SPEAKER_00: Thanks for checking out this podcast from Carterville Christian Church.
SPEAKER_00: We're so glad you're here.
SPEAKER_00: Our hope is that through these messages you'll grow deeper in your faith and experience the life-changing hope of Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: Now let's jump into this week's teaching.
SPEAKER_01: Well, good morning.
SPEAKER_01: C3 gonna be with you this morning as we uh wrap up our series called Jesus the Financial Planner.
SPEAKER_01: Um I'm gonna be honest with you, I've been uh I've been challenged in a good way.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you guys.
SPEAKER_01: I've been challenged in a good way uh because of because of this series.
SPEAKER_01: I think I've been challenged in in several ways.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe one was uh exegetically.
SPEAKER_01: It's been challenging dealing with some of the different teachings of Jesus and some of them, some of a little harder to interpret passages, you know, as we've gone through this series.
SPEAKER_01: But I've also been challenged just just practically and personally, I don't know about you, uh, through some of Jesus' words uh throughout this series when it comes to dealing with our dealing with our finances, with our money, with our stuff.
SPEAKER_01: It's been uh challenging and convicting.
SPEAKER_01: And I've had several conversations with several of you uh over the last several weeks, um, and different things where you you felt the Lord you know challenging you and convicting you on different things, how you're handling different different uh parts of your of your finances, and or even uh just like the Lord challenging you, hey, to really release your your grip, to loosen your grip on the things of this world that that maybe you're clinging too tightly to, or or maybe like there's even some of you that have that have reached out and asked for us to connect you with uh with some people in our church that uh are our financial planners or uh just people that could really just help you uh kind of kind of be wise and how you're stewarding uh what the Lord has given you.
SPEAKER_01: And man, all of those things are are still are still up for grab.
SPEAKER_01: So like let's not let the end of the series be the end of us talking about this.
SPEAKER_01: This is a ultimately this is a discipleship issue.
SPEAKER_01: That's why we why why it's important for us.
SPEAKER_01: Um and so man, want to continue to encourage you to lean in uh to those different conversations because it matters, it matters uh to the Lord how how we manage our money well, how we steward our money well.
SPEAKER_01: Um one of the things I'm I've been just like the most thankful for, though, honestly, in every single one of the conversations that I've had with different people, uh a couple handfuls of conversations with people, there's just been a deep humility with every person I've talked to.
SPEAKER_01: Um and man, I I don't know, I don't know a whole lot, but I know I know this, that our God can use us when we humble ourselves before him.
SPEAKER_01: And may that continue to be our hot pot our heart posture before him in all things, including including our finances.
SPEAKER_01: I I've talked about this before, but I'm a big movie buff.
SPEAKER_01: Anybody anybody with me on that?
SPEAKER_01: You guys enjoy movies, okay?
SPEAKER_01: Let's be a little bit more proud of that right now.
SPEAKER_01: If you're a big movie buff, raise your hand.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, I see you.
SPEAKER_01: I see you.
SPEAKER_01: Man, I literally like I could watch a movie every night, you know, I could put the kids to bed and then watch a movie every night.
SPEAKER_01: I feel like I could do that.
SPEAKER_01: My wife not so much, but I feel like I could do that every night.
SPEAKER_01: You know, I'm just a big movie buff.
SPEAKER_01: I love, I love the whole experience, this, the the adventures, the wonder of movies, the storytelling, the suspense of what's gonna happen, the challenges uh that that are faced.
SPEAKER_01: But I think I love like the characters the most themselves.
SPEAKER_01: Like I love to see characters come together.
SPEAKER_01: I love, as you know, I love Lord of the Rings.
SPEAKER_01: And so as when some people are kind of surprised when they ask me which one's my favorite, because I always say the Fellowship of the Ring is my favorite, the first one, because I love seeing the characters come together, like seeing this band of brothers kind of come together and and set out on this on this quest together.
SPEAKER_01: I love seeing the background and seeing it all come together.
SPEAKER_01: But there's there's one kind of character I think that a lot of us, if not most of us, in this room, like we love to root for.
