Matt Hagee - The Best You Have To Give
Let's read Galatians 6:7 and 9 together. If you're there, say, amen. The Bible says, "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked. Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will, of the flesh, reap corruption. But he who sows to the spirit will, of the spirit, reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good: for in due season, we shall reap if we do not lose heart".
Heavenly Father, today, let us see from heaven's perspective, the size and the quality of the sacrifice that we have brought to you today. And let us be a people who worship you in spirit and truth, that you would be pleased with what we have brought to your house on your day, in the mighty name of your son, Jesus Christ. All of God's children said, "Praise the Lord".
You may be seated. Hebrews 13, it says, "It's a sacrifice of praise". It's something that costs you. That means that it's not cheap, it's not easy. It's precious, even to the point that it's priceless. How many of you remember that national advertising campaign that counted up all of the costs that were associated with an experience, and then at the end, said that the value of the experience was priceless? You know, you bought a ticket to the ball game, $150. You must have only bought one. Hot dogs and popcorn, $50, ball cap, $45. Remembering the night you caught your first fly ball, priceless. And the reason that they could do such a thing is because what they were talking about was the difference between cost and value. And there's a lot of people who count the cost of what they are giving to God without understanding the value of the experience.
When you look at the commercial, you saw people who were willingly giving the costs because they appreciated the value of the experience, to the point that they said, "It was priceless". We should do the same thing here on Sunday in the Lord's house. We should view our opportunity to be here as the same type of experience. It doesn't matter what the cost is, the value is priceless. Because when you look at it from heaven's perspective, here's how they see it. They consider what they paid for the exchange of you having the opportunity to be here, and they gave the very best they had when God sent his son to an old-rugged cross, that he might die that we would live. It's priceless. Jesus counted the cost in Mark 8, when he said, "What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul"?
That means that if Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos gave you all of their fortunes, and they're not. Jesus said, take all of that and throw it away. It's not worth losing your soul. He found your soul to be so priceless that he gave everything he had, his own life, that you might be redeemed. And he did it when you weren't worth dying for. Because Romans 5 says that while we were yet sinners, when we were at our worst, he was at his very best. And he gave his life that we might be redeemed. This is why 1 Corinthians says, "You were bought with a price". You didn't get here cheaply. He gave everything he had. Therefore, "Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are Gods". The price has been paid for you to be here. You didn't even have to buy admission tickets to get in.
Jesus made a way where there seems to be no way. He took off your filthy, unrighteous garments, and he covered you and he cleansed you. You don't even have to go buy the jersey for the home team. He wrapped you in a robe of righteousness. And in heavenly places today, you look like all the saints throughout all of the ages, because Jesus made you look like you belong! If I came to you, and I said, "Hey, I've got free tickets, and I've got an all-access pass to the sporting event of your dreams," would you take it? Yes. I got a man in the back. Hallelujah. I mean, you go into the owner's suite. You're gonna sit in his seats. You're gonna eat at his Buffet table, because you got this little all-access pass. You walk around like you own the stadium. You'd sit up there and talk to him, "Well, they shouldn't have called that play. I don't know why they did that".
You were just nobody a few hours ago. But now you're an expert. You need to understand that because of what Jesus has done, you have an all-access pass to sit in the throne room of God's grace and his mercy, which is why Paul said, "Let us go boldly before the throne and receive grace and mercy in our hour of need". Because of Jesus, you've got a reserved seat in the owner's suite. And it's where in Ephesians, it says, "He raised us up. And we are seated together in heavenly places". You may look like you're sitting in a sanctuary, but because we've worshiped the mighty name of Jesus, his presence has invaded this place. And right here, right now, we are seated in heavenly places with the owner of heaven and earth, for the Bible says, "The earth is the Lord's".
We are seated in heavenly places with the One who owns the cattle on a thousand hilltops. Right now, you're sitting in the presence of him who said, "All of the gold is mine and all of the silver is mine". He holds the mountains in a scale, child of God. He has the hills in a balance. He counts the stars and he calls them by name. He measures the heavens with the span of his hand. He commands winds in waves with the sound of his voice. He controls the seas with the very breath of his nostrils. What a mighty God we serve! And he's here today! Considering that the price has been paid for you to have this experience, how should you view it? Priceless. It's priceless. How could you ever live without it? David, the king who had a palace, said, "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere". It's priceless. Psalms 122, "I was glad when they said unto me, 'let us go into the house of the Lord,' because when you're in God's house, you're in God's presence". And that's priceless.
There's healing for the sick in God's house, and that's priceless. There's forgiveness for the sinner in God's house, and that's priceless. There's strength for the weary who don't think they can go on and they get to take their next step of faith because God is on their side. That's priceless. There's rivers of mercy that cleanse your heart, soul, mind, and body. That's priceless. There's joy unspeakable and full of glory, and that's priceless. There's peace that surpasses all understanding in a world where you should lose your mind. It's Jesus that's on your side, and that's priceless! There's power in God's house. You have power to bind and you have power to loose. You have power to break chains, to lift burdens, to destroy yokes, to set captives free. You have power to move mountains. You have power to change destinies. You have power to restore, power to revive, power for victory. Give the Lord a shout of praise!
