0:07 I want to speak from a verse in the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter 6 in verse 7. Galatians 6:7 says this, 0:33 "Do not be deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man sows, that shall he reap." Don't be deceived. What God God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that is what he's going to reap. Uh before I begin the message, yeah, I 0:56 should start off by saying this, that God is not partial. He's not a respecter of persons. Many times in the New Testament you read that Romans 2, Acts 10, and several other places. God is not partial. He was not even partial with his son Jesus while he was 1:15 on Earth as a man. What a man sows, that's exactly what he's going to reap. For the Lord Jesus whom we follow, the Bible sold says it was he was crucified in weakness, sold in weakness, and he was raised by the power of God, 1:35 and lives by the power of God. Jesus Christ is not the greatest in the kingdom of God merely because he's the son of God. But in Philippians 2 tells us that because Jesus humbled himself, made himself of no reputation, 1:56 became a a man, a servant that all who ultimately died on the cross in full obedience to the Father. Because of that, the Father has raised him up and given him a name that is above every other name. That at the name of this Jesus, every 2:11 knee shall bow and every tongue confess that this Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So, God again was not partial with his son Jesus. Jesus had to go through the instruction, the training, the trials of the Father. 2:30 And after he had passed, the scripture says he was made perfect, made complete to become the author of our salvation. I want to speak on this topic this morning. A very important principle I hope we can learn or be reminded of and to hide in 2:46 our hearts that God is not partial. What he did for Jesus, he wants to do for us if we will go the way of Jesus. If you sow, the next verse of that of that Galatians 6 in verse 8 says, "If you sow in the flesh, of the flesh you'll reap corruption. 3:06 But if you sow in the spirit, of the spirit you'll reap everlasting life." God is not partial. When you see if you see a man who's walking in such victory and rest and fellowship and intimacy with God, you can be sure that 3:22 there's been a period of sowing, a period of trial, a period of suffering. And now the fruit of that life is what you and I just see. Whatever that man has sown, he's reaping. If he had sown a life of obedience, of obedience, of humility, of love for 3:42 the Lord Jesus, the fruit of life, of intimacy, of righteousness must appear in him. This verse, Galatians 6:7, I've thought on that and it says here, it starts off by saying, "Do not be deceived." And I wondered, why would Paul put that 4:00 there? Because many are deceived. And he's warning you and me, "You do not be deceived." Many are deceived in thinking that they will attain or receive from God something they have not put in. Something 4:19 if they have not lived in obedience to what God has said, they suppose that just because they're saved or because it's writing to Christians here, just because they've said, "I believe in Christ." and so forth, they're automatically on their way to 4:33 attaining all that God has for them. Paul says, "Don't be deceived." Now that you have believed in Jesus Christ, make sure you're sowing in righteousness, sowing in humility, sowing in obedience that you might reap the fullness of God in your life. 4:52 Do not be deceived. Again, if you see a man who's experiencing rest in the Lord, it's not automatic. And God has not in partiality given to that man and not given to another Christian. No. This one has walked away 5:10 or sown in a way that ultimately brings about fruit, fruit of a life in Christ, of a rest in Jesus Christ. It's not automatic. What you have sown, you're going to reap it as a matter of time. And this this this this thing of sowing, 5:28 think of a plant, a seed that you put in the ground. It's in that ground, but nobody sees it, but it's there. It looks as though nothing is happening with that seed, but it's in the ground. But with patience, you wait patiently 5:44 over time, it begins to come out of the ground. and ultimately you see the fruit. It takes a while. But the Bible says in fact in this same chapter Paul says do not be weary of well doing. In due time you're going to reap a 5:59 reward. I want to encourage you this morning my brothers and sisters. Wait patiently for the fruit of what God has ordained for you but it begins with you in secret sowing 6:17 in your in the secret places of your heart and your life. Sow in secretly according to the word of God. It's a matter of time when that fruit the fruit of the life of the spirit begins to come. Wait patiently for it. That's God's way. 6:33 With patience the fruit will come. That's what I want to encourage you with this morning. The bulk of my message will center on the last men's meeting we had about 2 weeks ago. It was from Matthew 6. We've been going through the 6:50 all that Jesus taught. And in Matthew 6 where we were about 2 weeks ago from Matthew 6 verse 1 all the way down to just all the way down but starting from verse 1. Jesus talked in that chapter. He began by speaking on 7:07 on on fasting, praying, giving. And in there he said he encourages to commanded us really that we should do these things in secret. And our father who dwells in secret and sees in secret will reward us openly. 