Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Welcome to the Karma Chaj podcast.
[00:00:06] Great.
[00:00:08] Grab a seat.
[00:00:14] I love it when we. We worship and the Lord is always with us. He's all. He's always here. He's so, so kind. But there are just.
[00:00:25] I don't know, there's John 14, John 16 times where Jesus says, I will manifest and something goes off inside of us, and praise and adoration and worship explodes. I love those moments. And I love it when we can stand at the stage and say, you're going to give the Lord praise or give him a cheer or do that, and everyone does. But I love it even more when it's the Holy Spirit that he's just bubbling up inside of us and we have to. You know, someone read from Jeremiah this morning. Jeremiah says, it's like fire in my bones, you know, if I don't speak his holy words, you know, I'm going to explode.
[00:01:11] And there are those points, and I think all I'd say to you is, when they come, explode, you know, just pour out your heart in the presence of the Lord and don't worry about everybody else because it's so loud anyway. No one can hear, but there's just.
[00:01:29] There's just this swell that rises up to heaven, and then, I don't know, it's those times when often all the miracles start to break out when, you know, Jesus is walking around. So, anyway, that was free.
[00:01:43] What I want to talk to you today. And I said I was going to do this. I want to try and bring, you know, I was talking just before Christmas, we were doing the Ways of God, and I missed out one of the commandments. We just ran out of weeks. And I said, oh, I'll do it, because we're doing sowing and reaping.
[00:02:02] And so what I want to do is trying to bring in the ways of God and entering into the blessing of God by reaping what you sow. And let me be clear, I'm not that interested in being rich financially. I'm way more interested in being blessed, okay? If the blessing of God is on your life, it affects every area of your life.
[00:02:30] You know, it's fun if you're rich, but it's much better to be blessed, because there's lots of stories of rich people in the Bible that don't do well.
[00:02:40] But there's not a single story in the Bible of a blessed person that doesn't end up standing before Jesus. So the last commandment that I didn't get to is Exodus 20:17. And this is what the law Says, you shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything else that is your neighbors.
[00:03:07] Okay? And I understand that sometimes, you know, you might come here on a Sunday morning and you see me up on the stage and you might look at me and go, I really want to be like him. I want to be as handsome as him. I want to have the physique he has, the fashion sense that he has, you know, that I wear something and everyone else starts wearing it. You know, it just. Granted, it takes 10 years. But I mean, you know, and you look at me and you think that I just. I just want to be like him. That's not coveting, that's admiring.
[00:03:45] Okay? Coveting is when you look at me and you go, he doesn't deserve that.
[00:03:51] I should have it.
[00:03:54] I deserve it more than him.
[00:03:59] And the Bible says, don't covet your neighbor's house, your neighbor's spouse, your husband or wife, any of his servants, if you have them, animals or possessions, anything that belongs to your brother.
[00:04:15] Now, Ahab was a bad king. If you read Kings and Chronicles, Sometimes it can be hard work reading those parts of the Bible because there's lots of bad kings, and Ahab was one of the worst. I think his son did top him, if I remember rightly. But the thing that actually brings Ahab down is he covets.
[00:04:38] He covets a man called Naboth's vineyard, which is next to his palace, and he sees it and he wants it and he offers to buy it.
[00:04:49] But this is what Naboth said. This is 1 Kings 21. The Lord forbid that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to you.
[00:04:59] Now, what's going on here?
[00:05:02] Naaman is saying, I can't give the blessings that have come to me from my fathers and ultimately from God to you, even if you are the king.
[00:05:16] You see, the blessings of God are not for sale.
[00:05:20] They're not a commodity to be traded with, but rather treasured.
[00:05:25] And you see, coveting is wanting somebody else's blessing and trying to take it instead of learning to walk in our own blessing, which is what God wants us to do.
[00:05:40] You see, if all you can see is what others have, you will always walk in lack because you'll live a disappointed life.
[00:05:49] You know, I really do think this is the curse of social media.
[00:05:53] All you can see is what others have, what they're doing. Their perfect little families, their perfect lives, their perfect bodies. Their perfect children. I mean, nobody puts their children on social media throwing a tantrum, do they?
[00:06:05] They have them all dressed up. They all look perfect.
[00:06:09] And the devil comes along and says, that should be. You know, they don't realize how you. How hard you work, how much you deserve it, what you suffered. And you see, covetousness can stir up in your heart, which will lead to one thing. A life of lack and disappointment.
