The Spirit Who Stirs

Open your Bibles this morning to Ezra chapter 1. We're going to be looking at three passages that weave together a single thread—a thread that runs through all of Scripture, from the Old Testament to the New, from the return from exile to the letters of the apostles.

It's the work of God's Spirit stirring hearts. Before we read, I want you to understand what we're walking into. Seventy years. That's how long the temple has laid in ruins. An entire generation has been born in Babylon who never saw Jerusalem. Never offered sacrifice in the house of God. Never celebrated Passover where their fathers had. The dwelling place of God—devastated, desolate, destroyed. The people of God are living in exile, and by all appearances, they've gotten comfortable there.

Babylon is the center of the world. Jobs are there. Security is there. Why leave for a pile of rubble hundreds of miles away? But God is about to move. Let's read Ezra 1:1-11: "This morning, I want us to trace a single question through Scripture: How does God work in the world? And specifically: How does God move human hearts? Because if you understand how God stirs hearts, you'll understand everything—from how you came to be sitting in this room this morning, to how God is going to use you to impact the lives of people around you.

So we're going to look at three snapshots across Scripture. Three moments where God is moving. And I want you to see the same pattern in all three. In Ezra 1, we're going to see God stir the heart of a pagan king and ordinary families to rebuild his dwelling place. In Revelation 2, we're going to see what happens when that stirring stops—when a church has all the right doctrine but has lost the affection that once drove them.

And in Hebrews 3 and 10, we're going to see that God doesn't just stir our hearts in isolation. He stirs us to stir one another. So let's start in Ezra 1. Because what you're about to see is going to blow apart any assumption you have about how God chooses people and how he moves in history. MOVEMENT 1: The Spirit Stirs Hearts for God's Purposes The Stirring of a King (v.1-4) Lets begin here, at verse 1: "In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom and also put it in writing." That word 'stirred.' In Hebrew, it's ur.

And it doesn't mean God gently nudged Cyrus. It means God roused him. Shook him awake. Grabbed hold of his heart and said, 'You're moving. Now. Think about who Cyrus is. He's a pagan. He worships Persian gods. He has zero history with Israel, zero affection for Yahweh, zero reason to care about rebuilding a Jewish temple. By every human measure, he's the last person you'd expect to finance this project.

But God moved on his heart. Seventy years earlier, Jeremiah prophesied the exile would end. Over a century before that, Isaiah named Cyrus by name—before he was even born—and said he'd rebuild Jerusalem. And now, right on schedule, God stirs this pagan king's spirit, and Cyrus issues a decree to rebuild the house of the LORD. Listen to what Cyrus says in verses 2-3: "The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Whoever is among you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the God of Israel—he is the God who is in Jerusalem." A pagan king is now proclaiming that Yahweh is "the God of heaven" who has charged him with a mission. God moved his heart, and the king's entire agenda shifted toward God's dwelling place.

The Stirring of Ordinary People (v.5-11) But the stirring doesn't stop with Cyrus. Look at verse 5: "Then rose up the heads of the fathers' houses of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, everyone whose spirit God had stirred to go up to rebuild the house of the LORD that is in Jerusalem." SO there it is again… Same word. Same godly action. The Spirit who stirred a pagan king now stirs covenant families.

And notice—it's not just the leaders. It's "everyone whose spirit God had stirred." Regular people. Families with kids. People who'd never seen Jerusalem. People who'd built comfortable lives in Babylon. Something….. awakened in them, and they couldn't ignore it. They felt compelled to rise up, gather their things, and journey toward God's dwelling place. Abraham: The Moon Worshiper God Chose Now I want you to understand something about this stirring. When God stirs a heart, he's not out there shopping.

He's not scanning the earth looking for someone who's finally got it all together. That's not how God works. And I can prove it to you. Go back with me to the beginning of this whole story. Joshua 24, verses 2 and 3. God speaking through Joshua says this: "Your fathers lived of old beyond the Euphrates, Terah, the father of Abraham and of Nahor, and they served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the river and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many." So, Stop right there.

Did you catch that? Abraham served other gods. He was a pagan. Specifically, he was a moon worshiper in Ur of the Chaldees. Now that detail is in Scripture for a reason. It's meant to jar you when you read it. Because it means the entire story of redemption—the story that leads to Jesus, the story that includes you and me—it continues through someone who wasn't even looking for God. God didn't find Abraham in some ancient prayer meeting.

He didn't discover him reading scrolls about Yahweh. Abraham was bowing before false gods. Worshiping the moon. And God said, "I'll take that one. And here's what staggers me: God took this ordinary moon worshiper from Ur—this guy with zero spiritual credentials, zero holy background, zero reason to be chosen—and through decades of trust and trial, through moments of obedience and spectacular failure, through waiting and wrestling and learning to believe...

