I Need Some Motion

Summary

Change Church Podcast: "I Need Some Motion" – Detailed Summary

Episode Overview

Title: I Need Some Motion
Host: Pastor Dharius Daniels, Change Church
Release Date: December 10, 2024
Description: In this engaging episode, Pastor Dharius Daniels delves deep into the essence of the Advent season, the transformative power of faith, and the nature of God's miracles. Through biblical insights and relatable discussions, Pastor Daniels challenges listeners to move beyond mere inspiration and embrace actionable faith that leads to profound transformation.

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1. Understanding the Advent Season

Advent Defined

Pastor Daniels begins by elucidating the meaning of "Advent," a term often associated with the countdown to Christmas. He explains that Advent signifies "coming" and represents the period when Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. This season isn't just about festivities but underscores the profound event of the Incarnation—God becoming man—to bridge the infinite with the finite.

Key Quote:

"It is the infinite stepping into the finite so that the finite can step into the infinite."
— Pastor Dharius Daniels [02:15]

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2. Change Church’s Unique Approach to Advent

Beyond Celebration: Emphasis on Education and Transformation

At Change Church, Pastor Daniels emphasizes that Advent is not solely a time for celebration but also an opportunity for education and transformation. Unlike many churches that focus on inspiration alone, Change Church aims to equip believers to create lives they love and to conquer challenges rather than merely coping with them.

Key Quotes:

"We aren't just about inspiration at Change Church. We're about transformation."
— Pastor Daniels [04:07]

"Jesus didn't die just to teach me how to die. He died to show me how to live."
— Pastor Daniels [04:30]

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3. The Nature of God as a Miracle Worker

Biblical Foundations of Miracles

Pastor Daniels explores the concept of God as a miracle worker, drawing from various biblical narratives. He defines a miracle as an event where God suspends or alters natural laws to fulfill His divine plan. Using the Exodus story, he illustrates how God parted the Red Sea to liberate the Israelites, demonstrating His authority to interrupt natural order for a higher purpose.

Key Quotes:

"A miracle is when God suspends or alters a natural law to accomplish His divine plan."
— Pastor Daniels [06:20]

"He is a miracle worker. It's in His nature."
— Pastor Daniels [06:27]

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4. Continuationist vs. Cessationist Perspectives on Miracles

Debating the Perpetuity of Miracles

Delving into theological debates, Pastor Daniels discusses the continuationist belief—miracles are ongoing and accessible today—and contrasts it with the cessationist stance, which holds that miracles ceased after the biblical era. He argues for the continuationist view, asserting that miracles are still evidence of God's love and active presence in believers' lives.

Key Quote:

"When we believe that miracles are evidence of His love for His people. He loved me."
— Pastor Daniels [15:19]

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5. Misdiagnosing Miracles: Coincidences vs. Divine Intervention

Recognizing God's Hand in Everyday Events

Pastor Daniels warns against mislabeling miracles as coincidences or luck. He encourages listeners to discern when God is acting in their lives, emphasizing that what might appear as mere chance could be divine intervention. By attributing successes and blessings to God’s providence rather than personal effort or randomness, believers can better recognize and appreciate miracles.

Key Quotes:

"You might not have evidence that's on the way, but faith is the evidence of what I hadn't seen."
— Pastor Daniels [24:18]

"If God is acting in your life, don't call it luck. That's a miracle."
— Pastor Daniels [19:00]

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6. Hebrews 11: Abel vs. Cain – Lessons on Faith and Sacrifice

The Spirit of Cain and the Faith of Abel

Pastor Daniels references Hebrews 11:4, highlighting the contrast between Abel’s and Cain’s offerings. Abel’s sacrifice was by faith, making it more acceptable to God, whereas Cain’s was not, leading to jealousy and entitlement. This narrative serves as a lesson on the importance of faith-driven sacrifice and the dangers of spirit of entitlement.

Key Quotes:

"By faith, Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain... through his faith, though he died, he still speaks."
— Pastor Daniels [00:27]

"The spirit of Cain is when people feel entitled to the results you got without being willing to make the sacrifice you made."
— Pastor Daniels [34:00]

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7. Sacrifice and Resource Reallocation in Faith

Making Painful Decisions for Greater Good

Sacrificing one's resources—be it time, money, or personal desires—is portrayed as a faith-driven action that aligns with God’s greater plans. Pastor Daniels shares personal anecdotes and biblical examples, emphasizing that true sacrifice reflects a believer's commitment to what matters most in God's eyes.

