Healthy Living in a Sick World (Part 21)

Leading the way the Bible teaching of Dr. Michael used to you know prior to this crisis over scroll Novartis. We have been burdened by God to call America for to pray for this nation.

Our nation is in trouble, you have to spiritualize to see this wheeled in deep trouble and we desperately need the renewal of the Holy Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can invade our nation and our lives in our churches and bring an awakening so the awake America campaign started earlier but now we even have more of a reason to urge every one of you to join together and do exactly what we were asking you to do. Please sign up so that together we unite in asking the wrong way. We need America to wake up the church in America wake up because God is giving us some warning signs and if we don't think those warning signs are in trouble, so I'm going to urge you join with us. Father are bright that you will send us an awakening. We have to write awakenings in the history of this great country you send us 1/3 one. The Lord might start with me my start with us because we know that an awakening can start with one person is so many times in thank you in advance for God help us to live a beautiful holy life for the glory of Jesus and for the harvest to give us an island that my faith in Jesus. In these days in which we let it's more important than ever to prioritize the power of prayer, and that's why we hope that you will become a part of awake America with Dr. you sent well this in your own life if you become a part of the community praying for our nation and for world now that Dr. Michael Yousef guide you to the final words in first Corinthians, a place that Paul reserves to share about getting to the kingdom now. Don't worry, this is not a guilt inducing message to make you feel bad about what you do or do not give guide this way you can see how God wants you to participate in the kingdom. In practical ways beginning now with an interesting story. Let's listen to Dr. Michael you set on today's leading the way I wanted to tell you a story about a young pastor. He finished seminary and before he would serve in the church, he decided for his own reason that he is going to be a policeman for a period of time and so he went to the police academy for six months and then came the time for him to do the examination.

So he passed his physical exam. He passed his mental alertness exam the past is just overreacting quickly and wisely in an emergency and finally came the oral examination and examiner asked the question, what would you do to disburse a frenzied crowd. He thought for a moment and he said I'll take up a collection not think the apostle Paul somehow understood that he did not want to disburse a frenzied crowd and that is why he left the issue of money giving to the last chapter of the first they give you started whether people were said well I don't want to hear that close the book, but he left it to the end. But there is a serious side as to why the apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit decided to teach on giving immediately after he was teaching on the resurrection of Jesus and our own resurrection as he was getting ready to close the book as it finished the apostle the apostle said now concerning the collection you have to ask the question why why after he reached heaven itself. Why must he go back to the nitty-gritty issues of money and giving of money. Why not telling you that's a great question. I'm so glad you asked that because the apostle is going to answer because heaven and money are interrelated. Heaven and money giving are intertwined heaven and money giving our intrinsically linked money and how you use money is closely tied up to the mansion in the sky. First Corinthians 16 for particular verse two. Here is the apostle reaching and teaching us a profound truth about giving is saying that when we give back to God. It ought not to be haphazardly when we give back to God. It ought not to be in response to some emotional appeal.

When we give to God ought not to be in response to whoever screams the loudest or not to be done at a feeling of guilt and whomever makes you feel guilty here in first grade to 16 the word of God is helping us to exercise our spiritual responsibility toward laying up treasures in heaven, and it goes as follows. Remember those three points I want to come back to them again and again is teaching us to give with upland regularity.

He is teaching us to give with personal responsibility and then he's teaching us. Thirdly, to give proportionately. The one thing that you will notice about biblical giving. It is not based on impulse. How do I know that because the word of God here speaks about the collection in the context of the triumph of the resurrection in the same breath with apostle Paul speaks of the fundamental doctrine. The core of the bed of the Christian faith, namely, the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who speaks about the off the same breath he moves immediately from the triumph of the resurrection to the triumph of the collection and the apostle Paul here is obviously answering some questions that the Corinthians. We saw that in the very beginning Greg's interesting question. How do I do. Where do I get how and he answers all these questions are, but I don't want you to miss what he did not say I don't want you to miss what he did not say he did not say if you feel like it or give out of sentiment and emotions all give out of impulse or crisis.

All give because some snake oil salesman tells you that you will get rich and you gonna make him be able to buy his newest jet no that is not biblical. The apostle Paul who could have drawn a word which are to depict the desperate needs of the saints. He did not. He could've send him a picture of an emaciated little child and move them to tears and reach out to the party, but he did not. Why, because none of that is a biblical giving. Listen to me. I know that we need to move by means, but I'm telling you, the apostle Paul wanted teach us to give based on principle, not on impulse, he wanted them to develop a holy habit, not a holy huddle mentality now I want to get back to those three important principles that the apostle Paul is teaching here is that we give with a sense of planned regularity. Look at verse two with me please on the first day of every week. Each one of you should set aside the sum grammar is very important in this particular amount. I refer to it couple of times because it's an emphatic mood.