God turned him into the father of many nations. That's what happens when God stirs a heart. Thats what happens when a heart that has passion for everything else, is moved towards the one who gives life. The Pattern of Stirring This is the God who stirs hearts. And that's exactly what's happening in verse 5. When it says "everyone whose spirit God had stirred"—these ordinary families rising up to leave Babylon—this is the same pattern.

Families who'd gotten comfortable. People who had jobs and homes and security. People who'd been born in Babylon and never known anything else. But God awakened something in them. And they couldn't stay put. They had to move toward where God dwells. And look at verse 6: "And all who were about them aided them with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, with beasts, and with costly wares, besides all that was freely offered." Even the neighbors who aren't going start contributing.

Silver, gold, livestock, supplies. When God stirs some hearts, others get pulled into the momentum. The awakening spreads. Then verses 7-11 tell us about the sacred vessels. Five thousand four hundred sacred vessels. These had been looted from Solomon's temple when it was destroyed seventy years earlier. They'd been sitting in Babylonian treasuries all this time—in pagan temples, serving false gods. Now they're going home. Why? Because God stirred hearts. Here's the pattern I want you to see: When God stirs hearts, people move toward where he dwells—no matter where they started.

Listen to this progression: Cyrus started as a pagan king worshiping Persian deities → God stirred him → He funded God's house and released the sacred vessels Abraham started as a moon worshiper in Ur → God stirred him → He became the father of faith and the channel of blessing Those exiles started comfortable in Babylon, many never having seen Jerusalem → God stirred them → They left everything to rebuild God's dwelling What we need to reconsider is this…

this stirring doesn't wait for you to be ready. It doesn't require spiritual résumés. It doesn't depend on you having your life together first. God stirs whom he chooses. And whom he stirs, he always transforms. The Question About Pharaoh Now, before we go further, I need to say something. Some of you just had a question pop into your head: If God can stir the heart of a pagan king like Cyrus and a moon worshiper like Abram, what about Pharaoh?

What about the fact that God hardened Pharaoh's heart? And that’s a Good question. And the answer is: yes. The same God who stirred Cyrus also hardened Pharaoh. Listne, churhc, God is sovereign over both stirring and hardening. And that terrifies us, doesn't it? Because it means he's actively moving in human hearts—sometimes to awaken, sometimes to harden. But here's what I want you to see: When God stirs, when he awakens, when he calls someone from darkness to light—that's pure grace.

Nobody deserves that. And when God hardens? When he gives people over to the rebellion they've chosen—that's pure justice. Pharaoh kept rejecting God's word, and so God said, "Fine. I'll confirm that. If you want to keep rejecting my grace, my will, my desire for my people to be free—I will leave you in the hardness you've chosen." Now, that's radical, isn't it? Can you imagine God saying to you, "Okay.

Have it your way." That terrifies me. Because I think of David in Psalm 51. He's sinned. He's blown it spectacularly. And what does he cry out? "Do not take your Holy Spirit from me." Why would David pray that? Because he knew—if God's Spirit departs, if God stops stirring my heart, I'm done. My heart won't awaken. My affections won't burn. I'll drift into the hardness I've chosen and not even know it's happening.

David understood: The worst judgment isn't external consequences. It's God saying, "Fine. Have the cold, dead unloving heart you want." That's what happened to Pharaoh. God gave him exactly what he kept choosing—hardness. And Pharaoh couldn't even see it. And that brings us right to Romans 9. Paul knows this question is coming. He knows you're wrestling with it right now. So he asks it directly: "Is there injustice on God's part?" Is it unjust for God to harden Pharaoh?

Is it unjust for God to stir Cyrus? What’s Paul's answer: "By no means! For he says to Moses, 'I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.'" God's mercy is free. That's what makes it mercy. Not because you earned it, but because its freely given to you. If God owed it to us, it wouldn't be mercy—it would be payment.

But nobody stands before God with a claim. Nobody can say, "You owe me." Not Cyrus. Not Pharaoh. Not Abraham. Not you. Not me. And that's what makes the gospel so amazing—nobody can meet God's standard, but Jesus can. And Jesus did. We all stand before God as moon worshipers. As rebels. As people who've turned our backs on him, and as people who idolize our sins. And if God gave us what we deserved, we'd all experience hardening.

We see this with Judas. Jesus is at the table with his disciples. He knows what Judas is about to do. He knows the betrayal is coming. And what does Jesus say to him? "What you are going to do, do quickly." Think about that. Jesus doesn't stop him. He doesn't intervene. He essentially says, "If this is the path you've chosen, go ahead. Do it." That's hardening. God stepping back and letting someone have exactly what they want.