Key Quotes:

"Sacrifice is the ability to painfully reallocate resources from something that matters to something that matters more."
— Pastor Daniels [35:02]

"Every important decision you make is going to cost you. What matters don't come easy."
— Pastor Daniels [36:00]

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8. Faith as Action: The Necessity of Motion for Miracles

Mobilizing Belief into Tangible Outcomes

A central theme of the episode is that faith must move—it should lead to action. Pastor Daniels argues that without motion, faith remains inert and miracles may not manifest. He cites biblical miracles that occurred when individuals took decisive steps based on their faith, such as Moses parting the Red Sea and the children of Israel crossing safely.

Key Quotes:

"Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. If you want miracles, you need motion."
— Pastor Daniels [23:40]

"Faith provokes you to action. It is the substance of what you hope for."
— Pastor Daniels [24:01]

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9. Drawing Parallels from Hebrews: Building Strong Faith

Lessons from Hebrews on Enduring Faith

In concluding, Pastor Daniels ties back to Hebrews 11, encouraging believers to emulate the faith of biblical figures. He emphasizes that true faith involves both belief and action, serving as a foundation for experiencing God's promises and miracles.

Key Quote:

"Faith is the substance of what you hope for and the evidence of what you don't see."
— Pastor Daniels [24:18]

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Conclusion: Embracing Motion for Miracles

Pastor Dharius Daniels wraps up the episode by reinforcing the idea that faith intertwined with action ("motion") is crucial for witnessing miracles. He challenges listeners to act on their faith, embodying the truths God has spoken, thereby opening doors for divine intervention and transformation in their lives.

Final Thoughts:

"If you want miracles, you need motion. Faith moves."
— Pastor Daniels [26:22]

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Takeaway

"I Need Some Motion" serves as a compelling guide for believers seeking to deepen their faith through actionable steps. Pastor Daniels masterfully intertwines biblical teachings with practical applications, urging listeners to move beyond passive belief and engage actively with their faith to experience God's transformative power.

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Visit Change Church:
For more insightful messages and transformative teachings, visit www.lifechange.org.

Transcript

[A]

So thank you so much for your consideration. Let's get to the word today. And now the 10 o'clock was talking back to your boy like it was 11:45.

[B]

I had to look at the clock.

[A]

And say, is this 11:45 or 10:00?

[B]

It's a little. But I know, I know the 11:45 is not going to let the 10:00 out.

[A]

11:45, you.

[B]

So let's go together to the book of Hebrews, chapter number 11, verse number 4.

[A]

Here's what it says. Family. It says, by faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. By faith, Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous God, commending him by accepting his gifts through his faith. Though he died, he still speaks. Through his faith, though he died, he still speaks. I want to stop the reading of Scripture there and tag this title to this subject in our time together. I want to talk from this subject, from this Scripture. I need some motion. Clap your hands if you need some things to move. I need some motion, family. Last Sunday began a season on the Christian liturgical calendar known as the Advent season. The word Advent, I teach you this every year, is a word that simply means coming. So it is a season in which Christians celebrate the coming or the birth of Jesus. The Advent season is a season of celebration for something we call in academic circles, the Incarnation. It is God becoming man. It is God becoming like us so that we can become a little more like him. Is God coming down so that something else in our life could go up? It's Christ being born so that we could be born again. It is God stepping into our story so he can pull us into some glory. It is the infinite stepping into the finite so that the finite can step into the infinite.

[B]

It is the God who can do.

[A]

Anything, stepping into people who can do nothing so that those people can do greater things.

[B]

It is an unlimited God stepping into.

[A]

A limited space to expand the limitations.

[B]

Of limited people who were dealing with living within the confines of limits that.

[A]

Had become prisons until his person entered their presence.

[B]

I'm talking about the Incarnation. I'm talking about the birth of Jesus. It is a season and a time of celebration. And I think it's appropriate and almost imperative for us to just take seven seconds at least, and just thank God that before he hung on a tree, he was born in a manger. Come on here. If anything in your life has gone up since Jesus has come down, I think it's appropriate to pause and praise Him. For that, if you become a little more like him because he became like us, I think it's appropriate to praise him for that. If you can be born again, if you have been born again because he was born, I think it's appropriate for us to give him praise for that. The Advent season should be a season of celebration.

[A]

But at this church, Change Church.

