Title of the message is Holding Nothing Back.
! Holding Nothing Back.
If you've got your Bibles, we're going to start off in Genesis 22.
!
I'm going to start reading.
After these things, God tested Abraham and said to him,
Abraham!
He said, Here I am.
He said, Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah,
and offer him there as a burnt offering
on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.
So Abraham rose early in the morning,
saddled his donkey,
and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac.
And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose
and went to the place of which God had told him.
On the third day, Abraham lifted up his eyes
and saw the place from afar.
Then Abraham said to his young men,
Stay here with the donkey,
and I and the boy will go over there
and worship and come again to you.
And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering
and laid it on Isaac his son.
And he took in his hand the fire and the knife,
so they went both of them together.
And Isaac said to his father,
Abraham, my father.
And he said, Here I am, my son.
He said, Behold, the fire and the wood,
but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?
Abraham said, God will provide for himself
the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.
So they went both of them together.
When they came to the place in which God had told him,
Abraham built the altar there
and laid the wood in order
and bound Isaac his son
and laid him on the altar on top of the wood.
Then Abraham reached out his hand
and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven
and said, Abraham, Abraham.
And he said, Here I am.
He said, Do not lay your hand on the boy
or do anything to him.
For now I know that you fear God,
seeing you have not withheld your son,
your only son, from me.
And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked,
and behold, behind him was a ram
caught in a thicket by his thorns.
And Abraham went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering
instead of his son.
So Abraham called the name of that place
the Lord will provide.
As it is said to this day,
on the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.
And the angel of the Lord called to Abraham
a second time from heaven and said,
By myself I have sworn,
declares the Lord,
because you have done this
and have not withheld your son,
your only son,
I will surely bless you
and I will surely multiply your offspring
as the stars of heaven
and as the sand that is on the seashore.
And your offspring shall possess
the gates of his enemies
and your offspring shall all the nations
of the earth be blessed
because you have obeyed my voice.
Okay?
So that's a story I think most of us
who've been walking with Jesus
for a long time are fairly familiar with.
I was meditating on this story,
just thinking of what to speak on
in light of Seth's sermon from last week.
And the thing that really jumped out to me
is in light of him having to offer up his son,
which that's an unusual sacrifice.
I think we could all agree on that, right?
It's not every day that God asks you
to sacrifice your son.
And he's offering up his son
and not only is it his son,
he's the son of the promise.
This is the son he was not able to have
for a hundred years, right?
He gets pregnant,
has this kid.
This is the son that the promise
is going to come through.
And then in this weird turn of events,
he says, hey,
the one that the promise
is supposed to come through,
I actually want you to sacrifice him to me.
Okay?
So very interesting thing.
You would say,
no one would ever say,
you know,
Abraham was committed to the Lord,
but you know,
he kind of just gave God his leftovers.
You know,
it's like, no,
it's a son,
his only son.
Like no one would ever say,
Abraham's not really given much.
Anybody would say,
Abraham,
if there's a guy who's given,
if there's a guy who's in,
it would be Abraham.
Okay?
But I think what we're going to see here,
and this is what I want to focus on,
is God didn't comment on what he gave.
God comment on what he didn't withhold.
You might say,
well,
that's just semantics.
And I want to suggest to you,
it's not semantics.
That wording is important.
Okay?
He says,
in verse 12,
when he says,
don't lay your hand on the boy,
he says,
now I know that you fear God,
seeing you have not withheld your son,
your only son for me.
And what I want to look at in the scriptures here,
and I believe is a theme that is all throughout the scriptures,
is God pointing to what is withheld or what is not withheld.
And that's not the way we think.
When we think,
we think what someone's giving or not giving.
God is thinking what is withheld or not withheld.
And I'll explain that more in a second here.
But Proverbs 11,
24,
it says,
one gives freely,
it grows all the richer.
Another withholds what he should give,
and only suffers once.
Okay?
Proverbs 21,
26,
says,
the righteous gives and does not hold back.
The Amplified says,
the righteous gives and does not withhold.
Okay?
And then,
Matthew 10,
37 to 39,
says,
whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worthy of me.
Whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it.
Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
You see,
it's not what you give,
it's what you hold back.
That is the thing that is important here.
Because you can have a pretty good reputation,
so to speak,
of giving.
On the outside,
it can look like,
hey,
that person is a giver.
That person is,
and this would include finances,
but this isn't a message on finances.
This is more,
you know,
pervasive,
more all-inclusive,
right?
So,
you could say,
that's a giving person.
That's a generous person.
That's a person who's an all-in type of guy or girl.
That's a,
that's a,
that's a Christian who's really giving.
But,
God's not looking what's being given.
He's looking,
is there anything that's withheld?
He knew that Abraham feared the Lord because he did not withhold his son.