Yes, I was at me and why is that because Paul wants to drive home the point on the first day of the week. Why is the first day of the week and emphatic.

Why is that important because Jesus rose on the first day of the week.

Jesus appeared to the disciples twice every time was on the first day of the week. The early Christian church who were all Jewish. Remember that there are all Jewish.

They change from worshiping on Saturday or Sunday because of this, all significant event of the resurrection.

The first day of the week was far more significant to the early church than we can ever imagine. Because we did not live there and we read about it but listen to me think with me think with me that they saw with their own eyes. The Lord, whose eyes have been closed and death. They saw the Lord his lips with still been death they saw the Lord, whose body was placed in the cave of death.

But then on the third day on Sunday morning early hours of Sunday morning he opened up the grave and he walked out, leaving an empty tomb.

And that is why they immediately began to gather every early Sunday mornings every early Sunday morning to celebrate the glorious resurrection event that was the beginning of it and in the beginning they had no meeting place of the meat in the corner in the temple and then they began together in cemeteries where they have deposited the loved ones and then they began to gather in catacombs.

And finally, house churches varied this to celebrate the resurrection and bring the collection both go hand-in-hand. Don't miss it. The message you miss out on a blessing, but if we truly comprehend that giving is to be in the context of the resurrection. Then we would stand up every Sunday morning as we come to worship and say and sing up from the grave he arose, he loves he loves Christ Jesus lives today and then deposit our collection at the altar. Why, because our giving is an integral part of our personal celebration of Jesus's resurrection and the anticipation of our own resurrection. As we saw from chapter 50 and that is why the apostle Paul exactly what he meant by planned regularity. Secondly, he said that all giving is an individual responsibility.

Everyone of any send look at verse two again with chapter 16 he said on the first day of the week each, and he said that with me. Each one of you should set aside each one of you when the apostle Paul said, each each of you is in the emphatic position which means it towers above the other words board each site again towers over the what is at me. Each one of us means no exception, no exception, no exception. Look up try to put myself in the place of the apostle Paul probably out of made some exceptions, probably as if you followed a series of messages were seen how not many of the Corinthians were really powerful people, rich people, and he says that he said not many of your prominent or that were very ordinary people infected modest means, but the apostle exempted no one. This is the most amazing thing. Let each of you each of you that is personal responsibility.

I was ordained into the ministry and I was unfaithful with my tithes and offering its absolute truth and unexplained to say I tried to explain to God that I have given myself full-time to the ministry. Therefore, I don't digitize and I'm telling you the Holy Spirit was very clear yourself with the cash in every time, but in those days.

I used to think that I could bargain with God.

I really did, until 1972. That was the beginning of God working in my on me as my first year seminar than 72 hours working in the parish in the church as a student pastor, not far from the city of Sydney listen all the suburban and so many of the parishioners were widows there were shut-ins and they can even come to church and so I went and asked the Rector acid can I take one afternoon every week and go and visit these people and I tell you it was a highlight of my year. Most of them as I said, were elderly and widows and living in what we call Social Security.

And after I visit with them and I play with them in and about to leave, invariably, invariably, one of them would say wait a minute recommended.

Don't leave yet I have not been able to take my envelopes. The church is a denomination used to send out 52 envelopes every Sunday. People put the money in the envelopes and what an offering plate and so they will take what I have been able to take the money to the church. I'm unable to find somebody that will take it and then maybe 2304 envelopes (that have them stacked up and they were handed to me when I am confessing to you what went on through my mind when I held onto those envelopes is to my shame.

I would hold a semblance of my hand and I look at the conditions where they were living and I'm tempted to say all know that you that you can afford this, we need to come here and help you out.

Why because I was on faithful in my giving, but thank God I never done it had I done that I would've try these precious people of unspeakable blessings that comes from giving back to God.

Now you have to understand my attitude was that exact opposite of the Lord Jesus Christ is the exact opposite of the Lord Jesus that was my attitude because his last active public ministry.

When he stood there over against the treasury and the temple, watching as these individual wealthy ones coming with music and trumpet, and they deposit their gifts in the treasury box with song and dance and no lawyers and they were giving out of his out of their wealth and there he watched and saw a poor widow probably was hiding, and probably was no time to show what she has in her hand and was a might a precious Lord Jesus, whose eyes penetrate into the very secrets of our hearts knew that this was her all it wasn't 10%, 20% to 30%. It was her all and instead of Jesus saying. You cannot do this, you cannot afford this year to plan to do this you need to go inside and see the priest they can help you know, our Lord commended her for all of the ages and here we are in the 21st century talking about her Lord said, look at what she and then he went out and did exactly the same.