7:26 And as we listen to the video the last the last last Wednesday Brother Zach said something which I've been thinking on which is what the impetus of this message here. That there's no reason to to to to broadcast or to make known the 7:42 things you're doing in secret because as Jesus said, if you're doing it really in secret, nobody knows, God will reward you openly. It's going to show. If you're such a Christian who prays, prays regularly, prays always in secret, 7:58 who gives regularly, gives always in secret, and fasts regularly and fasts always in secret, the Father will reward you openly. The fruit of a life of a Christian like that will be evident. You don't need to tell anyone, "I'm giving, I'm fasting, and 8:15 praying." It'll show. It'll show. And if you're not doing it, it'll show also. Because what a man sows, that will he reap also. That's really what I want to talk about this morning and to encourage you really on those things Jesus spoke of in 8:33 Matthew 6. I want to bring them back to our remembrance this morning. I'm praying, fasting, giving, and also looking and and and looking at God's word regularly. If you're doing those things in secret, 8:52 regularly and always, the fruit of the life of Jesus, it cannot help but be manifest in you over time, more and more, as you do these things. And after that meeting that day, the question that came to my mind, then what 9:08 are the fruit What are these rewards that the Father gives to some and some others don't get? What are these rewards that God gives to those who diligently do these things that Jesus talked about and diligently do them in secret? Some get it, many 9:24 others don't. Lord, what are they? I want to share a few of those things with you this morning. None of us has attained them perfectly, but we certainly can ask God, "Make these things more and more evident in my life also 9:38 as I determine Jesus to sow secretly without anyone knowing that I'm doing them. You see them, Father, and your word says you will reward you will reward me openly. That's what I want to talk on this morning. The first of those things is 9:56 fasting. And I thought on fasting there is no command and if you think if you think it's I'm wrong, please let me know. I have I haven't seen a command in the Bible that says we should fast. Unlike say praying or even giving 10:12 I don't see even in the Old Testament, the Old Covenant men fasted and prayed others and leaders encouraged the people to fast. Uh but I don't see that God ever commanded directly fast, you must fast so many days or I don't see it in the New Testament, 10:31 certainly I don't. What I see is an expectation that we should fast. For example, in that Matthew 6 Jesus says that when right? First Corinthians 7, Paul speaks of a married couple separating for a while so that they can give themselves to 10:49 fasting and prayer when Luke 5, Jesus talks about that. So when so there is an expectation that we fast. There's no command. So we don't I'm not here to command you to do it but I want to say that there is a fruit, a benefit to 11:04 doing it. Depriving ourselves of food that we may seek the face of God in a more intimate way for a period of time. When you fast, Jesus said there in Matthew chapter 6. So there's an expectation that we as believers pull ourselves aside for a 11:24 period denying ourselves of food, maybe even even of water also that we may seek God's face. When you fast. And so, what are the benefits of fasting is what I I asked myself after that meeting. The first thing that comes to my mind 11:42 is in Mark chapter 9. You remember that story of that man with with uh with a possessed son? And Jesus was in the mountain, he came down with three of his disciples. The other disciples could not cast that demon out. Right? Jesus rebukes them, "You 12:00 faithless generation, how long shall I be with you?" And then after Jesus had cast the demon out, the disciples came to Jesus later on and asked him, "Jesus, why could we not How Why were we not able to cast this demon out? 12:15 Why were we not able to do this thing?" Mark chapter 9, verse 29. Jesus says to them in that verse, "This type This obstacle is only overcome by prayer and fasting." I have thought on that verse many times. There are certain things as a Christian 12:35 that I cannot do but by prayer and fasting. These are the words of Jesus. Some things we can attain only by prayer and fasting. This has nothing to do with our salvation whether whether we're going to get to heaven or anything like that. No. 12:52 But while we're on Earth, there's some challenges, some obstacles that without fasting we're not going to attain them. That's what Jesus says there. Again, he's not commanded you to fast. I'm not commanding you to fast. 13:05 But I just say what Jesus said here. Certain things you will not be able to overcome without prayer and fasting. There's no rule on how you should fast or but I just want to encourage you. Go to the Lord. How would you have me do this? 13:23 To deny my body of food that I might seek your face, Lord. Whatever challenges, habits, whatever it might be, Lord, in humility and declaring how weak I am. That's For me, that's the purpose of fasting. Showing how weak I am physically and 13:39 even spiritually in humility before God and asking, "You must help me." He will. This kind only goes forth except only by prayer and fasting. That's the words of Those are the words of the Lord Jesus. 