The righteous gives and does not hold back.
And what I'm asking the Lord to show us this morning,
Lord,
please help us.
Is there anything we're holding back?
Because,
I mean,
I think it'd be,
I would have no problem saying,
probably everyone in this room is giving to a certain degree to the Lord,
in their time,
their talents,
their treasure,
you know,
good on the list,
right?
We could all say that.
We would all say that of ourselves,
I would think,
right?
But,
the question is not,
are we giving?
Because that's not what Jesus,
or what God brings up.
He brings up,
is there anything we're holding back?
Is it,
I'm going this far,
but,
ah,
not that,
not that.
Okay,
so,
it's not what you give necessarily,
but it's what you hold back.
Let's look at,
this hypothesis,
in the Bible,
and see if we're not seeing this as a theme.
Okay?
Well,
right away,
also in Genesis,
you see the first sacrifices brought to the Lord,
with Cain and Abel,
right?
It said,
in Genesis 4,
3 to 5,
in the course of time,
Cain brought to the Lord,
an offering of the fruit of the ground,
and Abel also brought of 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.
Hebrews 11,
4 gives us a little more insight on that.
It says,
by faith,
Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain.
Well,
maybe some of you wondered,
what's the deal with that?
They both offered sacrifices.
Again,
it's not just that they,
you might say,
they both offered sacrifices.
God isn't looking to see,
are you sacrificing?
He's saying,
what are you withholding?
Abel gave of his firstfruits.
Cain,
it just says,
he brought an offering.
It doesn't say it was his firstfruits.
Okay?
So,
I would venture to say that Cain
was withholding something.
Cain was withholding something.
But they both gave.
They both sacrificed.
That's not what God's looking at.
God was not pleased
with Cain's sacrifice.
And what we find too,
that,
is those who are withholding,
what is the response
to a person
who's withholding from God
when someone calls them out on it?
What do they do?
They get angry.
Right?
And we know how that is.
Even last week
when Seth was talking
and he wrapped up,
you know,
he's preaching a really good message.
You think,
that's a great message.
And then Seth has to do that Seth thing
and just really go at it
at the end there,
right?
Which I love about Seth.
Appreciate that about Seth.
That's part of the body we need,
right?
And he brings up a list
of bad ultimate reasons
to go to a church.
And what does that do in us?
I mean,
I'm listening to it
and you can almost feel it
coming up inside of you
like,
oh,
he's hitting the stuff.
He's hitting the things
that are difficult.
And you either get mad or sad
typically with those kind of things.
It stirs things up in you.
And that's what happened
with Cain here.
It says,
Cain was very angry.
And so we got to watch ourselves
and say,
hey,
is there anything I'm holding back?
Cain held something back.
Another one was Saul.
Remember the story
when Saul was told
to go,
was it the Amalekites?
I can't remember who it was,
but yeah,
the Amalekites.
He was supposed to go there
and destroy everything,
kill everything,
destroy everything.
Like that was the command,
right?
And
Sam,
God calls Samuel
to go to Saul.
Samuel comes to Saul.
This is 1 Samuel 15,
verse 13.
Samuel comes to Saul.
Saul says to him,
blessed be the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord,
brother.
Good to see you, Samuel.
Everything's cool, man.
I'm doing the thing.
You're doing the thing.
We're godly people,
right?
Aren't we?
And Saul,
I mean,
Samuel is not,
Samuel's not cool.
He's not having it, right?
He says,
blessed be the Lord.
I have performed
the commandment of the Lord.
And then Samuel says,
what then is this bleeding
of the sheep in my ears
and the lowing of the oxen
that I hear?
Okay,
why is he saying that?
Because he's supposed
to kill all those things.
Why is he hearing
animal sounds
and telling him,
I have obeyed
the voice of the Lord.
And Samuel's like,
no, you didn't.
Then why do I hear
these animal noises?
Okay,
and again,
Saul's thinking
he's tough stuff.
He's all good
because what did Saul do?
He did some things
for the Lord.
He killed some things.
But he withheld
certain things back.
You see,
Saul says,
they have brought them
from the Amokites
for the people
spared the best
of the sheep
and of the oxen.
And then he spiritualizes it.
And oh,
do we love to spiritualize
our withholding from God.
And Saul does the same thing,
right?
He says,
I have spared,
we have spared
the best of the sheep
and of the oxen
to sacrifice
to the Lord,
of course,
you know,
because that's
what we're doing here.
This is all
for the Lord.
And Samuel's
not having it.
Samuel's a prophet.
He's not playing games here
and he never really did
as you look at Samuel's life.
Samuel says to Saul,
stop with a cap
with an exclamation point
at the end there.
So I'm,
he's saying this pretty firm,
I'm sure.
Like,
stop!
I will tell you
what the Lord said
to me this night.