[B]

At this church, Change Church. At this church, which is Shane's Church, at this church, which is Change Church, we lean into Advent with more than celebration. We use Advent as an opportunity for education.

[A]

We aren't just about inspiration at change.

[B]

We're about transformation. Don't just inspire me to live in.

[A]

A life I hate.

[B]

Equip me to create one I love God Almighty. Don't just teach me to cope. Teach me to conquer. Because if I'm reading my Bible right, Jesus didn't die just to teach me how to die.

[A]

Whoo.

[B]

He died to show me how to live. Because he died, I can live differently. I can live in a way that's consistent with what God intended for my life. And I want to know, am I talking to anybody that refuses to. To settle for inspiration when transformation is available? I'm not a coper. I'm more than a conqueror. He didn't call me to cope. He called me to conquer. And so to do that, I need more than inspiration.

[A]

I need education. I need to let Advent teach me something. I need an education. And the Advent season teaches us something very significant. The birth of Jesus the Son teaches us something about the nature of God the Father. The birth of Jesus the Son teaches us something about the nature of God the Father.

[B]

God.

[A]

One of the reasons God the Father sends Jesus the Son is so that we will know what God the Father is like. Jesus the Son is not just like God the Father. God the Father is like Jesus the Son.

[B]

He who has seen me, Jesus says has seen the Father. This is what the Father is like. This is godliness in human form.

[A]

The birth of Jesus the Son teaches us something about God the Father. It teaches us that God the Father is a miracle worker. Wait, wait, wait. Listen to Pastor. I didn't say it teaches us that God the Father works miracles. That's his action. I'm talking about his nature.

[B]

You got it? I didn't say the birth of Jesus the Son teaches us that God the Father works miracles.

[A]

I said the birth of Jesus the Son teaches us that God the Father is a miracle worker.

[B]

Working miracles isn't just what he does. A miracle worker is who he is. Did you hear what I just said at 3 o'clock in the morning, he's a miracle worker. He's not just a miracle worker at 3080 Premier Parkway. He's a miracle worker on 285. Y'all not talking to me? He's a miracle worker on the 400. Come on. He's a miracle worker. When you step on Delta Airlines, he's a miracle worker in your prayer closet. He won't just show up in this house, he'll show up in yours. He's a miracle worker. It's in his nature. I said it's in his nature. Maybe, maybe, maybe, maybe. I need to unpack and further explain what I mean by miracle so that we can agree without arguing that the birth of Jesus the Son teaches us that God the Father is a miracle worker. What is a miracle? It is when God suspends or alters a natural law to accomplish his divine plan. Y'all missed that 11:45. I said it is when God suspends or he alters. He suspends a lateral law or he alters a natural law to accomplish his divine plan. It is when God from heaven looks down at what's going on in earth and says, if things continue in this direction, it's going to interfere and interrupt my plan. So even though I put this natural order in place, if I let things go according to natural order, it's going to get in the way of my divine plan. So I'm going to intervene and I'm going to temporarily suspend a law I put into place to accomplish my will. And then once my will is accomplished, I'll take my foot off the gas and let things return to their natural order. I got Bible to back me up. The Book of Exodus corroborates my claim. It says that there were a group of people called the Israelites making an exit out of Egypt. And they ran into a red sea. They got the Red Sea in front of them. They got Pharaoh behind them. Because some of your pharaohs, that represents things in your past that used to hold you hostage, sometimes they give you temporary liberation. They let you go, and then they follow you. Let me go to this. Let me go to this season. Let me go to this side. Is there anybody honest enough that will admit that Pharaoh will follow you? I thought I was free. I thought I was delivered. And then all of a sudden, I turn around, here come Pharaoh. How you doing? Red Sea's in front of them, Pharaoh's behind them. Red Sea's in front of them. Pharaoh's behind them. The Red Sea is in front of them, Pharaoh's behind them. They can't go backwards because Pharaoh is there. They're afraid to go forward because the Red Sea is there. Then all of a sudden, a man named Moses asked God, what do you want me to do? He says, stretch your staff and raise your hand. All of a sudden, water that's supposed to stay in place, all of a sudden split, formed a wall, and they walked through on dry ground. God suspended and altered a natural law to accomplish his divine plan. He said, if water operating the way water is supposed to operate is going to keep my people from operating the way I want them to operate, I'm gonna press pause on the water and make water do what it doesn't normally do so I can do for my people what I've ordained to do.

[A]

I got Bible.

