FREELY! Philip Thomas

church so I'm excited today my wife let the cat out of the bag she we have a surprise guest speaker this morning who we we love dearly yeah right who is it my wife always always always always don't that I love you sweetheart but uh but yeah I hope you're excited today this gentleman it's my secret his name but I'm gonna try to keep it a secret but this gentleman came to us and just I got a word for the church and we and we we just respect him we love him so much we appreciate his heart and we're just excited to hear the word that he has for us today so I'm not gonna waste any more time and would like to just help me church welcome Phil Thomas to the stage yeah come on stand up guys let's give him a real a real welcome you too a lot of people here that I know but don't go to city reach that came here this morning so if that's you raise your hand just a lot of people here thank you for coming I also there's people in the room that have I always you know scripture says honor where honors do and there's people in the room that have parented me spiritually in one way or another and so I'm gonna embarrass them and ask them to stand up Greg hi who came all the way from Florida by the way just to heckle me this morning pat and Libby pat and Libby Malone and my mother-in-law Teresa Kinkade so thank you thank you thank you yeah probably about a year ago it's been I heard the Lord drop a word in my spirit you go ahead put up the first slide or it's already up there wait ahead of me freely was the word that he gave me when God gives he gives freely that adjective a little adjectives important that theme is so consistent in scripture that we see it from Genesis to Revelation and it's important to take note of that because I think the frequency with which you see something speaks to the importance of it so we're gonna quickly roll through some of these next slides Genesis to and the Lord God commanded the man saying of the every tree of the garden thou may us freely eat way back in Genesis freely next one Isaiah 14 for I will heal their backsliding I will love them freely next one Romans 3 being justified hell freely bogg is grace first Corinthians 2 12 now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been what freely given to us by God not just given freely given have you ever received something from somebody that had strings attached and you wish you got to a point you wish you just need to never take it that's not God God's the opposite of that he gives freely and I saw a Aristotle he was a couple centuries before Christ was born defined the word Kerry in the Greek which is where the word for grace as something that is conferred or bestowed freely even understood it back then that's the word they latch the hold of for grace next one Revelation 21 6 and he said to me it is done I am the Alpha in the Omega the beginning in the end I will give of the fountain of the waters of life how to him who thirst next one this is the last one and this isn't all of them by the way because for the sake of time I just drew out some but do a search and look and see just how often this theme is repeated and the spirit of the bride say come and let him who hears say come and let him who thirsts come whoever desires let him take of the waters of life how freely amen God gives freely the problem is our struggle to receive I am about I'm going to talk to Pastor Fred for a minute everything that I'm about to say to him it comes from my heart it's real sure this isn't made up but it has a purpose so Pastor Fred you amaze me I'm saying I'm going to admit it okay I think we are blessed to have one of the best Bible teachers he has been accessible to me at times when I've needed him and I know this man's a busy man now I could keep going but my point in this is doesn't make you begin to feel that I'm uncomfortable yeah so I'll stop it does doesn't it it makes us feel weird because it's like well we have that thing on the inside of us is it okay to receive even a compliment but we all I believe have this struggle quickly just get this out of the way I've been around the church a little more often than I used to be so kind of on a daily basis I see what Pastor Seth does here and I said to my wife yesterday I wouldn't want his job so anyway we just wanted to bless you brother and now it's for you no it's for you brother it's just a gift freely no no no you don't have to pay me back she said it a great pie but do we do this to people or do we have it done to us right no oh no no no I can't take that thank you but no I love some of the things that we say to each other next slide please so there's this the first one there's a number of ways that we do this the first one I call the flat-out refusal but Pastor Seth did it first no I'm not going to take your gift where do we see this in Scripture next slide please Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God where there's a sermon right there that rose from supper and laid aside his garments took a towel and girded himself after that he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and to wipe them with a towel with which he was girded then he came to Simon Peter and Peter said to him Lord are you washing my feet Jesus answered and said to him what I am doing you do not understand now but you will know after this Peter said to him you shall never wash my feet Jesus answered him if I do not wash you you have no part with me see sometimes when we fail to receive it has consequences when we fail to receive the thing that God wants to give to us have we ever done this to God no no God I wash my own feet right this flat-out refusal and then if we have the next slide what is the why yeah that's what really matters because when we when we discover the why was where we find the mode of the reasons behind our struggle so what's the why why do we why is there such a struggle to receive we're going to discover it I hope this morning next slide the next one is the reimbursement and we had a little faster sets was trying to pay me back for the gift I gave