And he said to him,
speak.
And Samuel said,
though you are
little in your own eyes,
you're not ahead
of the tribes of Israel.
The Lord anointed you
king over Israel
and the Lord sent you
on a mission
and said,
go devote to destruction
the sinners,
the Amalekites
and fight against them
until they are consumed.
Why then?
Did you not obey
the voice of the Lord?
Why did you pounce
on the spoil
and do what was evil
in the sight of the Lord?
And then Saul doubles down.
He still says,
I obeyed the voice
of the Lord.
I've gone on the mission
the Lord has sent me.
I've brought Agag
the king of Amalek
and have devoted
the Amalekites
to destruction.
But the people,
and then there he goes,
right?
But the people,
the people took
the spoil sheep
and auction,
the best of the things
devoted to destruction,
to sacrifice to the Lord
your God at Gilgal.
So,
here you have this example
where God is not,
again,
it's not that Saul
didn't give to the Lord,
it's not that Saul
didn't do things
for the Lord.
And this is the thing
we have to be careful of.
You can do great things
for God.
You can do things
for the Lord,
look like you're giving
and sacrificial.
You can even spiritualize
your own selfishness
and say,
oh,
it's for the Lord.
And God would say,
you withheld
some of the obedience
that I required of you.
You withheld.
You didn't give me
all that I wanted.
You took some of it
for yourself.
Okay?
We see the same thing
in Malachi chapter 3.
You have this
fascinating conversation
with the people of Israel
and the Lord
through the prophet Malachi.
and chapter 3,
verse 8,
he asks this kind
of question
that seems rather odd
at the onset.
It says,
will man rob God?
Will man rob God?
And you're thinking,
what do you mean
will man rob God?
How do you rob God?
And he says,
you are robbing me.
And then he anticipates
the question.
He says,
but you say,
how have we robbed you?
And he says,
in your tithes
and contributions,
you are cursed
with a curse
for you are robbing me,
the whole nation of you.
He's rebuking
the whole nation of Israel.
He says,
bring the full tithe
into the storehouse
that there may be
food in my house
and thereby put me
to the test,
says the Lord of hosts,
if I will not open
the windows of heaven
for you
and pour down
for you a blessing
until there is
no more need.
So,
here again,
it's not that Israel
wasn't giving.
Israel was giving.
It's not so much
about what you're giving.
It's about what
you're withholding.
You understand,
this is a theme
that we're seeing
over and over again.
So,
he says,
you're robbing me.
Well,
robbing you,
the only way
you can rob someone
is if you're taking
what is theirs.
And he's saying,
that full tithe
was mine.
You withholding
some of it
is robbing me.
You're taking
what's mine
and keeping it
for yourself.
And he would say,
but we're giving.
We're giving.
He's saying,
no,
but you withheld
the full tithe.
You withheld
the full tithe.
You see the same thing
in Luke chapter 18.
Now we're in the New Testament.
Jesus is on the scene
and you know,
you guys know the story
of the rich young ruler,
right?
Rich young ruler
comes to him.
Luke 18 verse 18.
Good teacher.
What must I do
to inherit eternal life?
Jesus said to him,
why do you call me good?
No one is good
except God alone.
And he says,
you know the commandments.
Do not commit adultery.
Do not murder.
Do not steal.
Do not give false tests.
Witness on your father and mother.
And then,
of course,
the guy says,
all these
I have kept
since my youth.
Again,
I'm good.
I'm a command keeper.
Right?
You should,
you and I,
God,
should be good
because I'm a command keeper.
I'm giving.
I'm giving it myself.
What does Jesus respond?
When Jesus heard this,
he said to him,
one thing
you still lack.
Sell all that you have
and distribute to the poor
and you will have treasure in heaven
and
come follow me.
When he heard these things,
he became very sad
for he was extremely rich.
Jesus,
seeing that he had become sad,
said,
how difficult is it
for those who have wealth
to enter the kingdom of God?
That it's easier
for a camel to go through
the eye of a needle
than for a rich person
to enter the kingdom of God.
Those who heard it said,
then,
who can be saved?
But he said,
what is impossible with man
is possible with God?
And Peter said,
see,
we have left our homes
and followed you.
And he said to them,
truly I say to you,
there is no one
who has left house or wife
or brothers
or parents
or children
for the sake
of the kingdom of God
who will not receive
many times more
in this time
and in the age to come.
So again,
you have another story
of a guy coming to God
who is doing the stuff.
He's obeying commandments.
He's giving God
certain things.
And he says,
one thing you lack.
Another way you could have said it is,
there's still one thing
you're withholding from God.
There's one thing that you love
that you are not willing
to give up.
And someone else
on the outside mind
looking like,
this guy's,
he's a good guy.
Like he's obeying
the commandments.