13:57 And then in Luke 5, you remember one time that the the the Jews came to Jesus and asked them, "Why is it that the disciples of John and the Pharisees they fast all the time, but your disciples do not fast?" Jesus said to them there, "While in fact 14:15 effectively this is what he said, that while I'm around in Mark Luke chapter 5 verse 33 to the end, while I'm around my disciples don't have to fast, but when I go, then they'll fast." Those are the words of Jesus again. 14:33 When he's gone When after he's gone, there's an expectation that his disciples, you and me, will fast. So again, there's no command. I'm not I don't find I don't know any verse in the Bible that says fast, but it's an expectation. I was thinking on this 14:50 You know, in school sometime when I've been I don't know if you've had a teacher or professor like this. He'll be in front of the class dictating his lesson. The topic is reading and telling you to take notes and all. And 15:00 then he stops at a point and says, "Make sure you write this down." And he continues whatever he says in the ex is telling you, "Make sure you write it down." Why? Was it cuz that thing he said after making that statement is surely going to 15:13 come out in the exam. I don't know if you've experienced anything like that before. I have several times. Some professors is talking talking, "Make sure you write this down. If you don't If you care to write it, that's up to you. If you 15:25 don't, but what he just said after that statement is going to come out exactly in the exam. That's the way I see this idea of fasting. God is not saying do it, but what he's he's pointed to it and say do it. But no command, 15:39 but those who do it there's a fruit. And uh fasting as with everything we do for the Lord begins with the heart. Our right heart with God. A humble heart with God. So, I want to encourage you. If you do these things in secret, the 15:55 Lord says God will reward you openly. There are certain heights that we cannot attain according to Mark 9 except by prayer and fasting. So, that's my encourage- encouragement with that with that discipline there. And then in Mark 6 also, he talks about 16:11 prayer. That if you pray in secret, praying in secret, the heavenly Father will reward you openly. And more than just praying, I'm thinking of a prayer that God answers. So, he said everyone prays, every religion they pray pray pray, but 16:31 who's God listening to? That's what I want to get at when I heard when I after that message after that study that night. A prayer life where I know without a doubt my Father in heaven, he's hearing me. You know, Jesus said that in John 11. 16:48 That Father, I thank you when he went to a go heal Lazarus bring Lazarus back to life. I thank you, Father, that you hear me always is said there. How is it that God the Father could hear Jesus all the time? That's the prayer life I want to pursue. 17:07 That no matter what, how long or short my prayer, my interaction with my Father is, I know that he's hearing me. Not just because the Bible says so, but by experience my his ears are open to my cry Peter said that in uh 17:22 in uh in uh 1 Peter 3 I think. The eyes of the Lord are open to the righteous his ears are open to their cry. But he sets his face against the evil ones. That's the prayer life I want to encourage you and I to pursue. A prayer life where 17:41 I can talk to God anytime. In trials and difficulty and in in sadness and temptation I can talk to him right now and I know without a doubt he hears me. That's a reward on its own that the ears of the Father are open all all the time 18:01 to my prayer to my cry. You know in 1 John 5:14 it says, "This is the confidence we have in him that whatever we ask according to his will he hears us. And if he hears us, we receive the petition uh with which we to which we which we've 18:17 laid before him." And why does God hear our prayer? 1 John 3 says again that it's because 1 John 3 I think verse 22 it's because we keep his commandments and do all the things that are pleasing in his sight. 