SPEAKER_01: We love to cheer for, and I'm gonna call them the rebel.
SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm talking about?
SPEAKER_01: Like, we love to cheer for and root for the rebel, the one who like stands up against those like in power, the one who leads a rebellion against the evil forces, the one who fights for what matters, who goes their own way, who blazes their own trail, and as a result, like they gain the love and adoration from so many beloved fans, you know?
SPEAKER_01: And there's a lot of different rebels that I could point out.
SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of great rebels in in movies, but there's a few that I that I think of immediately.
SPEAKER_01: I think of Neo from The Matrix.
SPEAKER_01: Anybody?
SPEAKER_01: Man, okay.
SPEAKER_01: Not not so much on Neo.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe Mr.
SPEAKER_01: Anderson, maybe that's better.
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
SPEAKER_01: Anyways, okay, next one.
SPEAKER_01: I think of Katniss Everdeen, the girl on fire.
SPEAKER_01: Any okay, man.
SPEAKER_01: Kind of two duds there.
SPEAKER_01: All right, anyways.
SPEAKER_01: This next one will undoubtedly get some cheers.
SPEAKER_01: I hope Han Solo.
SPEAKER_01: Right?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, Harrison Ford never misses, you know.
SPEAKER_01: And then Pete Mitchell or Maverick, that's who we're talking about?
SPEAKER_01: That's what we're talking about here, you know.
SPEAKER_01: I feel the need.
SPEAKER_01: Okay, that wasn't said with as much gusto as they say it, but I get it.
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's nine o'clock in the morning, that's fine.
SPEAKER_01: But each of these characters kind of live by this mantra.
SPEAKER_01: I I like no one tells me what to do.
SPEAKER_01: Like nobody's gonna tell me what to do.
SPEAKER_01: And I think the reason why we love these characters is because we want that same thing for ourselves.
SPEAKER_01: No one tells me what to do, no one tells me what to think, no one tells me how to live, no one, no one, no one tells me what to do with my life.
SPEAKER_01: And I think, I think if this is how we live our lives, then we're actually missing a foundational core piece of what it means to be in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And so I want to suggest this morning that I think it actually comes back to the attitude with how we live.
SPEAKER_01: That's kind of where it all, where it all starts.
SPEAKER_01: And so rather than we've been, throughout this whole series, we've been looking at a specific teaching of Jesus throughout each, throughout each lesson, throughout each sermon.
SPEAKER_01: And what we've been doing is trying to see if he's sitting across the table from us as our financial planner, what would he say, you know, giving us financial advice.
SPEAKER_01: And instead, what I want to do is I want to kind of just look at Jesus' life in general and the attitude with which he lives his life.
SPEAKER_01: Because Jesus, yes, is our life, but he is also the example that we should follow.
SPEAKER_01: We should model our lives after.
SPEAKER_01: And so I think it's important for us to take a look at how Jesus lived his life and see how we can live our lives in that same way.
SPEAKER_01: And I think there's something for each of us this morning as we look to Jesus to be an example of our attitude in life.
SPEAKER_01: So I want to start kind of in the middle this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Like, what kind of attitude did Jesus live with?
SPEAKER_01: And put simply, he lived with the attitude of gratitude.
SPEAKER_01: That's what he lived with.
SPEAKER_01: He lived with gratitude.
SPEAKER_01: And this isn't just preacher lingo this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Like I really believe that this is the baseline attitude that Jesus had throughout his life and ministry.
SPEAKER_01: And I would like to think that it's every part of his life and ministry.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, that's why Jesus, multiple times throughout the gospel, we see him like withdrawing so he can go spend time with the Lord, so he can be filled up, because he's living in gratitude, thankfulness, reliance upon the Father.
SPEAKER_01: And that's why he withdrew to pray.
SPEAKER_01: And yet we're still given a few specific instances when Jesus specifically gives thanks.
SPEAKER_01: When he stops, he pauses what he's doing and just offers up thankfulness to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And so this is what I want to do, just really briefly, kind of walk through some of the different things, some of the different instances that we see in Scripture of when Jesus stops and gives thanks.