But God
in the person of Jesus here
is discerning
that there was
an idolatrous love
of money
and it required him
to repent of that
and to believe
that Jesus
is his treasure.
And to prove that
he calls him
to give
of his possessions.
He knew
that he loved
his wealth.
In Matthew
it says
Jesus looked at him
and loved him
when he gave
that response.
He looked at him
and loved him.
He knew
that this guy
was finding
his identity
in his good works
but he was still
withholding
from the Lord.
And this is a good
warning for us.
You see the same thing
in the book of Acts.
Acts chapter 5.
Story of Ananias
and Sapphira.
Sapphira.
A man named Ananias
with his wife Sapphira
they sold a piece
of property
which was what
people were doing
back then.
If you look earlier
than that
a bunch of people
were selling
their property
and giving the proceeds
to the Lord
at the time.
And so
Ananias does
the same thing.
He sells a property
with his wife Sapphira
but in verse 2
of Acts 5
it says
with his wife's knowledge
he kept back
for himself
some of the proceeds
and brought only
a part of it.
So he held back.
He didn't give it all
but he was given
the impression
that he was giving all.
He was
a little bit
deceptive there.
Peter said
Ananias
why has Satan
filled your heart
to lie to the Holy Spirit
and to keep back
for yourself
part of the proceeds
of the land?
Well it remained unsold
did it not remain
your own?
And after it was sold
was it not at your disposal?
Why is it that
you have contrived
this deed in your heart?
You have not lied
to man
but to God.
When Ananias
heard these words
he fell down
and breathed his last
and great fear
came upon all
who heard it.
The young man
rose and wrapped him up
and carried him out
and buried him.
Okay?
Another story
same
but it's the same story.
It's the same story
from Genesis.
It's just the same
old thing.
I think you can
start to see
that there is something
in the heart of man
that wants to appear good.
that wants to appear
sacrificial.
That wants to appear
giving.
And yet
the Lord
is not looking
so much
at what we're giving
he's looking
at what we're withholding.
And he looked
at Ananias
and said
hey you've kept back.
You're presenting
an image of something
and yet you've
kept something back.
You see the same thing
in 1 Corinthians chapter 13.
The great love chapter
right?
The one you see
on the wedding cards.
And
sometimes
some of the stuff
we put on these cute things
are some of the most
cutting things
and it's kind of weird
how we do that.
You know?
Like
let's just put this
cute little love verse
on there.
It's like you read it
you're thinking
this is actually
pretty life or death
kind of thing here.
This is
kind of heavy.
But in 1 Corinthians 13
3
he says
if I give away
all I have
and if I deliver up
my body to be burned
now you would say
let's just stop there.
What if someone
gave up all they had
and delivered up
their body to be burned
and say
okay
I mean
I haven't given up
my body to be burned
and that might be
a hard one.
That would be
a difficult one.
I'd say
on the list
of things
that you gave up
and done
that would be
pretty high.
I'd say
if I'm going to make
a list of
like people
who are doing
a good job
I'd say
yeah I'd probably
put them high
on the list
you know
doing the
giving away
all you have
and then giving
yourself up
to be burned
that seems
pretty good.
Seems pretty
admirable
and yet it's
not enough.
Why?
But have not
love
I gain nothing.
Wow.
If I have not
love I gain
nothing.
You can give
all that
but if you
withhold your
love
you don't
gain anything.
This is
incredible.
This is
incredible.
That's giving
a lot
and yet
if we
withhold
God's still
focusing on
the withholding
thing
and this is
not the way
we think
is it?
We're just
we would
celebrate
someone like
that like
oh my
goodness
I mean
could it
even be
that there's
biographies
of people
who've done
stuff like
that
and they've
gained
nothing
because
everything we
see looks
good.
Man this
person was
sacrificial
but God
knows that
they were
withholding
their love
so they
gained
nothing.
It's
incredible.
Okay one
more.
I think I
made my
point but
we'll do
one more.
Matthew
chapter 25
the parable
of the
talents
Jesus
tells.
25
verse 24
says you
know I'm
not going
to go
through the
whole
parable but
he gives
them different
talents and
then he
expects them
to steward
the talents
that are
given.
There's
different
amounts
given.
Verse 24
he says
he also
who had
received
the one
talent
came forward
saying
master I
knew you
to be a
hard man
reaping
where you
did not
sow and
gathering
where you
scattered
no seed.
So I
was afraid
and I
went and
hid your
talent in
the ground.
Here you
have what
is yours.
But his
master
answered him
you wicked
and slothful
servant.
Okay.
God gives
the talents
the other
guys multiply
the talents
this guy
just gives
it back.
So there's
no loss
to the
one who
gave the
money.
Why would
you say
you wicked
and slothful
servant?
