Gateway Church's Podcast
The Benefit of Loving Kindness
turn your Bible Psalms 103. We're going to talk about another benefit tonight. Robert preached on two weeks ago the benefit of forgiveness. Last week the benefit of healing. Tonight we're going to skip one. He gave me a choice. So I took him up on it. He said you want to preach from the redeeming from the pit or you want to preach on the loving kindness. I said man you get the pits. I'm taking loving kindness. I want to go back and just read verse 2 for a moment. I really before we get into loving kindness and before we talk about this benefit I'm going to tell you something you want this benefit. You want this benefit. Healing is wonderful and having the body restored but I'm going to tell you something. There's something about the benefit of loving kindness. I'm going to tell you tonight I have a word for you. He's been rallying around on me for two weeks and I mean he's oozing out of every poor I've got. You want this benefit. But before we get to that benefit I want to talk about benefits for a moment. Look at verse 2. It says bless the Lord all my soul and forget not all his benefits. Now why in the world would God say don't forget my benefits? Because they're motivational. They will drive you back to him. They're very motivational. Ten years ago I was hired by a company of the pharmaceutical drug rep stayed in the pharmaceutical business about eight years and one of the things they hired me late October 26 1991 they hired me and they said listen if we meet company objectives by the end of the year two months everybody in the company goes to Hawaii. I said excuse me come back a little bit would you say that just one more time. I just want to hear it ring one more time. Everybody in the company will go to Hawaii. I went home and told my wife said honey we've barely been out of Texas. You kicked me out of bed every morning early. You hear me? By the end of the year the company had met all their objectives and guess what? April of '92 we're standing capital of Bay Maui. I'm standing up on top of the heels playing golf trying to attempt to play golf as God has all the whales waving their tails at me. I looked at my wife said you know what? I think I'm going like this company. Very motivational. You know why the first day on the job? I'm living with my sister because we're in transition from moving a small town into the big city. First day on the job. I'm at her house. I get ready. I go down the stairs. I trip and break my big toe. I'm a little scared. I'm a little nervous about going out today. Call them doctors because you know they're close to God. I was just nervous. All I can think is Hawaii. You see God wants you to be motivated. I think God's in sales. I really do. He knows a lot of us. I learned more about God in sales than I did at a lot of churches I've met at. He's very motivational. He wants you to run to him because he has benefits. Now I'm going to ask you another question. I'm going to take a rocket science figure of this one out. Who are the benefits for? Believers. Wow, that was tough to you up now. That's some great revelation. It's a set up question. We're talking about the supernatural. We talked about the supernatural release from iniquities two weeks ago. We talked about the supernatural release from physical problems last week. Why then do all believers not experience the benefits? Very good question, isn't it? How many of you know stories when you want to try to believe for healing, but you hear this, but you know so and so died, but you know so and so still sick, but you know so and so their whole family died. How many of you got those stories when they go right around your mind? Raise your hand. I just want to say, you know, yeah, but, yeah, but, yeah, but. I was asking the Lord about that. I said, Lord, you really are rattling some things about benefits. What is it? He said, well, I want you to go back when you became a manager three years later. That's okay. He said, did you not interview several hundred people? I said, yeah, I did. This is why I don't ask you a question. Did you ever offer full benefits to a part-time employee? He said, no. God does not offer full-time benefits to part-time believers. See, if you want the full benefit package, if you want it all, yeah, it'd be full-time. You know how I know? I've been a part-timer. I was preached on releasing from iniquities. If you didn't get that tape, if you didn't hear that sermon two weeks ago, I beg you, go get the tape. If you can't afford the tape, tell them back there. I said you could have it for free. If you want to wait, the series will be done in two weeks and you can get the whole set. I'm thirty-nine years old. I've been married for eighteen years from my lovely bride. I was a bound man for thirty-seven years. I was set up by the enemy when I was young. My mom and dad divorced when I was a year and a half old. I was raised by my mother. I can't tell you enough good things about my mom. My dad and my stepdad did the best they could do, but you know what? I didn't have the father. I'm