Building the House of God - Give Me or Make Me — Phil Beach Jr.

The Faithful Shepherd Brings Straying Sheep Back

Thank you, Lord. We bless you, Lord, for your presence. We bless you, Lord, how lovely you are. How lovely you are, Lord. Father, we are amazed that you are so faithful and so loving and so gentle, yet so consistent and so persistent and continuously as a faithful shepherd, bringing us back from going astray.

Lord, left to our own selves, we would indeed go our own way. As a lamb would stray from the flock, taking its own life into its own hands, and put itself in harm's way. So likewise, Lord, we are continuously going astray, trusting in our own understanding, living by our fears, as our brother shared, being controlled by other people because of our perverted need to get their approval.

And we're not free, but yet you consistently, day after day, week after week, search us out and bring us back. Father, we rejoice. We ask that today you would open up the ears of our heart and enable us to hear your word today and continue the process of accomplishing your will and heart for our life.

We ask in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen and amen. Psalm 119 or yes, Psalm 119, one verse as we work toward sharing the Lord's heart this morning. Psalm 119, the last verse. Psalm 119, verse 176.

I have gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandments. I have gone away like a lost sheep. Seek thy servant. Brothers and sisters, you and I go away like lost sheep.

Human Straying and the Safety of God's Word

We choose our own way. We take things into our own hands. We think we know better than God. We do what the world tells us is important. We seek after the things that Gentiles seek after. But in all of our straying and in all of our wandering, we have a faithful shepherd who is continuously seeking to bring us back to the fold.

Under the care and guidance of his voice and his word, let me say this by the Holy Spirit today. The only safety that you and I have as sheep from falling prey to the tendency to stray is the safety of God's Word and the oversight of the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must pray that God so inclines our heart, so moves upon our heart, so as to cause a groaning within us to arise deep within the shrine of our spirit, deep within the center of our being. A groaning and a cry that says, oh, dear heavenly shepherd, oh, great shepherd, oh, great overseer of my soul, keep me from straying.

Keep me from wandering. Keep me from going my own way. Keep me from moving in a direction that is not in accord with your counsel. Now let me say, brothers and sisters, that to have such a desire within your heart must be a work of God's grace.

You cannot simply decide one day that you're going to begin to earnestly seek that your life would stay within the protection of the shepherd. Because the very desire to want that has to be wrought in us by the grace of God.

And as we've all sensed, and as I sensed in the Holy Spirit as our brother Jim was speaking, he was speaking not out of theology, not out of a teaching that he recently learned in a book. He was teaching, he was sharing out from the very dealing of God in his life.

That's what we have to pray God will do in our hearts. I have gone astray like a lost sheep. Do we see that going astray like a lost sheep occurs? Even if it's just a little bit, it occurs every time in our heart we misjudge someone.

Every time in our heart we speak evil about another person. Every time our heart is moved with greed or covetousness. Every time we set our heart on something rather than Him, we're going astray. Now I'm wondering how many of us are aware of that tendency within us and who are very, very troubled over the fact that you go astray.

Or is your conscience seared? Is your conscience hard? Does it bother you? Does it bother you if you say an unkind word to someone? Does it trouble you at the thought of wanting to demand your own way?

I have gone astray like a lost sheep. Seek thy servant. May God help us this morning to recognize our need to be continuously brought by the shepherd into the center of his will and his heart. May God help us to see our need to be shepherded by him and taught by him every day of our life.

The Prodigal Son's “Give Me” and His Journey into Poverty

Now, I'd like for you to turn to Luke Chapter 15. And I want to mention a few other important words that God will speak into our heart. Luke Chapter 15. I want you to see. We've ministered on this before, but this morning again the Lord has put it in my spirit.

Listen carefully. I want you to see two words. Two words. Give me and then make me. Number one. Number two. Luke Chapter 15. Beginning in verse number 11. A certain man had two sons. Okay? The younger of them said to his father, Give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.

We know the story. This young man came to his father and the first thing that came out of his mouth according to the story was, Give me what is mine. Give me what is mine. Well, to make a long story short, we know that this young man took what was his and got himself in trouble.