So what is that worth to you? Priceless. Is it worth your time? "Ugh, I've gotta go to church". It's priceless. Is it worth your attention? Is it worth effort? It's priceless. That's why Galatians said, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. Whatever you sow, you will reap". If you came in the flesh today, you're going to reap in the flesh today. If you came to worship in spirit and truth, then you're going to worship and receive in spirit and truth. He knows why you came. He knows who's here to enter his gates with thanksgiving and who's entering his courts with praise. And he knows who's got a long list of self-centered complaints. He knows who came to bring a sacrifice. And he knows who came to check church off their list. And based on this conversation in Galatians, sowing and reaping, if you came to check church off your list, do you want God to check you off of his list? That's how this goes.
The way you give it is the way you receive it. If you give it with everything you've got, he said, "I'll open the windows of heaven and I'll pour out upon you blessings that you cannot contain". "I'll make you the head and not the tail. I'll make you above and not beneath". "I'll rebuke the devourer for your sake". You'll put your hand to the plow, and whatever you do, it will prosper, because you belong to me and I belong to you. And there's nothing that I won't give you the ability to do! Jesus said, "The father is seeking such to worship him". He wants you to give with your whole heart. Now, in the balance of this message, I want to teach you what it means to worship the Lord corporately. We're gonna go in Exodus 24, to the very first congregational worship service. Understand that God had met with people before this, and people had worshiped God individually prior to this, but this is the first time that all of Israel is collected. And Moses, the pastor, is going to have a congregational worship service.
The reason why I take you to Exodus 24 is because the Bible says, "God does not change". So if this is the way that God did the first church service, this is the way we need to be doing church service. And the first thing that God did in the first congregational worship service is he extended to you an invitation. You have been cordially invited. Now, when you get one of these invitations at home, before you even open the envelope, you're like, "Ooh. 'cordially'". You get one of those invitations and a spirit of expectancy starts to grow in you about wherever you're going to go. You need to understand that all worship begins by invitation. In Exodus 24:1, God said to Moses, "Come up to the Lord. You, Aaron, and all of the elders, and worship me". If God did not invite you, you couldn't come. Why? Because he's so holy, that the Bible says, "If any man looks at God, they would die".
You can't get access to this on your own. He's got to extend the invitation to you. And what he did when he sent his only begotten son, is he sent you an invitation for all of eternity. He sent Jesus to become our high priest. And Jesus said, "I am the door. No man comes unto the father but by me". But Jesus also said, "Whatever you ask the father in my name, he will do it". That means that today, you don't have to wait for God to invite you. When he sent Jesus to the cross, and Jesus said, "It is finished," you have an invitation that any time you need him, for any reason, you can call on him and he'll answer you and show you great and mighty things that you know not. Think about that, child of God. What Moses had to wait for, we receive freely in Jesus Christ today.
We live by faith and take comfort in his eternal promise: for salvation for the righteous is close at hand. God is Almighty and all-powerful. And he is working his sovereign plan for your life. Send your gift today. Call the number on your screen or visit jhm.Org/the answer. So the question is, how do you think God feels when we don't accept his invitation? He sent his son to a cross and he crucified him so that we could be here. How do you think he feels when we're here or not here? You don't accept his invitation. "Well, I'm just too busy". If you're that busy, you are too busy. "I'm too tired. I get too distracted". Focus. "Well, I was offended by church". He didn't invite you to church: he invited you to worship him. I've heard people use the excuse, "Well, I was raised in religion. I've done my time". You think you've done time on earth? How long do you think eternity is?
Now we're talking about doing time. "Well, preacher, that's not for me". The point again, you are here because he invited you. Worship begins with an invitation. That comes from God. And then worship includes a revelation from the Word of God. You cannot worship God without the word. And one of the greatest tragedies that we have in the church today is that we think we can worship without the word. Without the word, you may have a great performance, but you will not have God's power. Without the word, you may have a full house that's entertained, but you will not have the fullness of joy because his presence is not in that place.
You say, "Well, how can you say that"? Whenever you read Exodus 24:1, God said, "Come up here and worship me". In verse 3, the Bible says that Moses came and he told all the people what the Lord had said. Moses got in God's presence. God spoke to Moses. The pastor of the first church of the children of Israel, went back down the mountain, and said, "This is what the Lord shared with me". That's the Word of God. And in verse 3, the children of Israel said, "We will do it". Say that with me. "We will do it". You have not properly worshiped God until his word has been presented and you have accepted. Why? It's not just the musical portion of the service. Worship is all for him. Everything we do is worshiping him, because he deserves all glory, all honor, and all praise.
Hebrews 10 says, "We worship because Jesus replaced the veil that was in the temple with his own flesh". That means that he is now the barrier between us and God. And he, Jesus, has said, "You call on me and you go through that barrier, straight into the throne room". In John 1, it says, "The word became flesh, and it dwelt among us". So if Jesus replaced it with his flesh, and his flesh became the word, you cannot worship without the word. This is what Paul said to Timothy, "Preach the word". If you go to church somewhere on a Sunday and you don't hear the word, you have wasted your time. Because worship requires the word. So you have an invitation to worship, you have a revelation from the word, and worship includes a presentation.