not blaming. I'm not trying to expose them, just telling you the way it was. My mom met all my needs. She built my self-esteem. She helped me, she helped me just in affirming me. Every boy wants that from the father, but I got it from my mother. I could talk to women better than I could talk to men. So naturally under that set of circumstances, I began to think the day I get married, guess what? I'll be happy. I got saved when I was fifteen and I still continued to believe the day I got married, I'd be happy. Bless her heart. The day I got married, I wasn't happy. It had zero to do with her. I shared a story before and people go, "Oh, poor Jenny." Not poor Jenny. Poor Jenny and Jeff, because she suffered many things because I had always been set up in the system of the world to get my needs met. And the easiest place was acceptance from women. I rocked along five years in our marriage, ten years in our marriage. I began to be tormented. I started to fly all over the nation with my company. I'd get on the airplane and I would be tormented and this is what I would hear every time I fly. You was married to her, you'd be happy. You just married the wrong one. You was married to her, you'd be happy. I'd check into a hotel. There'd be a one behind it, you was married to her, you'd be happy. It was torment everywhere I went. I finally went to my father and I said, what is this? I love you with all my heart, I think. What is this? I mean, I've committed to you. I've sacrificed you. I've given you everything that I have. How come I cannot be free to this? I've heard people you just got to discipline it, Jeff. Discipline it. I'll try to discipline it. This is not working. He said to me, son, I cannot release you until you de elevate the gift from the giver. He says, your source of happiness has come from marriage. I'm your source of happiness. She's my gift. When you de elevate the gift, put it back in its original position and put me back, I'll release you. I repented that night. I said, God, I'm sorry that I ever said because that's a little boy. I'd say it all the time. I get married, I'll be happy. I get married, I'll be happy. You know what? I said, God, there's not a woman in the world ever created that could make me happy. I get back on the airplane, and the enemy will say, you married her, you're the happy. I go, ha, ha, ha, ha, you're a liar. There's not a woman anywhere that could make me happy. For the day that I married her, I knew I'd hurt God. She's the best gift I've ever received on this earth. I was free that day in three years. I was bound for 37. I was released from an inward bent that had been passed down generationally. And he said, if you hadn't been half-hearted all these years, I released years ago, but you kept going back to the world to get your needs met like you'd always done. And if you'd just run to me and change sources, I would have met those needs, and I would have made the gift that you already had even better. I won't tell you, in the last three years, you can't make me trade her for anything. You can't offer me anything. I wouldn't trade her for anything. She's the best gift God's ever given me on this earth. People ask, why aren't people healed? I don't know all the reasons why. Why aren't people released from iniquities? I don't know all the reasons why, but I do know one. Full benefits are not offered to part-time employees. If you want the full benefits, if you want the supernatural happening in your life, you gotta be whole-hearted. If you're not being healed and you're not being released, go to God and ask Him. He won't hide from you. He just won't compete for your affection. He's not going to compete. He's not going to say, I'm the best. Come on. Come on. No, no, no. He's just going to say, I'm here when you're ready. Come on. And he'll wait. He's patient. He'll just watch and you just be miserable and you'll watch and you'll be miserable. He's ready to release you. They're motivational. He wants you to have them. He's not being lent like a character. Come get the whole way. I'm trying. I'm trying. Let me have it. He's not saying that. He's saying, you want to go to Hawaii? Just complete the benefits. Complete the package and we'll give you the benefit. He's saying, you want healing? Run to me wholeheartedly. Release where you're getting your needs met in the world. Severe that time and run to Him. And I promise you, you'll see it. Turn. Go down on a couple of scriptures. Let's look at this benefit of loving kindness because I'm going to tell you something. Just as healing is an experiential benefit, just as being released from an iniquity is an experiential benefit. This is an experiential benefit. Let's look at it. It says in verse four, second part, who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies? Who crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies? I've got to be honest with you. When I looked at this benefit, I said to God, this one looks really different than the rest of them. What is motivational about this benefit versus healing versus being released from an