The Oaks

The Oaks Interactive, Episode 5, Being God Centered

May 03, 2020 Josh Hallmark
The Oaks
The Oaks Interactive, Episode 5, Being God Centered
Show Notes Transcript

What we believe and value on the deepest level, is exactly what is directing our lives. Our circumstances are being directed by what is in our heart.

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Good Morning oaks

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families. Today is Sunday, April the 19th. Can you believe it? And we're gonna have a great service today, So let's get with it. Thats one second. We are an episode number five of the Oaks Interactive, and today we have a special time coming up. We'll talk to you guys today about being God centered on inside out approach to life. But before we get to that, let me just remind you of a couple things about the oaks. Interactive number one. This is our church service. So my encouragement to you to gather your family and stop slow down. You have that much to do today. I'm tree have important things. But to say this is the Lord's time and together we're gonna connect with God. We're gonna encounter God today. Um, look, for one thing, that God will speak to you today. Remember that God is speaking. God loves you. He wants to share things with the today. So and then finally enter into our worship time. We're actually going to do something a little different today. We're gonna do a guided scripture reading here in a little while, but first I want to do something for those of you and the kids just want Take just a second and pray for you guys today so let you know that we love you were thinking about you. So let's pray I'm a dad If you're there, put a hand over on your kid. Lord, we ask you to bless our kids today I pray God that you would prosper them. We pray today that you would help them to discover who they are, who you've called them to be. In Jesus name, we pray a man also Lord, we just commit this time to you now before we get our scripture reading today, Um, there's Ah, there's a verse that I want to share with you But there's an idea that we're trying to get to today And, um So let's look at this verse together real quick. Proverbs 4 23 1 of my favorite verses. And I know this is a verse that you guys know, but it says above all else, guard your heart for everything you do flows from it. That's a pretty powerful statement. Everything you do flows from your heart. Let's talk about your heart for just a moment. Um, you know, people talk about living from the inside out, and I think on some level, you can't do anything except live from the inside out. The Bible says that our heart is guiding our thoughts. What is our heart? It's our beliefs. Our innermost beliefs is the sea of our soul. The deepest part of us like the things that we believe on a very deep level. Those air that that's our heart. The things that we embrace on a very deep level. That's our heart. You know, um, the scripture gives quite a bit of attention to the heart. You know, after all, this is what Jesus I believe died for. He wants us. He wants the core of us. But I want to give you this thought. And this is just some things I've been thinking about this past week. Actually, quite a bit is Ah, I'm not trying to wax philosophical here, but let's just talk for just a minute about the outside world. The world we live in, the outside world is governed by laws. The god set up, there's natural principles. You know, the Bible says in Genesis now a bods seed time and harvest cold and hot summer and winter, Um, day and night and this whole idea of seed time. However, there these natural processes that God has set up a long as the earth endures. And, uh, when it comes to reality or the laws that God has said, uh, we can either live in accordance with those things or we can, um, break ourselves against them. We can break ourselves against those laws that God has set up. And so when we align our hearts with the weight with God's commands with his decrees with his laws, we're setting ourselves up to do well on the outside. And so, um, everything is flowing from our heart. And so if everything is flowing from our heart than we want to make sure that the thing that is that the center of us is the Lord himself, there are other things that we center on that don't service the will when it comes to living in the outside world. And let's look at a few examples of these real quick number one. If we're people centred and that's what's directing our life, our life is flowing. You know, if we have not guarded our heart, say and and our said the centre of us is coming from people center, then that means that maybe we're living for the approval of man or were living in a way as to not be rejected. You see how that's guiding our guiding us are it's flowing. That's what's flowing out of us to see the Lord. He wants us to be flown from a different place. Now. One thing that I was thinking about to that church does for us is that church helps us get re center. That's why we gather together every week. And that's why we want to do this is because when we gather together, it helps us get re centered on the things that really matter. So even though we want to love people, loving people is not the first commandment. The first commitment. I still love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and our strength. So we want him to be in the right place. You know, some people there living out of a center of injustice, What does that mean? The thing that guides them the thing that causes the issues of their life that surround them are some injustice that they've experienced. Maybe there's a person that they don't like, and they've given that person way too much power in their life. And they organize their life that issues of their life. If you will flow from not being around a certain person as the where the approval of me and the issues of life might be flowing from, I adjust my life just for approval from this person. Um, injustice would be, uh, you know, I live my life. Maybe you have arrival or an enemy or somebody you don't like, and they control weight. If you find yourself making decisions based around a person, like if she's gonna be there, I'm not gonna be there, that kind of thing. Then the model look and see Oh oh, there's something else at the center other than the Lord. Some of us are needs centered, and we all have needs right way have basic needs. In fact, we'll see here a little bit from Matthew, Chapter six, that God knows our needs before we even ask you. But if we're needs centered, that's not a very good center to be. Is it? You've been around People that were needs centered. You thought that there sucking you dry, right? You thought there pulling everything out of you is because what's around us, our circumstances. They flow from our heart from the center of us, and so we don't want to be need centered. We want to be God centered because he meets all of our needs according to his riches and glory. You know, some people are performance centered, the deep seat of their heart, Like the deep part of their heart. They believe that it's all up to their performance. Everything is up to the This is where you know, this is a glorified in our culture, the whole self made man idea. But you know what? There are things that are greater than performance. I think God loves excellence. He loves for us to do well. Obviously, he wants us to do well. But it's not all about that when we live from a different center with God is the center. He's the very center. Then it's not all about our performance. It's about who we are and whose we are. You know, some people live from a center of possessions. They're driving forces. How can, ah amass more things? How can I gain more things? How can I gain more wealth and their work might be their center? That's where maybe it's a little different than performance. They are thinking at my performance. I just want to get all that I can get. It's really all about me. And, uh So anyway, I wanna Paul's just a second here because I want to add this one right here. I want to add, because this is really, um this is where a lot of us live, right? We believe that at our core, that were the most important thing. And, um, if our the issues of our life are flowing from this center, then uh, were very limited in what we can contribute to the Earth, because, after all, it's all about us, right? The end of all being is our happiness, or the end of all being is what we can do or what we can get or how it affects us. And this type of center doesn't do us doesn't serve us well, especially when, uh, when there's a much better center that we can have and it's this one right here. We want to be God centered. And so, uh, what I want to do today is I wanted to actually go to the Scriptures. Teoh, Matthew, Chapter six. And, um, one thing on a C is how the Lord Jesus he was trying to He was trying to draw us towards this. In fact, this is what Jesus said, he said those that that embrace my teaching, those who who listen and learn and obey these people are like people who build their house on a rock and, uh and so me to think about this internalizing God at the center is like building on a rock. And when the rains come and when winds blow, that house stands because it's found it. So there's this inside that's being built that's really strong, and it's protecting its What's outside you guys. You know what we're experiencing right now with Cove in 19. It's really testing us. I know Ginger and I personally is really testing us financially. We're having to dig toe, believe the Lord to meet our needs. But ultimately, if we're if we're founded on a rock, then we're going to see the winds blow and they beat on that house. But that house stands. Jesus also said if you don't listen to my teachings and if you have some other center, if you will other than God and the way that he set things up Um then when the winds come, the range blow Well, the winds I'm sorry. The rain's coming, The winds blow That house is that that house is like a house is built on the sand and when they come, you know, I think the King James says great was the fall of it, and that's not what we want to characterize. A. So now what I'm gonna do, because we're going to go to this Matthew Chapter six and I'm going to read to you guys for a little while. But what I want to do here, in my encouragement to you, is, uh is for you to you can keep back if you want to put your feet up and I'm gonna call this a guided meditation, if you will, or a guided journey three. Matthew, Chapter six. And let's just see as we read this, how Jesus is drawing our heart away from other things that might worry ISS and drawing our hearts to things that are important for us that help us be, God centered. So over the end of this reading, you'll be in a new place. I'm gonna gonna place the music and I'm gonna read the scripture. I'm actually gonna hide my face so that you can just think about the scripture itself. Let's let this scripture Let's let this gadji. This is Matthew Chapter