Judas had been with Jesus for three years. He'd seen the miracles. He'd heard the teaching. He'd watched the compassion, the power, the grace. And his heart stayed hard. He kept choosing the betrayal. And Jesus let him. That should terrify every one of us. Because it means God can say to any of us, "Fine. Go ahead. Have the sin you want more than me." But the fact that you're here this morning—the fact that some of you are listening online right now—that's not because God owes you.

That's because God is stirring you. The Holy Spirit is stirring hearts right now. You didn't wake up this morning and decide on your own to pursue God. God stirred something in you. He awakened something. He drew you here. Some of you fought it. You had a hundred reasons not to come. But something got you here. That's stirring. That's the Spirit of God moving on your heart. Jesus met the standard we couldn't meet.

Jesus lived the life we should have lived. Jesus died the death we deserved to die. And now, by pure grace, he awakens people like us—moon worshipers, rebels, pagans—and says, “ that one… that person… You’re mine." Where You Started Doesn't Matter And if you're sitting here this morning thinking, "Well, I came from such a messed up background. I was so far from God. My family has no spiritual history.

There's no way God would choose someone like me"— You're thinking exactly like Abraham should have thought. And God chose him anyway. Where you started doesn't determine where God can take you. He specializes in stirring unlikely hearts. He's in the business of interrupting pagans, idol worshipers, and turning them into people of faith. Some of you came from families where nobody went to church. Nobody talked about God. And now here you are—in this room, seeking him, wanting to know him.

That's stirring. Why? Because God interrupted your story sometime in your life, and now your heart's being stirred and roused to know why. Some of you came from religious backgrounds but it was dead religion—all rules, no relationship. And somewhere along the way, something awakened. You started actually wanting Jesus, not just avoiding hell. That's stirring. God breathed life into what was dead. Some of you are comfortable right now. Life is good.

You've got what you need. And yet something is pulling at you this morning. Something is making you restless for more of God. That's stirring. God is awakening hunger in you. And I'm saying to all of you, every person in this room: Don't resist it. Don't ignore it. When God stirs, respond. Move toward where he dwells. But let me ask you something: What happens when the stirring stops? What happens when God's people have sound doctrine, strong discipline, impressive endurance—but cold hearts?

What happens when the affection for Christ dies? Let’s find out… MOVEMENT 2: The Spirit Stirs Our Affections for Christ (Revelation 2:1-7) The Church That Lost Its Stirring Turn with me now to Revelation 2. We're fast-forwarding about 600 years from Ezra to the first century church. Jesus is speaking to the church at Ephesus through the apostle John. And what we're going to see is a church that by all external measures looks like a model congregation—but has lost the very thing that makes Christianity Christian.

Let me read verses 1-7: Listen to what Jesus commends in this church: "I know your works"—they're active, they're doing things "Your toil and your patient endurance"—they're working hard and suffering well "You cannot bear with those who are evil"—they have moral discernment "You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false"—they have theological precision, they can spot heresy "You are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake"—they're suffering specifically for Christ "You have not grown weary"—they haven't quit, they're still showing up This is the church I want to join.

They know sound doctrine. They can distinguish truth from error. They endure hardship without complaining. They haven't abandoned their posts. By every measurable metric, First Baptist Ephesus is thriving. But verse 4 is devastating: "But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first." From Affection to Obligation Here's what happened in Ephesus, and here's what happens to us: Somewhere between the awakening and now, affection turned into obligation.

The stirring stopped. The hearts that once burned for Christ cooled into religious performance. When the gospel first awakens our hearts to the reality of the cross of Christ, most of us don't have a framework of right and wrong yet. We have a framework of affection. We're just in love. We think, "When I do this, when I'm around this, when I'm part of this—my heart is stirred up. My affections are awakened.

I want to worship. I want to be near him." And on the flip side, we think, "When I do this, I feel guilty. I feel ashamed. This robs me of that longing. I don't want it." So what do we do? We fill our lives with the things that stir our affections for Jesus. And we avoid the things that rob our affections for Jesus. We're not operating from a checklist.

We're operating from a heart that's been awakened. But slowly, and often times it's real slow, that gets replaced with something else. Now it's no longer, "What stirs my affections for Jesus and what robs my affections for Jesus?" Now it becomes, "I'm going to do what's right and I'm going to avoid what's wrong." I grew up in what Christianity Today called "the center of the evangelical world." And I watched this happen over and over.

People who held tightly to religion but had long since left the gospel. Long since left any active relationship with Jesus Christ. Let me give you an example. I was in a college class on marriage and family with eight guys who were all planning to go into ministry. The topic turned to sex, virginity, and marriage. And these future preachers started talking like this: "Well, I wouldn't marry a woman who's not a virgin.

