Living Faithfully: Sacrifice, Generosity, and Community Support

Father I just thank you for these two families on this stage and what they represent Lord because they're living by faith they really believe that it's not about this time here on Earth but there's something greater and it's good news father and they're going to V want to Lord to spread the good news. [00:01:11]

I know it's a difficult time economically and our offerings have down the last you know few months um because of that but we're just asking you know what if everyone kind of jumps in a little bit I mean even everyone gives an extra five bucks um 10 bucks a week you know it's multiply that by 4,000 and you're going oh okay it goes pretty quickly if we all kind of jump in this thing together. [00:04:05]

Is this the kind of fasting that I wanted is is for you to take a day and to humble yourself is it to Bow your head like a reed and to spread SA cloth and Ashes under him he goes will you call this a fast a day acceptable to the Lord but then he says this is this is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of wickedness to undo the straps of the Yoke to let the oppressed Go free to break every yoke. [00:05:40]

God goes you think I just wanted you guys to get together and weep and cry for a day and you thought I would answer your prayers he goes that's not what I'm listening to the type of fast I'm calling for he goes is when you see those who are in need and you pour yourself out to them he goes you start doing that I'll listen to you. [00:07:11]

It's just it's it's of God I feel like I'm seeing that all all over the place um another gal in our church who uh recently found out she's got cancer in her bones she's got a couple young kids and uh looking for a bone marrow transplant donor and but absolute peace going are you kidding me just the amazing piece. [00:11:26]

It's one thing for us to say that it's different when you're about to go under the knife and you say that it's it's it's one thing to sit talk about faith when we're here on Sunday morning it's another thing when your sister's lying on a table and wondering what's going to happen it's one thing to talk about our boldness it's another thing when you're coming before these television Executives and you're going to talk about your boldness and your faith in Christ. [00:13:20]

I feel the physical presence of the Lord in my life in a way I never ever have before not that I would wish this on anybody but to know that there's that peace that passes understanding the little kid song yeah the piece that passes understanding yeah yeah that now makes sense to me a crazy piece a piece that makes no sense at all we shouldn't have joy we shouldn't have laughter we we shouldn't have these things right now and we have them in abundance. [00:16:31]

Paul is telling Timothy look at the totality of my life and tell me if you can trust me or not look at everything about me and and we live in a world that is skeptical right I mean everyone's skeptical of each other but at the same time there's a sense in which I believe we're not skeptical enough we also live in a world where people don't think and they just start following people for one reason or another. [00:27:32]

Paul goes was I really after did you see me was I trying to get famous was I trying to get rich what was this all for was it a make a name for Paul he goes no you know that the goal of my life was to bring glory to Jesus Christ you saw it you saw it my teaching you saw it in my life you even saw it in my motivation my aim in life. [00:30:32]

Paul's life made no no sense unless he believed in eternity I I just want to read you know when you talk about Paul's suffering and his persecution in 2 Corinthians 11 he kind of lists it out second Corinthians 11 people were questioning Paul and he is he the real thing and and Paul says okay if I'm not the real thing then why in the world did I go through this. [00:33:36]

I believe them when they said they saw a guy rise from the dead because the moment they saw Jesus rise from the dead everything changed in their lives now they're like okay beat me kill me whatever I don't even care I just saw a Gody rise from the dead so here's all of my money here's all of my possessions I'll give it all to the poor and let me just go around telling people about Jesus. [00:36:22]

I love the faith I've seen in this church over the last few weeks it's made it obvious that many of you have found something better than your whole life better than your job better than your career and even better than family and doesn't mean that life is easy cuz it certainly wasn't easy for Paul it certainly wasn't easy for Jesus but they knew what they were living for it was the real faith. [00:41:30]