He began to live a riotous lifestyle. He got to hanging around with the wrong people. He went to a far country. He spent all that he had. There was a great famine in the land. He had nothing. He became deficient.

And he ended up working in the fields to feed swine. Verse number 17. This young man, as a result of his own actions, ended up in a very, very, very difficult situation. He was brought to the bottom. And then once he got to the bottom, he found a compartment that enabled him to even go lower.

He got real low. But look what happened when he got real low. Brothers and sisters, this is exactly where you and I are heading. If we belong to the Lord and we have the cry in our heart to know our Father.

Listen carefully. Verse 17. And when he came to himself, he said. Now, see, at first, all he said was this. Give me. OK, now he's saying something else, isn't he? He's not saying give me notice what he's saying now.

You see, God was working on his heart. Watch what he's saying now. How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough to spare? And I perish with hunger. Oh, dear God, help us. God, help us. This young man.

As a result of his initial. Desire, give me give me, God, what is mine, went through a trial and talking about trials a lot. He went through a test. And now this is where he is. It's not give me it's oh, my God.

I am in poverty. OK, now watch what he says. I will arise and go to my father. Isn't this interesting? Before, what did he want? He wanted his inheritance. But now what does he want? He wants his daddy now.

I wonder if we can hear. I think we're hearing. I'm not sure. I'm not sure if we're hearing, but that's OK. That's OK. Because we have a father in heaven. Who says I can open up the deaf ear, Carrie? OK, so that's our only hope, actually, if we didn't have that promise, it would be very discouraging right now, wouldn't it?

Be very discouraging right now. Father, give me. And now we've got a young man saying, Daddy. Help me. I'm going to you. Isn't that strange? Before we went through this, he didn't really want his father, did he?

No, he didn't want daddy. Oh, he wanted his father's money. Listen, he wanted what daddy could give him. And you know what? It was his rightful. Inheritance, right, I often imagine, and this doesn't reflect.

Wanting God Himself Rather Than What God Can Give

A desire within my heart, literally, but I often imagine myself being. An extremely wealthy man and one day waking up saying, I want a wife, but I come up with a plan because I'm wise enough to know in my dream now, this is my what I've what I've often imagined over the years as as a result of a father teaching me things about his own heart and what he's looking for.

I'm wise enough to know that if I would go into the village and look for a wife, a raid in my. Glorious. Kingly clothes wearing my ring, having my servants follow me. Basically doing whatever I ask them to do, it's possible.

That a lot of women would show interest in me. But I'm not sure it would be me that they were interested in. And. You know what I mean? They might they might. Have their eye on what I have and know. That.

If they can connect with me. They can say, give me. It's my give me. Now, what's sad in my heart, because you know what? I wouldn't want to find a wife who came to me. And said, oh, I love you, you know, you're just such a.

I'm just in love with you when, in fact, she was saying, oh, I love myself. And I see that you have. All the money that any woman can ask for, and if I can just get you, I can get your money. So what I do is this.

I call my servants in and I say, friends. I want you to make me the clothes of a pauper. A poor man, and I want you to disrobe me and clothe me so that there's nothing about me. That's attractive, nothing outwardly, I want you to dress me so that when someone looks at me.

They go. Where did he come from? Can anything good come out of Hackett's town? Can anything good? Is this what they said about Jesus? Can anything good come out of where? Nazareth. You know what Nazareth was?

Nazareth was the ghetto. That's where God sent the king. Wonder why. Why do you think that? Why do you think the father sent his son, the king of heaven? The one who all heaven worships and bows, I wonder why he sent him into the ghetto.

Why didn't he send him on chariots of fire? So my servants clothed me in pauper's uniform, pauper's clothes, and I go out. And I see a lot of women, but you know what? They don't even notice me. And then I find a strangely beautiful woman sitting beside of a well, and I go up to her.

And I just sit down and I just say, good day. And she looks at me and she says, good day, and we begin to talk and I find. And. That this woman. Begins to show an interest. In who I am, because, frankly, I didn't tell her what I have.