He says
you knew
what I
reap
where I
have not
sown
and gather
where I
scatter
no seed
then you
ought to
have
invested
my money
with the
bankers
and at
my coming
I should
have
received
what was
my own
with
interest.
So take
the talent
from him
and give
it to him
who has
ten talents.
For everyone
who has
will be
given
and more
will be
given
and he
will have
an abundance.
But from
the one
who has
not
even what
he has
will be
taken
away
and cast
the worthless
servant
into the
outer darkness
in that
place
there will be
weeping
and gnashing
of tea.
And sometimes
we think
well God's
just too
hard.
I'm just
going to
withhold
the risk
of giving
it all.
And I'll
just give
him
what's
easy.
God was
not happy
with this
person.
Do you
see that?
You wicked
and slothful
servant.
He gives
it away to
those who
have and
then he
casts the
worthless
servant
into the
outer
darkness.
God has
given us
talents.
He has
given us
resources,
time,
talent,
treasure.
He's given
them to us.
And he's
saying I
want you
to go
all in
on this.
I want
you to
take risks
with what
I'm
giving you.
It is
not okay
for you
to sit
on them,
bury them.
It's not
okay for
you to
have some
semblance
of being
a spiritual
person,
to spiritually
sanctify your
selfishness,
and to
withhold from
God.
God wants
it all.
He wants
it all.
He wants
it all.
And
oftentimes
you know
when we're
withholding,
it's not,
it's the
good things.
It's the
good things
that are
the things.
Right?
It's almost
always the
good things.
Like,
even thinking
of Luke
14,
you know
the parable
of the
great banquet?
It says
he threw
a great
banquet,
and then
he sent
his servants
to say to
those who
have been
invited,
come for
everything
is now
ready.
But they
will like
began to
make excuses.
The first
one said
I bought
a field.
The second
one said
I bought
five yoke
of oxen.
And the
third one
said I
married a
wife.
Three
things you
think,
wait a
second,
those are
all good
things.
A field,
yoke of
oxen,
and a
wife.
Basically,
a home,
a job,
and a wife.
A home,
a job,
and a family.
What's wrong
with a home?
Nothing
wrong with
a home.
What's wrong
with a job?
You should
work a job.
What about
a family?
Yeah,
that's good
too.
You receive
faith from
the Lord,
says Proverbs
18.
So,
wait a
second.
And the
servant came
and reported
these things
to the
master.
And the
master of the
house became
angry and
said to his
servant,
go out quickly
to the streets
and lanes of
the city and
bring in the
poor,
the crippled,
the blind,
the lame.
And the
servant said,
sir, what you
commanded has
been done and
still there's
room.
And then the
master said to
the servant,
go out to the
highways and
the hedges and
compel people to
come that my
house may be
filled.
For I tell you,
none of those
men who are
invited shall
taste my
banquet.
And it's
the good
things that
often keep
us,
the things that
keep us,
that we withhold
from the
Lord.
We say,
well, that's my
excuse.
And God's
saying, no,
you have to
give it all.
You have to
give it all.
What are you
withholding?
What are you
withholding?
Are you withholding
your time?
Are you giving a
bunch of time,
but there's some
time it's like,
this is me time.
This is my
time.
You can have
all this time,
but you can't
have that.
And you have
this semblance
of I'm giving
all my time.
And God
says, but what
are you withholding?
Maybe it's
your money.
It's like, I
give this money,
but then this,
I give money to
the church I've
been giving all
the time.
I've been giving
my whole life.
Like, this is
what I do.
But what are
you doing with
the money you
keep?
Is that the
Lord's too?
Or are you
withholding that
from him?
Maybe you're
withholding what
you're supposed
to give to
him.
But are you
withholding what
you are keeping
in the sense
that you're
just using it
for your own
self and it's
not seen as
his?
Maybe it's our
career and our
job.
Maybe the
career and the
job is something
we've been
fighting for and
wrestling for for
a whole life and
I finally got it.
This is what I
wanted.
And yet it's
standing in the
way of what
God wants.
Are we willing
to let it go?
Are we willing
to let it go?
Are we withholding?
It's like, yeah,
you can have all
the things.
I'll sacrifice
time and money,
but no, not that
career, not that
job.
That's mine.
I worked hard
for that.
And I'm not
saying everybody
has to give up
their career or
job, but there's
going to be some
people who do.
Some people are
going to have to
leave some money
on the table to
follow Jesus.
Some people are
going to have to
leave certain
things that they
want to do and
not withhold them
from the Lord.
Sometimes it's
family and friends.
Sometimes it's
our kids.
Kids can become a
very easy way to
spiritualize our
selfishness.
Okay?
Some people are
going to have to
give up their
kids'
bedtime.
As if God can
have everything
but my kids'
bedtime.