SPEAKER_01: First, we're we're gonna be in John chapter 6.
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be up on the screen.
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be quick, okay?
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be really quick.
SPEAKER_01: But this the thing is, the the setting is Jesus is tired from teaching and preaching the crowds all day, and yet he goes up on this hillside, sees the crowd out and about, and he says, Well, what are we gonna do to feed all these people?
SPEAKER_01: And that's not a question people ask, you know?
SPEAKER_01: Like the disciples are, we don't.
SPEAKER_01: That's that's the whole thing.
SPEAKER_01: We don't feed all these people.
SPEAKER_01: They can feed themselves, they can figure out how to get home and feed themselves.
SPEAKER_01: He's like, No, we need to feed them.
SPEAKER_01: They're they're coming and they're having their needs met here.
SPEAKER_01: We need to feed them.
SPEAKER_01: So he sends them out.
SPEAKER_01: Go figure out how you're gonna do it.
SPEAKER_01: They bring back, you know the story, five loaves and and two fish.
SPEAKER_01: And and Jesus in verse 11, Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated, and so also the fish, as much as they wanted.
SPEAKER_01: See, Jesus takes a moment and gives thanks right before this miracle, and you know the story.
SPEAKER_01: A sack lunch ends up feeding thousands.
SPEAKER_01: It becomes a feast for thousands of people.
SPEAKER_01: And it seems pretty normal.
SPEAKER_01: Like I would imagine there's a many of us in here who you can't remember the last time you've sat down for a meal and haven't given thanks to the Lord, you know?
SPEAKER_01: Like this seems at one, at one level, seems super, super normal for Jesus to do this.
SPEAKER_01: Why would he not do this?
SPEAKER_01: And yet, it's interesting, though, that John later, I think it's verse 22 in John 6, that he comes back and says, Hey, the following day, there's boats coming from Tiberias that were coming to the place where the Lord had had eaten where they had eaten bread and the Lord had given thanks.
SPEAKER_01: It's interesting.
SPEAKER_01: Why point that out if it's not significant?
SPEAKER_01: Like, why would John double back on Jesus saying, on Jesus giving thanks to the Lord before he broke bread if it wasn't significant?
SPEAKER_01: Imagine Jesus here, like tired after a full day of teaching and preaching to the crowds, and he gives thanks that even a little bit more he's able to provide what they actually need.
SPEAKER_01: The next instance here is in Luke chapter 10, a really interesting one.
SPEAKER_01: In Luke chapter 10, if you got your Bibles, you can flip over there.
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be up on the screen again.
SPEAKER_01: This is this is what it says.
SPEAKER_01: In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children.
SPEAKER_01: Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
SPEAKER_01: This is an interesting little little text here in the midst of Luke chapter 10.
SPEAKER_01: But what's interesting about it is that Jesus has just received back the 72 different followers that have that he had sent out at the beginning of the chapter, sent them out to go and spread the good news of the kingdom, the fact that the kingdom is here.
SPEAKER_01: And they came back and they said, It's crazy what has happened.
SPEAKER_01: Even the demons have listened and responded to us, even like we have power over the demons.
SPEAKER_01: And he says, I'm gonna give you even power greater than that.
SPEAKER_01: You know, like you'll have you'll have the power of the Spirit living and working in you.
SPEAKER_01: This is this is incredible.
SPEAKER_01: But undoubt, undoubt, undoubtedly, what's happening is that they have come back and said, Yeah, what you said was going to happen.
SPEAKER_01: There were people who were ready to receive the kingdom, and yet there were others who were not ready to receive the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: And we've talked about this before, that some people have hardened their hearts to the truth of the gospel, to the truth of the of the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: If your heart is hardened and you aren't humble before the Lord, then you aren't going to be able to receive the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: Like this is a theme throughout his teaching altogether.
SPEAKER_01: We have to become like little children, utterly dependent upon God to have hearts that are ready to receive him.
SPEAKER_01: And if we are not, then that truth will not sink in.
SPEAKER_01: We'll reject it.
SPEAKER_01: And that's exactly what's happened.