I mean, I've kept myself a virgin. I'm going to ministry. Why would I marry somebody who wasn't a virgin?" You see the problem? We are partakers in the grace of Christ—unmerited grace. You didn't do anything to get it. Any sense of moral togetherness you have is due to God's mercy in rescuing you. That's the gospel. But you've got future communicators of the grace of God saying, "She's not a virgin, so I'm not marrying her." That's not gospel.

That's religion. That's the older brother in Luke 15 saying, "Where's my goat? I've been good. I deserve something." Completely missing that the Father is saying, "All I have is yours! Why would you settle for a goat when you have the Father's love?" Two Diagnostic Questions So let me give you two questions that will expose where you are right now: Question 1: What stirs your affections for Jesus Christ?

Not what should stir you. Not what stirs other people. Not what the Christian culture says ought to stir you. What actually awakens your heart toward him? Let me get specific because I think this will help. For me, it's early mornings. There's something about that time when everything is level—I'm not amped, I'm not exhausted, I'm just level. It's cool and quiet. And there's something about the smell of tea, and seeing the steam rise from the cup that reminds me of the prayers rising to the Father...

that makes me love Jesus. I can't explain it. I can't find it in a biblical text. But for me, that combination stirs something within my heart. I love music that has emotional weight to it—music where it sounds like the person singing is barely holding it together. That stirs me. Graveyards stir me. I know that's weird. But sitting in a cemetery, looking at someone who died at my age, forces me back in touch with my mortality.

Am I faithful today? Do I get tomorrow? That stirs my affection for Christ. Really good food with really good friends stirs me. Because it's a taste of heaven—the day when the big feast comes, when the new wine flows and we sit at table with Christ himself. Now, those are mine. Yours will be different. Some of you are deeply cerebral—theological study sets your heart on fire. Some of you are emotive—you need beauty and art.

Some of you function best at night, you’re weird, and its ok. Some in the mornings. We're different in aptitude. And what stirs your affections for Jesus Christ matters. Do you know what it is? Can you answer that question? Because if you can't, you're probably operating from a checklist instead of a heart. Question 2: What robs you of those affections? Again, not what's obviously sinful—we all know murder and adultery are wrong.

I'm talking about the morally neutral things that slowly drain your heart. For me, it's television. I can't watch too much of it. Politics—I can't follow them too closely. Sleeping in robs me of affection. When I sleep in, I wake up amped, my mind racing to meetings and tasks, and I'm not thinking about Jeuss. My heart's not on him. But I'm not up here saying, "Television is the devil box.

And im not saying, You can't love God and watch TV." I don't believe that. I'm saying I can't watch too much of it because it robs me of affection. What about you? Maybe it's how you use your phone—the endless scroll, the comparison, the noise. Maybe it's busyness that keeps you from margin and stillness. Maybe it's cynicism or sarcasm that keeps your heart guarded. Maybe it's fantasy sports or binge-watching shows or gossip or whatever else fills the space where longing for God should be.

The Ephesian Warning This is what happened in Ephesus. Look at verse 5 again: "Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first." What were those first works? Do you know? Let me show you wha ti think… We have to go back to Acts 19 to find out. This is the only record we have in Scripture of what was happening when the church in Ephesus first formed.

Acts 19:17-20 says: "And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled. Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all." Do you see it?

These are believers—people already converted—coming together and hearts breaking open to reveal their sin. "Here's what I've been guilty of. Here's what I've walked in. Here's what I still struggle with. I need Christ. I need his grace. I need the cross." Nobody was pretending. Nobody was wearing the cape of "spiritual leader" and saying, "Let me show you how great I am." And os I need ot ask… when I read things like this, and I see how church has eveolved…

Could it be that Ephesus got pretty, and comfortable? Could it be that they moved from "I need him, I have a wicked heart" to "How are you doing?" "Fine. How are you?" "Fine." When Affection Dies, Make-Believe Lives Here's what happens when your affections are no longer being stirred for Jesus Christ: You begin to pretend. That's where this make-believe faith comes in what James calls dead faith, and dead faith is nothing but imitation rather than invitational.

You pretend you don't still struggle. That you don't still have doubts. That sin doesn't still creep up and find you. That you're not still weak. You know, holiness isn't so much about what we do. It's about what we love. And so what happens within the congregation… we become comfortable. Theres not repentance. Theres no consecration before brother and sisters who walks with you. No affection. No honesty. Just performance.

And you think you're fine. So what do we do? How does God rescue us from this drift? How does he keep our hearts stirred when everything in us wants to settle into comfortable religion? MOVEMENT 3: Stirred Affections Move Us to Stir One Another (Hebrews 3:12-14; 10:23-25) The Same Spirit, The Same Work Here's how God rescues us from drift: He doesn't leave us to fight it alone. He stirs us to stir one another.

