The Heart Before The Gift - Pastor Erick Aguilar

The phrase “working blood” stood out as we sang  and heard about Jesus’ sacrifice for us before we took communion. Jesus’ blood worked, is working and will work on our behalf. Communion commemorates Jesus’ sacrifice for each of us. It helped us put in perspective how much He gave for each of us to be His followers and to spend eternity with Him.

Pastor Erick Aguilar’s sermon was entitled “The Heart Before the Gift.” He read about Joshua and the Israelite army were to

”March around the city once with all the armed men. Do this 

for six days. Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams’ horns 

in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city 

seven times, with the priests blowing the trumpets. When you hear

them sound a long blast on the trumpets, have the whole army

give a loud shout; then the wall of the city will collapse….”

Joshua 6:3-5 (NIV)

Those instructions seem ludicrous to us so imagine how they sounded to Joshua and the mighty army of God. They were to march silently for six days around the city walls. Do those directions empower an army before it launches into a battle against its rival? God’s plans are higher than man’s plans. Pastor Erick’s Paramount Point was Worship is a weapon that must be coupled with obedience. 

Why do we worship?  We worship first and foremost because we have an innate desire to adore Him who created us. “Yet God made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s  work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 We want to know our Creator. We want to know who He is and how He functions. Every human has a sense of our smallness in contrast to His grandeur and power. He is beyond our imagination, and yet we want to know Him. That is why we worship.

Additionally, obedience is costly. Pastor Erick cited the life of King Saul. The Lord had directed him to kill all the Amalekites and their livestock. However, Saul saw some livestock he valued and saved the livestock and the king of the Amalekites. When Samuel the prophet confronted King Saul and his disobedience, Saul justified his behavior and stated that he had obeyed the Lord. Saul was in denial. “But Samuel replied, ’What is more pleasing to the Lord; your burnt offers and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?’” 1 Samuel 15:22

Saul wanted what he wanted including God’s approval of his disobedience. “When we put our words in God’s mouth, we are in danger,” emphasized Pastor Erick. Saul was more interested in what he wanted instead of what God instructed. 

Pastor Erick repeated Pastor Greg Hendrick’s words,”Failing the instructions means succeeding in destruction.” Saul continued in his path of disobedience and even went so far as to erect a monument to himself. Obedience quickly becomes disobedience when the assignment has changed.

In contrast to Saul’s disobedience was Joshua’s obedience. When the Lord’s messenger sought out Joshua, Joshua asked him if he was a friend or foe. 

“‘Neither one…I am the commander of the Lord’s army.’ 

At this, Joshua fell with his face to the ground in reverence. 

‘I am at your command.’” Joshua 5:14

Joshua humbled himself and honored the Lord’s commander. Later he heard the seemingly illogical and unreasonable instructions in battling the people of Jericho. However, Joshua obeyed the Lord, and the outcome contrasted Saul’s. The posture of the heart makes a huge difference. “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourself.” James 1:22

Additionally, both obedience and disobedience have eternal effects. “By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army marched around them for seven days.” Hebrews 11:30 Joshua and his army followed the Lord’s instructions and were successful. They honored and obeyed the Lord because they revered Him, Jehovah!  it’s easier to be obedient when you understand the heart of God.

Finally, proximity to God is crucial. Sitting at His feet, reading His word, listening to His still, small voice, sharing your heart with Him—those are actions that bring you closer to God. God loves us so much that He tells us what is best for us to do. However, we often only hear half of what our Lord is saying because we are so easily distracted. We let the world or what we want disrupt our conversation with the Lord. Though we know how much He loves us and gave Himself for us, why do we let anything come between the Lord and us?

God’s heart is for us to love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, mind and spirit and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Do we give because He first gave to us, or do we give to get something back? He showed us how to love through Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. That is His heart. Are you like Saul giving the Amalekite cattle as an offering to the Lord? Or are you like Joshua obeying the Lord first? If we put our gift before our heart, we’ve missed the point. “Guard and tend your heart with all diligence because of all issues of life flow from it.” Proverbs 4:23 The Father is pleased in our being not our doing.

May we be in the Lord’s presence so much that we reflect His love and grace in this dark world.

Calendar:

10/12-Harvestfest right after the service

10/12-Pastor Appreciation Day

10/17-LB potluck, worship, and speaker

10/24-Jesus Rally and Midnight Hour

Blessings,

Larry and Annette