Daily Trust and Sacrifice: Embracing God's Abundant Life

And it's to keep yourself humble in your own eyes and to fear the Lord, to have a reverence for Him, depart from evil and trust His plan. Trust His direction. In fact, we should look to follow Him, look to hear from Him in all the decisions and everything that pertains to us in our life. We should look to Him and get wisdom from Him in all that we do. And so, He tells you, trust in the Lord. In verse 5, we just read it with all your heart. Lean not to your own understanding in all of your ways. In everything you're doing, acknowledge Him. And so, when you do that and you become wise, not in your own eyes, but you're following the Lord and looking for His wisdom. [00:37:51]

He says, it shall be health to thy navel and marrow to your bones. In other words, when we hear the Word of God, receive the instruction from God, and do the instruction from God, what happens? There is a blessing. There is fruit that comes into our life. It is true, even down in verse 9 and verse 10. Again, He tells you to honor the Lord with your substance and with the firstfruits of all the increase. So, when I bring my tithe, when I bring my offering, what am I doing? [00:38:36]

That means that there's some things in my life that's according to my idea or to my plan that I'm probably going to have to lay down. There's something else that I'm going to forsake in order to serve the Lord, in order to do something for God. Right? And so you might think, well, man, if I'm going to have to give something up, then that doesn't sound very exciting. But when you begin to understand how much God loves you and how much He has for us. In fact, the Bible says, He has prepared for those. Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man. I'm on what He has prepared for those that love the Lord. [00:42:09]

So there are some things that I'll walk away from in my life that have nothing to do with the Lord, that have nothing to do with His plan, His purpose, His destiny for my life. But when I walk away from those things and put His kingdom first, like Jesus told us, that we're to, He said, your Heavenly Father is aware of everything that the Gentiles seek after. [00:42:57]

Everything that they have need of in this world, He is aware of that, and He will provide that for you. He said, but your purpose is to what? To seek the kingdom of God first. And when we seek the kingdom of God first, what's He do? He adds to my life. So when I choose to live a life that is holy and acceptable, presenting myself as a living sacrifice to the Lord Jesus Christ, mom, it's not just that I'm giving something up, but God Himself is adding to my life. [00:43:17]

And so the stuff that I'm losing is things that would not lead me to the ultimate fulfillment that God's plan for my life would have. [00:43:53]

It's not that I have to serve him. I get to serve him. It's not that I have to lay my agendas down. It's that I get to lay my agendas down so that I can take up the agenda. Come on, I said so I can take up the agenda of the kingdom of Almighty God to see his plan and his purpose work not only in my life, but in the lives that I touch. And it's not even that I'm touching them. It's God working in me and through me to make a difference in this world. [00:47:05]

So when you do that diagnostic, what happens? The mechanic talks to you. Let me tell you something. The Holy Spirit is better than that little computer looking at your car. I said the Holy Spirit is better than that little machine running a diagnostic on your car. Or God designed you. God made you. Come on. And he's working in your life. And so he's going to give you exactly the report that you need. And he's going to tell you and show you the exact place to go in and work in your life. Amen. [00:52:26]

And so, you know, you've got to ask yourself sometimes. Now, what are the things that keep me from being sold out to Christ? What are the things that keep me from offering up myself as a living sacrifice this reasonable service unto the Lord? Right? Because the Apostle Paul himself, he referred to himself as being free, being a new creation in Christ. Right? He talks about that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is what? There is liberty. There is freedom. Right? He's all about liberty. He's all about freedom. God, our Heavenly Father, he's all about freedom. Right? I dislike communism not just because I'm murking, which I am, but it's God. Right? [00:52:59]

But the Apostle Paul acknowledges that freedom, acknowledges how much Christ has done for him, but he says, I am a debtor. [00:54:34]

So, you don't owe for that reason. You don't owe to make up for something in your life. You don't owe to become a good person that God accepts. No, no, no. It comes from this. I'll give you this example, right? I heard this from Pastor Mark years ago. [00:55:27]