[B]

I could take you to first kings, to a time where there was a famine, not a recession, a depression.

[A]

Food was scarce. And there was a prophet who was.

[B]

Standing on business who refused to compromise his prophetic integrity in order to appease those that were dominant in influence. So the Bible says that in the.

[A]

Midst of the famine, I have to go.

[B]

But this one right here make me want to run, do a cartwheel or the tootsie roll. I don't know which one I want. The Bible says in the middle of a famine, God says to the prophet, I don't know who's not going to eat, but I know you will let.

[A]

Me go over here.

[B]

He said, I know there's a famine in the land, but I got food somewhere, and I'm going to send you to make sure that no matter where there's a drought, I'm going to take care of my people. Come on here. So he says to them, he says, I want you to go down. He says to the prophet, I want.

[A]

You to go down to a brook called Cherith and listen to what he says. I've commanded ravens to feed you there. I don't have time to bother that because sometimes, sometimes your miracle is that you're there. I'm a circle.

[B]

He says, I commanded ravens to feed you there. Some of you are looking for the ravens, but you're not there. He didn't send the raven to you. He sent the raven there. He sent the raven where you're supposed to be. If you'll get to where you're supposed to be, you'll run into what God's got to. I don't know who this is for, but I need to tell you before we get into 25, you need to go there. I don't know what your there is, but you need to go there. Cause there are some ravens waiting on you there. I gotta get out of here. There's some stuff waiting on you there. And here's what's interesting. God tells you to go. He tells them to go, but then watch what he tells them. I have commanded ravens to feed you there. I want you to see how he.

[A]

In Exodus, he suspends a natural law.

[B]

I want you to see here how.

[A]

He alters a natural law. Ravens are going to feed you there.

[B]

Here's the natural order.

[A]

People feed birds.

[B]

Birds don't feed people. But before God let the prophet starve, he said, I'll make a raven change his nature. And I'll make a taker become a giver. I'll make a hater become an elevator. I'll make a gatekeeper become a door opener. I'll change the nature of a thing to get to you. So I don't know who I'm talking to, but you need to know. It doesn't matter how they acting now. It doesn't matter what they doing now. It doesn't matter what they're saying now. If they are in the way of what God wants to do in your life, God will turn that raven into a giver so that you can survive in a famine.

[A]

Is when he suspends or alters a natural law he put in place in order to accomplish his divine plan. Is when God makes something happen that couldn't happen, shouldn't happen, and wouldn't happen unless he made it happen. He's a miracle.

[B]

Worker.

[A]

I said he's a miracle worker. I said he's a miracle worker. Well, here's a question. If God is a miracle worker, then why don't we see more miracles? Because there can be no intellectually objective reading of scripture. Even if you read scripture and you're not religious, even if you read scripture and you don't share the Christian faith, if you're intellectually honest, you cannot deny it is inundated with miracles. So it's almost like if you weren't a Christian and you read the Bible objectively, you would have to say, if I become a Christian, I become a person that believe in miracles. Because how can I read a Bible that's full of miracles? And how can I be part of a faith that's based on a miracle, the resurrection of a dead man, and not believe in them? So I've been kind of studying this from an academic perspective from years. For years I wanted to See what a group of people called continuationists, which is what I am, what they had to say about the credibility of miracles in the Bible. But then I wanted to listen to people who were religious, but who are what called cessationists. And they don't believe in the perpetuity of the spiritual gifts. And they do believe that miracles were designated for a specific and relegated to a specific time frame until the completion of the canon, which is the Bible. And now they believe miracles are no longer necessary because they believe that miracles are just a sign of Jesus's messiahship. But when we believe that miracles are evidence of his love for his people. He loved me.

[B]

Did you hear me?

[A]

He loved me so much. Y'all. Y'all know, Pastor, the Bible is where I got it from. In John, chapter 11, when he heard Lazarus had passed, the Bible says he wept.

[B]

Is that. Come on now, everybody know it. Jesus wept.

[A]

He had concern for his people. That was a love miracle. He said, I love Mary and Martha.

[B]

I love Lazarus.