Everything is
nothing sacred
except the time
my kids go to
bed.
Why?
Because it
inconveniences me
to put them to
bed at different
times in order to
have fellowship
with the saints.
Well, that sacred
cow's got to go
too.
You can't withhold
that.
You can't withhold
anything from the
Lord.
What is he calling
you to give up?
What is he calling
you to give?
Some of us,
it's our very
freedom.
It's like,
I love my
freedom,
my time,
and my choices.
I don't ever
want to limit
my options.
Okay?
Do you know
what the word
decide means
to cut off?
The root word
of decide in the
Latin means to
cut off.
A decision by
nature means
you're cutting
off other
options.
We live in a
generation,
especially with
young people,
where all we
want to do is
keep as many
options open as
possible.
And it keeps
us uncommitted.
It makes us
flaky.
What ends up
happening is
we're withholding
this sense of
freedom to the
Lord.
We're not
bond slaves to
Jesus.
We're saying,
God, you can
have everything
except my
options.
I got to keep
my options
open.
My commitments
will only go
this far.
And if it goes
to a point where
I have to limit
my options,
you can't have
that Lord.
No, he needs
that too.
We have to limit
our options for
Jesus.
We have to give
up comfort.
We have to give
up our secrets.
The things like,
well, I'll tell
people this, but
that's the one
thing I'm never
going to tell
anyone.
I'll go to my
grave not telling
someone that
thing.
Is God calling
us to give up
some of our
privacy?
What is it that
we're withholding
from God?
What secret?
What level of
privacy?
What level of
freedom?
We're saying,
God, I don't
want to withhold
anything to you.
God, I don't
And then you
hear a sermon
like Seth
brought last
weekend, and
he brings up
bad ultimate
reasons to join
a church.
Like, what are
we willing to
do?
Will we only be
in a small
church?
It's like what
he said last
week.
Well, what
happens if we
do what we're
supposed to do
and preach the
gospel to people
and they get
saved and the
church is no
longer small?
Well, is my
commitment to the
Lord with a
little clause on
the side that
says, I'm
committed to
your church as
long as your
church stays a
certain size where
I'm comfortable
and I don't have
to interact with
people that I
don't like or I
don't know as
well.
As long as it's
not a size that
is too difficult
for me.
As long as I
get to put my
friends and family
first.
As long as I
have the
leadership
opportunities that
I want and as
long as it's
close and has a
proximity to me
that I like.
Some of us,
you know, with
the church
moving,
thinking, oh,
that sucks.
That's further
away.
Some of you are
like, yeah,
that's great.
This is closer.
But that's the
thing.
It can always
change.
And the
posture of a
disciple of
Jesus should
say, God,
nothing is
withheld from
you.
I won't
withhold anything
from you.
No matter what
you ask of me,
I'll give it to
you.
All right,
offer your son
as a sacrifice.
I'll give you
my son.
Whatever it may
take.
Offer your
career.
Offer your
time.
Offer your
options.
Offer your
freedom.
Offer your
money.
Offer your
talents.
Yes, I'm not
withholding anything
from you,
Jesus.
I don't want to
be some guy who's
renowned for being
a giving spiritual
person, yet when it
gets to the end,
the Lord says,
you withheld from
me.
You withheld from
me.
You had a reputation
for being alive.
You gave so much,
and yet what I wanted
you to give,
you withheld,
and you took it
all to the end
with the praises
of man keeping
you, but you
did not have my
praise because I
was not pleased.
And what ends up
happening is we
get mad or sad.
We think God
asked too much.
We think God is
too hard or that
God won't mind.
And that's the one
we don't talk about
a lot.
People will talk
about, yeah, I
feel like it's just
too much or it's
too hard.
God won't mind.
That guy in the
parable said, I
thought you were
too hard, God, so I
buried the talent.
But what about God
won't mind?
God won't mind is a
lack of the fear of
the Lord.
God won't mind is
Ananias and Sapphira
saying, you know,
he's not going to
mind.
He knows we're
giving.
If we keep back a
little bit from
ourselves, God won't
mind is Saul saying,
hey, I mean, what's
the big deal?
I did, we destroyed
a bunch of it, and
now we're going to
sacrifice the stuff to
the Lord.
God won't mind.
Well, God minds.
God minds when we
withhold from him.
God minds.
Someone who doesn't
fear the Lord says
something consciously
or subconsciously like
God doesn't mind.
When it comes down to
it, Jesus wants what
he paid for.
Jesus wants what he
paid for.
And Jesus should get
what he paid for.
Psalm 49, verse 7
says, truly no man
can ransom another
or give to God the
price of his life.
For the ransom of
their life is costly
and can never suffice,
that he should live on
forever and never see
the pit.
So you can't pay the
ransom that is required
to pay the debt that
we owe.
That's what he's
saying here.