them as you ever done this to somebody you give them something and hey I'll get you back I'll get you back Friday no no no no no no no no I'll get you back I had somebody recently tell me no or I won't take it seriously offer to buy her lunch from other just passed away she said if you I will not show up okay the next passage of scripture that we're going to look at is a little personal for me because I've never seen myself in scripture the way I did when the Lord showed me this next parable that we're going to look at Matthew 18 says therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants this is a parable that a lot of us I think are familiar with and when he had begun to settle accounts one was brought to him who owed him 10,000 talents that I from what I understand is like a 10 lifetimes worth of wages an impossible amount to pay back but as he was not able to pay his master commander that he be sold with his wife and children already had and that payment be made the servant therefore fell down before and saying master have patience with me I will pay you all then the master of the servant was moved with what compassion and released him and forgave him the debt now afterwards that servant goes and finds somebody that doesn't have me very much at all and does not forgive right that's everyone out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him just a hundred in their eye laid hands on him and took him by the throat saying pay me what you owe so a spell servant fell down at his feet and begged him saying have patience with me and I will pay you all and he would not been went into prison to pay the debt and then of course that they didn't end too well for that man I was asked by my pastor this is years ago if I would preach on a parable and we were I was supposed to pick a parable and I forgot it's so he came to me and he's like you know you're supposed to tell me I was like I was like just give me the one about the Matthew 18 guy so I started to take notes you know I read the text and I started to take notes I did what I did what I did and the Lord said read it again and so I read it again it's starting to take notes this went on three times until the words just popped off the page in if I could see the next slide please master have patience with me see you know it's possible to receive but not freely receive you know you can people talk about giving with strings attached we received with strings attached I believe that if this man freely received the forgiveness of his master that parable would have ended differently because Jesus said what freely received freely given I spent the majority of my years as a believer trying to pay the Lord back thinking that I was doing the right thing well it would take an eternity of eternity to even begin to try to pay him back for all he's done what he did he did freely received it freely is the different part it's the most difficult I believe next slide please so our struggle to receive again the reimbursement the pay back and again did you know that you can receive but not receive freely next slide please back to what is the why why is this such a struggle for us to receive next slide please this one we run into a lot I think in ourselves we run into this more than any of the others this battle within ourselves is it wrong it feels wrong let's look at the next slide real quick and everything I did I showed you in Acts 2035 that by this kind of hard work we must help the week remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself saying it's more blessed to what give than to receive it doesn't say it's not blessed to receive does it everyone say it is blessed to receive it's just more blessed to give let me tell you something you receive something from God you blessed every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights more blessed to give than receive next slide we'll be kind of quickly here there's one I call the part where we partially receive where we receive in part we don't receive the whole thing next slide please the parable of the lost son the prodigal he was willing to receive servanthood but not sonship you notice in both of these this and in Matthew 18 the parable the master just up pays no attention to their he just doesn't address it at all he just has compassion blesses forgives their debt freely a certain man had two sons and the younger of them said to his father gave me the portion of goods that falls to me so he divided to them his life because in not many days after the younger son gathered all together journeyed to a far country in their wasted his possessions with I don't know Mr. word there well unclean living will say but when he had spent all there arose a severe famine in that land and he began to be in want and then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country and he sent him into the fields to feed swine and he would gladly have filled his stomach with the pods of the that this line eight and no one gave him anything but when he came to himself he said how many of my father's hired servants have read enough and to spare and I perish with hunger I will rise and go to my father I will say to him father I have sinned against heaven and before you I'm no longer worthy to be called your son make me like one of your hired service father have none of it right he arose he prepared the speech right he and then he said he went and delivered the speech he rose came to his father but when he was still a far way off his father saw him had compassion ran and fell in his neck and kissed him all of this has happened happening freely by the way and the son said to him father I have sinned against heaven and in your sight I'm no longer worthy to be called your son but the father said to his servants bring out the best row they put it on him put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet and bring the fatty calf here and kill it and let us eat and be married for this my son was dead and is alive again he was lost in his found and they began to be married partially receiving you know I almost