, He'll give you health.

And you'll always have the fruit of the ground.

Give to God.

Try him.

Try him.

Church, if you're not giving, try him.

I don't know, I'm not going to tell you some amount or something to do or some percentage, but what I want to tell you is try him.

What if taxes worked like this, man?

We'd be on it.

So I'd be happy to pay my taxes this year.

I'm going to pay them bountifully because they'll come back.

And that's what God says.

We need people, this is the heart though, church.

We need people to invest in the kingdom.

We're going to be meeting afterward, or gonna have a meeting, um, a covenant member meeting, and we're talking about our children's building that we're hoping to build.

And I want you to know again, God doesn't, God doesn't need your checkbook, but he needs this.

He needs it for not just your giving, talents, your time and treasure.

All these things I've been talking about.

He wants you so that you can build this body that he created that would go and impact our whole city.

But he needs a piece of you.

He needs you.

And then look at verse 10 what he says.

I love this.

I use this verse.

I try to use it when I go out.

If I go to Walmart or I go somewhere, we go eat at a restaurant.

He says, Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good.

Look for an opportunity this week, church, to do good.

And it says for everyone.

But look at this.

He says, but especially, especially look around them.

Especially the household of faith, especially your church.

You want to know if you're supposed to be a part of a local New Testament church?

Hello.

If this doesn't clear it up for you, it's the big C and Little C.

Big C is the church body, but this is how we meet together, and this is how we do good unto the household of faith.

This is our household of faith.

We need the body.

It's not about me, it's about we.

Look at your neighbor and say, we.

The body needs we.

Hebrews 10, 24 says, we consider one another to stir up love and good works.

And then that church verse, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.

And this is what Paul says, and I'll be wrapping up in a moment.

He says, you are mocking God if you're not sowing in this way.

If you're sowing whatever you're sowing, listen, there's a reaping principle.

Whatever you're doing is farming.

You're going to reap from what you're doing.

So the things that you're reaping are, listen, a part of what you've been sowing.

And so God says, Don't mock me.

Sword seed every day.

Listen, sometimes, it's so sweet.

Sometimes the Stephen ends up on my porch.

But somebody else had been sowing, and somebody else had been watering, and somebody else had been sowing, and this church member had been watering, and somebody else had been giving, and it all worked together, and we got to see the grand fruition of somebody one day gonna go to heaven.

Says, so.

So, church, what do you do today?

Ask somebody before you leave.

Ask them what they need.

Ask them how you can pray.

Ask them how you can get together, how you can use your time.

Every day, plant, sow, water, scattering seed wherever your feet go.

You're sowing, you're sowing.

Like a shaky hand.

That's what that spirumi.

Like a shaky hand.

Right in the hand.

It's like a right hand in, right hand out, and you I thought somebody would do the hokey pokey today.

But he says in Luke 6, given it shall be given unto you with good measure.

Press down.

Here's that word again.

Shaken together.

And men will give back unto you.

That's the principle of reaping.

Last thing is this, verse 9.

I want you to go back to it.

He says, Due season's coming.

Due season is coming.

It says, let us not grow weary while doing good.

There's some people here you've been serving.

Oh, look, I just want to tell you, children's workers, thank you.

I know we're trying so hard.

Thank you.

We want to get more space.

Thank you.

There's some people here you've been sowing, you've been doing something for a long time, you feel like nobody's noticing.

Thank you for what you're doing.

And what God tells us through Paul is in due season, keep going, keep encouraging, keep pressing, keep on, because in due season you'll reap if you don't pass out.

He says, You'll reap if you don't faint.

Keep going.

Well, there's a story of a man who is nearing his death, and his doctor was a Christian.

And he asked the doctor, he said, Tell me, Doc, something about the place to which I'm going to be going.

Doctor fumbled around his words, looked for a reply, and he heard some scratching at his door.

And he had his answer.

He said, Do you hear that?

He said, It's my dog.

I left him downstairs.

But he has grown impatient with me, and he's come up these stairs because he hears my voice and knows that I'm here.

Now he has no notion of what's inside this door, but he knows that I'm here.

To the dying man, he said, Isn't it the same with you?

You don't know what lies beyond that door, but you know that the master that you have served is the one that's on the other side.

The master, the one that you've been sowing for, is on the other side.

So, church, today, who are you serving?

What are you serving?

You're living for something.

And I close with this Matthew 25 21 says, one day, one day, he's gonna say, hopefully, Well done, good and faithful servant.

You've been faithful in the little things, I want to make you ruler over much.