So what did Jesus do?
Well, 1 Peter 1, 17-19
says, if you call on
him as father who
judges impartially
according to each
one's deeds, conduct
yourselves with fear
throughout the time of
your exile, knowing
that you were ransomed
from the futile ways
inherited from your
forefathers, not with
perishable things such
as silver or gold, but
with the precious blood
of Christ, like that of
a lamb without blemish
or spot.
You were ransomed.
You were ransomed with
the precious blood of
Christ.
Mark 10, 45 says, even
the son of man came
not to be served, but
to serve and to give
his life as a ransom
for many.
He paid our debt.
1 Corinthians 6, 19-20
says, you are not your
own.
You were bought with a
price, so glorify God
in your body.
He goes on in 1
Corinthians 7, verse 22
and he says, he who
has called in the Lord
as a bondservant is a
freed man of the Lord.
Likewise, he who was
free when called is a
bondservant of Christ.
You were bought with a
price.
Do not become bonds
servants of men.
God bought us.
He purchased us.
We were in debt.
We couldn't pay it.
God said, I will pay your
debt and then you are
mine.
I own you.
You're no longer your
own.
So glorify God with your
body.
You've been bought with a
price.
We don't live like we're
on our own.
You know how you live
like your own when you
withhold from the one
who owns you.
Withholding from the one
who owns you is not
living like you've been
bought with a price.
Acts 20, 28 in the CSB
says, be on your guard
for yourselves and for
all the flock of which
the Holy Spirit has
appointed you as
overseers, speaking to
elders, to shepherd the
church of God, which he
purchased with his own
blood.
He purchased the church.
It's his.
Colossians 2, 13 to 14
says, you were dead in
your trespasses and the
uncircumcision of your
flesh.
God made you alive
together with him, having
forgiven us all our
trespasses by canceling
the record of debt that
stood against us with its
legal demands.
This he set aside, nailing
it to the cross.
How did he cancel the
debt?
With the cross.
The cross was the
payment for your debt.
The cross canceled the
debt because it was the
payment.
Do you believe that?
If he purchased your
debt with the cross, he
purchased you.
You're not your own
anymore.
This is why we sing like
the hymn this, my sin, oh
the bliss of this glorious
thought, my sin not in
part but the whole, was
nailed to the cross and I
bear it no more.
Praise the Lord, praise the
Lord, oh my soul.
Or the other hymn that
says, Jesus paid it all, all
to him I owe.
Sin had left a crimson
stain.
He washed it white as
snow.
If Jesus paid it all, then
all to him we owe.
We give it gladly.
We don't withhold.
We say, Jesus, if you ask
it, I give it.
If you ask it, there's no
conversation.
I'm having short
conversations with the
flesh.
They look like this.
No.
I'm not negotiating with
the flesh.
I'm not negotiating with
my flesh to say, well
God, I'll give you this
much but not all of it.
No.
He paid for it on the
cross.
It's paid for.
He owns me.
Jesus paid it all, so all
to him I owe.
And from that comes the
kind of love that is a
joy.
Luke 7, 41 to 47 says a
certain money lender had
two debtors.
One owed 500 denarii.
A denarii was a day's
wage.
Okay.
So 500 denarii, if you're
working 250 days out of the
year, that's two years wages
right there.
Okay.
So one was forgiven two
years wages.
The other was forgiven 50,
which is 10 weeks.
Okay.
And when they could not pay,
he canceled the debt of both.
One was 10 weeks pay.
One was two years of pay.
And he says to him,
which one will love more?
Simon answered and said,
the one I suppose for whom
he canceled the larger debt.
And he said to him, you have
judged rightly.
Then turning toward the
woman, he said to Simon,
do you see this woman?
I entered your house.
You gave me no water for my
feet, but she has wet my feet
with her tears and wiped them
with her hair.
You gave me no kiss.
But from the time I came in,
she has not ceased to kiss my
feet.
You did not anoint my head
with oil, but she has anointed
my feet with ointment.
Therefore, I tell you her sins,
which are many are forgiven for
she loved much, but he was
forgiven.
Little loves little.
She gave because she was
forgiven much.
She knew that Jesus has paid it
all.
She's not withholding.
Simon withheld from the Lord.
The Lord himself was standing
in front of Simon and he
withheld.
He didn't give extravagantly.
He didn't even give him
anything to wash his feet.
And this woman, she gives
water for the feet.
She's wetting.
She's wetting his feet with
her hair and her tears.
He didn't give any kiss, but
she has not ceased kissing.
And people who look at that
and say that's extravagant,
that's too much.
No, that's the only thing
that's appropriate.
And the only time it's
inappropriate for us is if
we've forgotten how much
we've been forgiven.
We've forgotten the debt
that's been paid.
He didn't just make our debt
less.
