The Church of Eleven22 - Wk 3: Drifted

Episode Date: October 11, 2020

If you have drifted, REPENT and make Jesus the ONE THING THAT DRIVES EVERYTHING.

Amen and amen. How we doing, church? Everybody good? Looking good. If you got your Bibles, we're in Malachi chapter 2. We are in week three of this series called Malachi, where we're just walking word by word through this Old Testament prophet. It's the very last prophet in the Old Testament.

It's the last thing God is going to say to his people. Then there's 400 years of silence, and then it's Christmas time. So this is what we have been studying. And remember, most of the times what a prophet would do is they would show up to, there was very little encouragement from the prophet. most of the time in the Old Testament. There was a lot of correction. There was a lot of rebuke.

But remember, the whole thing started with God, like a good dad, is connecting before he corrects. Remember the way he started this whole thing out as this. I have loved you. And then like a little twerpy teenager, the nation of Israel, talks back to their father. Nobody understands that. It doesn't have the teenagers, right? But God is trying to, because he loves his people, he is going to connect and then correct and say, these things I have against you, but essentially Israel talks back to God, kind of puts him on trial,

and they say, how have you loved us? And remember week one was this, I love you unconditionally. There's no reason for me to love you, and yet because I am love, I love you. And then last week, Pastor Adam did a remarkable job walking us through God saying to his people, and a part of the reason that I know that you're not loving me rightly back is the way that you worship. that you are treating me, the almighty sovereign king of the universe, as common, that you're lame people bringing lame gifts to an almighty God. Because a big part of the nation of Israel's problem that leads Malachi to write this is they've been back from exile for about 100 years.

They've rebuilt the temple, they've rebuilt the walls, and they are thinking, okay, God, you're not doing your part. And basically what Malachi is there to say on behalf of God is this. Oh, you want to talk about parts. God says, this is the part that I'm doing. Now, let's talk about what you were doing, which leads us to chapter two. And I normally don't tell you what I've titled a message, because I don't really care. But this week we're talking about the fact that the nation of Israel has drifted.

You ever drifted in your walk with Jesus? Like, you ever just wake up one day and think, how did I get here? I think this is what happened to Israel. Here's how he says it. Chapter 2, verse 1, it says this. And now, oh, priests. So what Malachi is going to do is what he is talking about, he is directing at priest. Now, all you Catholics just buckle up for a second.

I'm not trying to offend you or Episcopalians or anybody else. However, in the New Testament, there is no position of priest in the church. Okay? So you gasp if you won't, but it's just true. In the New Testament, there is no position of priest in the church. Why? Because the priest's job was to connect the people of God to God. God by being the person that made the sacrifices.

Well, in the New Testament, who is that person? The whole book of Hebrews is about one thing that Jesus is the great high priest, and he didn't bring a sacrifice. He was the sacrifice. And since he was the perfect sacrifice, the whole sacrificial system is done now. And in fact, in 70 AD, the temple was torn down, and there is no place to even make a sacrifice anymore. And again, because Jesus is the one true, holy, and perfect sacrifice, then we don't

need to make sacrifices anymore. And you don't have to have like a travel agent between you and the Lord. You can go straight to it. That when Jesus died on the cross and says, it is finished, then an earthquake cracks right through Jerusalem, right through the temple, and it tears the curtain in the Holy of Holies that separated the presence of God from the people of God. And so now you and I, like children of the Most High King, just get to walk into the throne room and say, Dad, here I am. So, Jesus is a priest. So Malachi is talking to the priest, but there's not priest in the church, except everybody that's a believer is a priest.

In 1st Peter 2, verse 9, Peter says this, but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood. Think about that. Call you a Catholic grandma tonight. What y'all talk about in church? Well, grannie, I'm a priest. All right, you'll freak her out. So you'll ask you to do communion for her, okay? But you are a children race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession,

and that you may proclaim His excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous flight. So on the one hand, what Malachi is talking about is the leadership of the people of God. And yet, on the other hand, he is talking to every single one of us because we are all, it's what's known as the priesthood of the believers. Now, I will say in Malachi chapter 2, Malachi is giving a warning. for the leaders. Because this is just true. As go to the leaders, so goes the team. As go to the parents, so go the kids. As go to the pastors, so goes the church. And so there is a huge, huge warning. And the warning is going to be, heads up, Israel, pay attention because you have drifted. And I am so glad that we are at this scripture at this point in the life of 1122 because

our church is like the Lego movie right now. Everything is awesome. I mean, it really is. We are coming off of 227 baptisms during a global pandemic out at the beach. Praise God. We did 225 at the beach. I did two baptisms the day before

in Black Creek that runs through my hunting club because one of my one moors that I've been praying for in the one initiative got saved. And then, you ever noticed that the newest saved people seemed to me the most evangelistic people ever? And so one of his one more, he didn't even know he had a one more. He was my one more, didn't know he had a one more, got saved, got a one more, and then started talking to his one more about what a one more is. And the guy's like, what are you doing getting baptized? And my one more

shared with his one more, his salvation experience. And then when I showed up to baptize them, they were both there. We did a double dunk in the river. You understand? Okay. two weeks ago, I'm preaching on God's sovereign role in election. Woo-hoo! And 101 people surrendered their life to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, okay? Everything's awesome. I mean, even in light of COVID, when you think, I hope you know this, will it the enemy intended for evil, God intended for good.