SPEAKER_01: Some have received and some have rejected.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus here gives thanks.
SPEAKER_01: Actually, it says that he rejoices in the Holy Spirit, which seems like a whole nother level.
SPEAKER_01: That some were kept from receiving the kingdom because of their hardened hearts, and yet that some had humble, childlike hearts ready to receive the kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: There's one other instance in in John chapter 11.
SPEAKER_01: You guys know the story well.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus has heard that, heard that his good friend Lazarus was sick.
SPEAKER_01: The word was sent to him, and he says, Oh, it's fine.
SPEAKER_01: I'll just stay here for three more days, you know, because that's what you do whenever somebody's in need.
SPEAKER_01: You just kind of take your time getting to him.
SPEAKER_01: No, like he's he's just saying, no, I trust that this is not going to end in death.
SPEAKER_01: This is this is for the glory of God to be shown.
SPEAKER_01: This is what happens as Jesus, Jesus uh comes and he finds all the people mourning, including Mary and Martha, his sisters.
SPEAKER_01: He what he what he sees as he comes to the tomb, even though he knows this is for the glory of God, he still is heartbroken.
SPEAKER_01: Like he still is moved in his in his gut level towards towards the to the point where he weeps.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus weeps at the tomb of Lazarus, as at the tomb and at the sight of death that is happening right in front of him.
SPEAKER_01: And yet Jesus stops and he says this.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
SPEAKER_01: I know that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.
SPEAKER_01: You see what Jesus is doing here?
SPEAKER_01: Like Jesus prays this prayer before the miracle happens, before he calls out, Lazarus, come out, and the dead man comes walking out, and he says, Take off his grave clothes and let him go.
SPEAKER_01: Like before that happens, Jesus says, I thank you, so that all these around me can believe that you have sent me.
SPEAKER_01: Imagine Jesus here, like heartbroken and tired and weary at the death of a good friend Lazarus.
SPEAKER_01: He's filled with deep sorrow and grief, and yet he stops and gives thanks.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the deal.
SPEAKER_01: Just look back with me.
SPEAKER_01: Jesus gave thanks when he was exhausted.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus gave thanks even when people rejected him.
SPEAKER_01: And Jesus gave thanks even in the midst of deep pain.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the deal: this is the attitude that he lived his life with, and it's the example that we are meant to follow.
SPEAKER_01: And maybe right now, just stop.
SPEAKER_01: If we stopped 12 minutes into the sermon right now, this would be enough for some of us in this room.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe this is what you need to hear more than anything else.
SPEAKER_01: Like, are your circumstances determining how much gratitude you're living with?
SPEAKER_01: Like, are anyone can be thankful when there is plenty?
SPEAKER_01: Can you be thankful when there is little?
SPEAKER_01: Can you be thankful when you are exhausted and weary?
SPEAKER_01: Can you be thankful when you are rejected?
SPEAKER_01: Can you be thankful when you are in pain and suffering?
SPEAKER_01: Man, if you're like me, honestly, if you were to take an inventory of your own life day in and day out, what you would find, if you're like me, is you would find that, man, your circumstances play much of a bigger role in your attitude than you would like them to.
SPEAKER_01: And as a result, like gratitude isn't where we naturally drift.
SPEAKER_01: It's not our our natural bent for some of us.
SPEAKER_01: It's not a natural response for you.
SPEAKER_01: But listen to me, hear me this morning.
SPEAKER_01: If this is where you find yourself, the answer to this lack of the attitude of gratitude in your life, it doesn't come from trying harder.
SPEAKER_01: It's not gonna come from mustering up enough strength on your own.
SPEAKER_01: The solution is not more effort.
SPEAKER_01: So then what is it?
SPEAKER_01: And I think what I what I want to do, I want to ask this question, like, where does this attitude come from?
SPEAKER_01: Like, where can we where can we have the same attitude?
SPEAKER_01: Where does it where is it really rooted in?
SPEAKER_01: And what I want to do is I actually want to go back to Psalm 100.
SPEAKER_01: That's where I want to like kind of land for the rest of the morning.