I just showed her. Who I was by my speech, by my talk, and lo and behold. We meet there every day and one morning I wake up in my palace. And I say, I think I have found the woman of my dreams, and the reason I know that is because she loves me.

I've been courting her for quite some time and never, never, never did I ever hear from her mouth. Sir, give me. I just saw someone. Who is interested in me, so I decide. To propose to this woman and she accepts it, and I tell her that I have some friends that will meet her tomorrow.

And we'll we'll be married at my place. She didn't even know I had a place. She never asked me. See, she wasn't interested in that. She she she was interested in me. She she asked where I lived. So she she asked about me.

I gave her my heart. She gave me her heart. And so the next morning. Instead of telling my servants to dress me in in my proper outfit, I said, put my kingly robes on today. I was surprised for my sweetheart and all the horses came and the beautiful chariot came.

And there, my fair lady, my beautiful espoused virgin was sitting there and she looked up. She put her head down. Because she saw the presence of kingly beauty and she didn't know what to think of it, the servants came out and looked at her and said, are you the espoused virgin to so and so?

She said, yes. And they stepped aside and I came walking out and she was speechless. She looked at me and I looked at her. I said, come here. And she walked up. She embraced me. And here's what she said to me in my ear, no one knew because it was quiet, I mean, it was a very special moment, she said.

She said, listen, this is what she said, she said, my love wanted you and that's all I still want is you. And this is what he whispered back to her. I know, sweetheart. That's why I'm giving you everything.

That I have. Because I know you don't want it, you only want me. And he came to himself or 17, that phrase, there is a phrase used in the Greek language, and I've read this and I assume it's correct. It indicates when a person recovers from temporary insanity.

From “Give Me” to “Make Me”

And is restored back to sanity. Do you know every single one of us are suffering from temporary insanity and you know how that insanity manifests itself? We actually come into the courts of the king on a daily basis and we're asking him for things instead of asking him for.

Himself, that's that's insanity, isn't it? Why would we want something when we can have him? But be of be of good cheer, brothers and sisters. There is a healing for your and my insanity. Now, here's how you know you're getting healed from insanity.

OK. Here's how, you know, something begins to happen in your heart and it's the work of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Here's how you know you start getting healed from insanity. You go from give me to poverty to make me.

Did you catch that? We start out, give me. Then under the hand and discipline of our father in heaven, he brings us to see our poverty and then in our poverty, we no longer care about getting things. We now are begging God, make me father.

It's you that I want. I'm going to you now. I want you to make me a son, a daughter who loves you. Who brings pleasure to your heart, you'll take care of everything else. Now, watch this. Watch this. I will arise and go to my father and will say to him, father, I have sinned.

Now, let me tell you something, brothers and sisters. This young man's sin. Is not. So much what he did with his inheritance, that's not the sin, although what he did with it was quite foolish. God wants to take us deeper than repenting over what we do.

Although never, ever, ever feel that that is insignificant, that's very important. God wants to take us a level deeper. I don't know if anyone ever watches Amber alive, the cooking show. Maybe not, but oftentimes he'll say right before a commercial.

Stay tuned. Don't touch that dial because we're going to take it up a notch. Anybody. Turn it up a notch. Thank you, Jennifer. So you do see it from time to time, OK? We're going to turn it up a notch.

Listen, listen, the Holy Spirit is saying, yes, yes, yes. This young man was foolish in how he spent his inheritance. But don't touch the dial. Don't go anywhere because I'm going to turn it up a notch and I'm going to take it a little deeper.

And I'm going to show you that, yes, it was wrong how he how he spent his inheritance. But the but the root of the sin is not how he spent the inheritance. The root of the sin is he failed to understand what his true inheritance was.

Or should I reword that? He failed to understand who his inheritance was. What are you after today, brothers and sisters, him or what is rightfully yours? God will not give that spiritual place that the book of Revelation speaks of.

He that overcomes will sit on my throne. God will not give that place to sons and daughters who still want something. Other than. Him, so turning it up a notch. Is taking our eyes from the fact that this young man, according to the Bible, spent all that he had.