[A]

Get up. So here's a conclusion I came to. And I wanted to be as objective as I could. I can't say I'm perfectly objective, but I wanted to be as objective as I could. I consider myself a pretty objective person. Not perfectly objective, but here's what I saw. I saw that even those who didn't believe in miracles now could not deny the existence of miracles then. So here's what I saw when I'm listening to their arguments. None of their arguments seem to be based on what they saw about miracles in the Bible. It was based on what they didn't see about miracles in the body. Their argument wasn't what wasn't happening in Scripture. Their argument was what's not happening in the saints. So we got to ask why? Either God's not all he says he is or doing everything he said he would do, or there's something that we're missing as believers that need to be course corrected. Here's the first thing. The first thing I want to lay before you is it's possible that we're not seeing miracles because we misdiagnosed them. You're seeing them, but you're calling it coincidence.

[B]

You labeled it luck, and in many.

[A]

Cases, you're taking credit for something listen to me. That you're actually not responsible for.

[B]

Omg, it's like I call that Esther Seasons.

[A]

The Book of Esther is the only.

[B]

Book of the Bible where the name of God isn't mentioned. You don't see God's name, but you see God's fingerprints. He didn't write himself into the credits, but he's all in that story. And sometimes you look at your story.

[A]

And you start highlighting your grit and.

[B]

Your grind and your hard work. And God's like, my name's not on that book. But the only way you got to where you are was because there was some God, not just some grind, because there's people grinding harder than you, and they are not where you are. I want to know, am I talking to anybody that can say, I am where I am by the grace of God?

[A]

So it's some stuff.

[B]

You call it luck.

[A]

And God's like, that's a miracle. That's something that couldn't happen, shouldn't happen, and wouldn't happen unless I made it happen.

[B]

Say I'm doing miracles all the time.

[A]

You're just misdiagnosing them. The fact that. Come on here. I don't mean this in a condescending way, so please don't take it this way, because I try not to be a condescending preacher. I think the same character trait of humility and grace and kindness that the Bible says you should carry 10. As a believer who's a living word, I think you should carry that when you teach it make sense. So I'm not talking down, but I want you to think about. I want you to think about you. You never thought you would try this hard to get in a church. Let me go to this side.

[B]

Let me go to. Come on, y'all. Tar y'all. They not being honest. I'm not saying you wouldn't go to church. Of course you go to church. But I want you to think about either your before salvation days or your. Your infancy days. And I want to think about how hard you have to try sometimes to get in here, how long you have to sit sometime. Let me go to this side. They're not talking. The fact that you have a spiritual appetite that says, I drive from wherever I gotta drive from, and I'll sit in traffic as long as I gotta sit. And I'll ride a golf cart if I got to ride a golf cart. But there's bread in the house and I got to eat so that God can feed me until I want no more. That's a miracle that you're that spiritually hungry. Spiritual miracle.

[A]

There's something that shifted in your appetite. Y'all better come get me today.

[B]

That the Holy Spirit has shifted your appetite. And there were things that you used to want desperately, and now the stuff that you used to love make you Sick.

[A]

Hi.

[B]

The conversations you used to have mess up your mood and your mindset. The things you used to tolerate have become intolerable to you. You don't have to just look across seas to see a miracle. You can look down your road to see you can look in your own seat. There are miracles.

[A]

Sometimes we misdiagnose. Then there are other times we miss miracles because we don't understand God's methods for miracles. Most promises have a principle attached to them. Faith works the principle so you can possess the promise. Did you hear what I just said? If you look at most promises in the Bible, there's a principle attached to the promise. When your faith is working. When faith is at work, it works the principle. And the working of the principle is an act of faith that secures the promise that will keep him in perfect peace. Promise whose mind is stayed on him. Principle. So it takes faith to say, I got to keep my mind stayed on you and God, if I keep my mind stayed on you, you promise you would keep my.

[B]

I can't keep my mind in perfect peace, but I can keep my mind stayed on you. And I just got to believe. If I keep my mind stayed on you, you will keep my mind in perfect peace.

[A]

So sometimes we miss God's methods for miracles. And here's a statement. Let's get ready to wrap up. What we need to know is miracles are often on the other side of motion. So we're looking for miracles and we're saying, God where the miracles. And God's looking at us and saying, where's your motion? You say you got faith. Faith moves.

[B]

Hi. Yeah, yeah. Did you hear what I just said? He said, no, no, no. Faith, Faith.

[A]

Faith moves.

[B]

Faith moves. Faith is a belief, a persuasion, a trust, a conviction that what God says is so true it provokes you to action. It is a belief that.

[A]

That has so arrested your heart you.

[B]

Can'T help but act on that belief. It is you being so sure that God is so faithful and true that your faith becomes the substance of what you hope for. It's the evidence of what you don't see.