message pastor Fred this morning I started and I thought just been too long of a text but God's funny during the time that I'm getting this message together I get a message from my oldest daughter Maria she said you know that the grandkids the girls were required down there and that they're had four spring concerts and she gave us the dates and which ones we wanted to go to and I said we're gonna come down on May the 19th we'll come down for a couple days that weekend that way we can see you because it's going to be in Salisbury where they live and see the concert and I get a text back from her that says this dad I'd like to book and pay for your Airbnb is that okay I said can I pay for one night you know in the whole time the Lord see you tap me on the shoulder you're going what read your notes dude read your notes then yesterday I'm at Bob Evans having breakfast I have to fast for a couple days and that was my last meal so we were an end of my uncle who's there and I go over to give him a hug where's your waitress I want your check you know what I said to him you don't got to do that what am I doing you know these memories these reminders the Lord's given me that you know this is in me too next slide please what is the why why the struggle next slide I just want you to be aware of some of the things that we say to each other on a horizontal level because maybe when you say them it'll trigger you like it triggered me you know you didn't have to do that you know what are we really saying to somebody when we say that to him you know you didn't have to do that but what's why do we say that what what comfort does that bring me make me feel better about receiving this that you didn't have to do it Seth right my next one is my favorite it's not that I don't appreciate it it's not that I don't appreciate it but I'm gonna reject your gift right I'm sorry but I can't accept that again there is that just flat refusal right I'll get you back there's the payback this next one did whatever happened to anybody somebody give you a Christmas gift and you didn't give them right it makes you feel weird doesn't it I can't take that I didn't get you anything well I didn't get it to you because you gave me something you know and then this one might not make a whole lot of sense but I see this done in the church all the time when you try to compliment somebody hey brother you was a great sermon all you know listen the scripture tells me to encourage you not encourage him amen he doesn't even courage so you know this this stuff you know I say thank you just say thank you why is what we're talking about so important well we look at the next slide I'll show you why it's so important God is trying to get good things to us just look at some of them Luke 1232 do not fear little flop for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom Romans 117 every good and perfect gift is from above Romans 5 17 for if by one man's offense death reigns through the one much more those who what those who what abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness will rain in life through the one Christ Jesus now I look at that verse and get honest with myself I don't rain in life what is my role in that scripture that's it my only job is to receive abundance of grace in the gift of righteousness I've been seeking that I'm gonna rain in life for you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out Abba Father what do you have that you've not received first Corinthians 4 7 tells us and first Corinthians 2 12 we've looked at this earlier I love this verse we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit who is from God that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God is Holy Spirit talking to you about what God is freely giving you do you know grace by the very nature of what it is it can only be received freely there's another way to receive it I mean would you pay for something that's free Kim you know Curtis if I paid your house off would you continue to pay the mortgage but God's trying to get things to us and if we look at these verses and we say you know what I'm not walking in that I think the problem is a receiving problem I don't think we need believers conferences I believe we need receivers conferences my mother-in-law has been to remember the old song I'm a believer well she's been declaring on a receiver and she shared that with me a couple weeks ago and and I've adopted it I am a receiver you know that Jesus freely received look at the next verse next this this is tough when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the letter a woman came to him having an alabaster flask a very costly fragrant oil and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table but when his disciples saw it they were indignant saying why this waste for this fragrant oil might have been sold for much and given to the poor but when Jesus was aware that he said to them why do you trouble the woman for what she has for she has done a good work for me he kind of got in some stuff for free receiving that didn't he but he knew where it was from he knew what it was for you have the poor with you always but me you do not have always for reporting this fragrant oil on my body she did it for my burial surely I said you were ever this gospel was preached in the whole world what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her that's quite a verse but he freely received well no that's expensive don't do that the next slide is the image the Lord gave me you know when I hoses kink there's pressure behind it you know God's trying to get through everyone say good things but there's a kink in the hose I guess the question is is there a kink in those I think that there are two main reasons why we struggle to receive there's not just two but the two that I'd like to talk about today the first one's pride pride is just that thing and that I can't receive it because I'm too proud to receive it you know I've seen this where somebody had made a meal for somebody who was really struggling and they wouldn't