Giv’em Heaven
Pete McKenzie 0:01
What’s the what’s the last thing you hear from me every Friday morning? What is it? When’s the last time you told someone to give them heaven? What does that mean? Anyway? You know, I was thinking this week, as I was preparing some thoughts to put together for today, as the Lord just said, Well, you tell him, give him heaven all the time, make sure they understand what that means. So I’ll tell you what it means to me. And because we’re going through the Sermon on the Mount, the sermon on the mount is basically Jesus telling his disciples to go give him heaven. He’s telling the lifestyle of the kingdom, if you believe in me, if you my disciple, if you name my name is Lord, then this is the kind of life you’re going to live in. If you live this kind of life. That means that you’re going to show them what heavens like you’re going to show a world it’s lost what heavens like because you can get people heaven, or you can give them hell got two options. And most of us are used to the giving hell part. Scripture is real clear on that the wages of sin is death, and we live death lives. If we don’t know Jesus Christ, we don’t have a relationship with him. He’s not the source of our peace and our purpose. He doesn’t give our life meaning he’s not the one we run to for strength in provision and protection. And if you don’t know all that, then you’re living life. You’re in the clutches of the devil. We’ve all been there. We were in the clutches of the devil, we were headed for hell. And Jesus chose us for Himself by His grace, we were saved through faith. And so now we have the hope of heaven without eternal destination was redirected because he came and died on a cross. And then he was resurrected. And then he sent down His Holy Spirit, so that we were to receive power. And there was a power to do what give him heaven. It was a power to live the life that he died to give us and He rose from the dead, that we might have it, we’re going to give them something and who are those that we’re going to give them hell in that middle phrase, give them heaven, give them heaven. That means everybody in your sphere of influence everybody that you come in contact with everybody in your family in your neighborhood, every opportunity you have in the best opportunities. So those opportunities is Jesus made it crystal clear, and we’ve been over this, If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other, give them heaven. If someone forces you to go one mile volunteer to go to give them heaven, do something extraordinary. Do some is different, do something that other people don’t do. And we have the power to do that. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you’ll receive power to be my witnesses in your sphere of influence in Judea, and Samaria, even to the uttermost parts of the world. So Jesus was basically given us at the end of Matthew 28. He said, You guys, I want you to go out there and give them heaven. I want you to go and teach them what it means to know me make disciples make followers of me make them hungry, make them thirsty, you’re the salt of the earth. It’s interesting. He followed that phrase up with with salt it’s lost its flavor is no good for anything is said to be trampled under foot by man thrown out the door. It’s not salty anymore. It got lazy. It took a vacation, start backsliding, start being casual cultural, not timing, the word not time and fellowship, quit going to church quit going to men’s group quit going for him group, but going to whatever group and activity you’ve been going to, and that salt in over time, loses its flavor doesn’t have a heartbeat anymore for lost people, not spending time in God’s presence anymore. Because when we do in the Holy Spirit’s work, and in our life, we naturally care for others. It’s one of the fruit of the Spirit is the fruit of spending time with him and abiding in him. Heaven is that spiritual place, According to Webster’s of everlasting communion with God in His presence. Now, if you were to ask somebody, if you died today, where would you spend eternity? It’s assumed that they understand you got one of two destinations, Heaven or Hell? And that’s a question I like to ask guys. If you died today, where would you spend eternity? You got to be careful, though, in the context that you asked one time I was coming home from a late Bible study and Susan had told me before I left to go to the Bible study won’t I want you to pick up some bread at Kmart? Not the Kmart, but the quick. What do you call them? 711 On your way home, it was about 10 o’clock at night and the seven elevens have just started staying open all night, and they were getting robbed all the time. So I go in, there’s only one gal behind the counter and I throw my bread up on the counter. And it was attending a church at the time that really measured your Christianity and your worth by how many people you’d lead to Christ. So when you showed up at some group or showed up it was some people at church they wanted to know who you led to Christ lately. So I’m sitting there thinking it was just me and her in here. I think I’ll ask her the question and I threw my bread up on the counter and she was starting to bring it up and I said, Well, can I ask you a question? She said a few died today. Where did you spend eternity? She dropped the bread on the ground, backed up and hit the cash register that thing flew open money’s coming Everywhere