SPEAKER_01: So if you got your Bibles open up to Psalm 100, that's where we're gonna be.
SPEAKER_01: Undoubtedly, Jesus is familiar with this psalm, not just because he was um involved in the writing process, but because as a good Jewish boy, he would have sang this song, and he would have, you know, sang it as he pilgrimed to Jerusalem and worshipped on different festivals, and he would have learned this psalm, and this is what it says make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth, and serve the Lord with gladness, come into his presence with singing, know that the Lord He is God, it is He who made us, and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
SPEAKER_01: So enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise, give thanks to Him, and bless His name, for the Lord is good, his steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations.
SPEAKER_01: Tucked right in the middle of this Psalm is what I believe to be the answer to the lack of gratitude.
SPEAKER_01: Like, where does this attitude come from?
SPEAKER_01: It comes from a deep sense of belonging.
SPEAKER_01: That's where it comes from.
SPEAKER_01: Like a deep sense of belonging.
SPEAKER_01: You see what the psalmist says in verse three.
SPEAKER_01: Look at verse three.
SPEAKER_01: Zoom in on verse three with me.
SPEAKER_01: Know that the Lord, he is God, and it's he who made us.
SPEAKER_01: We are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
SPEAKER_01: This is a foundational truth for those of us who are in Christ.
SPEAKER_01: If we are in Christ, then we now belong to God.
SPEAKER_01: Like this is what Paul emphasizes in the New Testament.
SPEAKER_01: In 1 Corinthians 6, he says, You are not your own.
SPEAKER_01: You were bought at a price.
SPEAKER_01: In Romans chapter 14, he says, For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself.
SPEAKER_01: If we live, we live to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: And if we die, we die to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: So then whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
SPEAKER_01: We belong to God.
SPEAKER_01: And if we're honest with ourselves, this truth kind of makes us squirm a little bit.
SPEAKER_01: You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_01: Like this makes us a little bit uneasy.
SPEAKER_01: Actually, uh, there's an author, Alan Noble, he said it this way that oftentimes we're uneasy with the idea that we belong to God and we're not our own because our culture, our culture, in our culture, it treats autonomy as something sacred.
SPEAKER_01: It treats this idea.
SPEAKER_01: This is why we idolize and root for the rebels.
SPEAKER_01: It's actually like what we want for ourselves.
SPEAKER_01: No one tells me what to think, no one tells me what to do, no one tells me how to live my life.
SPEAKER_01: And I'm sure that you've said it, or you've had kids that have said it, whenever their siblings trying to boss them around, and they say, You're not the boss of me.
SPEAKER_01: You know?
SPEAKER_01: Like this is this is like ingrained in us.
SPEAKER_01: It's ingrained in our very being, and yet we have so many examples in scripture about people who just go at it their own way.
SPEAKER_01: And the result is destruction.
SPEAKER_01: Like the result is they just completely wreck their lives.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to think about this with me.
SPEAKER_01: Just a just a few off the top.
SPEAKER_01: Think about King Saul.
SPEAKER_01: King Saul was anointed as king when the people said, Hey, we want a king like all the other nations.
SPEAKER_01: God said, Okay, yeah, sure.
SPEAKER_01: Saul works, that's fine.
SPEAKER_01: Like, and anointed him, gave his, like his spirit went to be with Saul, and then Saul becomes impatient with the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: He offers a sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel to get there to offer the sacrifice before battle.
SPEAKER_01: And then he goes and he doesn't completely obey the Lord's command to go and destroy the Amalekites, and instead spares King Agag.
SPEAKER_01: And what happens is the spirit of the Lord leaves him.
SPEAKER_01: Like the spirit of the Lord leaves Saul, and instead, an evil spirit is sent to torment him.
SPEAKER_01: Like, talk about wrecking your life.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about Abraham and Sarah.
SPEAKER_01: They're not patient with the Lord and his plan.
SPEAKER_01: I get it.
SPEAKER_01: It's years and years and years that they're waiting for this promise to be fulfilled, for the descendants to be as numerous as the stars in the sky, and yet I'm like my wife is barren, and it's 25 years, right?