You know, like on a real good weekend, pre-COVID, we'd run about 12,000 people. which is crazy. That's two and a half times the size of the town I grew up in. When our church hit 5,000, I called Daddy. We've got 5,000 people at our church. She says, son, you could be the mayor of Dillon. Or I might just keep doing this thing here, okay? So we'll see. Now, because of all of you watching online, we average over 300,000 people worshiping with us and hearing the gospel around the world. Praise God. All right.

Things are going really, really, really good. And in fact, even in light of when it seems like a lot of the rest of the world is shutting down, the movement of God continues to move. I wish I had time to tell you. I don't have time to tell you because we're just going to study Malachi. I wish I had time to tell you about the letter of intent that we just signed on the 55 acres of land in St. John's County where we're going to be able to put a campus. I told you, your dirt's expensive. but some of y'all, we've been praying like crazy.

Somebody prayed up some dirt in St. John's County, and it's going to work. We don't really need all. Anyway, I think it's going to work out really good. And I don't think we are going to be able to wait until we can build a building, but they know old buildings in St. John's County, okay? Everything's new and fresh. And so that's good. It's just expensive.

And so we don't have time to wait to build it from the ground up. So we believe next year we're going to launch a mobile campus in St. John's County. All right, so all you St. John's people, you better bring your deodorant to church because you're going to have to set up your chairs and stuff that you sit in before you do worship. Okay, praise God for that. And not only that, I wish I had time to tell you that next year we are going to launch our campus in North Jacks up by the airport, amen? I wish I had time to tell you all that, but I don't. But if you come on October 23rd, right here at San Pablo, and we'll be blasting it out online, we're going to do what's called a 8th. deepening encounter. Shane and Shane, you know, the Shane, the guys that sing super high and then super super high, those two guys, they'll be here to lead worship. And then basically what I'm going to

do is kind of peel away at the curtain and say, hey, look at all that God is blessing us with. Here's how the one initiative is going. And here's some unexpected opportunities that God has given us. And so if you want to hear more about that, come on in and listen to that. But what I'm telling you is the reason I want to talk about this now is because I'm not doing it out of a reaction that 1122 is drifting. I want to warn us not to drift while everything is going really well. And here's why. I don't know how familiar you are with the Bible, but Israel never did good with blessing. It was usually in their moments of desperation that they cried out for the Lord. If you'll remember in Deuteronomy chapter 6, you know, we're studying

the Shema for two years. If you'll remember right after the Shma, Hero Israel, the Lord I God, the Lord of God, and you shall love the Lord of your God with all, all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Later on, in that chapter, Moses warns them. He's like, the reason I'm warning you is when you get to the promised land, lest you forget that it is God who is stocked here a refrigerator. It is God who built your house. It is God from whom the blessings flow.

And Israel has never done well with blessing. They tend to forget and think it is about them. of 1122, this is a warning to us as a church to the priest, and it's also a warning to us individually because Peter says that you and I are a royal priesthood. He says this. And now, old priest, this command is for you. Verse two, if you will not listen. All right, think about this. A good dad trying to get the attention of his kids. Anybody got a kid that was not a good listen. Anybody didn't even have to say the last part. All I had to say is anybody got a kid. Same thing. This is what God is just basically saying, come on, would you just listen? I mean, honestly,

would you just listen. If you would just listen, if you would just listen to what I say, everything, everything changes. He says, if you, if you will not listen and if you will not take to heart, this is important. God is not as interested in your activities as he is your heart. He wants your heart and your activities, like the lame worship that Pastor Adam talked about last week, and you're bringing your lame lambs and your lame goat and your one-eyed dog for sacrifice. It's evidence that God hasn't captured your heart. He says, if you will not take to heart to give honor to my name, says the Lord of hosts,

then I will send the curse upon you, and I will curse your. your blessings, literally your seed. Maybe underline that word. I think it can mean a couple of everythings. Indeed, I have already cursed them because you do not lay it to heart. All right, what is the blessing that God is going to curse? So the priest, we're going to find out, he says it in a little while, or if you know your Bible from Sunday school or whatever, the priest come from the tribe of Levi.

They're the Levites. And when the Israelites moved into the promised land, the tribe of Levi, they did not get a portion of land. And the reason they did not get a portion of land is because their portion was the Lord. They were the priest. They had an all-access pass to all of the temple. And so their blessing was not a piece of dirt in the Middle East. Their blessing was a relationship with the Lord. And he's saying, based on the posture of your heart, your blessings are going to be cursed. In other words, you are walking away from me and my curse on you may be to just let you do it.

This is what Romans 1 means when it says that it is the wrath of God that he would turn us over to our own desires. But it's actually God's kindness that He would rebuke us and wake us up that we wouldn't miss out on a relationship with Him. So I think that's part of what it means by Your blessing will be cursed.