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six. Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the Navy, don't announce it with trumpets or posted on Facebook as hypocrites do in the synagogues. That was may Sorry. I tell you the truth. They have received their reward in full. But when you give to the navy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret. He will reward you, and when you pray, don't be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray. Standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by me. I tell you the truth, they've received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen then your father, who sees what is done in secret he will reward you. And when you pray, don't keep on babbling like pagans for they think that they will be heard by their many words. Don't be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask him then this is how you should pray. Our father in heaven hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our deads and we also forget or forgive our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive you your sins. When you fast do not look somber as the hypocrites for they disfigure their faces to show men they're fasting. I tell you the truth. They have received their reward and full. But when you fast put oil on your head, wash your face so that it will not be obvious to me and that you're fast but on Lee, to your father, who is unseen. And your father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Do not store up treasures on Earth for yourselves, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up instead. Treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasury is there, your heart will be also the eye is the lamp of the body. Your eyes air Good. If your eyes air good, your whole body will be full of life. But if your eyes or bad your whole body will be full of darkness and then the light within you His darkness. How great is that darkness? I think this is the same ideas, the heart. If the thing that we look at the core of us, what we see is light our whole life will be full of light. But if the core of us, if we're just looking to things that are dark those other things I mentioned that it causes our whole body to be full of darkness. The next verse No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he'll be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Finally, therefore, I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you eat or drink or about your body. What you will wear is not a life more important than food in the body. More important than close, look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about your clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin yet. I tell you that not even Solomon, in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that's how God closed the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire. Well, not will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith. So do not worry saying what we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear? The pagans run after these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom his righteousness. I'm adding this seek firsthand and all these things will be given to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow Worry about itself Each day has enough trouble of its own. Close your eyes with me. I'd like to just pray for you now Father, I thank you for our families and I just pray blessings upon blessings today and I asked right where they are right now listening on their phones or in their living rooms or on their computers that you would reach from here to there actually from heaven so there and you would supply all of their needs according to your riches and glory. The need for companionship, the need for finances, the need for new perspective and Father Today we just pray that you would forgive us for having anything as the center of our lives other than you. And we pray you would re centrist today. And we love you. Lore. I would like to lead

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us today in the Lord's Prayer. Let's read this together. Jesus said this then is how you should pray. Are you ready? Our father in heaven hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. That is good. Good stuff now, before done for the day. I mean, they're just a

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couple of announcements

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and what we finished. Don't forget senior ties and offerings in using the oaks dot org's slash giving may God bless you as you partner with him. His economy? Yes. Don't forget. When you give give to the Lord, your not just giving to the church church receives it. But give to the Lord Say, Lord, I'm giving this to you. I'm believing that you're helping me get protection amount of 4 to 4 Oaks gift or mailed in 20 to 1 executive part, Dr Opelika, Alabama 36801 Don't forget that will be having the zoom call. Shortly way have to just have a little time of prayer and hellos to see each other's faces. And thank you, Annabelle. And been sound dot com for the music today. Now, let me just say this every year. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine on you and turn to you and be gracious to you and give you peace. I bless you in the name of Jesus, have amazing Sunday the rest of your day and take care.