SPEAKER_01: Like I I would be impatient too.
SPEAKER_01: And yet they're impatient, and they try to do, they try to start a family through a different, a different way, through the servant Hagar.
SPEAKER_01: And it doesn't end up well.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about Jonah.
SPEAKER_01: He didn't listen to the word of God, and he ran from God, and his story got a little fishy to say the least, you know?
SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about think about like the refrain and judges.
SPEAKER_01: Again, the people did evil in the eyes of the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: I mean, think about Adam and Eve.
SPEAKER_01: They didn't ultimately trust in God's promises, and they they were deceived, and they wanted to do things their own way.
SPEAKER_01: And like so many who have come before us, one of the biggest temptations has always been to figure things out on our own.
SPEAKER_01: To say, in essence, like, I got this.
SPEAKER_01: I can figure this out.
SPEAKER_01: To do it on your own, to do it your own way, to bounce the beat of your own drum.
SPEAKER_01: And yet, to be a Christian at a foundational level is to belong to God.
SPEAKER_01: It's to like be his.
SPEAKER_01: This is what the psalmist is telling us in a nutshell.
SPEAKER_01: He is God, and he made us, and we are his.
SPEAKER_01: We belong to him.
SPEAKER_01: And listen, realizing that we belong to God is not meant to make us squirm.
SPEAKER_01: It's not meant to make us uneasy.
SPEAKER_01: It's actually supposed to be the most freeing thing for us.
SPEAKER_01: Because he is the one who made us, he's the one who invented this thing called life.
SPEAKER_01: And he kind of knows the best way of how it works.
SPEAKER_01: So to belong to him is actually the most freeing thing we can experience because we realize what our God has gone through to call us his own, to make us his own.
SPEAKER_01: The psalmist says it here at the end.
SPEAKER_01: Did you see it?
SPEAKER_01: For the Lord is good.
SPEAKER_01: His steadfast love endures forever.
SPEAKER_01: His faithfulness extends to all generations.
SPEAKER_01: I shared with the staff this last week what Eugene Peterson said.
SPEAKER_01: He said the Psalms are prayers that respond to the God who seeks us.
SPEAKER_01: And when we fully realize that we belong to God, not because of anything we have done, but because our God has sought us out even in the midst of our brokenness and failure, we were we will realize that it is a joy, an honor to belong to Him.
SPEAKER_01: It's not a burden.
SPEAKER_01: This is why Jesus would say it in Matthew chapter 11.
SPEAKER_01: Hey, come to me, all of you who labor are heavy laden.
SPEAKER_01: I will give you rest.
SPEAKER_01: I take my yoke upon you.
SPEAKER_01: Learn from me.
SPEAKER_01: I'm gentle and lowly in heart.
SPEAKER_01: You will find rest for your souls.
SPEAKER_01: My yoke is easy and my burden is light.
SPEAKER_01: The God we serve is revealed in the person and work of Jesus.
SPEAKER_01: And in Jesus, we find a God who is for us and not against us, one who has come near us to seek us out.
SPEAKER_01: This is the God who calls us his own.
SPEAKER_01: And belonging to him, where when we belong to him is where we find true freedom that we're looking for.
SPEAKER_01: And this freedom, this belonging, it leads to an attitude of gratitude in every single part of our lives.
SPEAKER_01: Because we realize my God has sought me out.
SPEAKER_01: Even when I was running from him.
SPEAKER_01: What else do I have to do but just to lift my hands and worship?
SPEAKER_01: But to praise him, but to give him honor and glory in every single moment of every of every single breath that I have.
SPEAKER_01: Like it's all his.
SPEAKER_01: It all belongs to him.
SPEAKER_01: And what an honor.
SPEAKER_01: And the question kind of remains.
SPEAKER_01: If this gratitude stems from this belonging, well, what does it ultimately lead to?
SPEAKER_01: What does this attitude of gratefulness lead to?
SPEAKER_01: And I would really say, in one word, obedience.
SPEAKER_01: That's what it leads to.