[A]

Come on here.

[B]

It's like you're hoping for something. You can't put your hands on it. So you don't have substance. But faith is the substance. So I don't have to have the thing to know it's mine. Oh, gosh. My faith is the substance of what I'm hoping for. You might not have evidence that is on the way, but faith is evidence of what I hadn't seen I hadn't seen it yet, but I got faith. And my faith is the substance of what I'm hoping for and the evidence.

[A]

Of what I can't see. As long as I got faith, I got evidence. Here's the way one writer framed it. He says, faith is acting like God is telling the truth. I got to go because we out of time already, but can I. That's why this service didn't start till 12 o'clock, but here it is. We wrapping it up. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. Here it is. I got two words, three words for you. I got three. We got a few Sundays left in 2024, and I have three words for you.

[B]

I should be done with this sermon.

[A]

Now, but I'm not. But I have three words for you. If faith is acting like God's telling the truth, I got three words for you. It'll change your life. Three small words. Act like it.

[B]

If God will supply all of my needs, act like it. If he says, no weapon formed against you shall prosper, act like it. If he says, greater is he that is in you then he that's in the world, act like it. If he says, a weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.

[A]

Faith is acting like God is telling the truth. Faith moves. And if you want miracles, you need motion. The woman with the issue of blood got a miracle because she had motion. The children of Israel got through the Red Sea because they had motion. Jericho walls fell down because they had motion. There are people saying, I want a miracle in my marriage. Where's the motion? Miracle in my career, where's the motion? Cause faith is acting like God is telling the truth. If it hasn't provoked me to action, it's optimism, and I'm calling it faith. Let's wrap up tar, y'all, here it is. Here it is, family, here it is. And the Book of Hebrews is an incredibly important book for those of us who want to build faith, because the letter was written to religious people who have been practicing an iteration of the faith. We call it Judaism now. It was intended to be temporary. It was intended to be a temporary expression until Jesus came and fulfilled the law. Paul even tells believers in Galatia, hey, this old covenant was intended to be a schoolmaster, a babysitter, a holdover until you get to Christ. That all of the stuff you see in it feast and symbols and priesthood and all of those things are things that I put in place to point to. They're called antitypes. Foreshadowings of Christ, fourth one in the fire with the Hebrew boys. That's a christophany. That's Jesus. He says, I thought you put three men in the fire.

[B]

I did.

[A]

Well, I see four. And the fourth one looks like the sun of God. So you got this group of believers now who get introduced to this. Christianity was called the way, this new way. And so now they got all of these relationships, they got friends and they got family and they got cultural persecution because Judaism was accepted by the Roman Empire. Christianity was not. Jesus was crucified because it's like, hey, we don't mind you practicing your religion as long as you keep calling Caesar Lord. And when they start saying Jesus is Lord, Caesar's people got a little unnerved by that. So they got this cultural persecution. Then they got relational dynamics. Because it's weird how people will get upset with you when you make spirituality choices that actually feed you. I'm not. If you, if you going over there and that helping you. I'm not hating on you.

[B]

Why you mad at me?

[A]

Cuz that don't feed me. So you rather me starve so that you got somebody to sit with?

[B]

You don't want me, you want some company. You don't love me, you hate being alone. If I'm telling you this is helping me grow, it's changing my life is blessing me. Why is that a problem for you? Why aren't you glad that I'm growing?

[A]

I know some of you, you've dealt with that. Some people love a denomination more than God. You leave a denomination, they act like you left the Lord, like I'm just.

[B]

Going to a different church.

[A]

I'll see you at dinner. Calm down.

[B]

We going to meet after church. Calm down.

[A]

They're dealing with all of that. And Paul's like, I love this. Cuz Paul's, he's a realistic man and he's saying to them, hey, first of all, you've been tempted to go back into something that's inferior. So there's this whole theme in the book of Hebrews called better. And it's like, hey, the New Covenant has a better priestly system. Cuz you go into human priests who just as flawed as you are, you need to go to Jesus. The sacrificial system is better. Every time you commit a sin, you gotta kill an animal as a sin offering. If you like me just riding up the freeway, you need some lambs in and some goats in the trunk. Look at that. Lord, what you doing?

[B]

I gotta make a sacri S, send in my Heart. The stuff I just said in my.

[A]

Head, I got it. Lord, I'm sorry. Walking up the members. You got an extra goat in the.

[B]

What happened?