1 John chapter 3 verse 18:34 verse 22. "Whatever we ask, we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do the things that are pleasing in his sight." A Christian whose life is pleasing to God has full access full access to God and that's how Jesus 18:53 lived. That's a wonderful reward on its own that I can walk in a way that pleases God all the time. When I stumble, I'm quick to get back on in the path again of pleasing the Father. This is a reward. Whatever you ask the Father 19:10 according to his will, he hears me and his answer may not be like I think of, but it'll be the right answer all the time. If you're one who prays in secret, intercedes in secret for others, and lives a life that are pleasing to 19:25 God, this is a wonderful privilege that most people do not have. People pray all the time, but I'm talking about a prayer that God hears. Prayer that God hears, you know in your heart the Father's heard me. He's heard me. 19:41 I know that his will will be done with this situation. I need not be afraid or worry or No, God hears me. So, I want to encourage you with that. Live a life pleasing to God. Be a man, a woman of prayer 20:00 all the time. The command is to pray always without ceasing. God hears, but the key to God hearing is that my life pleases him. You know, Christianity is a wonderful thing. I mean, you don't I I I can't search your heart to see where you are. You don't 20:16 know exactly where I am, either. But God knows, and that's why it's it's foolish to try to play games with God, and he knows. He knows, and he knows those whose hearts are right before him. If your heart is right before God, walk 20:32 in blamelessly in the things of the Lord, you have access to him. The door is open. Come and tell me and see, see if I will not hear. He will. John 8:29, Jesus says, "The Father has not left me. The one who sent me 20:50 has not left me. He's with me all the time because I always do the things that please him." May that be the pursuit of our lives also. A life that pleases the Father, so that whatever I ask him in his will, I'm living in his will, I'm 21:07 asking in his will. I can rest assured the father's heard me. And that's why Jesus in Matthew 6 says, you don't need to cry and pull your hair and and think if you talk for two to two hours or for a long time. No. Just one word because the connection is 21:24 there. Just a quick word. There periods for for long prayers. Jesus did that sometimes. But more than just a long periods of long prayer all the time. The door, the access is open for me to come before my father to tell him. 21:40 He hears. So, do that. Live in secret, the fruit will be evident. It'll be evident. If you're doing it, you'll know. The fruit of rest and peace in God will be evident. The third thing Jesus said in Matthew 6 was giving. 21:57 To give. Again, yeah, there is there commands in the Bible that says to give. Yeah, that's a commands to give. Malachi says that to give. But one thing God looks for as we've heard many times, a cheerful cheerful giver. 22:15 One who does it cheerfully and according to Matthew 6, in secret. Nobody knows but he's doing it. You know, that evening when we spoke, I think I was a J who said there were two extremes that we can fall on. One extreme is to do our giving 22:31 where everybody knows about it. That is wrong. The other extreme is not to do it at all because nobody knows. Right? In a church like ours where nobody asks you, do you give and nobody pushes you to give. God doesn't push us to give, we're not 22:44 going to do it. Uh but it's an extreme where one can become lazy and say, "Ah, nobody nobody knows and I'll just give whatever I can like Cain did." And okay, no one is here to to push you or anything like that. Nobody's checking. 23:00 But God knows. God knows those who are doing it in secret. And I'm not just talking about money here. Time. Uh resources, talents that God has given you for the church, for the saints, for other people. Things that that are costly. 23:17 Right? That are costly to you, but you do it for the sake of Christ Jesus. The Bible says God sees. He rewards openly. There's a wonderful verse I want you to to make memorize or keep to yourself in your heart. In Proverbs 20 23:35 um What is it? Proverbs 11 in verse 24. Proverbs 11:24 is a wonderful verse. It says this, There's a man who continues to give and give and give. 23:53 Right? And yet that man increases. I mean, you would think after you've given and given you should be your own resources should be going down, but the Bible says here that man continues to increase because God supplies everything he needs. 