Turn with me to Hebrews. We're going to look at two passages—Hebrews 3:12-14 and Hebrews 10:23-25. And what I want you to see is that the same Spirit who stirred Cyrus, who stirred ordinary families in Babylon, who pleads with Ephesus to return to first-love passion—that same Spirit now calls us to stir one another. Let me read both passages: Do you see the pattern?

In Ezra: The Spirit stirs hearts → People move toward God's dwelling, the temple. In Revelation: Christ pleads for stirred affections → Return to first-love honesty. In Hebrews: God stirs us → We stir one another → We move toward other temples. Because here's what's changed: We are the temple now. God places his spritir, the spirit of his son, Jeuss within our hearts to cry out Abba Father. The same Spirit.

The same work. In each od us.. But now the stirring becomes mutual. What God awakens in us, we are moved towards one another, and awaken and stir each other. God designed your faith to be sustained through other believers. Not just through sermons or personal devotions, but through being deeply involved in each other's lives. Two Ways We Stir One Another And this mutual stirring works in two ways. First, we help each other fight what pulls us away from Christ.

Second, we provoke each other toward what draws us closer. FIRST: Fighting Sin's Deception Together (Hebrews 3:12-13) Look at verses 12-13 again: "Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called 'today,' that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Notice the warning: An evil, unbelieving heart that leads to falling away.

And what's the antidote? Exhort one another every day. The word "exhort" here means to come alongside, to urge, to encourage, to warn. It has a bit of an edge to it. This isn't just "have a nice day" pleasantries. This is getting in each other's lives and speaking loving truth. Why? Because sin deceives. It blinds. It hardens. And here's the terrifying part: You can't see it happening to yourself.

That's what deceitful means. You drift slowly. Your affections cool gradually. You start justifying things you once grieved over. You become comfortable with patterns you once fought. And you don't even notice it's happening. The hardness creeps in. This is why isolation kills. When you pull away from close relationships, when you keep everything surface level, when you present only the edited version of yourself, you cut yourself off from the very means God uses to keep you from being hardened.

God has appointed you—yes, you—to help a few other people persevere in faith and fight the blindness of sin. And God has appointed a few others to do that for you. You need them. They need you. Verse 14 says, "For we share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end." Do you see it? Our sharing in Christ is connected to holding fast. And holding fast is connected to daily exhortation.

This isn't optional. This is how God designed faith to persevere. SECOND: Provoking Love and Action Together (Hebrews 10:24-25) Now look at chapter 10, verses 24-25: "And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." The word "consider" here means to observe carefully, to think strategically, to give attention to.

This isn't accidental. We're supposed to be intentional about how we provoke each other toward Christ-treasuring lives. Notice what we're stirring each other toward: Love and good works. Not just theological precision. Not just moral performance. Not just avoiding sin. We're provoking each other toward hearts that overflow in compassion and lives that display the kingdom. Who of us cannot trace much of our passion for radical Christian living to other Christians who stirred us up?

Someone spoke truth to you. Someone modeled generosity. Someone challenged your comfort. Someone called you to something bigger than yourself. You were stirred. And now you're called to do that for others. We all tend to drift into selfishness. Our default mode is self-preservation, self-comfort, self-advancement. God has appointed you to help a few others resist that drift. To stir them up. To provoke them toward love. The Critical Role of Small Groups Now, how does this happen practically?

How do you exhort someone every day if you only see them in rows on Sunday morning? How do you confess sin to one another in a room of 300 people? How do you bear with each other's flaws if you only know the public version? You can't. This is why small groups matter. Why home fellowships matter. Why intentional relationships matter. Not as programs to check off, but as the structural means by which we actually give and receive the care that sustains faith.

Look at verse 25 again: "Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." Why "all the more"? Because as the Day approaches, the pressure increases. The deception intensifies. The drift accelerates. You're going to need this more, not less. Few things are more humbling and more healing than confessing your sin to others.

That's the level of trust we need. That's the level of honesty that marked the early church in Ephesus. That's what Christ is calling us back to. You can't stir what you're not around. This isn't about sitting in rows once a week. This is about being in each other's homes. Sharing meals. Knowing each other's struggles. Asking hard questions. Praying specifically. Speaking truth. Bearing burdens. CONCLUSION: The Pattern Continues So let me ask you directly, and I need you to be honest as the Worhsip team comes up..

Question 1: Are your affections stirred? Can you answer those two diagnostic questions? What stirs your affections for Jesus Christ? What robs you of those affections? If you can't answer those, you're probably operating from a checklist instead of a heart. You've left your first love. And Christ is pleading with you this morning: "Remember from where you have fallen. Repent. Return." Maybe you need to do some good work this week identifying what actually stirs you and what actually robs you.