[00:06:31] But Naboth knew something Ahab didn't, that his vineyard was a blessing from the Lord that had been given to him.
[00:06:42] And Ahab might live in a palace, but what I have comes from the Lord. And I will treasure what he has given to me.
[00:06:55] Because it's not palaces that make a man rich, but what comes from the Lord.
[00:07:02] And if we will learn to treasure everything that comes to us from the Lord, we will become full, abundant.
[00:07:13] So get your Bibles.
[00:07:16] I want to teach you a key of the kingdom today. Remember, Jesus said, I'll give you the keys of the kingdom. We'll turn to Mark.
[00:07:26] Where are we? Mark, chapter four, verse 24. There we go. Why don't you stand while we read? You had a week off last week. Standing. Come on.
[00:07:37] Then he said to them, take heed what you hear with the same measure you use. It will be measured to you and to you who hear, more will be given.
[00:07:50] For whoever has to him more will be given. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away. Now flip over a couple of pages to where are we? I wrote it down because I never see it, even with my glasses. Luke, chapter six, verse 37. There you go. Ah, yeah.
[00:08:12] Judge not, and you shall not be judged.
[00:08:16] Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
[00:08:22] Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be put into your bosom or your heart.
[00:08:33] For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. Grab a seat.
[00:08:43] The measure you use, Jesus says, will be measured back to you. So however you deal with people, however you think will be measured back, it will be given back to you. I learned a long time ago, never hire a builder that doesn't have a measure.
[00:09:04] Okay? If a builder shows up to your house and you want him to do a job, if he doesn't have a tape measure, don't hire him. Because you cannot build without a measure. And it's exactly the same in our lives. If our measure is wrong in our lives, it's very hard to build our life.
[00:09:22] And Jesus is. What Jesus said, have a good measure, have a good.
[00:09:26] He's not saying you can't have or you can't desire. He's saying, use the right measure and you will be blessed. And in fact, you'll be blessed beyond what you think you're due. Good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put in our heart. You see, what Jesus is talking about is having full lives.
[00:09:51] Having lives that are full with. With his goodness.
[00:09:55] And you see, if you constantly want what your brother has, you cannot see what God has for you.
[00:10:03] And Jesus says, it's like having a plank in your eye. And in fact, that's the Matthew version of these verses.
[00:10:11] You see, when God blesses your brother or sister, celebrate with them. Be excited for them. Desire more for them.
[00:10:23] Look, if we are told to bless our enemies, how much more? Our brothers and sisters who walk with the Lord with us.
[00:10:32] So somebody arrives at church in a big, new shiny car, cheer for them because God has blessed them. It's really good. And the measure you use, he'll visit onto you not. Well, I don't think they deserve that.
[00:10:55] Yeah, I got in a lot of trouble about talking about Skodas, you know, they should be in a Skoda.
[00:11:00] Skodas are now very good cars. Please forgive me. Anyone that drives a Skoda, you arrive at someone's house and their drive.
[00:11:10] And their drive is bigger than your road, what does your heart do?
[00:11:18] No, God, they're blessed.
[00:11:20] God has been good to them.
[00:11:23] So celebrate what God does.
[00:11:27] My daughter Emma was born premature.
[00:11:30] I remember when she was getting born and we were in the hospital and there was chaos all around. And doctors and nurses are running around because she was nearly three months early.
[00:11:40] And so this was not meant to be happening.
[00:11:44] And I remember this guy walks in and the consultant walks in, and he had a dicky bow on. And he had, you know, all dressed up. He'd obviously been in a posh dinner. He walked in, he started shouting orders up. He called everything to order. He said, it's all gonna be okay.
[00:11:59] It's gonna be a perfectly natural birth. And then he walked out and went back to his dinner.
[00:12:05] He's worth every penny he's paid. Cause he saved her life.
[00:12:10] Because before he walked in, it was chaos.
[00:12:15] And he walked in.
[00:12:18] He's a blessed man. My heart, I'm so grateful, because she's probably still alive because of the Lord and him.
[00:12:27] You know, somebody said to me when we were talking about. I've obviously mentioned it, you know, and he said, steve, if you ever get a private jet, I want you to know I'm good with it, right? He says, as long as I get to ride in it. That's the heart.
[00:12:43] That's the heart. It's not.
[00:12:46] I haven't got a private jet.
[00:12:48] I'd like a private boat. Okay, but we're a bit landlocked in Leicester. But it's the heart. Well, you don't deserve that.