Oh, and I think, I think, verse three talks about it too. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring. The Bible says that our children are a blessing. Next time you complain about your kids, just remember, they're a blessing. Next time you're about to pull your hair out, I used to have hair, and none of them were gray. How about that? Just remember, you prayed for that little blessing.

Think about that for a second. And so look what he says, I will rebuke your offspring. In other words, our actions have generational consequences. Some of us don't think about that. We don't think legacy. But think about this. If you've gotten saved here at the Church of 1122, your great-great-grandchildren's entire lives

could be very, very different because of the trajectory of your life changed in such a significant way. And what he's saying here is, hey, pay attention, priests, pay attention to Levites. Your children and their children, they're supposed to carry on this line of priesthood. And if you're not careful,

if you continue in this direction, you're going to ruin the whole thing. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring. Now, check out this next verse. And spread dung on your faces. The dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. Well, how about that verse? Why don't we write a worship song about that, Vinky? Dung face.

Get out of here. I mean, what's? I want the world is the, I mean, that's in the Bible? Look at here. here's what he's saying so when you would do it when you would make an offering there were i mean almost the whole book of leviticus is instructions to the levites on how you are to worship the old the worship in the old testament is very prescripted because it was to one people at one time in one place the worship in the new testament is wide open because it's for all people in all

places until jesus returns and so there were very specific things that you were supposed to do with the offerings and you were to take out any hunters in the house anybody hunting you got some hunters raise them high like like I know who okay all right how about hunters with land in the Midwest anybody I see that in all right me and you going on hunting okay so all right so basically what you would do before you took in an offering is you field dressed it you took all the guts out you took all the dung out you took all the entrails out and on the outside of the temple you would burn it because god don't want that that's gross but these jokes We find out in the last chapter, not only were they bringing their lame, sick, and blind offerings,

but they weren't even properly preparing it, and they were essentially offering unto God dung, and God is not okay with that. God's like, I'm about to take you lame offering and smear it on your face and then kick you out of here. And just like the entrails of the animal were not allowed in the temple, that's what he's saying here. I'm about to take you out of here just like you're supposed to take that out. God has some very strong language when we dishonor him in our times of worship.

You see, worship in the scriptures is serious business, man. Now, if you're not a believer and you're just here and you're checking it out and your friend invited you, and they're like, no, he's funny. And you're like, it doesn't sound funny. He's kind of intense.

All right, you get a pass, no problem. Kick the tires, figure it out. But if you call yourselves a Jesus follower, and you roll up in the presence of God and treat him as if he is common, there are some serious warnings in the Bible about that kind of posture and attitude. And this is what Malachi is warning him of. He's going to spread dung on your face and kick you out. Now, let me just ask you this. When you come to church, what are you offering the Lord? I mean, are you offering him dumb? at the end of every service, this is what I say.

I said 100 million times, okay? So we respond to the gospel every week. We respond by singing and bringing and praying. In the singing category, are you bringing your first and breast? Are you offering unto the Lord what he is worth? Or do you just kind of sit there like this? I don't like the song that good.

Well, I don't care. This is not a karaoke band trying to entertain us here. This is an opportunity for us to offer our hearts to the Lord. And all of us, if you don't write a good song, you can't. It's really hard. All right, what are you offering to the Lord? When we say bring your offerings, your first and your best, your ties and your offerings, what do you bring it to the Lord?

God doesn't do leftovers. Are you bringing him dung? in our prayer time, okay, at the end of the service. When I say, come on, man, want you come pray? Wouldn't you come pray? Are you praying as if you are bringing a request to the almighty sovereign king of the universe who has invited us as children?

Come on, come on, come on. Would you please bring that to me? Or is it a little half-hearted, lame offering? Malachi's got some serious words about this. So he says in verse four, So shall you know that I have sent this command to you that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the Lord of Host. See, there's the difference between a covenant and a contract.

A contract is if you do your part, I'll do my part. A covenant is, no matter what you do, this is what I promise. God made a covenant with Levi. It's kind of weird. In Exodus chapter 32, the Israelites had built a golden calf, and they were all worshipping it, and Moses comes down off the mountain and says, whoever's with the Lord comes stand by my side.

And the tribe of Levi comes and stands by his side, and he says, because you have honored the Lord, consecrate you and in that moment they come they become priests forever that's what happens he says in verse 5 again my covenant with him was one of life and peace and I gave to them it was a covenant of fear now fear it doesn't mean like they were they looked at God were like oh no not that kind of fear he's going to define it right here and he feared me he stood in all of my name that's what fear means in the Bible that the fear of the Lord is to stand in all of the name of God.

Verse six, true instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. Here's what he's saying. He's like, this is where the Levites started. And Levites today, you were a long way from where you started. Here are the marks of Levi, of the Levites. Life, peace, they stood in awe. They did not stand in entitlement.

There was true instruction. they were faithful to God's word. He says they walked with uprightness. That meant they were people of integrity, and they impacted others. That they weren't inward focused, they were outward focus. Verse seven, for the lips of a priest should guard knowledge and people should seek instruction from his mouth.