she thought I was at a robber
so I just threw some money on the counter and beat feed out of there God said you gotta understand the context when you
I’m glad she didn’t have a gun these days she probably would have killed him because he asked me if I was gonna die today I forgot killed him for he killed me. But just think about this, think about what what we go through in life. Think about what we suffered. Jesus said in this world you will have tribulation. Well, he didn’t say you might have he said you will have if you look up tribulation means challenge trials difficulties, irritations in in murder, murders and suicides and rapes and abortion, Steffes divorces, loss of loved ones disappointments, aggravations being slighted and neglected being despitefully use being scammed physical illnesses and diseases addictions like food and drugs and alcohol and sex and pornography and sex trafficking and fear mongering all the time. And that’s what we’re living in today. Everything that comes in no matter what its direction is coming from or what the subject is, it’s fear mongering. The enemy just wants us to be afraid and anxious and all the time. And he gives us plenty to be afraid and anxious about if we’re going to be that you will have tribulation. And then if you doubt without Christ, you’re going to hell. And that’s not a pretty picture. You’re a sinner. According to Romans 323, your wages of sin is death, according to Romans 623. It’s appointed under us to die once and then comes judgment. Well, that’s not good news. That’s the bad news. But we’ve we’ve said many times, if the bad news is not really bad, the good news is not all that good. So if you don’t understand the bad news, and all those things that represent hell on earth, in in the last days, you’ll have wars and rumors of wars, there’s always been more sets, the sinful world always is going to have wars, every kind of war, and we have them going on right now. There’s more wars than ever, we’ve never had the opportunity to tech technologically to have a global war World War Two is pretty much a global war. And what we’re seeing is it just with COVID is affecting every country in the world what’s going on in the Ukraine is gonna affect every country in the world. It’s going to spread it’s gonna no telling where it’s gonna go. But you know, I love that line from Casting Crowns in one of their songs says, you know, the world is not falling apart. It’s falling into place. Can I get more than one Amen from the congregation. It’s important that you know that it’s important that you understand that the world is not falling apart from the sovereignty of God standpoint, from the prophetic teaching standpoint, it’s falling into place. Everything’s happening according to schedule. But everything is happening in my life according to schedule in your life according to schedule. If you look at Psalm 139, and we did a week or so ago, he says every day of my life and everything that’s happened to me is written in his book, nothing surprises God, nothing catches him off guard. So the sermon on Mount teaches us Kingdom living in teaches us to be disciple makers to go and make disciples to go and share your faith. And we’ll say it over and over again. The best way to share your faith is in the hard times of difficult times, times that aren’t fun times that are hard to get through. Like when you’ve been slapped on the cheek, or backhanded or put down or forced to do something you don’t want to do. How do you respond when you’re belittled and made fun of and humiliated? How
do you respond when you’re slighted and neglected? When you don’t get what you deserve? And they’re not responding and reciprocating? How do you respond when they don’t value you and they criticize you? How do you respond? That’s, you’re going to give them hell are you going to give them heaven? It’s you and I both have to decide that and Jesus is saying in the Sermon on the Mount give them heaven and John 15 He showed us how to do that he said If you abide in me and my word abides in you you’ll bear much fruit and here’s why. apart from me you can’t do this the you won’t bear that fruit apart from me you can do nothing eternal or last enter nothing that’s going to lead someone to heaven that’s going to make them wonder why do you have peace when there’s you just had that loss that loss that job got scammed caught the head that disease had that financial downturn. How could you have such peace and joy? When you spend your time in God’s presence? He gives you a bit of heaven. What does that look like? If you abide in me and my word imagine you you bear much fruit, the fruit of the Spirit, love and joy and peace and goodness and gentleness and kindness and self control. That’s a bit of heaven. That’s what happens gonna be like there won’t be any tears in heaven. There won’t be any scamming in heaven. No sex trafficking, there won’t be any political shenanigans going on. won’t be any injustices won’t be any calling good, evil and evil, good. None of that in heaven. And we get a chance to spread that around here on Earth. I love em, bounce quote. And he quoted from the verse when he saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion, they were going through it, just like we are today. Every generation for 1000s of years has been going through it ever since the garden, ever since a fall in the garden, and man got us in nature. We’ve had hell on earth, we had the first murder between Cain and Abel. And it’s been going downhill ever since. That’s all man can do war, kill Rob still rate murder, divorce, war, in go to war. That’s what the natural human sinful nature does. And he saw the multitudes and he moved was moved with compassion. So God can be moved with judgment on centers, but he can also be moved by compassion. And he had to be moved by compassion. We looked down and saw a bunch of thievin Murdering warring people. And I got a feeling on his way from his throne in heaven to be born in a manger, the angels just said, you’re going down there and save those guys. You know what they’re doing, you know how they’re living, you know, how they’re talking, you know, they’re treating each other, you know, the stuff that’s going on, and you’re going to go down there and suffer and die for them, you’re going to hang on a cross, you’re going to take their place what they deserve. And he says, Absolutely, around us as a world lost in sin above us as a god willing and able to say, now who’s got a God like that? A god who’s willing and able to save people that don’t deserve it. They deserve hell. We deserve punishment. We deserve everything we get from a fallen world. But we have a God who’s willing and able to save. Now it’s ours to build a bridge that links heaven. And Earth in prayer is a mighty instrument that does the work if we do our part, God will do his part. So what he’s saying is, you guys need to be praying for those that are your enemies. Are you praying for your wife? Sometimes he looked like the only thing between you and complete happiness is her but she feels even stronger about that with you. wasn’t for him, I be completely happy.
So when you’re at odds with her and things aren’t going well, and she’s not appreciating you like you need to be and deserve he praying for you link in heaven and earth with her? Do you pray over her and for her and with her, that’s your job as a husband, that’s your job description, not when she’s cooperative and doing what you want and easy to get along with. In Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount made that crystal clear. You guys just love those who love you. What good is that? Even tax gatherers can do that anybody can do that. You don’t need anything supernatural, you don’t need anything extra special to love those who love you. What do you do more than others? That’s a convicting question. And God expects us to do more than others, others, those others or others that are lost, that don’t have the Holy Spirit that don’t have the word of God, don’t have the fellowship of the brethren, but we have it. But if we’re going to be on our game, if we’re going to be given him heaven, we’re going to have to be doing the things we talk about every week, we remind each other this, you’re going to have to spend time in God’s presence, you’re going to have to be that tree planted by liver rivers of water and streams of living water that bears its fruit in its season is leaf does not wither in whatever he does prospers. God expects us to bear the fruit of the Spirit in our lives with those who we love the most. And the least he expects us to do that. He didn’t down the cross. So we could be just like the Pharisees and the scribes. He died on the cross so we could be conformed to His image through the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we can give people heaven, a glimpse of heaven, a taste of it, when they deserve bad, but you give them good, it’ll change your life. And I see it in marriages all the time. People loving those who love them when they love them and not loving those when they don’t love them. They’re violating your rights and not meeting your expectations. And so you make them pay, you pout, you criticize, you get mad and angry, you get even vengeful, you shut down. You Stonewall, you could criticize and feel contempt, all those games that we play for Christ and God says Don’t live like that. But if you’re not going to live like that you have to live in me you have to abide in me stay with me in prayer is the answer. And that’s what he and bounds was saying. It’s ours to build a bridge that links heaven and earth. So God’s Jesus said to His disciples, Go out there and build a bridge. build bridges between you and others don’t see being slighted and hurt and neglected and criticized and ridiculed and accused falsely don’t see that his attacks of the devil see that as opportunities to make a build a bridge between heaven and earth with that person. It’s an opportunity to build that bridge. But if you haven’t been in prayer, what men need and what people need is what we need. They need grace, unmerited favor. They don’t deserve it, but you’re going to give them anyway. You’re not going to punish them. You’re not going to melt emotionally blackmail them, you’re not going to pout you’re not going to get even you’re not I’m going to Stonewall, you’re going to give them heaven, you’re going to build that bridge. But don’t the only way you can build that bridge is spending time in his