In riotous living. That's true, but when God takes us deeper than that, we realize our real problem is simply this. We're asking. For the wrong thing, verse 19, I have sinned, I have sinned. By wanting.

The wrong inheritance in the Old Testament. God revealed this truth. Truth. By telling the Levites that their inheritance was what himself, see, this is all through the Old Testament. He revealed this truth, they didn't have an inheritance.

Except the Lord himself. So here's here's what's happening now, do you say? Give me. Things. There is a whole brand of Christianity right now that is discipling leaders, discipling Christians, claim your rightful inheritance.

It's yours. Claim it. Father weeps. Father weeps. You go from give me to. Oh, God, I am totally bankrupt. And I have made a total mess of my life. And now I realize. That I've really only needed you. And I pray, God, what do I put my glasses?

Thank you. OK, see what's happening. Go ahead, Carrie, that's fine. Listen here now. Listen. Oh, God, give us ears to hear. Give us ears to hear, father, I am no more worthy to be called by son. Make me.

Do you see the difference now? What's going on in the heart? Give me now what make me give me. Was going to God looking for him to enable you to fulfill your own desires, make me. Is the result of the grace of God working in our life?

Showing us our spiritual poverty and birthing in us, make me pleasing. For your pleasure, make me. To know you. What does Paul say that I might know him? See, Paul didn't say that I might possess his power, that I might have all that's rightfully mine.

Paul, Paul was crying. I want to know you, God. I want to know the fellowship of your sufferings. I want to be made conformable to your death. I want to win Christ. Oh, God, where is that? Where is that today?

I want to know you now. Interestingly, the phrase make me this actually means to empower one with a certain quality. What the son is saying now is, oh, oh, father, empower me by your spirit. Empower me by your grace to possess a quality of heart that no longer wants what you have, but once you empower my heart, father.

With a quality. With a passion in part to me, God, a heart of a son that no longer wants what daddy has, but once daddy and according to the word of God, such an awakening causes all heaven to rejoice.

And throw a party, what makes. Father, happy when his children, through discipline. Through scourging are delivered from the state of temporary insanity, the insanity of wanting things, the insanity of living in a world, looking at what the world does and the children of this world, and then saying, that's just how I want to be.

That's just what I want. The insanity of looking at cars and homes and lands and salaries and positions and making those things too important and by his grace, awakening, coming to ourself and saying, father, I want you, father, search our hearts in these few moments.

The Bride of Christ Desires the Son Above His Gifts

We are so aware. That your word is quick and powerful and sharper than any two edged sword. We're aware, Lord, that as our father in heaven. You want to prepare a bride for your son and the bride that you will choose for your son.

Will be a bride. That once not what your son has been given. Because of his. Place of being worthy. And deserving. To be the rightful heir of all things, no, she won't want that the bride will want the son alone, father, I ask you'll take this word, write it upon the tablets of our heart and perform.

The good pleasure of your will. We pray, God, in the mighty name. Of Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, do you want a heart of a bride today? I. Want the heart of a bride, this is listen, this is why we're going through trials.

This is why we're going through situations. This is why, because in all of it, God wants to give us a single heart, a single mind. Now we're going to look at this time. We saw here. The transition from give me to poverty.

See. And out of poverty, we begin to cry out, father, it's you we want, father, it's you we desire. Make me father, make me. It's not give me. It's make me pleasing in your eyes. We've seen this and now we're going to begin to look, oh, please listen carefully to God's word.

We're going to begin to look now at a closer picture of what this heart looks like when God begins to change it and we make the transition. From give me to make me. How many want to know what this heart looks like?

How many want to know what this heart looks like so you can begin to pray, God, give me this heart, because you can't manufacture this heart. You can't make this heart religiously. This is the heart that father gives.

Seeking Spiritual Blessings and the Knowledge of God

To those who ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find knock and the door shall be opened. If you being evil in your hearts know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will daddy father in heaven give us good things?

What good things do you think father is talking about? Oh, please don't say earthly things. What do we say? God is so good. Are we catching it? How much more will your heavenly father give good? God is so good.