For he is the messenger of the Lord of Host. He is not the author of the message. He is just the messenger. This is why I say this all the time, that I'm like the mailman. I didn't write it. My job is just to deliver it. For he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.

Now, church leadership and Bible teaching is a really, really big deal in the Bible. Jesus gives all kind of warnings to dudes like me. Anybody that would stand up in front of people and open the Bible and say, let me tell you what God says. Jesus says things like this. If you cause one of these little ones of mine to stumble, it'd be better for you to ripe a mill stall.

That'd be like a big old 45-pound weight around your neck and go for a swim. James says, not many of you should presume to be preachers and teachers. Because you will have a different level of judgment on the day of judgment. Who wants to sign up to go to be a preacher now, huh? Yeah. Hey, you want a better preacher? Pray for the one you got.

Because I need it. So it is a really, really, really big deal to handle the Word of God. But also remember, what Peter says is that every single one of us who are followers of Jesus that we are priests. He says, but, see, Levi started good. But you, you've turned aside from the way. You have turned aside. You have, the language I like to use is this, you have drifted. Parents, you ever take your kids to the beach and you just can't, you can't keep them in front of you? They get in the beach and they go down there and you're like, would y'all stay down here? You try to give them markers so that they can realize it, but they don't realize it. They're not running away from you.

They may in other situations, but in the beach, they're just drifting. You know, you ever paddle out and you're not paying attention? You're like, where are the polls go? Why am I at the pier? Because you just get caught up in the drift. One of my favorite hymns, one of my favorite lines from any hymn is this, prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Can anybody testify with the reality of that song? I don't know the person that says

that just wakes up one day and be like, you know what I'm going to do? I'm about to get dung smeared on my face by the Lord today. That's my goal. No, no, no, no. It's usually this slow, methodical, take your eyes off of the Lord. This can happen as a church. This happens to a lot of churches.

Happens to the denominations. Happens to pastors. And it happens to people. Jesus followers. And you take your eyes off of him and then one day you look up and you've wandered off. And the way you wander away, it's just one little step at a time.

It didn't say sprint away. Prone to wonder, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. This is what is happening to the nation of Israel. And he says, you have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts. And so I make you despised and abased before all the people inasmuch as you do not keep my way, but show partiality in your instructions.

And a part of what he's doing is this, is saying, you have moved away from the instruction of my word, and you say whatever the people sitting in front of you want to hear. That's what he's saying. Now, why is God doing this? The reason God is rebuking them and threatening to smear the dung on their face is not because he hates them, but it's because he loves them. and the reason I want to warn us as a church is not because I think we're doing bad

I think things are going really, really well and I want to warn us right now don't ever take it for granted. Don't ever take your eyes off of the Lord because we could wonder and be in a place that we never imagine that we would be again individually and corporately and I love you enough to yell at you a little bit

and again it's because I love you. I told you this for one time in Dillon I was riding my bus. bicycle in the road with my buddy Joey Peel and my mama comes out on the front steps and she's scraped Joseph Perry Martin the third with the little noodle-knack thing you better get in the house and she's yelling at me and I'm like mama why you yelling at me she's like I said he just yells more and you know when she says the whole name it's on that's a pick your switch night y'all don't know nothing about that but that's all right that's your problem okay pick your own

switch I'd come back like a noodle how about this nope wait till daddy gets home I'll come back with a two by four. Why don't you go ahead, Mama? Right? And then I was like, Mama, why are you yell at me? If you love me, you wouldn't yell at me. And she said, if I didn't love you, I would let you ride in the street. My boy Joey Peel, starts getting a little choked up, starts crying.

Like, man, what you're crying for? He goes, my mama will have me ride in the street. Okay. Malachi is a messenger from the Lord on behalf of God is saying to his people, I love you enough to rebuke you to make sure you pay attention. 1122, I just want to warn us. There's been a lot of great churches in this world. And they start out like a flash, man.

We're eight years old. And again, God has done exceedingly more than any of us ever hoped or imagined. But don't take it for granted. He owes us nothing. And the way a church begins to drift is the pastors and the leaders drift, but not only that is this can also be true in your own walk with Jesus. See, this isn't just like an old covenant, Old Testament, minor prophet warning. This is also a New Testament church issue.

Go to the book of Revelation, real quick. Don't worry, I'm a pro. I can get us in and out of there without any dragons or anything, right? Revelation chapter 2, verse 1 says this, to the angel at the church of Ephesus, when I think about 1122, this may be a little presumptive, but I think about the church at Ephesus. The church at Ephesus was a big deal,

man. The church at Ephesus was planted by Paul. Pretty cool. The church at Ephesus was pastored by Timothy. The church at Ephesus, one of the elders was the apostle John. Look, we got some legit elders. When Dr. Paul wags his little crooked finger at you and tells you something to do, you better listen, because he's speaking truth. But when their elders spoke, he was writing the Bible. Do you understand that? the difference that we're talking about here. The church at Ephesus blows up in such a way that it creates a social economic transformation in that city. It was going really, really good. There's a book in our Bible where Paul writes to this church. It's kind of a big deal. And then by the time you get to the end of the scriptures, here's what Jesus has to say about this church that started out super

good. I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my namesake, and you have not grown weary. Up to this point, I would like to join this church. There's only one problem this church has. Look at verse four, but I have this against you. You have abandoned the love you had it first.