presence. If you’re not confessing sin every day, for instance, thought word deed, every day all day, we got to be on our game. Lord, I hadn’t, I shouldn’t have said that shouldn’t have thought that shouldn’t have done that. And so you confess it to him, and he forgives you. And he gives you grace instead of judgment. He gives you grace. Instead of paying you upfront and punishing you, it gives you grace, you know what it does, it makes you not want to do it. You don’t want to do that again. Because that grace feels really good. And you don’t want to put him in a position of always having to give you grace, you want to be obedient. But then when others hurt you and offend you, like you’ve offended him, and you don’t give grace because you have no grace to give because you haven’t been confessing your sin. And where do you get grace to give you get it when you receive it from him. And then you have some to give away to others. And if you don’t, if you’re not getting Grace everyday from God, you’re not having Getting Grace to give you’re giving judgment, you’re trying to look at the speck in their eye and forget and you got to log in years. We went over that a few weeks ago. So there’s no getting around. That if you want to bear fruit, you’re gonna have to spend time in my presence, you’re gonna have to plant your tree by the living water of the word and prayer and be around chain hanging out on the screen door men who love Jesus more than you do. And you want people hanging on your screen door near the salt of the earth. Jesus said, You ally to the world, well let your light shine, don’t put it under a bush to let your salt be soft and make them thirsty. The only reason our culture is not down the tube sooner than later is because we’ve got salty people out there. That’s a preservative that believe in morals and goodness, they believe in law abiding, they believe in courtesy and respect. And that’s a preservative in our culture that makes it bearable, booed, that we’ve been losing ground in that in the last 50 6070 years in America. It’s all about us now. And we have to fight. Because that’s naturally appealing to our sinful nature. Well, we have to fight not to be caught up in that you have to fight by being in the word and being reminded it’s not about you, in a sense, what God was saying to His Son, Jesus in the garden of God 70 When Jesus was asking him in his human feelings, Lord, if there’s any way this cup could pass from me let it pass. And his son was saying No, son, if we’re gonna give them heaven, you’re gonna have to pay the price. I can’t take this cup from you, you’re gonna have to drink it to the dregs Father, if there’s any way I’ll ask you one another time. No son, you have to drink this cup, we all have to drink the cup, if we’re going to give them heaven, there’s a price that has to be paid. And that means dying to yourself. If you’re going to give people heaven, you’re going to have to die to your wants your ways, your plans, your preferences is is you got to be crucified with Christ. The way Paul put it, he didn’t say just be crucified. He said, be crucified with Christ, Christ was crucified for a purpose. And so if you’re going to say no to yourself, you’re going to deny yourself, you’re going to crucify yourself, you got to do it for a purpose, this worth dying for Jesus thought we were worth dying for. And you’ll never crucify your flesh. You’ll never crucify your rights, your ways me and all about you, you’ll never quit being so sensitive to how others treat you if you don’t have a great purpose in it. And Paul had a great purpose. He said, I’m crucified with Christ, and it’s no longer I who live, I have to die, data, my way data, my preferences, data, my rights, my expectations, and it’s no longer I who live in the reason I’m doing this. So Christ can live in me, he can’t come and live in a selfish heart. You cannot hold on to bitterness and God at the same time, you can’t be bitter at others, and vengeful at others and upset with others and unforgiving toward others and still have a relationship with God. You have to clean that out of your heart. You have to get to a place where you’re dying, you’re not looking backwards, you’re not looking at all the family of origin wounds, you’re not letting that trip you up and keep you from being the man of God, God died to give make you you’re not overly sensitive about how you’re treated. You don’t get mad easily. You don’t get offended, but you have to have a great purpose. If you’re going to do that. You won’t just die to yourself because Jesus said to yourself, you’ll die to yourself when you say I want to be like Christ. And to be like Christ, I’m gonna have to give that up. I’m gonna have to deny it. I’m gonna have to die to it. Have you died to do you have a greater purpose in yourself that makes it worth dying and saying no to your flesh. It’s no longer I who live but Christ lives in me in the life that I now live in the flesh. I live by faith and that faith has an object. It’s the Son of God, faith in the Son of God who loved me and delivered himself up for me. He’s not asking me to do anything he had done. He gave Himself He died on the cross. He said no to himself. He said no to his rights he had he had every right to call every 10,000 Angels and come wipe the Romans out and the Pharisees out but he told Peter to put up his sword. He said Peter, I got to do this. And he went to the cross. He had a great purpose in that and the purpose of your go look in the mirror and you To find the purpose, it was about you and me, it was about us sitting here today saved him forgiving because of what he was willing to do. And that was his great purpose, salvation and give people an opportunity to go to heaven instead of hell. And he gave us a great plan of salvation. So today when you get out there, and I finish this message today, and I say, get out there and give him heaven, why don’t we do some business right now? So you can make sure you do that? What is it that God is speaking to your heart right now about that you