[00:12:56] No, it's like, oh, I'm so pleased. Why? Because I will get blessed. Because God has blessed you.
[00:13:04] It's the heart.
[00:13:05] The measure you use determines your heart, which enables God in turn to bless you.
[00:13:15] Because your measure is from heaven, not earth.
[00:13:21] You see, when you use heaven's measure, heaven's blessing is. Is rested upon you. But if your measure is lack, that measure will be used with you. Jesus says, you see, it may be a good desire to want to own a house, a car, a better job.
[00:13:52] And you go, like, I don't know if I'm ever going to be able to afford a house or, I don't know how I can ever afford a.
[00:13:59] A nice car. Well, what's your measure? Look around at the people who have it and thank God for them. Bless them. Bless them. And your heart. God will see your heart and he'll visit it back on you.
[00:14:14] That's what Jesus is saying.
[00:14:17] You want to get married?
[00:14:19] And you're like, why am I not married yet? And people keep getting married off. And, you know, I have to say, look, if somebody doesn't have a ring on their finger, they're fair game, okay? And some of you just take too long to get the ring on their finger, and you wonder why somebody snapped them up before you. So you've just got to get faster at that, okay? But, you know, you're. You know, you go, yeah, but what if somebody gives them a bigger ring? Juliet was talking about big rocks that are on some of your fingers.
[00:14:52] It's the wrong measure. If the size of the rock is your measure, you don't want them.
[00:14:58] That's not what you want.
[00:15:01] And if your best friend meets someone and they're getting married, your heart is so excited for them, and there may be a bit of pain, why not me? But you bless it and are excited because you know you're next.
[00:15:16] Lord, make me next if you can do it for them, you know, look, look, I didn't get married till I was 30, 31. I. I knew I was incredibly handsome and I'd be all right. I was just waiting for Juliet to come, you know, all these other people got married before me. They just weren't as handsome as me. My measure.
[00:15:35] I'm joking.
[00:15:38] But what measure do you use?
[00:15:44] You see, it's not wrong to want to better yourself to earn some more money. We say it in our declarations. None of that's wrong. The Proverbs says this. The soul of a lazy man desires and has nothing, but the soul of a diligence shall be made rich.
[00:15:59] You see, the blessings of God come from what you sow. You can desire and be lazy and have nothing.
[00:16:05] And that's where coveting tends to be. Well, I don't work for it, I just want it.
[00:16:10] Or you can be diligent and have the right measure and be made rich.
[00:16:17] You see, if your measure is God, why did you bless them and not me? Coveting.
[00:16:24] Or it could be, thank you, Lord for blessing them. Now I have faith for what you're going to do in my life. And that's why we do the testimonies. Because as people release testimony, faith arises in us and we go, well, if you can do it for them, and I believe you love me, you can do it for me. So my faith rises. Do you see the difference?
[00:16:48] Five of you, it's more. Give them more, Lord, because I understand the measure I use will be used unto me.
[00:16:57] And if you bless my brother or sister, you can bless me.
[00:17:01] I'm next. You wouldn't have me down the line because you love me. You gave your life for me. How much more could you give me? So really quick, in six minutes, I believe there are three ways we sow into blessing. You sow with your measure.
[00:17:20] This is my measure. This is my brand new tape measure. I'm very pleased. It's hardly been used, this one, the last one I had got bent and broken and so I've got this one. And my Bible says, now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. Now, the problem with too many Christians is they use a rule and this is useless.
[00:17:45] You see, I can do way more with this. Luke, grab that. There you go. You see, if I was trying to measure with this and I can just keep, you know, I can keep going. This is an 8 meter one. I don't know how many 8 meters. But we can just keep going, you know, Lord, Lord, they may be, you know, somebody may have hurt me, but Lord, I'm just going to show them grace.
[00:18:07] I've got a big measure, Lord, I'm not married yet, but there's more there's more. I've got a big measure, Lord. I trust you, Lord.
[00:18:18] They've got a better job than me, and I'm here working hard, and no one notices me. But my measure is big. I'm not using this.
[00:18:26] This is not my life.
[00:18:28] This is my life. Thanks. You can let go. You can tell if it's a new one because it does that. That's so good.
[00:18:37] I've got a long one. I should have bought it out. It's 25 meters.
[00:18:42] Rachel asked me, she said, what's that one for? I said, that's the garden.
[00:18:46] You know, I need to measure something in the garden. That's for that.