receive it because it was a handout you know that thing that pride in us you know what is the why is pride the why I think in most cases that's not the case I think in most cases the next slide is the case we don't think we're worthy I am no longer worthy to be called your son make me like one of your hired servants and I think this one is the main problem am I really worthy to receive from the Lord the good things that God has for me you know well I'm getting ahead of myself let's go to the next slide I want us to see something here that's really important to their two people by the way the hope home people cannot answer the question I'm about to ask there were two people in scripture that Jesus said had great faith there's a centurion remember and then the lady who said even the dogs eat the crumbs do you know what is the common denominator is of these two people they weren't you next slide they weren't under the law of Moses they didn't have a sin consciousness they could receive unhindered condemnation was foreign to them they were able to have great faith because they didn't have this stuff going on up here you know that we're blessed because of his obedience not ours our blessings come because he obeyed you know in and of ourselves there's not a one of us that's worthy but if we believe scripture he's made us worthy he's qualified us right next verse next slide please in mark 10 it says they brought little children to Jesus that he might touch them but the disciples rebuked to those who brought them but when Jesus saw it he was greatly displeased and said to them let the little children come to me and do not forgive them for support of such as the kingdom of God assuredly I say to you whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little chop listen he didn't just tell us to receive he told us how to receive right now I want you to picture this I was going to have a six-year-old come up here but I didn't I was afraid that they would freak out and not do there's something just imagine that there's a big gift here big Christmas gift Christian six years old comes up my house I wasn't good all 365 days I don't know if I should open them on I think I lied to the teacher March did you see a child open some come on man didn't he say receive the kingdom as a child see there's receiving and there's receiving St. Augustine said that God is more anxious to bestow his blessing on us than we are to receive them my next slide is the favorite my favorite one do you think a child has a sin consciousness he's a child is really worried about she went gum in school when the Christmas presence there I mean the reason why he wants to come as a little child not child ish but child like so that we can see from him unhindered Colossians once well this there isn't a slide for this but it says to give me thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light qualify the Greek word is a he kind of saunty I love that what a great word sounds like something it's served with baklava it means to make sufficient or adequate right when Seth was talking about giving thanks earlier you know the product the by-product of all of this is Thanksgiving when we receive freely what is there to do but to say thank you and bless God and honor God and worship God next slide in the 48 years since I was first ambushed by Jesus in a little chapel in the Allegheny Mountains in Western Pennsylvania and then literally the thousands of hours of prayer meditation silence and solitude over those years I am now utterly convinced that on Judgment day the Lord Jesus is going to ask each of us one question and only one question did you believe that I love you that I desire you that I waited for you day after day that I longed to hear the sound of your voice the real believers there with NCS Jesus I believe in your love and I try to shape my life as a response to it but many of us who are so faithful in our ministry in our practice in our church going I'm gonna have to reply well frankly no sir never really believe it I mean I heard a wonderful lot of wonderful sermons and teachings about it in fact I gave quite a few myself but I always know that was just a way of speaking the kindly lie some Christians pious pat on the back of your knee and there's a difference between the real believers and the nominal Christians that abandon our churches across the land no one can measure like a believer the depth and the intensity of God's love but at the same time no one can measure like a believer the effectiveness of our gloom pessimism low self-esteem self-hatred and despair that block God's weight of us do you see why it is so important to lay hold of this basic truth of our faith because you're only gonna be as big as your own concept of God remember the famous line of the French philosopher Ralph Blaise Pascal God made man in his own image and man returned the compliment we often make God my own image he wants have to be his fussy rude narrow-minded legalistic judgmental unforgiving and loving as we are in the past couple three years I have preached the gospel to the financial community in Wall Street New York City the airman and one of the Air Force Academy Colorado Springs a thousand positions in Irobi I've been in church in Bangor main Miami Chicago St. Louis Seattle San Diego and honest the God of so many Christians I mean is a God who is too small for me because he is not the God of the word he's not the God revealed by an in Jesus Christ who this moment comes right to your seat and says I have a word for you I know your whole life story I know every scale in your closet I know every moment of sin shame dishonesty and degraded love that is dark in your past right now I know your shadow face your feeble prayer life your inconsistent discipleship and my word is this I dare you to trust that I love you just as you are and how that you should be because you're never gonna be you should be here where he said it blocks God's way to us the effectiveness of our gloom self-hatred all of that stuff blocks God's way to us puts a kink in the house