Open—Matt Richerzhagen
DISCLAIMER: The following has been auto-transcribed. We hope it will help you to find the section of this audio file you are looking for.
Is that OK? OK, Umm. So as our brethren have shared.
Thanks man.
So what our brethren have shared tonight.
How we need to?
Give our lives as a living sacrifice and to take our place before the Lord. And as they were sharing, I was thinking of something that I learned a long time ago, and I have a note in my Bible.
And I would encourage every single person here, there's an old saying that says the shortest Pennsylvania pencil is better than the longest memory. And you'll hear things as you age, as you get older. Write them down. I use a pencil. I don't use a pen because I like to, if I make a mistake or something, I like to erase it and, and have the ability to rewrite it. But there's treasures, right? I have a treasure right here in my Bible because I wrote it down.
So I would encourage you first of all to do that and this is three things that we need to do.
As believers, and I will say we can't do this in our own flesh. It's not. We don't wake up in the morning. My kids don't wake up in the morning and get out of bed and oh, I want to be a richer Sagan. Oh no, they just wake up and they're richer Sagan. They were born a Richard Sagan. Every day until the day they die, they're always going to be a richer Sagan. And that's how when we join God's family, we become his child, his son or daughter.
And we're never not his son or daughter. It's a beautiful thing.
The privileges that our dear brother shared with us last night that we have in salvation. But I want to share three things. And this is from my dear beloved brother, Bill Brockmire. And I wrote who I got it from. And there are three things in a true believer. And as we look at our lives, we're going to see fruit when you go out in your garden. How many people here garden?
Well, I shouldn't raise my hand because I don't garden. Umm, when you go out in the garden and you see tomatoes, what kind of a plant is that? It's a tomato plant. What were you gonna say? Tomato plant is it? There's no question. Well, as we are alive, we are going to produce fruit. There's verses about you're not gonna see good fruit from a bad plant. You're not gonna see bad plant bad.
Good fruit from a bad plant, you're not gonna see bad fruit from a good plant. We're gonna produce whatever is inside us, and it's been said when you get bumped.
What's inside you shows up. One time there was a Sunday school and there were two cups that were up front in the Wawa meeting room and you couldn't tell what was inside until the brother bumped the table and One Cup was full of water and the other one was full of coffee. But when you bumped them, you can see what's inside. Well, brethren, the Lord allows us to get bumped and what's inside our heart shows to us and to the world.
And we need to judge those things and, and walk just like our brother just said. Just put our hand on the animal's head and say, Lord, I own, I'm not what I ought to be. Help me and he'll help us. That's his job. The Spirit of God's working inside us. So here's three things in a true believer. Three things that Mark a true believer #1 is giving. The second one is forgiving. And the third one is Thanksgiving. And we're going to look at those briefly. So turn with me if you have your Bible to Acts chapter #20.
Verse 35 at the end of the verse.
What will this read the whole verse? I have showed you all things how that soul laboring you ought to support the weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. There's a proverb in uh, in the book of Proverbs, of course, because that's where the proverbs are. He that's Washington Watereth is watered also himself.
The greatest thing we can do in this life is to give something away. When you meet people who are hoarders, who are, who are stingy, they are not happy. I work for hundreds, I have thousands of clients and I can tell you without any reservation, the people that will share what they have are happier than those who won't. And the people who won't share anything are very unhappy. They never have enough, never have enough. And I will say this, that's one of the reasons I think the Lord put in his.
Word. The principle of giving in in the Old Testament speaks of tithing. When we have enough to give away, we actually give it away. We are saying by our actions we have more than we need and that frees our hearts. You meet all these people in the world. You say how much is enough? And they all say a little bit more.
If you ask a true believer how much is enough, they say I have enough. What did Jacob say? It is enough. So to to be someone who's giving, don't. And I'm gonna tell you, you're gonna get taken advantage of in this world.
But it's always better. I found it better to be giving, and sometimes you're gonna get taken advantage of than to always protect yourself because in the long run, you're gonna. So that's the first one. The next one is for giving. So turn to Matthew 18.
00:05:09
And these are things, they don't make us believers, but they evidence. There was a young girl I knew one time and we were talking about umm, about being saved. And she said 01 Saves, always saved. I got saved in the gospel meeting and I'm always saved. And I said, you know what? If I had your life, I would not feel comfortable making that statement.
The plant is going to show the fruit of what it is. Our lives are gonna produce fruit. So the next one is forgiving. Umm, and we know this, uh, umm, parable, Matthew 1815. Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, umm, that's not the right verse.
Uh, verse 21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how OFT shall my brother sin against me? And I forgive him till seven times Jesus saith unto him, I say, not unto thee until seven times, but until 70 * 7. Therefore is the Kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And this story has actually been read at this conference, so I'm not going to reread it. But there's a man who owed 10,000 talents.
And there was somebody who owed him 100 pence. There's a huge debt and a little debt. And this word right here is not an option. We do not have the option as believers to decide if I'm going to forgive that person that offended me. That is not our choice. The Scripture demands for our own good that we forgive. And I've had people say, well, they haven't asked for forgiveness. It doesn't matter.
That's not part of the equation, the equation, and it doesn't mean it didn't hurt because people offend us. They cut us off, they steal from us, say whatever.