iniquity versus being brought out of the pit or being renewed like youth as wings of an eagle? This one looks different. Are you sure you didn't put it in the wrong place? He said, no, I didn't. We cannot understand this one until we understand the definition of what he just said. I had to begin to just look up what are these words mean. Why don't you look with me? Who crowns? Who crowns you? Crown in the Bible has always stood for royalty, always stood for kingship. This particular crown, something different. Didn't know it until I studied it out this past week. This one means that actually encircle you to encompass, to surround you. God wants to surround you. Now, what do you mean? Earthquake several years ago happened in San Francisco. Several stories have come out of that. Hurricane that happened on the east coast out of North Carolina. Several stories came out of that. I'll tell you too. One out of the San Francisco, they were learning about this encirclement. And I read this word for the first time it hit me. I went back to the old cowboy movies. Circle the wagons! You know, for protection device. That's what rang in my spirit. I could see these wagons. Coming into a circle. Everybody get behind them. We're going to stand behind the barrier and we're going to hold off the enemy. And God said, I want to encircle you. Well, what happened in California when that big earthquake hit in San Francisco? It was a church there. It was learning about the encirclement of God, the power of the blood of Jesus. They planted over their homes in their businesses. Guess what? Every house on every side was destroyed except theirs. There was a guy who had a subway business. He owned a sandwich shop there. And he said he went back to the strip mall where his sandwich shop. He said it was amazing. He said it blew my mind. I went into my business and I looked and the entire strip mall was just crumbled and there stood my little sandwich shop right in the middle. And the bread fell off the rack. Folks, that's a benefit. God wants to surround you. There's power in this encirclement. But what does he want to surround you with? Let's look at it. He says there's loving kindness and tender mercies. Loving kindness and tender mercies. Loving kindness stands for favor. Do you look that up in the Hebrew? It's favor. Trust me. I am no Hebrew scholar. I read the English words. Most pastors like to read quote the Hebrew to you. I'll just quote the favor. All right. The Hebrew word didn't mean anything to me either. Loving kindness means favor. Tender mercies mean tender love. That scripture otter read something like this. God wants to circle and circle or surround you with favor and compassion. There was a pastor telling a story. He went to a conference one time and he was talking about being a circle man in the surrounding of God. He said one day before he was going to the conference he said the Lord said to I want you to believe the blood of Jesus around your property today. He said why? He said there's ravenous wolves coming to your house. Okay Lord. I'll do it. So he just played the blood of Jesus from the east of the west and from the south to the north and around the four corners of his property and he forgot about it. Goes to the conference all day. Speaks at the conference. Goes home that night, late at night. He didn't get a chance to call his wife. Calls his wife the next morning. Hey honey what's going on. The conference here is going great. Everything's good. She said you know something strange happened. The boys came in from the field yesterday back back part of our property. Yeah. They found three dead wolves right there on the line. Folks this is a benefit you want. This is a benefit you want. Faisal Lord I said how do I experience this benefit. If I can experience healing if I can experience being released from inward iniquities from an inward bent. How do I experience this? He took me back 14 years ago. I have a 14 year old daughter. It was our first child. We were in a small town and one day she was teaching piano lessons and I was babysitting you know when fathers keep the children it's babysitting. When mothers keep the children it's their duty. You know there's a difference. I'm racking up time for brownie points so I can go play golf. She's doing her duty. This particular day we have we have Jessica she's less than six months old. I've never been a dad and I'm having a ball. We're laying our back bed while she teaches piano lessons and I'm blowing bubbles on her belly and she's cackling at me and she's doing and drooling all over me and it's great. I'm tickling her she just laughing and I hold her and I just caress her and I just I'm holding her and she and I mean this I'm going totally oblivious to everything that's happening in the world. I could care less I am just so interested in this moment and the presence of God comes into my room that moment and this is what Dad said to me. Sure wish I could hold you that way. Sure wish I could embrace you like that. I long I long to hold you like that. Will you let me see after this point I've