He paid it all.
And so an extravagant
response is natural.
It's normal.
It's evidence that you've been
forgiven of much.
Because if you've been
forgiven much, you love
much.
If you've been forgiven
little, you love little.
And when you know this
and you believe this,
you can say as they sing
in Revelation chapter 5
verse 9,
the new song saying,
worthy are you to take
the scroll and to open
its seals.
For you were slain and by
your blood you ransomed
people for God from every
tribe and language and
people and nation.
You have made them a
kingdom of priests to our
God that they shall reign on
this earth.
You say worthy is the
lamb.
You say worthy.
Lord, you're worthy.
I will not withhold
anything from you because
you're worthy.
You're worth it all.
Like, it's worth it.
It's not a bad deal for me.
This isn't a bad
transaction.
I'm giving to you and
actually it's a bad
transaction for you.
It's totally unfair.
It seems ridiculous for me
to give my life after all
that you've given to me.
It's an unfair trade.
It's totally out of the
whack.
Like, my sacrifice to you,
it doesn't even look like
a sacrifice.
It seems so small and
petty in comparison because
of the lamb who was
slain, who was worthy,
who redeemed all over the
earth, who ransomed the
people from the earth.
He paid their debt.
He purchased them.
You purchased me and the
least I can give you is
everything.
Is everything.
How dare I withhold
anything from you?
See, when you know that
God didn't withhold
anything for us, it says in
Psalm 84 11, the Lord
God is a sun and shield.
The Lord bestows favor and
honor.
No good thing does he
withhold from those who
walk uprightly.
Do you know that he's not
withholding anything from
you?
He never has.
He doesn't withhold.
He's given extravagantly.
And the devil lies to us
and whispers and says,
God's not, God's
withholding from you.
Are you kidding me?
When you ever think that,
just look at the cross.
Look at the cross.
Did he withhold anything
on the cross?
No, he gave it all.
Jesus gave it all.
Jesus paid it all.
Jesus gave it all.
And he asked that in view
of this, in light of this,
that we would offer our
bodies as a living
sacrifice.
Have you seen this
treasure?
Is he your treasure?
Is he your joy?
Is he of exceeding value
and worth so that when you
see all the things that
he's calling you to give
to him, the things you
naturally want to withhold?
You look at it and say,
this is so cheap compared
to what I get when I sell
this.
If I sell all I have,
the treasure that I get
is so much more worth it.
I'm not only not fighting
to keep these things,
I'm so excited to get rid
of them because what I'm
getting is so beautiful.
It's so precious.
It's such a great treasure
because the kingdom of
heaven is like a treasure
hidden in a field which a
man found and covered up.
That in his joy he goes and
sells all that he has and
buys that field.
He sells all that he has.
He doesn't withhold.
Again, the kingdom of
heaven is like a merchant in
search of fine pearls.
Who on finding one pearl of
great value went and sold
all he had and bought it.
In his joy.
So like in 1 Thessalonians 2,
11 to 12, I say to you,
like a father with his
children, we exhorted each
of you, we encouraged you
and charged you to walk in a
manner worthy of God.
Worthy of God.
And that's my exhortation to
you today.
My exhortation, my
encouragement, my charge to
you is don't withhold
anything from him.
Don't keep anything back.
Don't withhold your
evangelism.
Don't withhold your time.
Don't withhold anything.
Don't withhold anything
that's in front of you.
Give it all to him.
Because he's worthy.
He's worthy.
And he said to us in Luke
14, 33, those of you who
do not give up everything
you have cannot be my
disciples.
This is discipleship.
But I'm not telling you to
do something that makes no
sense.
I'm not calling you to do
something and charging you
to do something that is not
the most joyful thing you
could possibly do.
I'm telling you to sell all
to get the treasure.
I'm telling you to give your
worthless life in comparison
to the worth of Jesus and to
gain all.
I'm telling you to lose your life so
you can find it.
This is the good news.
This is good news.
And yet, how often do we say no
to Jesus and we withhold things
back and say, God, I want to keep
this thing.
This is better.
This is better than what you
offer Jesus.
Me keeping this is better.
Me holding back is better.
It's never better.
This is the faith that God
requires for salvation.
That Jesus is better.
He's always better.
And therefore, I keep, I bear
fruit in keeping with
repentance by turning from all
these things that I want to
withhold and I gladly give them
because he is the treasure.
He is the treasure.
And he is greater.
And we have a church where the
normal flow of life, the
normal culture of the church
is one of, I don't withhold
anything.
It's all Jesus's.
And when he says do it, it's
such a joyful yes.
Yes.
Whatever you want, Lord.
Whatever you want.
I don't want to withhold
anything from you because the
lamb who was slain is worthy to
receive the reward that is
suffering.
And I want to give it to him.
Amen.