He gave his all to give his life beloved, the principle of personal responsibility and stewardship cannot be avoided. Listen to me again the principle of individual stewardship cannot be avoided. You try all you want. If you try to do it according to the word of God, or if I try to stop you would be stopping the possibility of God absolutely blessing you in every way. The only time God invited us as people as his followers as his children to test him.

Remember back in the wilderness of temptation. Secondly, he said to the devil you must not test the Lord your God will put you got to the test.

But there's only one time in the entire Bible that God said test me and that's in the area of money giving his attention and see if I don't open the floodgates of heaven and pour out much blessings planned irregularity, personal responsibility, and the third thing which actually drives the first two proportionate return on the first day of the week. Each of you should set aside a sum in keeping with his income, then RV said but I like the old translation as God has prospered you as God has prospered you all of that. That's actually closer to the meaning. It means returning to God. A portion of what God has blessed you with my beloved. Listen to me. The marvelous wisdom of God. Listen to the marvelous wisdom of God's teaching here is it places the burden where the burden belongs in the burden is not on you where's the burden placed on God is completely rests with God, thus making the whole issue of stewardship as a matter of prospering activities in your life. When the tide comes in and you have great material blessings returned to him the same percentage is when the thighs goes out and it comes in and goes out to all of us in my beloved friends. That means that the basis of our giving is God's blessings in our lives as the basis and no one no one no one no one can cheat God if you don't believe me ask somebody who tried as far as God is concerned.

When you are faithful with the dollar is going to be faithful with $1 million as a principal in which Jesus said he was faithful with the little girl be faithful with much but I can hear somebody say well you see Michael Paul didn't say anything about 10% hearsay about tithing, you're right.

You listen carefully you reading carefully because he didn't have to say it Dr. Lynn Zell has done the most massive work on the book, which he calls the sacred 10th in the book he demonstrates from ancient literature that the earliest people. The earliest people from their Acadians to the Samaritans and the Assyrians and the Babylonians and the Greeks and even their the Hebrew people who taught us that 10% is a minimum all have practice will be called the sacred 10th. Why because were created in God's own image and because Adam and Eve was instructed to offer a sacrifice to God and therefore they passed it off even when these nations have become pagan. This still practice the sacred 10th Abraham gave the sacred 10th of his entire net worth, not just his income to Melchizedek was a type of Christ that was 400 years before the law was given to Moses than what it tells me that's legalistic proportion of giving his welfare and flexible if God had thundered from heaven, and says I want everyone of you to give $10,000. I would not be fair would for some people with large income that wouldn't even touch the lifestyle for prosperous students. They probably haven't seen $10,000 and that is why God does not thunder from heaven, an amount that tells us everybody should nicely proportionate to his abusive opinion. You know what to do with it okay when the tide of life comes in the 10th is a starting place when the tide of life goes out the 10th is a minimum. Some time ago when I lived in Southern California. I was working in a church part-time to help me with my graduate studies in an hour drive on Wednesdays.

On Sundays from Pasadena to Van Nuys and then I'll be driving this long-distance I discovered a preacher on radio during that time and he was wonderful. He just lifted me up and encourage me and I remember one that you still remember 40+ years later still remember is that when the pastor says pickup your hymnals have hymnals now, but people say amen when the pastor says pickup your Bibles.

People say glory on the pastor says reach out for your pocketbook. Many people so me. Paul's final message to the Corinthians is to give with planned irregularity, personal responsibility and proportionately you're listening to Dr. Michael you sent on leading the way with a series called healthy living in a sick world.

As you may know, leading the way, has a passionate staff all around the world and recently one of our offices shared a note from the young man listens to Dr. you sent in leading the way in Iraq and you know how they've been deeply impacted by the covered 19 outbreak.

Allow me to summarize what this listener shared we've learned to better exalt the name of Jesus in our lives, our family is now declaring that salvation is only through the blood of Jesus Christ. He is mighty and worthy of glory.

Your messages help us grow in our spiritual life through them. We understand our relationship with Christ need the Lord bless you and your ministry.

Oh we are so thankful that God uses Dr. you sent in leading the way in local teams goals to reach and disciple men and women with the truth and we want to remind you that when you stand up with Dr. you sat in prayer and financially. You two are part of changing lives through the gospel.

Learn more about Dr. Michael you set in the global work of leading the way.

When you call 866-626-4356 866-626-4356. You can also go to LTW.org and experienced testimonies about the impact of leading the way worldwide. LTW.org that are broadcast but again, thank you for being with us making a point to listen again next year, leading Dr. Michael you sent Jesus, and who of you by worrying can add an hour to life. None of us will be careful, be wise, but at the same time piece. Therefore, we have an amazing opportunity that God has presented to us. That is to show the peace of God that passes understanding in the middle of the strip. If you would like to learn more.

Jesus LTW.org/Jesus