Not what you think should, but what actually does. And then fill your life with the first and avoid the second. Question 2: Are you being stirred by others? Or are you isolated? Pretending you've got it together? Hiding your struggles behind the “some sort of" label? Keeping things surface-level so no one sees the real you? You are being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin, and you can't see it.

You need others. You need daily exhortation. You need people who know you well enough to see what you can't see. You need to be in a small group, in intentional relationships, where confession and prayer and honesty are normal. Don't be a loner in the Christian life. God didn't make you that way. Question 3: Are you stirring others? God has appointed you to help a few others persevere. Who are they?

Do you know them? Are you in their lives? Are you considering how to stir them up to love and good works? Or are you so focused on your own spiritual scoreboard—your goats, your checklist, your performance—that you've forgotten you're called to mutual care? The Spirit stirs. And when he does, we stir one another. This is the pattern. This is how God's people move. This is how faith perseveres. This is how the church treasures Christ together.

Let's pray. Father, stir our hearts this morning. Like you stirred Cyrus and the exiles in Babylon, stir us. Like you pleaded with Ephesus to return to first love, plead with us. Don't let us settle for religion when you're offering relationship. Don't let us settle for checklists when you're offering affection. Show us what stirs our hearts for Jesus. Show us what robs us. Give us the courage to be honest—with you, with ourselves, with each other.

And move us to stir one another. Help us fight the isolation, the pretense, the performance. Put us in each other's lives. Make us a people marked by mutual care—exhorting, encouraging, confessing, praying, bearing burdens, stirring love. We can't do this alone. We were never meant to. So stir us, and through us, stir others. In Jesus' name, Amen. *

Sacrifice and Offering

I want to invite you to open your bibles with me to the book of Hebrews, for just one second, and then we’re going to go spend some time in Leviticus. In case your wondering, its that book right after exodus, and I usually call it the buzzkill book. The reason being is because whenever you get the desire to read the Bible, most people will open their bibles up to Genesis and begin reading all theses great stories of Adam and Eve, Abraham's faith, and the craziness of Issac and Jacob and their families. Of course, the story of Joseph is one of my favorites. Then you get into Exodus and find this amazing story of of Moses, and the freeing of the Israelites, and the red sea crossing… and then all of sudden you come face to face with Leviticus. And immediately you are thrusted into a book all about laws and do this and don’t do that.. and you’re like wheres the stories? Wheres the adventure… where’s the drama? This is a bunch of ceremonies and procedures and stuff. If you’re like most people and you were getting into Leviticus, you drudged your way through these first chapters of this book, trying to make sense of altars and sacrifices and offerings and animals and blood and gore—trying to determine, “What in the world does this mean? What is this stuff about? And I know some of you are probably going, well, pastor, isn’t the law abolished… why would I even need to read all of this stuff. Cant I just overlook it and move on to Deuteronomy?? Well, like a parent… I'm just going to say…no… its important. It really is.. Yes, you get to enjoy your meat, potatoes and dessert, but listen, you need to eat your vegetables too.

So, Right now, we are in a 4 weeks series called, Sacrifice. Where we’ve began last week by seeing Jesus as the Lamb… and today, we’re going to explore this title, Jesus as the offering. But to understand what Jesus is offering, we need to understand what it means from the beginning.

And I’ll do that by telling you a story. Having kids, Alicia and I have really enjoyed watching our children grow up. We both come from cooking backgrounds—I began working in kitchens very young when my mother was a waitress, and Alicia grew up in her grandparents' diner. Eventually, we both worked at her grandparents' resort restaurant. We both love to cook. So naturally, when Gabriel, Chloe, and Abby came along, we bought them a large toy kitchen set with all the cool features—pots, pans, fake food, buttons that made cooking sounds. They loved to imitate us as we cooked. Now that our kids are older, someday our recipes will be handed down to them. They'll graduate from that toy stove to cooking on real stoves in their own homes. And while we miss the cuteness of seeing them play with their toy kitchen, we're excited to see them create real dishes. And This got me thinking: Why start with the toy version instead of going straight to the real deal? The answer is obvious. In their immaturity, we wanted them to have fun and use their imagination. But we were also planting seeds in their tender hearts that would hopefully blossom into a love for cooking and hospitality. We wanted to pass down our passion for bringing people together around a table—one of the most Jesus-like things we can do. At the same time, we didn't want to overwhelm them with technology they weren't ready for or put something dangerous in their hands. The toy kitchen was age-appropriate preparation for the real thing to come.