24:11 It's a wonderful paradox there. This man gives gives to the church, gives to others, his time, his money, his sacrifice. But still his resources are never depleted. I've seen it. God is faithful is what I'm pointing out 24:27 here. You cannot outgive God. He knows those who are in secret giving, giving for his glory, for his name. That verse says that man is a mystery how he continues to be supplied. And then the the other side of that is there's one who holds back. And he's 24:47 that one is is the one who goes into poverty. One who holds back. I don't have the time. I'm busy. I'm this. I'm Okay, nobody pushes to give. You do what you feel is right in your heart, but God knows those who are in sacrifice given to his 25:04 glory. That one, the fruit will be evident because he'll never lack. God will take care of his need. Always take care of his need all the time. Because he sees that man's heart. He's doing it in secret. God rewards him. That project that he 25:20 had to put aside for the sake of the church, for the sake of the saints, God steps in and makes it work like this. The other guy who says, "I have to be at home I can't come. I can't come." Okay, you seem struggling. This is a mystery that God 25:34 God does for his children, the faithful ones. And there's another verse. This verse the next verse John Jonathan quoted it last week. The one who refreshes the latter part of verse 25 of Proverbs 11. The one who refreshes others will 25:50 himself be refreshed. God will do it. God will do it. I want to encourage you my brothers and sisters, don't hold back with God. Don't say I'm too busy to do this and okay. You you you'll never reap the fullness of what 26:06 God has if you're stingy like that before him and we all are to an extent. I'm saying we break out from that. Where it's just my own my own benefit that I think of. Give lavishly. In Luke chapter 6, Jesus says, "Give and it shall be given to you 26:22 good measure, pressed down and running over will God cause men to give into give unto your bosom." In other words, just be lavish. Lavish with God, with God's people, with man. God will supply your needs. You can try it and see if it fails. When it's time 26:39 for college, when it's hospital bills, all this I didn't have it, but somehow God in his mercy provides. Be lavish with him. That's a wonderful verse in Proverbs 11. This man who similarly doesn't have time gives the little he has to God and God 26:57 multiplies it. Let's not be stingy when it comes to the things of God. I was thinking of that lady in uh in 2 Kings 4. You know that woman, that widow who was in debt. Her husband was in debt, he's dead, and now she has to pay 27:12 the debt. She goes to Elisha and Elisha says, "What do you have?" She says, "I only have this jar of oil." Elisha says, "Go around to your neighbors. Bring many, as many as you can, bring many and we'll see what God will do." And 27:28 sure enough, she tells her sons to get the the jars and the oil from the one jar she had, she kept putting in all the jars. It never ran out. And it only ran out according to her faith or whatever her sons were able to bring. And that's how I read it. Bring 27:44 as much as you want. God's resources will never lack. It will never finish. The mistake I think she made was to tell her sons, Elisha says, "You go get the jars." She tells her sons, "Go get the jars." No, sons bring as many as you can 27:57 find. I'm going to run to my neighbors here there. We going to bring so much. If she had gone around every house in Israel to bring the jars, God would have filled them. That's faith. And I want to say to you, when you feel 28:10 that you don't have the time, even the money, that this think of of God first. Say, "Lord, the little I have, I'm going to give to your glory. To the glory of the Lord Jesus." You'll be amazed how God provides. It's the one who says, "I don't have the 28:25 time. I don't have the money. I don't have this." And I want to hold it for myself. Okay, Proverbs 11:24 says, "That's the one who goes into poverty." Poverty of soul. And maybe he's rich in money, but his soul will be lean and poor. 28:39 He'll never have the fullness of God. Jesus says, "Give in secret." Nobody needs to know. You don't need to tell anyone. And no, just do it in secret. And rejoicingly. You're there at the meeting, you're there at church, you're giving, but it's 28:54 tight for you, you know that, God knows it, but you're with a smile, you continue to go. I want to show you in Christ's name, you are not going to lack. It's not possible. God will reward you openly. I want to encourage you be generous in 29:10 your giving. Be generous in your giving for the sake of the Lord Jesus. You are not going to lack. Again, we don't push it. God doesn't push it. But he loves us to do it generously and willingly with a with a uh with a good heart. 29:26 You know, when the tabernacle was being built in the days of Moses, in uh Exodus 25, God's instruction to Moses was make sure those who are giving, they give willingly. Same with with uh David when he was building the temple. He tells the 29:43 Israelites, "Give willingly, give with rejoicing." You see that in 1 Chronicles 29. So, I see even from the beginning in building the tabernacle, in building the temple, in in Moses in David's day, the the requirement was that they gave 29:57 generously. Right? They gave generously. And David says there in 1 Chronicles 29, "Everything we're giving is yours, God. We're only giving you back what was already yours." So, it's crazy and foolish to think, "I don't have the 30:11 time. I'm going to use It's not even yours." The money is not yours, the time is not yours, but you want to be stingy to the one who gave it to you. Think on it Think on that. It's very stupid to try to cheat God. Everything we have is his. 30:26 And