Now what is your presentation? It is your offering. Your giving is a praise unto God. Exodus 24:5, the children of Israel heard the word in Exodus 3. In Exodus 24:5, it says that Moses offered 12 oxen, one for every tribe. It was brought by each tribe. They offered 12 oxen as a sacrifice unto the Lord. They made a presentation to God. Moses gave them the word, and the children of Israel said, "We will do it". And to honor the fact that they were going do it, they gave God a sacrifice. It's not just music. It's not just preaching. It's also giving. God deserves your offerings. Why? Because he's God. God deserves your offerings because he's God. And what does he expect? He expects the best we have to give. "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked".
When you sing, he knows if you're singing your best song. When you preach, he knows if you're preaching your best sermon. When you give, he knows if you're giving your best gift. 2 Corinthians 9:6, "He who sows sparingly, he will reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully, he will reap bountifully". The evidence of your obedience is giving. The question that I want to ask you today is, "What kind of a giver are you"? 2 Corinthians 9, it says, "The Lord loves a cheerful giver". But there's three kinds of givers that he describes. He says there's a grudging giver, meaning that you just got a bad attitude about it. There's a necessity giver, which means that you do it for reasons of your own.
And then there's a cheerful giver. Here's three kinds of givers. Let's start with the grudging giver. A grudging giver is kind of like a flint rock. It has to be hit before it gives you anything. No, no. It's time to take the offering. You have to work hard to get anything out of it. It'll give you a little spark every now and again, but not every time. God looks down from heaven and he's frustrated with some because they're grudging when they give. Don't be a grudging giver. And then there's necessity givers. Necessity givers are kind of like sponges. They sit in God's house for years and they hear the word. And they get submerged in his presence when the choir sings. And they come for the experiences, but they don't ever do anything. They never serve. They never offer their assistance. They don't do what the Bible says they should do.
And then the world suddenly turns for them and some experience creates a problem and a crisis. And when they're twisted and squeezed, what they've soaked up for so long finally comes out of them. And once it's out of them, they go right back to soaking it up. These are necessity givers. But the Bible says the Lord loves a what? Cheerful giver. That's kinda like a honeycomb. The Bible describes Jesus as honey in the honeycomb. What does that mean? Well, if you know anything about honey, the comb is really useless. It's wasted wax that has no value until honey is placed inside of it. All by itself, it's not good for much. But when there's honey inside of it, it gives a wonderful offering. You and I are honeycomb. Without Jesus inside of us, we have nothing to give. But when he pours himself into us, suddenly, all you've got to do is move us and we give. And we just keep on giving. And we keep on giving.
You don't have to squeeze us. You don't have to twist us. You don't have to turn us. You don't have to strike us. Jesus just pours out of us. He's put so much in us, how can we not give back to him all the praise that he's worthy of? Joy comes out of us. Peace comes out of us. Hope comes out of us. Life comes out of us. Opportunity comes out of us. Why? Because Jesus is in us. Child of God, you don't have to hit me. You don't have to twist me. You don't have to do anything but move me because Jesus is in me. And when you move me, what's in me flows out of me. And I'm telling you that when God is in you, there's nothing that can stop you. There's nothing that can stand against you. All things are working on your behalf. Child of God, if you have Jesus in your heart today, then give him the praise he's worthy of, for the Lord is great and he is greatly to be praised!
Remain standing. I'll bring this message to a close by letting you know that there's a revelation, a presentation, and a consecration. What does it mean to consecrate something? It means that it's covered. Read Exodus 24. It tells us something very peculiar in verses 7 and 8. It says that Moses, when they had sacrificed the animals, he took half of the blood and he put it in a basin. And he took the other half of the blood and he put it on the altar. Now the altar was the judgment seat where God was looking to judge the sin of sinners. And when he saw the blood, he gave them remission, meaning forgiveness of sin, which is why the Bible says, "Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin".
But with the other half of the blood that he put in the basin, Moses did something very peculiar. He took the blood, and the Bible says that he sprinkled it on the people. He went over all of the people and he sprinkled the blood on every one of the tribes. And you say, "Well, why would he do that? Why would he sprinkle blood on these people"? The blood was on the altar. God already saw the blood. But what you don't understand is that when he was sprinkling the blood on the people, he was camouflaging them.
God looked down at the blood on the judgment seat, and he said, "Right here, I don't see any reason to judge, because there's blood". But then he said, "Over here, there's no reason to judge, because there's blood. There's no reason to count them as sinners, because there's blood. There's no reason for them to be underneath your wrath, because there's blood. They've been forgiven, because there's blood. They've been set free, because there's blood. They've been given opportunity to succeed, because there's blood. They can overcome the world, the flesh and the devil, because there's blood".
I'm telling you, when you understand what Jesus did, you'll know that we should sit here and thank God just for Jesus, because his blood has given you power. His blood has given you authority. His blood has given you victory. His blood has made you an heir and a joint heir and royalty in heavenly places. Child of God, give the Lord a shout of praise for the blood of Jesus Christ!