IV. And so, I tell you this story because I feel, this is how Leviticus is designed compared to the gospel of Jesus we see in the New testament. Things we read about and see God set in place in the old testament, are precursors to the things to come later. And so, to have a passion for the things to come, which we get to experience now, we need to see where they originated and why. So, to begin with… I want to read this Scripture in Hebrews chapter 10 and then were going to go back into the book of Leviticus and see the fisher price version of sacrifice that leads us back into Hebrews 10 later on… so, once I read this, you can put a marker, or a ribbon here, because we’ll return… In Hebrews chapter 10, verse 1 says this… “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.”

What did the Hebrew writer mean, the law was only a shadow of things to come? So I want us to explore that a little bit. Let’s start here in Leviticus, and let’s think about the Fisher-Price range in Leviticus. All right? When we come to the book of Leviticus, Leviticus picks up right where Exodus left off. And where we find ourselves is that the children of Israel is now at the foot of this mountain called Mount Sinai and they are experiencing the glory of God. They have the tablets in hand, And so now what they need is they need to know how to worship. But how? How do we come close to a holy God? And thats what I believe the Israelites were desiring. And so, God begins like this in Leviticus chapter 1 verse 1.. The Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting. He said, 2 “Speak to the Israelites and say to them: ‘When anyone among you brings an offering to the Lord, bring as your offering an animal from either the herd or the flock. Now, let’s turn over a few pages to the end of chapter seven, and see if this doesn’t sound somewhat familiar. Verse 37 in Leviticus chapter seven says, These, then, are the regulations for the burnt offering, the grain offering, the sin offering, the guilt offering, the ordination offering and the fellowship offering, 38 which the Lord gave Moses at Mount Sinai in the Desert of Sinai on the day he commanded the Israelites to bring their offerings to the Lord. Those are bookends., Chapter 1, and chapter 7, are book ends to this whole sacrificial offering system. And between these bookends, God describes five different offerings. Now, I know what you're thinking - 'Five different offerings? That seems complicated!' But each one served a specific purpose in helping people connect with God, so between these two book ends, chapters 1-5 explain what theses offerings are for… The burnt offering (chapter 1) was completely consumed by fire—nothing remained. It represented total dedication, saying "I want all of you, not just part of you." The grain offering (chapter 2) wasn't about sin but gratitude—bringing the first portion of your harvest to acknowledge God as provider. This parallels our modern practice of giving tithes and offerings. The peace offering (chapter 3) was uniquely shared—part went to God, part to the priest, and part to the worshipper. They actually ate together, symbolizing relationship and fellowship with God. The sin offering (chapter 4) addressed unintentional sins, providing a way to deal with guilt and restore the relationship with God when we fall short. The guilt offering (chapters 5-6) focused on making restitution—not just with God but with others you had wronged, requiring repayment plus 20%. It taught that our actions have consequences. Now, if you put all five of those together, in-between the book ends of chapter 1 to 7, You’ll find that the first three offerings were voluntary offerings, not to be done on any particular prescribed occasion, but they were intended to be that which fostered “a pleasing aroma to the Lord.” Which means, an act of worship that was sincere and well received.

But those last two offerings—the sin offering and guilt offering—these were different. These weren't optional. If you messed up, you had to bring these. If you broke one of God's rules, you needed to make it right, through these offerings. They were designed to help you receive forgiveness. It's pretty interesting if you think about it. Some offerings were about showing love to God freely. Others were about fixing the relationship when we've damaged it. Some were about giving to God because we're grateful. Others were about receiving what we need most—forgiveness.

But all of them leads to one thing… They all point to our need for something greater than ourselves. And Leviticus 1-7 teach us that, through these offerings, there three things we learn. First, faithfulness to God. We need to give Him our whole lives, not just pieces. Those burnt offerings and grain offerings weren't about God needing animals or grain - they were about teaching us what real commitment looks like. God doesn't want your leftovers or your spare time. He wants all of you.

Second, fellowship with God. We were created for relationship with Him, not just religion. Remember that peace offering where you actually got to share the meal? That was God's way of saying, 'I don't just want your stuff - I want to connect with you.' We weren't made to just follow rules; we were made to know God personally.

And third, forgiveness from God. Because we all mess up and need a way to make things right. Those sin and guilt offerings were addressing the reality that we all face - we blow it sometimes. We need a way back. We need forgiveness that actually works.

Here's how I'd sum it up: God was using those sacrifices to show people two things – the seriousness of their sin and their desperate need for a Savior. And both of those things are only fully addressed at the cross of Christ. Think about it this way. If our kids tried to bake real cookies in her toy oven, nothing would happen. The food would go in raw and come out exactly the same way. Those toy ovens can't transform anything. In the same way, all those animal sacrifices couldn't actually transform the human heart or permanently remove sin. But just like our kids would eventually move on to cooking with a real oven that actually transforms raw ingredients into something nourishing, God was preparing His people to recognize the real thing when it came. He was getting them ready for Jesus, whose sacrifice would truly transform us from the inside out.