Some translations will say this. Jesus, same to the church at Ephesus. Heads up, Ephesus. You lost your first love. You have all the mechanics of what a church ought to do. The problem is, I don't have your heart. And if you remember, in the shaman, what's the most important thing in the whole Bible

in regards to the commandments? Love God. And he's like, cool, man. Your Sunday school classes are rocking. Great. Only problem is you don't love me. And then he gives him some instruction basically I think what Jesus is saying to the church at Ephesus is what I'm warning us on.

Hey, Ephesus, you've drifted. You've drifted. You started here. You took your eyes off the prize. You haven't been paying attention. And now you wake up in a place and you didn't realize you were going to be there. And if the church at Ephesus would say, okay, Jesus, well, then what do we do? Verse 5, he tells us what to do.

Remember, therefore, from where you have fallen. Repent. That means turn around. And do the works you did it first. If not, I will come. to you and remove your lampstand from its place unless you repent. Now, let me tell you, I've told you this before. I hope you will study the Bible the way I studied the Bible because it's the best way. And you always use the Bible as commentary unto itself. Before you listen to what

anybody else said, first and foremost, see what the scriptures say about the scriptures. And the really cool thing about the church at Ephesus is that we had the account of the launching of the church of Ephesus in the book of Acts in Acts chapter 19. So when Jesus says, to the church, have you been drifting? Well, you have, because you've lost your first love. Well, then here's what you need to do. Ephesus, you need to repent, you need to remember, you need to go back and do the things that you were doing at first

when I was the one thing that was driving everything in your life. And we can go back to Acts 19 and see the very things that this church was doing to reveal that Jesus was first in their life. Acts 19, go there, fast. I'm not, I'm normally not a list guy, but in this passage from verses 17 to 29, I see 11 things that this church was doing. And I think they can be warnings for us as a church and warnings for us individually to make sure. And I think if we continue to do these things, then Jesus continues to be the one thing that drives everything in our church and in our individual's lives. All right, you got to listen fast because I got about a minute and ten seconds for each time.

one. Somebody's laughing at me on the front row. Acts 1917 says this, and this became known to all the residents of Ephesus. Now, when it says this, there were three thises, okay? The first this is verses 1 through 10, and the first this is spirit-filled evangelism, spirit-filled evangelism. Again, what we're looking at is Jesus says, hey, you've drifted. Anybody ever been there? You ever ever lost that loving feeling for the Lord? You ever wake up one day and you've prone to wondering? He's like, what am I doing over here? You ever think your life was heading in one direction, and you woke up, and it is not where you plan to be at all, and particularly with him.

And you say, well, what do I do? Jesus tells us, in Revelation 2, remember what you did at first when your affections were stirred for me and do those things again. So the first one is spirit-filled evangelism. In verses 1 through 10, Paul shows up in Ephesus. He bumps into 12 guys who are believers, and he says, do you have the Holy Spirit? and they go, we didn't even know there was a Holy Spirit. He goes, what?

How do you miss the Spirit? Tell me about your baptism. They're like, we got baptized by John the Baptist. And he's like, oh, well, no wonder, guess what? You remember how he was saying that he was pointing to the Lamb who was going to come to be slain for the forgiveness of the sin of all the world? They're like, uh-huh. Well, guess what? He did.

He came, lived a perfect life, died of sinners' death, resurrected on the third day, ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and sent the Spirit to us all. And they were like, we want some of that. And so they surrendered their life to the Lordship of Christ, and they, and they receive the spirit and they start preaching and teaching. And over the next two years, the Bible says that the word of God goes out to all of Asia. Heard the gospel. The moment at church, and I'm telling you, the older and the bigger any organization gets,

the more often it focuses on taking care of everybody that's already here. The moment you begin to neglect the one to take care of the 99, You're not playing Jesus' game anymore. And let me tell you, it's way easier to take care of the 99 in my position. You know why? Guess who you hear all the comments and complaints and prayer requests from? And man, when you make a prayer request complaint, that's on you. You've got to take that up with Jesus one day, okay?

But guess what? You don't ever hear it from the one, you know why? They don't come to church. Or they came once, they didn't like it, they don't come or more. but the 99 always want for the 99 and what what begins to happen when you do that man you lose the heart of Jesus who came on a rescue mission to seek and to save the lost spirit filled evangelism is one number two this again this is some of the this is there he's talking about the second one is life transformation verses 11 and 12 say that as paul would walk around he would people would like take his apron i don't know

why he's wearing an apron, he's doing some kind of chili cook-off or something, and take his, like, napkins and stuff, and they would take just the apron and the napkin that had touched Paul, and they would touch sick people and demon-possessed people, and those people would be set free. The second thing that happens that he wants to remember is this, life transformation was happening. And I think the implication is this. There were sick and demon-possessed people in Ephesus. The moment the church at 1122 gets too clean, It's over, man.