[A]

There's a lot of traffic getting in here. In my heart. Need to get my heart right. He said, so it's a better priestly system based on better promises.

[B]

Everything gets better.

[A]

And so he's saying, so you've made the right choice. It's just not always going to feel right. So you need to be anchored in faith. You got to know it's right even when it doesn't feel right. And he says in Hebrews 11, let me give you examples of people you've been looking up to in the Old Testament and everything that you looking up because you're saying you're trying to be like them. I'm trying to show you they were people of faith, that everything they did, they did it by faith. He said, these people had motion and I'm trying to get you to have it. And so in chapter 11, verse number four, the Bible uses this example of one of Eve's children. His name was Abel. And it said this by faith, Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain. Now, this is speaking to something that happened in Genesis 4, if you're familiar with the term. The words Adam and Eve wave at me, okay, they had children, Cain, Abel got. Make sense. The Bible says in the course of time, Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. Verse 4 says, Abel also brought to the Lord the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering. But for Cain and his offering, he had no regard. So Cain was very angry and his face fell. You see that? Okay, so notice now verse three, it says, cain brought from, of, or from among. But if you look at Abel, it says he brought firstborn. Cain brought something. Abel brought the first thing. Cain gave what was left. Abel gave what was right. I want you to see something here because I wouldn't have pastoral integrity if I don't tell you this. This shows us a principle only watch this. The only people that accept any and everything are those with no options. So because God's not desperate, he's not obligated to accept just whatever you offer. He doesn't even want, even when we give. He wants it done cheerfully. If you don't do it cheerfully, the church will take it. Amen. You take it. Amen. But that doesn't mean God accepts it. And you can't confuse those two things just because the church Church took it, doesn't mean God accepts it. And here's what happens. Cain's not alive. But the attitude of Cain, or what we call the spirit of Cain, just manifest in different people. Nothing new under the sun. And what's the attitude of Cain? It is jealousy connected to entitlement. But it's entitlement because Cain ended up killing Abel. So when Cain started looking funny in the face, the Bible says his face fell. God said to Cain, what? What's wrong with you? He said, if you would do right, he said, if you would do right, wouldn't it just be okay? In other words, you're mad that you didn't get a result that Abel got, but you didn't make a sacrifice he made. And the spirit of Cain is when people feel entitled to the results you got without being willing to make the sacrifice you made, they'll feel entitled to something they didn't bleed for. By faith, Abel offered a more acceptable sacrifice. Faith sacrifices. It takes faith to sacrifice. Sacrifice is the ability to painfully reallocate resources from something that matters to something that matters more. Did you hear what I just said? Is when you're painfully willing to reallocate resources. So I was going to give my time to this, but I'm going to reallocate my time. It's not that this doesn't matter, it's this matters more. The most important decisions I've ever made in my life cost me. But here's what one of my mentors said to me. He said, darius, people always going to hurt you. You have to decide whether or not there are some people that are worth hurting for. Every important decision you make is going to cost you. What matters don't come easy. If you're a man and you say I'm a prioritize providing for and raising my family, it's going to cost you. I made a commitment. My father. My father worked a regular job. He was a pastor. He couldn't be everywhere. But I made a commitment because I know what it's like to be in the stands and look up and daddy not there. I know what that feel like. And I understood why. And I respected his grind and his hustle. He couldn't be there. If he could have, he wouldn't. He would have, but he couldn't. I just decided that would not be my kids testimony. So no matter what it cost me, there were opportunity costs. Y'all aren't talking to me.

[B]

I say there are opportunity. What's the opportunity cost? That's a cost. You don't that's when you say no. And you don't even know everything you.

[A]

Saying no to because you're saying no to an opportunity that could lead to an opportunity that could lead to an opportunity. But I had to ask myself, does that matter more to me than my boys seeing their daddy? So I reallocated my resources from something that mattered to something that matter more. Does that make sense? I was at this amazing church last Sunday, had the opportunity to speak there, et cetera, one of the greatest churches in the world. And I'm sitting there saying I want to be a change God.

[B]

I say. I say, this can't be right, God, this cannot be right.

[A]

I'm in this church thinking about mine. I say I can't do this no more. I have to reallocate my time from something that matters. That matters. But what God is doing here, it matters more. Got me? I'm ask first lady to come up. We over time today our generosity is simply us saying I'm reallocating resources from something that matters to something that matters more. I'm giving, sowing into the kingdom of God and it takes faith.