I know you would probably want me to start singing solos, but I'm not going to. I'm not going to decline. Can you can you see what we're saying? Can you see what God's word is saying? What is the good things that father wants to give us himself, things within his heart, right himself, the secrets of father?

Don't you don't you want to know? Don't you want to hear father's voice today? I can't live unless I hear father's voice. Man shall not live by bread alone. Twinkies and bagels and cakes and pizza are good, but they don't bring me through.

I need to hear father's voice every day, every night in the in the night hours. I need to hear father's voice. I love to hear father's voice. What good things are you seeking after? I don't want things anymore.

Yes, I used to. I used to want things. Of course, godly things, because I was a Christian and I really didn't want the things of this world really didn't. God changed my heart. But then I started being introduced to the religious things, my inheritance, my rightful inheritance.

I don't want that anymore. How about you? You may be here in this. You may not be. It's all right. I don't want that anymore. I want things. I want father. I want my head to lie or lay. Colette, help me.

I want my head to lie on his chest. I'm going to lay my head on his chest. I want his heart. I want him. How about it? What does that heart look like? Turn your Bible to Ephesians. Ephesians chapter one.

Watch this verse three. Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

Jesus, brothers and sisters, the blessing. That is spoken of here in verse three is carried over Ephesians chapter one, verse number 16, listen closely. Verse 15, I I thank you, father, that I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and the love unto all the saints cease not to give thanks for you making mention of you in my prayers.

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of him. Now, we're the Holy Spirit is unlocking. What are the blessings?

Blessed be God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. Jesus. Now, he says that the eyes of your understanding, the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.

The eyes of your heart might be enlightened by radiant light coming from God. But what does God want us to see? I mean, if you shine light, you want you want to see something. What is why is the Holy Spirit praying this prayer that light would shine from heaven, radiant light into the eyes of our hearts so we could see?

See what? See what? That you may know what is the hope of his calling. What is the hope of his calling? We are called with a hope, but there's a hope there's something that we're expecting. There's something that we're longing for.

The hope of his calling. He has called us with a heavenly calling. And there is a hope. If you're, as I mentioned earlier, if you're in college, the hope, what brings you through is knowing that one day you're going to what?

You're going to graduate, you're going to get the diploma that becomes a hope. That's what brings you through when you're up at two o 'clock in the morning, cramming for the test. Right, Michelle, you're up and you're saying, oh, this is grievous.

What am I even doing this for? And then you remember the hope, the hope, the hope, the graduation gown, the graduation cap, being able to shake the president's hand and being handed the diploma. That's the hope that carries you through.

Brothers and sisters, there is a hope in the Christian life. It brings us through. It enables us to go through the dark. It enables us to go through the drought. It enables us to go through the fire. It enables us to go through anything.

What's the hope? And what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, brothers and sisters, did you know that our inheritance is Christ and that his inheritance is what? What is his inheritance?

The Church's True Inheritance and Its Spiritual Poverty

You know, God's getting an inheritance with this whole deal of salvation. Guess what his inheritance is? What? Yes, it's you and I, those who long and aspire after bridehood. What a deal. Listen, listen, listen.

We're inheriting him and he's inheriting us. The delight of our father's heart is to see a bride who wants nothing but him. And the delight of the bride's heart is to see a Christ who wants nothing but him.

It's a mutual thing. Where are you at today? What is your heart experiencing? This is God dealing with you along these lines. Brothers and sisters, let me say this is the blessed state. This is the blessings.

This this constitutes the blessing. We inherit him and he inherits us. Let me tell you, brothers and sisters, we live in a generation when there is a form of Christianity in the world today that is clueless about the true inheritance that we are called to obtain.

Clueless. The church is not after God for the most part. And we have to pray. We have to pray. We have to pray for our children. They're being discipled in a generation that promotes grasping for things.

Grasping for worldly pleasures. Grasping for wealth. Grasping. Grasping. Give me, give me, give me. The Bible says that all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.

These are not of the father, but they're of the world. But there is a bride. Who is in the world, but she's not of the world. We're going to close in a moment. And so there you have it. What are the blessings?