You ain't running Team Jesus anymore. Like right now, you're probably sitting next to somebody. It's a little grimy, a little sick, maybe even demon-possessed. Well, I'm glad you hear. We're a movement for all people. And the grimy or the better. And God doesn't love some future version of you, but he loves you too much to leave your demon-possessed. He wants to do a work in your life, which means it's always going to be a little grimy.

There's always going to be some people that make you a little uncomfortable. Bible. And those, I'm telling you, I'm telling you, according to the parables of Jesus, those people have a higher place in Christ's eyes than those of us that are already here. So the second one's life transformation. The third thing that he says in the second word, and this became known. The third this is this, pretending in Jesus' name will get you butt kicked. What he's talking about here is verses 13 through 16, the Bible says that there were these seven sons of Sceiva, and they were going around. There were an itinerant Jewish exorcists. I didn't know that was a job, but that was like a legitimate job in the first century. And they confront this demon-possessed dude, and they say

this. They say, I adjure you by the Jesus who Paul proclaims. This is what the sons of the Skeva are doing. Got it? In other words, we don't know him ourselves, but we're going to have kind of a secondhand faith, and we're just going to claim this name of Jesus that we've never met before. And the demons talk back, I don't know if you've ever cast it out of a demon, but if he starts talking back to you, hold up, because the demons say back to these boys, Jesus, we know, Paul, heard of him, you, who are you? And then it's straight WWF next. The Bible says that the demon-possessed man jumps on them and beats them, overtakes them, and quote, they fled out of the house naked and wounded. And I don't think this means only physically wounded. If somebody beats

your pants off, there's a soul wound that, and all of Ephesus heard about it. Now, what do I mean? What's going on here? What's going on here is that the church at Ephesus understood, if you, you pretend, you pretend, you pretend. in Jesus' name, you'll get your butt handed to you. That there are no coattails of somebody else's faith that you get to ride. That a relationship with Jesus is personal. So those are the first three, and this became known to all the residents of Ephesus. And then the fourth one is this, both Jews and Greeks. See, the church at Ephesus and the Church of 1122 is a movement for all people.

Man, you think there's division in our country which there is, The division between the Jews and Greeks in the first century, it would take me all night to describe it. And yet, the gospel of Jesus Christ was tearing down the dividing walls. It was a movement for all people. The gospel tears down the walls of division. Our culture wants to divide us. The church to the gospel of Jesus Christ always should unite us. And then the fifth thing.

And fear fell upon them all. The fifth thing that Jesus is saying they need to return to is this. growing awe of God. A growing awe of God. When they watched a baptism video, they didn't go, oh yeah, we see these all the time. They saw it once again and went, and there's two kind of all. Sometimes you've been to church and you've been like, aw, right? That's what Malachi's Israel was doing. They were treating,

they had lost their all for God. They begin to live this life of entitlement and say, look, if I bring you a three-legged donkey and sacrifice it, isn't that good enough? But when you stay at it, they stay at you. in awe of the almighty living God who sent his son to die on a cross for you, you should never be able to get past the gospel, that who am I that he would take my place? And they stood in that kind of constant awe of who God is and what he was doing. They weren't bringing lame leftovers. The sixth one is this, worship.

And the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. The name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. At the Church of Ephesus, there was one name under heaven where Bobby must be saved. It wasn't the name of the preacher. It wasn't the name on the sign of the church. It wasn't name of the band singing the song. It was Jesus' name that was extolled.

If you want to hear a good 45 minutes on that, listen to last week's sermon. That's the six ones. And also, many of those who are now believers came confessing and divulging their practices. The seventh thing is there was authentic confession. authentic confession. You know, the church should be the freest place on the plan.

And then oftentimes it is the most pretentious place I've ever been to in my life. I mean, I don't understand. Jesus died on a cross and he outed us all. How you doing? Not that good. Jesus had to die to reconcile you unto God. Do you understand how jacked up we are? And I say it all the time, the fake you's doing just fine.

So if you want to fake it, nothing's going to change in your life. Nothing's going to change in your heart. Nothing's going to change in your mind or your soul as long as you fake it. But a real Jesus died on a real cross for the real you. And these people were crazy enough to believe when he says it is finished, it counted. And that therefore now there was no condemnation for those who were in Christ Jesus. And so they confessed, they divulged their practices. Let me ask you this.

Who are you confessing to? Now, I know you confess to Jesus, but the Bible says in James chapter 5 that we are supposed to confess our sins to one another. Like, who's really praying for you? When's the last time you confessed to somebody, I'm struggling? Here's the Christian game, if you want to play it. The people that play the Christian game never currently in the struggle, they always are just coming out of a struggle.

You ever notice that? But that's weird, because you said a year ago you were struggling. I asked you a year ago, and you said you were fine then, So I think you're still lying. That's what I think. Who's praying for you? I know you think your mama is, but you lying to her. You ain't telling her the truth?