SPEAKER_01: Do you see the invitation in Psalm 100?
SPEAKER_01: Look back at the invitation and at the beginning of Psalm 100.
SPEAKER_01: Look back at it if you got your Bible open.
SPEAKER_01: Shout to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: A joyful noise.
SPEAKER_01: Like serve the Lord with gladness.
SPEAKER_01: Come into his presence with singing.
SPEAKER_01: I love how uh longtime preacher Dave Stone said it.
SPEAKER_01: He said, God's love language is obedience.
SPEAKER_01: I think I would add one word to that.
SPEAKER_01: God's love language is joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: Man, it's joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: Do you see it?
SPEAKER_01: Like lift a joyful noise to the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness, come into his presence with singing, and the same is true with every act of obedience to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Like we count it as pure joy when we face trials of many kinds.
SPEAKER_01: And we rejoice in the Lord always, and the joy of the Lord is our strength.
SPEAKER_01: And the same thing is true when we're talking about this series, the same thing is true with our giving.
SPEAKER_01: Like this is this is what it means.
SPEAKER_01: It's joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: This is what Paul says in 2 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 9.
SPEAKER_01: You know, it's a well-known verse when it comes to our giving.
SPEAKER_01: What Paul says is that each person should give as he has decided in his heart, for God loves a cheerful giver.
SPEAKER_01: You hear that?
SPEAKER_01: A joyful giver, a thankful giver, a grateful giver.
SPEAKER_01: That's what that's what Paul says that God loves.
SPEAKER_01: So give, because that's what that's what God loves.
SPEAKER_01: But you see, there's these two like qualifiers in the middle of that verse?
SPEAKER_01: It says, not reluctantly, which which means like it's we're revealing a lack of trust.
SPEAKER_01: If I'm giving reluctantly to God, then I'm I'm ultimately not trusting that He will provide for me on the other side.
SPEAKER_01: And a lot of times the way the Lord provides, we don't have really time to get into this, the way the Lord provides isn't like more zeros in your bank account.
SPEAKER_01: That's not what I'm getting at.
SPEAKER_01: The Lord provides in all kinds of mysterious and wonderful and better ways than you could ever imagine than just zeros in your bank account.
SPEAKER_01: And so many times we give reluctantly, we give shorthanded because we don't trust that the Lord is faithful to provide.
SPEAKER_01: What has he done to make you fail to trust him?
SPEAKER_01: No, his faithfulness lasts through all generations, is what Psalm 100 says.
SPEAKER_01: He also says, don't give under compulsion, meaning like you have this feeling like I should probably do this.
SPEAKER_01: Like if I don't do this, then I won't be on God's good side.
SPEAKER_01: You know, I should probably do this because everybody else is doing it.
SPEAKER_01: And no, it comes back to giving out of joy, out of cheerful heart, because you get to.
SPEAKER_01: This is you get to respond to the Lord in this way.
SPEAKER_01: It makes me think of what my mom used to always say.
SPEAKER_01: Whenever, you know, she would ask me to do something as I was growing up, she would, you know, and maybe your mom did the same thing.
SPEAKER_01: You know, she would ask me, you know, take out the trash or go take the dog out to go to the bathroom or go clean my room or whatever it was.
SPEAKER_01: She asked me to do something.
SPEAKER_01: And if my response was, uh, do I have to?
SPEAKER_01: She always said the same thing.
SPEAKER_01: And maybe your mom did the same thing too, or maybe you're doing the same thing with your kids.
SPEAKER_01: No, you get to.
SPEAKER_01: And this is the core of joyful obedience to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Like, hey, you get to respond to God because of what he has done for you, and what a privilege it is.
SPEAKER_01: You belong to God.
SPEAKER_01: And you did nothing to belong to God, he did everything to seek you out.
SPEAKER_01: Man, what a privilege it is that you get to respond to him in joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: Like this is this changes everything.
SPEAKER_01: And here's the deal: some of us in this room, you're like, I get it, but I that's not how I feel at all when it comes to giving back to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Like, actually, when I give back to the Lord, it's just it's stressful because finances are so tight right now.