[00:18:51] So you see, you are limited by your rules, but set free by your measures, you have much more that you can space.
[00:19:02] And it releases the blessing of God.
[00:19:06] You see, when we covet what our neighbor has, we set a lid on our life. But when we desire what the Lord wants for us, the adventure begins.
[00:19:15] You look, if you. You know, we have lots of people that are looking for husbands and wives.
[00:19:22] If your measure is, I'll serve the Lord when I find my husband, you've just set yourself a lid.
[00:19:29] But if your measure is, I'm going to serve the Lord and find my husband, you have no lid.
[00:19:36] Totally different measure. Jesus says, the measure you use will be measured unto you.
[00:19:40] We had some really good. We still have some good friends, but 30 years ago, we were with them and they couldn't conceive.
[00:19:49] So we prayed for a miracle, but they still didn't conceive, which is odd because actually we have good track record on that, people. And if you're here this morning and you can't conceive, we'd love to pray for you. We have a really good track record on that. But on this particular occasion, they didn't conceive.
[00:20:07] And there was lots of pain around it because everyone else is having babies and, you know, producing babies.
[00:20:14] But their measure was bigger. And they adopted. And they adopted two children.
[00:20:19] And they were two children from a difficult background.
[00:20:23] They'd been taken.
[00:20:25] They'd been given up by addicts and I believe the same family. And so that they'd been born while the person was under the influence of drink or drugs. I can't remember what it was. So all the warnings were, these children could be very sick, but they didn't care because they'd got a big measure.
[00:20:46] And 30 years later, one of them got married. I think it was last year, maybe in the year before, but I think it was last year. There are two fine young adults who didn't have any hope in the world, but now have all of the hope in the world.
[00:21:08] Because two people had a bigger measure of what God can do.
[00:21:14] Now, the interesting thing is they became rich financially as well.
[00:21:21] God blessed them for what, but not because of their money. Although he did bless them financially because of their measure.
[00:21:32] They used how they approached heaven.
[00:21:36] You might find yourself in a.
[00:21:39] A divorce or relationship breakup. What's your measure? Look, I don't believe any marriage should end. The Lord hates divorce. I am clear about that. But sometimes they do.
[00:21:54] Takes the two tango. Sometimes something just goes. Sometimes there's an affair. There's many reasons why they do.
[00:22:01] And I've watched two types of divorce.
[00:22:04] You either become bitter or you become better, or you become a victim or a victor. It depends on your measure. It depends on how you pick yourself up and your measure of heaven, how you're going to keep going in your life. And Jesus came into our life so we could become better and we could become victorious.
[00:22:26] And he wants to change our measure. Right? Number two. So into your relationship with God.
[00:22:33] A few weeks ago, I taught on tithing. But if you think tithing is the key to blessing, I misled you.
[00:22:40] Tithing is just one of the keys.
[00:22:43] And unless your checkbook gets saved, the rest of us never will. I really believe that because Jesus says, your heart is where your treasure is. But if you get the right measure, we need the right. But to get the right measure, we need the right relationship.
[00:23:00] And you know, a number of years ago, when our life was literally falling to bits, the Lord just said a simple thing. He said, come walk with me.
[00:23:10] And so every morning for the last, I don't know, eight, nine, it might be 10 years just walking with Jesus in the snow, the wind, the driving rain, and in Leicester, the one day of sunshine. Those are glorious times of the Lord.
[00:23:27] But it wasn't glorious this morning.
[00:23:30] It was cold and horrible and trying to sleep on me.
[00:23:34] And I'm walking with Jesus. And Milo, he doesn't care. He's the dog.
[00:23:41] But what the Lord has done over the last 10 years is change my measure.
[00:23:46] Because what I didn't realize was I had one of these. And he wanted me to have this heaven's measure.
[00:23:53] And I have become a blessed man.
[00:23:57] You know, we think we know his ways. And the Lord says, for my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are my ways. Your ways. Sorry, your ways. My ways.
[00:24:06] Isaiah 55.
[00:24:08] But unless we carve out time, we won't ever learn his ways. And that's what Dylan was talking about last week. So beautifully pick up your cross.
[00:24:20] You know, some of you are reading through your Bible in a year. You know, I think we started in September. I'm at Isaiah.
[00:24:27] I just. Just about to start Isaiah. I keep getting distracted because the trouble is I'm reading the book of the Bible and then it's. It's. It's really interesting. And so I'll go back, but I finally. Where have you. I'm not going to ask, where have you. Am I beating you? Where are you? You're reading through. Where have you got to?