that's why God loves a generous giver. Because a generous giver says, "It's not even mine. My time is not mine. Time is scarce, you know it. We with parent children, we as parents know that. And even the single ones, you have 30:39 work and all of these things, projects here and there. I don't have the time, but the what I have, I'm going to give all to the Jesus. It's his anyways. You You just don't know it yet. It's his. Give it to him. He'll reward you. There's another 30:54 proverb, I don't know where that is, which says he who lends to the poor, he who gives to the poor is like lending to God. And God will surely repay that one. It's very important for us to remember what I'm saying here. 31:07 Let's be generous and do it secretly. Nobody needs to know. There's a reward. You'll see the fruit in that man's life is going to show how God takes care of him and all that concerns him. The fourth discipline I want to mention 31:22 uh this afternoon this morning is that of uh looking at God's word, reading it, re- rejoicing in it, enjoying it, having a hunger for the word God's word, which obviously is his Bible. You've heard this over and over again. 31:42 A Christian who is not in God's word, you are just not going to grow. You're not. You're not. You can hear little pieces here and here, but it won't be cemented in your heart. The revelation of who God is and his will, it's just not going to happen. 32:01 Desiring God's word, read it in secret in your in your private time and you don't need to announce how much you do it or how long. Just do it in the spare times you have. The fruit will be evident. You'll know God more and more. 32:16 His promises, his commands, those things that are supposed to give us a foundation, you'll know them. But the lazy Christian who doesn't do it, he'll just come and hear a message and try to live on that. No, the foundation will not be strong. 32:31 Do it. Do it in secret. In Joshua 1, you remember that the well-known verse. Make sure the law of God does not depart from your mouth. Meditate on it day and night and obey it, for in doing this you will have good success and make your 32:49 ways prosperous. These are simple truths that profound. I'm thinking on God's word and how to obey and to do it. And as I walk in them day and night my ways are made prosperous. I'm taking decisions according to the will of God 33:07 and doing things according to God's will. Not falling into the traps of the devil all around me because God's word is my delight. It's Jeremiah who said once "Thy words have I found and I've eaten them. They've become the joy and the 33:22 rejoicing of my heart." That's how it must be. That I enjoy God's word. Uh Job said once that I find God's word more important than my my bread my daily bread. That's how it must be. I want to sit at God's feet and have him 33:40 show me his word and his ways. Your foundation will be sure. You'll know those who are doing it. And it's not a matter of quantity and all that. No, I don't want to give that impression. It's just a matter of of devotion. I want to be devoted to hear 33:56 everything that God has for me. Such a Christian will be on good foundation. So those are the things I I wanted to share with you my brothers and sisters this morning. There's no command here. There's no rule. If you have a desire to do it, go to the 34:12 Lord and ask him to help you. Help you to discipline your body to stay away from food for a while that you might seek the face of Jesus. To know what he has for you. You remember in that Luke 5, it's very interesting that 34:26 in terms of fasting, after Jesus had given his answer to the decide to the to the Jews, it was right after that he talks about the new covenant where you don't put new wine in old wine skin and you don't patch a new an old garment 34:40 with a new piece of of cloth. It's very interesting. Why would Jesus say that? After he had told them about fasting, the men what I get from that is this, even the way the the old the folks in the Old Testament did it, you know, when I think of how Daniel, 34:56 David, uh Esther, uh Jehoshaphat and all these people, how they fasted, a lot of times it was God we we're in trouble now, we want to know your will or show us what to do and so forth. And many times God would answer by striking the enemy or giving them a 35:14 vision or something like that directing them on how to do it. But when you see how Jesus fasted, the first time it's recorded of a man fasting in New Testament in Luke 4 and his temptation with the devil, he fasted the devil attacked him, God 35:30 strengthened him to withstand. More than just God going to strike the devil and put an angel coming and pushing the devil away, God gave him strength. That's the difference I see in how I fast and how David would have fasted. We 35:43 fast for direction, for understanding, for God to to stand against the devil and all that, but more than that, God give me strength to overcome, overcome my flesh, overcome sin. I do that sometimes with those things that are 36:00 just so strong. Strengthen me more than you just pushing