SPEAKER_01: Man, when I when I give back to the Lord, like I it feels more like a chore than a joy right now.
SPEAKER_01: Like it feels like something I have to do and I don't really want to do.
SPEAKER_01: I'm kind of like begrudging it.
SPEAKER_01: And can I just say something to you if this is where you find yourself, if it's anything other than joy that your giving is coming from?
SPEAKER_01: Can I just say something?
SPEAKER_01: Man, go back.
SPEAKER_01: Even, man, I don't know if this is wise for me to do, but even, hey, stop giving.
SPEAKER_01: Seriously, stop giving.
SPEAKER_01: If you if your giving is not out of a cheerful, joyful response to what God has done for you, man, we want, I want way more for you about what you have received in the gospel than what you're giving monetarily to this church.
SPEAKER_01: I want way more for you of the life-changing truth of the gospel than I want of what you're bringing in money and offerings and tithes.
SPEAKER_01: I really, like, I really believe that if your life has been changed by the truth of the gospel, then it will naturally flow in joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: Like, this is what it's really all about.
SPEAKER_01: So if you're not there, man, please don't begrudgingly go put something in that box.
SPEAKER_01: Like, don't don't question is God gonna God gonna provide for you?
SPEAKER_01: Man, stop and just receive what the Lord has done for you first and foremost.
SPEAKER_01: Man, just take in the good news of his gospel, of his love that endures forever, of his faithfulness that lasts for all generations.
SPEAKER_01: Man, just receive this morning.
SPEAKER_01: Because when you have truly received, then you won't you won't be able to help it.
SPEAKER_01: But live your life with gratitude in response to what the Lord has done for you.
SPEAKER_01: And we belong to God, and it is this belonging that leads to a life of thankfulness, of gratitude, and of joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: But hear me, it's not just that.
SPEAKER_01: It's actually what we talked about last week.
SPEAKER_01: It's actually a life of sacrifice, of joyful sacrifice.
SPEAKER_01: Like, do you see what the psalmist says in verse 3 and 4?
SPEAKER_01: Go back with me in Psalm 100, verse 3 and 4.
SPEAKER_01: This is what it says know that the Lord, he is God, it is he who made us, and we are his, we are his people, the sheep of his pasture, so enter his gates with thanksgiving, enter his courts with praise.
SPEAKER_01: It's not a coincidence that the psalmist says, We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
SPEAKER_01: And the very next phrase is enter his gates with thanksgiving.
SPEAKER_01: You know who goes through the gates of the temple?
SPEAKER_01: Sheep on the way to the slaughter.
SPEAKER_01: Sheep that are about to be given in full sacrifice to the Lord.
SPEAKER_01: Man, this is what we do.
SPEAKER_01: And this is what the psalmist is inviting us to do with thanksgiving, by the way, in joyful obedience.
SPEAKER_01: And how in the world can you and I do this?
SPEAKER_01: Man, it's because somebody paved the way for us to do it.
SPEAKER_01: Somebody did it before you and I even thought about him.
SPEAKER_01: He came and sought after us.
SPEAKER_01: This is what we do every single time we gather.
SPEAKER_01: We go to these tables that are set up around the room, and we take these emblems, we take, we take this piece of bread, and we take, we take the cup of juice, and we remember what Jesus has done for us.
SPEAKER_01: And this morning, this morning, I want us to take it together.
SPEAKER_01: Somebody actually asked you to do something.
SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna ask you to go in just a second, go and go to the tables and grab your emblems and come back to your seats and just stay standing as you come back to your seats.
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna we're gonna take communion together.
SPEAKER_01: Remember the sacrifice that our Lord has made for us.
SPEAKER_01: You can go to the tables right now.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks again for listening to the Carterville Christian Church podcast.
SPEAKER_00: Our prayer is that today's message has encouraged you and drawn you closer to Jesus.
SPEAKER_00: To learn more or get connected with our church family, visit Carterville Christian.com.
SPEAKER_00: We'd love to walk alongside you in your journey of faith.