Forgive them, it says right here.
Umm, in verse 35, so likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye for your from your hearts forgive not everyone his brother, their trespasses. And that's governmental forgiveness. That doesn't mean we don't have forgiveness for our sins. If I died and I was being unforgiven, it's not that I'm not going to get into heaven, but governmentally that that unforgiveness is bound upon me. We have to let it go. And I know people, I talk to people all the time and often.
They're physically I'll OK and.
And I just mentioned, I'm not, you know, I just say, I'm not blaming you. But what I found in, in, in my interactions is a lot of times there's a, a, a, a, a emotional component that goes with this. And the other day, I don't know, it was a year ago or whatever I meant, I met with a gal that had cancer and I asked if I could pray with her because I'm really a gospel minister. I happen to clean carpets, but I'm a gospel minister. That's my job. And, and I mentioned that to her, you know, often there's an emotional underlying issue with the sickness, you know.
I'm not blaming you or accusing you, but is that true? You know, do you have anything going on? Well, actually there was she was mad at her daughter. Bitterness. There's a merry heart. Do with good like a medicine, bitterness will physically kill you. It will change the hormones in your body to where you can go to the doctor and the doctor can test you and say this is your case. But that's not really what's wrong really. You're bitter. And the more our brain.
Makes pathways and and the more we think about all that person did all they were so mean all just get out of that. Just say you know what, whether they meant it or not, I'm gonna forgive them.
And it's just like taking something in your hand. This is serious. I've had to struggle with this. It's just like taking something in your hand just like this and say I'm gonna let it go.
And you know what, you might find that back in your hand. You know what, I'm gonna let it go. You may have to do that 100 times. I am not gonna hold that against that person. I'm not gonna do it. And the beautiful thing is that when you forgive the person, you really free is yourself. The next thing is Thanksgiving. So turn to 1St Thessalonians Chapter 5.
And this one here, honestly, you guys, this might be the hardest one.
It, it tells us in uh, Philippians 4, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice. And the apostle Paul was in prison and it wasn't 3 square meals a day TV and an exercise system, an exercise set.
He knew what he was talking about.
Thanksgiving in verse 18 it says in everything give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
There are trials in this life that are really hard.
Really hard and the Lord knows that.
And he will never. He promises, He's faithful. He's never going to try us more than we're able to bear. But there are trials where it is so dark.
00:10:02
You have to distrust. You can't see the way out. You have to trust him.
And say, OK Lord, I do not see how this is gonna work, but I'm gonna trust you because you promised me.
There was a story about a little kid that was in a fire and and the building was on fire and they were in the fire and he wouldn't jump and he was going to burn to death. And they said jump, jump, jump and he wouldn't jump. He was too scared. And they went and got his dad and they had a net. They were gonna catch him. They had a net and he wouldn't jump. And they finally got his dad and they said here call for him and he said it's OK son jump. And the son jumped and he was saved.
Because he trusted the work of the enemy of our souls is to get us to doubt the goodness of God.
But we can trust him, even when we don't understand, even when it hurts so bad we feel like we can't go on.
I don't know that they're ever hopeless situations, but there are situations in which certain people give up hope. He's the God of peace, the God of comfort, the God of hope. Hope. OK, so turn to Ephesians chapter 5.
Verse 20.
And I'll tell you guys, I haven't got this all figured out. I'll be honest with you.
It says giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I hurt my ankle.
On Memorial Day and I couldn't hardly walk for a month, I took a month off.
The whole world allows trials in our lives.
They're rough, they're tough, they hurt.
Slavic told me the other day he was an encouragement to me, he said Tough times don't last, tough people do.
And it's because we're connected to someone. All power is in his hands. But can we say?
Can we say giving thanks always for all things?
To be in that adversity and say, Lord, thank you for this adversity because I must have needed it.
I bless you and I praise you and I thank you because you are working in me to burn out all things of the flesh that you're working in me to make me to conform me as our brother shared, to be like Christ.
Sometimes the only way we can do that is in the fire. And I'll tell you, it hurts, but it's worth it. It's worth it.
Maybe we can just pray.
Our God.
And our loving Father.
We thank thee for thy matchless love. The sought and found us.
Lord, thou art so good. Blessed be thy name.
We thank Thee for the help that thou hast given us in this scene, that Thou dost indwell us by Thy power.
Lord Jesus, we thank Thee that Thou art ever there to strengthen us and keep us.
Lord, we pray for help as we pass through this scene that we might yield ourselves a living sacrifice.
That we might lay our hands upon those offerings, as it were. Say, search me, O God, know my inward parts. Make me like you.
If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. And Lord, we pray for help as we walk in this scene that we would be found giving.
Thou knowest the joy that thou hast for us in sharing what Thou hast granted us, that we would be forgiving, that we would not mark wrongs.
So we would just have a free spirit.
And Lord, that we would be full of Thanksgiving.
Our so good.
May we be like job.
Though he slay me. Yeah, well, I trust him.
Lord Jesus may be the cry of our hearts that you are all we ever wanted.
In thy right hand are pleasures forevermore, that we would give thanks to the in everything and for everything, for these trials you're preparing us for our next greatest victory, making us more like unto thee. We thank thee for this time. We pray this in Jesus mighty name, Amen.