And so, anyways, he was there, and he was taking a break on a bench, and he saw this mom with her child in line. And I can't remember this. I remember going on some trips, and then my parents would decide to go to a theme park or whatever. I made a joke with my sister. There was this picture of us on a ride at Six Flags. [00:56:40]

And so this little kid at this park was having a meltdown, whining, crying, complaining. And Pastor Mark watched that mom, and that little mom got down on that little kid's level, right? You ever been in a park and you got down on that kid's level? When you get that happening, it's getting serious. [00:58:31]

But then sometimes with our own self, with our own flesh, we're like, I don't want to. [00:59:23]

Why don't you live in? Why don't you serve in? Come on. Why don't you be who God called you to be? Step up to the plate and offer yourself as a reasonable service unto the Lord. You can't make me. We know that. [00:59:32]

Well, so I can live the new life that God has gotten for me, that he has won for me, that he has purchased for me through the life of Jesus Christ, through his death, his burial, his resurrection. [01:00:13]

When the blood of Jesus Christ hits you. Come on. The blood of Christ goes into that event. Goes into the past. Come on. Goes into the stains and the pains of your past. Takes them out of the story of your life. And when you flip back through the story, you're like, wait a second. There was quite a calamity. There was a lot of pain and a lot of sorrow that was attached to this time in my life. But it's totally gone. I read it and I do not feel no pain. I don't got no shame. I don't got no condemnation. What has happened? The blood of Jesus Christ has taken that away. [01:04:56]

And they had to go back and apply that blood again on the regular basis for the same sin again. Come on. But once we got the blood of Jesus, come on. And now we have our faith in Christ. His blood does not only cover, but his blood totally takes away, removes it. Come on. [01:06:44]

But I know what Jesus did. Come on. And I said, but I know what Jesus did. Come on. And what Jesus went through on my behalf, being beat, having that crown of thorns pressed into his head, going to the cross, shedding blood for me, giving up his life. They did not kill him. They did not take it. He gave up his life. [01:07:44]

All of those things that he went through and that he did, took his blood, put it on the mercy seat of heaven. Glory to God. All that he did, this much I know, it is far greater than what you did, than what they did, and what happened to you. [01:08:30]

Well, that's nice. I'm glad it's so much better than what happened to me. No, no, that's not what I mean by that. I mean it is so much greater and carries so much more power that it will overcome everything that the world, the flesh, and the devil has tried to pull you down with. Hallelujah. [01:08:53]

So that's one of the things that happens to people. They get caught up in their past, and they cannot go forward. I was sharing this. I can't remember. It might have been last Wednesday night. I think it was. I'll close right here. So Jesus himself, when he got up out of the grave, he said what? [01:09:14]

In heaven and in earth. In heaven and in earth. So what's that mean? That when I accept Christ, come on, he translates me into his kingdom. I'm in this world. I'm not of this world. I am no longer under the grip of Satan. I'm no longer under the grip of sin. He has lost his authority. See, Jesus got the keys, keys, come on, and he tossed them to the church. Come on, he tossed them to the body of Christ and said, now whatsoever you bind on this earth shall be bound in heaven. And whatsoever you loose on this earth shall be loosed in heaven. He said, all power in heaven and in earth has been given unto me. Now go ye. [01:09:59]

And asking him, Lord, what do you have for me? Lord, how would you like me to do this? Amen. It's our reasonable service. It's our reasonable sacrifice. Right? [01:11:36]

Something has to die when sacrifice is involved. But it's not a, I got to do this. No, no, no. I get to lay my old life down. I get to lay my old way of thinking down. Come on. I get to take up my cross now. Come on. I'm going to carry that sacrifice of dying to self and what? Living for Christ. Praise the Lord. Amen? Come here, John. Hurry, John. [01:11:53]