Him, his heart, knowing him, loving him. Turn your Bible, if you would, please, to Matthew. Verse number six. No, Matthew chapter six. Listen carefully. Verse 19. Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon Earth.

Now, why would God promise us? As blessings, earthly treasures. When Jesus said, don't store up for yourself treasures on Earth. Where moth and rust doth corrupt and where thieves break through and steal.

But lay up for yourself treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal for where your treasure is. That word treasure means valuable. That which is valuable to you, wherever you place value.

On whatever you place value. Listen to what the Bible says. There will your heart be. That's right, Don. So what's ever valuable to you is where your heart is. Now, in that little story I told earlier, I found myself a bride.

What was what was the thing that she valued? Me. Nothing else. Me. Verse 24. No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will hold to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and mammon. Mammon. What does that word mean? Actually, it's a word that captures more than money. It captures the material world. You cannot serve God and the material world. Listen, the church is going to have to come to this crisis.

Seeking God's Kingdom Rather Than Material Possessions

We are not called. To be. Of the world. We are called to be in the world, but not of the world. We are the bride of Christ will not be after things. Does that mean that she won't have things? Correct.

No. But will things have her? No. She will use the world's goods, but she won't abuse them. And that statement there, abuse the world's goods, simply means to hold too tightly. To where the treasure of the heart is no longer Christ, but the thing we got.

What's got you today? Brothers and sisters, what's got you today? What are you fixed on? What are your eyes looking at? You cannot serve two masters. You will hold to the one and despise the other. Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought.

Now whose words are these? Now, when you leave here, don't go home and sit down at the table and say, you know. Sometimes I think Phil's really gets a little too extreme. You want to talk about being extreme.

Then you go and open your Bible to Matthew chapter six. You read this. Take no thought for your life. And you look up and you take my name out of the equation and you put in Jesus's name. And you say, Father, I think your son, Jesus, is getting a little too extreme.

OK, please do that because I didn't start this. Say this isn't this isn't my idea. Take no thought for your life. Now, Jesus uses the phrase take no thought five times in this section of Scripture from verse twenty five to verse thirty four.

Five times he uses the phrase take no thought. That's verse twenty five. Now he talks about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink. Now, verse twenty seven. Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit to a stature?

Here's the second time. Number three, verse twenty eight. Why take ye thought for Raymond? That is clothing. I don't like this, Phil. Preacher, preacher boy. You're not in touch with the real world, Phil.

Take my name out. I don't know what it is, but preachers always end up being dessert. After the Sunday afternoon meal. Take. Why take ye thought for Raymond? Verse number thirty one. Therefore, take no thought, saying, what shall we eat?

What shall we drink? Where shall we be clothed? All of these things do the Gentiles seek. Your heavenly father knows what you have need of. But seek ye what? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And what? All these things shall be added to you. Now, are these things going to be added to us by us just sitting around in a room all day and and and saying our mantras before God? I love you, Jesus.

I love you, Jesus. No, of course not. Of course not. Remember what Jesus is talking about? What was the very beginning where your? Treasure is there. Will your heart be also? Does the Bible say that we're to work?

Course it does. Does the Bible say that we're to earn money? Of course it does. So that what? In Ephesians, it says so that we can have what? So we can have more in order that we can keep up with the Joneses.

Nope. It's not why that's what the world does, right? Is that what the church is supposed to be doing? Not at all. Not at all. We're supposed to thank God for his provision. So that what? So we can share.

Seek first the kingdom. And his righteousness. And all these things shall be added. To. You. Can you see what our father is wanting to do in our hearts? How many love God's word this morning? I want God's word.

There's that. That was the introduction. But we're going to stop. We're going to just keep walking through. Time after time. Time after time. And we're going to ask our father. We're going to ask our father.

To just continue to change our hearts. And to change our lives. So. We'll stop there today. And. What we'll do. Is. Spend a few moments before the Lord. And just let that. We'll ask him to speak to our heart.

We'll ask him to minister to us. And just. Encourage our heart along this journey. As we see what he's after.