Who is legitimately joining with Jesus at the right hand of God, the Father, interceding for you? It is a mark of a thriving church. Authentic confession. Verse 19. It says, and a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their blood. together and burn them in the sight of all. The eighth thing that Jesus is pointing back to is this. There was repentance, true repentance.

There was change in behavior, not just feelings. It's one thing to feel a thing and a service. It's quite another thing to burn your magic book. Now again, I'm not into like CD burning or whatever, okay? But this is a true change and behavior. And they counted the value of them and found that it came to 50,000 pieces of silver. I think that's about six million bucks today. The ninth marker of a church or a people or a person where Jesus is the one thing that drives everything is this, sacrificial giving.

Sacrificial giving. It is almost impossible throughout church history to separate a significant move of God from significant sacrificial giving of his people. And I'm going to tell you, Church of 1122, way to go. Way to go. This isn't a sermon because things aren't good, and I'm like, y'all better get good. That is not what we're talking about. But Jesus makes it very clear where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. I promise you, you make the biggest sacrificial gift you've ever made to a ministry, to a church, to the kingdom, and all of a sudden, guess where all of your attention goes to?

Nobody has to tell you where the next campus is coming. Right? Like if you handed me your wallet right now, or I don't know if you have a wallet, If you handed me your bank card right now, and I held your bank card in my hand, you would pay more attention to this sermon than you have ever paid attention to the Word of God being preached in your whole life. Why? Because where your treasure is, there your heart goes. Also, these folks sacrificial poured out. So the ninth one is sacrificial giving. The tenth one is this. Man, they just taught the Bible. Verse 20. And so the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. The word. of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily. I've said this a whole bunch of times, but let me say it again,

if you ever find yourself in a church where they are not teaching the word of God, see, because what Malachi's Israel was doing is they were teaching with partiality. Like if they didn't want to upset this group of people, they just kind of, they just highlighted some verses and clipped out some other ones. And then another group of people were over here, and they didn't want to get in trouble with them, so they would teach with partiality. They wouldn't say what God's word said.

they would say what these people wanted to say. If you ever find yourself in a church and they don't teach the Word of God as the authoritative Word of God, then gather your things, get your kids, don't go back to that place. Because we stand on the authority of the Word of God. Paul says this in Romans chapter 1,

for I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. And then the 11th thing is that what God was doing, doing in their church did not stay in their church. That this move of God changed a community. Listen, not only is the church to declare the gospel, but the church is supposed to also demonstrate the gospel.

God did not save you to attend church a few times a month, to come and enjoy a sermon, listen to a couple good songs, to go to a Bible study and do a daily divo. That is not what God saved you for. That is all a means to an end to the glory of God. The reason you're still here on this planet is to change the world, not to just attend some stuff, but that God would work through you to reconcile this lost and depraved world unto him. This is what happened in Ephesus.

Verse 23, and about that time, there arose no little disturbance concerning the way. Listen, church, I want to cause a disturbance in Jacksonville. I want things to be shaken up because of our churches. And I'm not just talking about traffic flow on Sunday mornings. I'm talking about, can you imagine if the whole city was different because of what God is doing here? So here's what happened in Ephesus. For a man named Demetrius, a silver smith who made silver shrines to Artemis brought no little business to the craftsmen. And these he gathered together with the workmen in similar trades.

And he said, men, you know that. from this business we have our wealth? And you see and here that not only in Ephesus, but in almost all of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people saying that the gods made with hands are not gods. So basically, these group of silversmith, they go on to riot,

and the reason that they're rioting is because so many people are getting saved in Ephesus that they won't buy idols anymore. And it begins to shut down an industry. in the city. Look, the church of 1122 may be the fastest growing church in the history of America. A few people have researched that and tell me that's true. I don't know. I don't have time to look at that kind of stuff. But can you imagine if our church shut down an idolatrous industry in Jacksonville? I mean, imagine if every strip club closed because all the girls got saved and all the guys going

reconcile with their wives and unto the Lord. And nobody would show up anymore. Just imagine. Imagine if the drug crimes and drug sales in Jacksonville plummeted, not because from the top down, we tried to force it out physically, but from the inside out, Jesus flushed away those addiction. Can you imagine? I mean, imagine. Okay, imagine. While we're imagining, let's go ahead. Imagine if the Jags were undefeated. I mean, undefeated.

And you turn on the TV. but you had devoured it, and you look at the game, and there's nobody at the game. Nobody at the game, not because of COVID, and people wouldn't let them, because nobody was attending. And Roger Goodell and Shod Khan called me on the phone and said, bro, we got to talk. Why won't you let people come to our game? And I'm like, bro, we love, we can go to the game. The Jags ain't simple. We love y'all, okay?

But we're busy on Sunday morning. We'd rather gather in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And so what we're going to have to do, I mean, this would happen in Ephesus would be, similar to Roger Goodell and Khan saying, okay, okay, I tell you what, you got Monday night games for the whole season. I'm like, sweet, 1122 will be there. And we packed the joint out and we went to Super Bowl. Do you understand what I'm saying?