need to die to that you need to confess that you need to get rid of that you that person you haven’t forgiven, maybe that’s it, that sin, it’s habitual, that just keeps you in chain in bondage. And maybe you need to do one more time going to him confessing that sin, saying God cleaned my heart, set me free, and God lives to set us free. He said Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed him if you continue in My word, and you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. What’s the truth? Truth because God loves you, He died on the cross for you. He has a plan for your life. He wants to use you to be able to bridge between heaven and earth between people in your life. That’s the truth. He said, I’m that way, I’m the truth. I’m the life and they answered him were Abraham’s descendants. We’ve never yet been enslaved anyone, how do you say we shall become free and Jesus said Truly, truly I say to you, anyone who commit sin as a slave to sin, you get free of being a slave to sin, sin is given being a slave to sin is habitual sin that you haven’t shaken off the to own god to break in your life. It’s keeping you from building bridges between heaven and earth with people. The slave does not remain in the house forever, the sun does remain forever. So if the sun sets you free, you are free indeed, in that a wonderful thought you could be free indeed, not that you’re never going to send this out of heaven, you’re gonna see and I’m going to say and we all sin, but you’re not gonna habitually sin, you’re not going to sin without confessing it, you’re not going to fight it and fight through so you can be free indeed, and give, give them heaven out there. So God can work in your heart and give you a heart for those people that you hate now that are running our country that are tearing it apart. They’re all slaves of sin. And Jesus died for them to figure out how to build bridges between us and them, between them and Jesus Christ. God’s given us a wonderful commission, a wonderful opportunity, a wonderful job. It’s ours. We have a God a world it’s going to hell in a handbasket. We have a God who’s willing and able to save in hours is to build a bridge between heaven and earth. So someone says now for what do you do, I build bridges. I give them heaven. That’s who I am. That’s what I do. Because that’s what my Savior did. And I want to be like him. I’m a bridge builder. That can be your identity. That’s who you are. That’s why you’re here that gives your life meaning and purpose. So let’s do some business right now. We might as well before we get out of here, do something that’s going to settle something for you right now with the Lord and be a bridge builder, so that you can go out there and give them heaven without the devil having some handle on you. Scott shared with me today about a guy that says live your life without handles. Because if you have a handle, they can grab it and pull you down easily. You got handles in your life you need to get rid of today. The devil can’t come along and grab and say you’re guilty. And you can’t say I’m not because you are you haven’t gone and confessed that you haven’t taken care of it with the Lord. But if you have no handle, he has nothing to grab so that when he comes in accuses you, you’re not falling for his trap. He said, take that up with my savior. I’ve already taken up with him. He’s my attorney, you want to mess with me, you go mess with him. He’s already forgiven that. You can’t convict me of that anymore. Let’s take 30 seconds and you do whatever dealing you need to do with the Lord. And Lord, we pause because we want to be free indeed, want to be bridge builders, we want to give him heaven. We want to live a life that people are hungry with the light of the world and be the salt of the earth want to go out there and fulfill the purpose and mission you gave us and the reason we’re here we don’t want to be forgetting that we get in that pit that we fight an alligator so hard we forget we’re supposed to clean out the swamp. We forget who we are who were reminded today a fresh in a new and we want to go out there and just imagine what we can do is all the men in this room became bridge builders today and we could actually doubt ourselves so that you can live in us and do everything that you died to give us as far as turning the other cheek and go into second mile and given them heaven. Help us do that you will you have and will follow you and give you all the glory and the credit because you alone are worthy and all God’s men said give them heaven out there guys.