had a very very poor vision of fathers. Very poor vision of fathers my viewpoint is not good. I said Daddy I need you to embrace. I need your affirmation. I need you to embrace me now except I long to embrace you just for a number of years but you wouldn't let me and I said later with my daughter he embraced me. It changed me forever and this is what I want you to catch if you don't go home with anything else I say to not you better go home with this it will change your viewpoint of who God is. He longs to embrace you he longs to circle you he longs to surround you with his tender love his favor his compassion and he longs to embrace you and run that root of rejection right out of your heart. Well you see that's what I had. I felt rejected a lot of my life. I didn't know how to get over I was talking the best I could I was just still running and done and but he said I longed to embrace you I'm going to tell you for a son to embrace by his father it's a big deal it's a big deal for the daughter to be embraced by the father. I hugged my children all the time I can't help it it's just in me I want them to know I embrace them do you know what happened to Jesus you remember when he was baptized and he came out of the water what did he hear this is my son because in whom I'm well pleased never preached a sermon had never done a miracle had done any of that and the father says that's my boy God's not asking you to perform on his behalf he's asking you to let you embrace it get an embrace from the father get an embrace from the father how do you experience it you're asking for it how do you get healing you're asking for it how do you get released from an inward iniquity you're asking for it I'm going to tell you something it will change you forever that day land on that bed I became a changed man and I want you to turn down I'm going to tell you a story about Paul really felt like the Lord just really drove this point home in my heart because some of you and some of us in the Christian walk have said to God you're giving me a bad deal Paul at this particular time in chapter 27 and 28 of Acts I encourage you I put that as a reference because I encourage you to go back and I want you to read it I want you to study it then I think you can begin to insert parts of your life into his story but I want you to watch Acts 27 and 28 tell you of a story when Paul is sailing to see Caesar he's going to Italy he's requested he's already witnessed the king of gripper he's already witnessed there's some other higher officials now he feels a compelling from God I've got to get to see Caesar just a problem they're in the middle of the ocean and there's a huge storm that comes up and the Bible says it's there for two weeks some of us when we have a little storm we're like this is a bad day at the bad half a month he's in the ocean they said to tell you how bad it was they said they chunked everything that was valuable overboard and at the end of the two weeks they said that's it we're done it's over and Paul says it's not over because tonight in my cabin an angel stood before me and said we were to run us across a certain island and we would run the ship right into the rocks of the island and if you will do what I say you will live they said okay so they did exactly that when they where we got close to an island they sent some signals out and they said this must be it so they ran the boat right into it it shattered the boat they were thrown into the freezing water they swam to shore and Paul is out there shivering a little bit like oh god I'm not sure I signed up for all this but I guess this is okay I mean it's you know it's all right and so he picks up some wood and he goes over and starts building a fire and he goes back to get another bundle and out of the bundle of wood a snake my team now at that point I'd already been checked out hold it god hold it I've witnessed the king of grandpa I'm trying to get this easier can't you make it a path any easier than this I want you to understand something Paul they already had his viewpoint changed he'd already had an embrace from the father because he knew something that I didn't know 14 years ago and this is what you got to take home nothing touches you that hadn't already touched his hand nothing touches you that hadn't already touched his hand well you see the embrace so round you nothing touches you that hadn't touched his hand when you have your viewpoint change this is how you'll see the story you'll see god standing above the situation saying there's my boy Paul oh man there's Paul he's in the middle of the ocean okay okay I've got a tribe right over here oh my king he's dying this king is dying and if he dies he's going to hell and if he goes to hell the entire rest of the tribe is going to go to hell with him oh I got Paul over here oh hey angels whoop up a story right here about two weaker right there what a whoop it up he got it all wet I said oh hang on king I'm coming I'm coming I'm coming anyway so he's got this he got this storm going on wrong i thought they finally say I give up they say