[00:24:42] Sorry, way ahead. Oh, thank you, Lord. Wrong measure, but it's still nice.
[00:24:54] But so you want to read, but you've got to walk with the Lord. And I want to encourage you. You're reading your Bibles now. Walk with Jesus. Set your alarm early.
[00:25:05] Get up and go for a walk with him. Or go to bed late. Go for a walk with him. Do it at lunchtime. I don't care where it is, but walk with Him. Sometimes it would be glorious, and sometimes you go, I don't know why I did that, but that's life.
[00:25:17] It's not all mountaintops. Sometimes Juliet, I get back in. She said, what did the Lord say? I don't know.
[00:25:23] I don't think he said anything to me. We just walked.
[00:25:26] And other times I'm like, speaking on my phone and taking message, you know, whatever. Voicemail.
[00:25:33] Voice notes. That's what they're called, voice notes. I'm doing. I'm trying to enter the 21st century. It's really hard, but I'm trying to. But unless we carve out that time and walk with him, we won't know his ways and we'll be using the wrong measure. Because you're only going to get the right measure if you're with him.
[00:25:52] Does that make sense? Because it comes from him.
[00:25:56] And I want you to know I'm a different person and we're a different church because of my walk with Jesus.
[00:26:04] As I walk with him, he's enlarged my thinking, my measure, and he's changed my thinking from lack to heaven. Let me just read you a few words and we're almost done.
[00:26:17] This Isaiah 55, I just started.
[00:26:25] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
[00:26:31] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[00:26:39] For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth and make it bring forth and bud that it might give seed to the sower and bread to the eater.
[00:26:54] So shall my word be that that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I've sent it.
[00:27:10] And I know you. Lots of people read the Bible electronically. But one of the reasons I like the real Bible is because I was reading this morning, I just made a note on the top of my Bible. It says, the Holy Spirit has been singing the answer in your spirit. While you have been looking for the answer in your mind, I just made that note. And, you know, sometimes we're trying to think things through, but he's been singing the answer in our spirit as we walk with him and as we know with him, he's speaking to us, but if we're not with him, we won't hear him. He just goes on. I'm really nearly done.
[00:27:52] For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace. The mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you. You understand? When you're going to work tomorrow, the mountains and the hills, they're just breaking out in song before you. I mean, most of us, completely oblivious, but they're breaking out in song before us.
[00:28:14] And the trees of the field shall clap their hands. You know, when you're out walking with the Lord and the trees are just literally just clapping their hands as you walk through with the Lord. Have you ever thought about that?
[00:28:26] This is what the prophet's seeing. He's seeing what's happening as we walk with the Lord.
[00:28:30] Instead of the thorn shall come the cypress tree that is an evergreen. Instead of the briar shall come up the myrtle tree. It's prosperity.
[00:28:42] And it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
[00:28:49] You see, the Lord wants to give us a new measure so that we would learn to live full lives.
[00:28:58] And it has. No, it doesn't matter. The money you have in your account, it's not about that kind of richness. It's about being full.
[00:29:06] Everything else flows from that. And then finally, we sow for an inheritance. I used to think all the promises gave me, all the prophetic words were for me. But I was mistaken.
[00:29:17] They're for me, for Juliet, for Joel, for Emma, for their children, their children's children. They're for you and they're for your children. When God pours his promises out, they're for all of us. And do you know what? Whatever we do here, we're talking about buildings and all that stuff. Whatever legacy we leave, let it be an inheritance for our children.
[00:29:40] Let's sow into them.
[00:29:43] You see, God wants to bless you, but you need the correct measure.
[00:29:47] And it's not a palace that's going to make you rich, but the favor of God upon your life.
[00:29:55] Jesus gave his life on the cross for each one of us so our sin could be forgiven, but much more. I believe he wants to lead us into abundant life.
[00:30:07] Now, as sin is forgiven, we can live life. We have life and we become a blessed person. So what am I saying to you? Walk with Jesus in the snow and the rain, understand his ways, talk with him about everything, and he will give you the right measure and you will become a blessed man or woman. Amen. My name is Dan. I'm done.
[00:30:35] Thanks for listening to the Chroma Charge podcast. If you enjoyed this message, you can like and subscribe. You can also join us in person or online every Sunday at Cromer Church. For more information about us, including our ministries, events, worship, and how to donate, visit our website at Cromer Church.