the devil away, give me strength. That's what happened to Jesus in Luke 4. And so he Jesus was saying in Luke 5, that's how I interpret Luke 5, that more than even just what Moses and David 36:16 and all those folks did, God now is able to come to strengthen me in my fasting, in my humility coming to him. Anyways, I just wanted to point that out that let us do these things. There's no rule, there's no command. There's no command, but the fruit will 36:34 be evident in the lives of those who practice these things and out of a pure heart. Anything we do your your fasting merely is not what moves God's hand. It's the humble heart, the heart that seeks after him. Your prayer is not 36:49 really in and of itself what moves God's hand, but it's a prayer born out of a pure heart. A good heart that loves the Lord, that wants to do his will. Your Bible reading is not what gives you revelation of God. It's a hunger for him himself. 37:03 And in looking at his word, his spirit comes to open our eyes to see to see God himself. And our giving and that's why this idea of tithing and then people leaders pressing people to give. No, just do it out of a good heart. God 37:18 sees it. He'll reward you. You're not going to lack. The fruits of righteousness of our life in Jesus will be manifest. It's again, Christianity is a wonderful thing. The God we serve is a wonderful God because he knows 37:33 nobody can do these things for you, you can do them for me, but God knows each of our lives. Those who are diligent to pursue him, to give up and when we say we sacrifice to God, I don't know. I mean, I never I really I think I never say that. But 37:48 what do I mean I sacrifice to God? I'm giving first of all what is his and then I give him one $1 and he gives me $10,000. What kind of sacrifice is that? He rewards me infinitely more than I give to him. So, what is the sacrifice 38:00 there? And then consider what Jesus has done for me. What can I give to the Lord to make up for his blessings for me? It's no sacrifice at all at all. Hebrews 6 calls it a uh a work of love. Labor of love it says there. 38:16 I see it more like that because I love him. I do these things. It's not a sacrifice that I could be at work doing this project, but I have to be at church to fellowship with the saints to grow. It's a labor of love because I love Jesus. It's not a 38:29 sacrifice. My brothers and sisters, let us seek the Lord in secret to love Jesus. That's the foundation. If you love him, you do these things. You want to know his word. You want to give. Give to the work of Christ. Time, money, 38:45 whatever it might be. You pray to him. You'll seek his face and you'll see the fruit. Fruit of rest, of peace, of joy, of God supplying. Always think about jar of that lady. Second Kings 4. It's not going to run out. 39:05 God's resources are infinite. His oil of gladness will continue to flow in your heart of peace, of joy. Some have it. Some have it more. Some have it less. Some don't even have it at all. We want We want to have it to the full extent 39:22 that God has made available for us in Christ. So brothers and sisters, let us learn to do these things. Instead, go to God. Go to God. Show me, Father. You'll be amazed how God He says in in Isaiah 45, yeah, Isaiah 45. Before the call No, 39:40 Isaiah 65. Before the call on me, I I'll answer. You want to do it to him, but even before your prayers are ended, your fasting is ended, like like uh Daniel. God's answer is on its way. And even if he tarries, wait patiently. 39:57 God will not fail. This is the life of an overcoming Christian. We heard a few weeks back uh where we the Tom Sanders was talking about I forget how I put it the invisible wavelength or something like that. It's a wavelength I want to walk 40:11 in where there's intimacy with Christ. Nothing will move you. It's not because Jesus himself is my foundation. But it comes with sowing, sowing in Christ, sowing in weakness. Whatever a man sows is going to reap. 40:31 May God help us to reap the fullness of himself because we're willing to sow, sow, sow, sow, and give. You will not outgive God. Remember that. He's good. So, we're going to encourage you with that. Those are the things the Lord put 40:44 in my mind after that meeting. Just continue to do it. Don't worry. Nothing seems to be happen happening. Galatians 6 says, "Don't be worry. Keep on doing it." You'll be surprised. You'll be amazed when when it's God begins to oil and provide 40:59 the answers, the rewards. Secret, you don't need to tell anyone, but you'll see it in your heart, in your life, in your home, with your children, with your work. God's hand is on you. It's an amazing place to be. But whatever you sow, you'll reap. If 41:14 you're the lazy kind, okay. We're not weekend. We know rules here. Just an encouragement. Uh Paul in Romans 12 says, "Let us not be slothful. Don't be lazy. Don't be lazy. But let's be industrious. Let's be hardworking for the sake of Christ. 41:32 The reward of God is sure. May God help us to be this this kind of Christians who give all to the Lord. He'll reward it. Amen.