great that's perfect they say okay sail right over here and they sail right into the boom ship crashed apart everybody falls off in the cold ocean oh it's chilly oh oh man this is cold you got chains on amen I can't swim where you're looking you get these off on but the ground right here come on dude what's up swim to the side and god say oh don't forget that snake put him in that paul right there right there but get the snake put him in that paul right there and so the angel get off got it all ready and gets bit and guess what the tribe looking at him oh it must be an evil man he's going to die he's getting what he deserved made it through the ship right but he's dying tonight got you buddy that's good they're making fun of him a little bit and god's gone if i forget my kid so how's your point started changing it's not a bad day it's not a bad two weeks nothing's touching me that hadn't touched the hand of god they didn't die and the native said wow you must be a god and they began to bow before him to worship he's get off i know my god what are you talking about get up ain't the god he said well we got a king over here that's dying so great let me take me to him they say lay his hands on him when he gets healed guess what happens then from the bush they all come everybody that's sick they can't hey we got a guy here that can do it man i'm telling you and they start bringing him in from everywhere Paul has a whole healing service and people are getting healed everywhere and god goes that's my boy he knows nothing touches him but hadn't touched me shot at me shacking have been to go going into the fire weren't afraid gonna burn god's hand first what do we do we like to whine a little bit god it's not going the way i thought it would go why are you doing this to me if you'll change sources god will change the supernatural stop getting your needs met by the world if you fed off fear all your life stop getting fed by fear start being fed by the source of the supernatural and you'll see the supernatural Jeff how do i get this thing turn with me quickly roman chapter eight and i'm lining up roman chapter eight i'm gonna read a couple of short verses and we're gonna be done verse 11 says but if the same spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit who dwells in you therefore because of that what i just said brethren we are deaders not to the flesh and not to live according to the flesh we're starting right there i'm telling you if you want to see the supernatural happen in your life stop getting fed by the flesh don't get your identity from men get your identity from god i don't care what the president of united states says about you he may like you that's great but don't get your identity from him get it from the king let him embrace you when you do watch out he goes on for if you live according to the flesh you will die why aren't people healed i'm not i don't know all the answers but i tell you one of them full benefits are not given those who part time i can't judge what's in your heart you couldn't you could look at me last 37 years 39 years three years back and say boy he looks good to me he doesn't look like he has any inward bench he looks all right you don't look like he's and bondage to anything but i don't say what out of the bound man i am a heart whole hearted when i delveday when i repented saying god i don't i no longer want approval from anybody but you i was free for as many as a lead he goes on but says for if you live according to flesh you will die but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you live for as many as are led by the spirit of god you want the supernatural walked by the spirit these are the sons of god and then last but not least we did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear but you received the spirit of adoption by whom we cry out apple father the spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of god you want to how to experience the benefit of loving kindness and tender mercies how to be surrounded by his compassion how to be surrounded by his favor have the spirit of adoption come upon you and let him embrace you it will change your viewpoint forever you will no longer see that god's doing something to you you will see it's not touching me unless it's touched him and if it's touched him it's okay with me he had a little bigger picture for paul that day did he not he had an entire tribe that's in heaven dancing with paul today because he had a little bigger picture yeah the ocean was cold yeah he hit his head when the ship wrecked but he had a little bigger picture yeah the snake bike did hurt it was a little painful you ever had poison blood go through your veins it burns like fire you've ever seen a person get bit by snake he screams loud but you know what god said i got an entire tribe that's about to go to hell i see the bigger picture do you trust me son father because i've had your embrace i trust you because i know you touch and nothing touches me that hadn't touched you would you bow your head you you you you you you you you you [BLANK_AUDIO]