No little disturbance. You see, here's the point. See, from the covenant of Levi, remember God said I've given him life and peace and integrity. now Israel has drifted to dishonoring God by treating him as common. When you put your faith in Jesus Christ, he made a covenant with you. I'm going to save you. I'm going to redeem you. I'm going to impute Christ's righteousness upon you. Look, every offering that you would ever bring to him is lame.

Therefore, Jesus would be the perfect offering on the cross. And I'm going to send the Holy Spirit to live in you. And that's how it started. That's how it started. and he will bring it to completion. And then oftentimes in our journey, he wakes us up and says, hey, pay attention, you're starting to drift. You're starting to drift.

Is that you? You ever been prone to wonder? Well, here's the point. If you're drifted, then repent and make Jesus the one thing that drives everything. Here's how the church in Ephesus was reminded to do it. To continue to share your faith. You want to deepen your walk with Jesus? The best way to deepen your relationship with Jesus

has helped somebody else discover theirs. Then be a part of life transformation. Don't just stick around all the Christians all the time. But be reaching out to the grimy parts of our city. Quit faking it. The fake you is doing just fine. You can't claim somebody else is Jesus. You've got to know him for yourself.

To break down the dividing walls. This is a movement for all people. and it does not start with a program from 1122. It starts at your dining table. Don't ever lose your awe of God. Pastor Adam kind of flew by this last week, man. If you feel like you've lost your awe of God, spend some time in this word just reading the I wills and the shoulds,

the promises of God, and remind yourself of the gifts of God and be thankful for the things that He has given you and you watch your awe for him grow. worship, and when I say worship, I mean worship. And if you grew up Presbyterian, get over it, okay? Raise a hand. Sing a hallelujah.

Be a little louder than you're used to. Confess. Say out loud with your mouth to another believer something that you need to get out of the dark and shine some light on and then repent. Don't just feel a thing, do a thing. Give sacrificially. dive into the Word and serve and serve and honestly church I don't know which one

happens first I know how salvation happens God chases you down pursues you saves you but in regards to like you lose that love and feeling in your Christian walk you know oftentimes when married couples come to me for counseling which don't do don't come to me so if you just watch Song of Solomon everything I know about being married Ephesians 5 that's the only only other thing I know. Just watch that. That's everything I know. Okay. That's what I'm going to say. Think to yourself, what would he say? That's what I'm going to say, except it's going to be meaner, if it's just me and you. Okay, so, sometimes when a married couple's there and they're like,

you know what, I just kind of lost the, I'm like, okay, so instead of waiting on feeling love for her, why don't you just love her? Just love her. Pursue her. Do the things that you would do if you felt all the loving feelings. your heart. And I don't know if you've ever done this kind of thing before, but it's amazing how that loving feeling begins to follow you when you actually love somebody. I think this is a part of what Jesus is saying to the church at Ephesus when he says, you have lost, you have abandoned your first love. So why don't you do the things that you used to do? Why don't you be radically generous? Why don't you confess? Why don't you repent? Why don't you try to reach out to somebody else?

Why don't you cause not a little disturbance in the city for the name of Jesus? So, Church of 1122, I'm going to pray, and then we're going to respond. And this response is for anybody that feels like you drift in a little bit. You didn't mean to. You didn't wake up today and be like, I don't love Jesus anymore. Of course you do. Prong to wonder, Lord, I feel it. Prong to leave the God I love.

Of course you love him. The things are getting a little state. You're thinking a little too much me and not as much glory to God. And if you've drifted, then do this, hey, don't bring a lame offering to him. We're going to sing. Don't bring a lame song. The song we're going to sing ain't lame. It's good.

Don't make you a part lame. Don't bring a lame offering. We bring our ties and our offerings. God doesn't do leftovers. Now, you decide in your heart what God has called you to give, and then you do that cheerfully, knowing that the promise of Jesus is that you are more blessed when you give than when you receive. And then we pray. And you don't have to have some kind of super KJV awesome prayer,

but don't bring some lame, bring your heart and confess and repent. And then you watch what he does in our lives to draw us back to that abiding, deepening, relationship with him. Would you please stand? Let me pray for you. Our Father in heaven, Lord, I thank you that when Christ died on the cross for us, for any of us that would believe when he died that that counted for us that, God, you didn't send us a contract. You made a covenant with us. And that you have done your part. God, I thank you that it's your kindness that brings us to repentance. And Lord, I thank you that just like you sent Malachi to pursue your rebellious children, you consistently and constantly pursue us, your rebellious children.

God, I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. And I thank you right now in the hearts and lives of men and women and students that Holy Spirit, you are doing exactly what Jesus said you would do, that you were comforting us and you are convicting us. God, would you point out the places where we sin and where we need to repent? And God, I thank you that just like the prodigal son, when we return, that you greet us, not with a sermon and a lecture, and I told you so, but you greet us with the loving arms of a heavenly father, and you rejoice over your children. God, we offer up to you ourselves. And Lord, we know that we are lame, but we don't want to bring us.

you a lame offering. We bring you all of who we are because you have purchased us. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. So church, let's respond by singing, by bringing, by praying. Let's go.