That's why Hebrews 10 is so powerful. It shows us how Jesus fulfills and completes everything those sacrifices were pointing toward. So let's begin in Hebrews chapter 10 and read verse 1 again.. Verse 1 says, "For since the law….” Let's stop for a moment.. because look down in verse 8… look at what it says in Hebrews 10:8, "When he said above, 'You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings' (these are offered according to the law)…’" You see what's happening here? The writer of Hebrews is talking about those exact same offerings we just looked at in Leviticus! He's saying, This is mind-blowing if you think about it. God set up this elaborate system of sacrifices, but then says He never really desired them or took pleasure in them? What's that about? It's because they were never the final goal. That means of sacrifices were teaching tools. They were training wheels. God wasn't after dead animals - He was after transformed hearts. That's why verse 1 says the law "has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities." Like my daughter's toy kitchen compared to a real one - it resembled the real thing but couldn't actually do what the real thing does. And here's the problem with that shadow system - the verse continues: "it can never, by the same sacrifices that are continually offered every year, make perfect those who draw near.” Think about that phrase "continually offered” for a moment…. - they had to keep repeating the same sacrifices year after year after year. Why? Because they never actually fixed the problem! If they had worked, the sacrifices would have stopped because people would have been cleansed once and for all. But instead, as verse 3 says, "in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year." Every sacrifice was essentially saying, "You're still a sinner. You still have this problem. You're still not right with God. That's the Fisher-Price range - a good teaching tool, but it couldn't actually cook anything. It couldn't actually transform anything. It couldn't actually solve the problem.

Now let's see what Jesus did differently as the offering…. Look at verse 5. It says, "Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, 'Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me.’" This is incredible! Instead of another animal, God prepared a body for Jesus. This isn't about another lamb or goat - this is about God's Son taking on human flesh and becoming the perfect Lamb. The offering is no longer something outside of us, nor is it an action to be performed - it's a person. And not just any person, but God Himself in human form. Jesus continues in verse 7, "Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God.’" Isn’t this is what God was after all along! Not the blood of animals, but willing obedience. That's what none of those sacrifices could provide. The animals didn't choose to be sacrificed. The grain couldn't decide to be offered. But Jesus willingly chose to do God's will. He tells us in John 10:18, No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have the right to lay it down, and I have the right to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.” And look at what happens next in verse 9: "He takes away the first to establish the second." Jesus doesn't just improve the old system - He completely replaces it! It's not an upgrade; it's a whole new operating system. Now here's the part that amazes me most. Look at verses 11-12. It says, "Every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.” Did you catch that contrast? The priests were always STANDING because their work was never done. It was like being on a religious treadmill - constantly running but never arriving. But Jesus? After His sacrifice, He SAT DOWN. Done. Complete. Finished. Tetleistia… it is finished. And here's what His one-time sacrifice accomplished in verse 14: "For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being made holy.” Church, with one sacrifice, Jesus did what thousands upon thousands of animal sacrifices over a thousand of years could never do. He took 5 sacrifices and perfected it with one…and through him offers the ability to be holy for he is holy.

And now, because of what Jesus has done and accomplished, because the Spirit of the living God dwells within us... our lives become an offering. Not to earn God's favor, but to express our gratitude. Not out of obligation, but out of love. Not to gain relationship with God, but because we already have it through Christ. Look, can I just be honest with you for a second? There are times when I too struggle with this. I really do. Sometimes I catch myself dividing my life into boxes - here's my church box, here's my family box, here's my work box. And I treat them like they're completely separate. And honestly, I don’t know why I am drawn to put my life into boxes.. But then I read Romans chapter 12, it wrecks me. Because Paul doesn't say, "Take your Sunday morning worship and make it really impressive to God." He doesn't say, "Make sure you're doing enough religious activities to balance out your non religious life.” No. After eleven chapters of explaining what Jesus did for us and our insuficnianry to save ourselves, that we all fall short of the glory of GOd, and that JEuss is the perfect offering, Paul says something that completely demolishes our religious boxes. He says: "Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.” Do you realize what this means? The separation we've created between sacred and secular isn't from God. It's from us. Those moments when you're changing diapers? That’s a Sacred moment. That conversation with your difficult coworker? Holy ground. The way you handle your finances? That’s Worship. It's true... you can be brushing your teeth and be praising, 'you are worthy...' And I think about things like this and ask,..What if we've been missing it this whole time? What if real life isn't just equal to religious life... what if it's actually where God wants to meet us the most? What if God just wants to meet you and me in our everyday ordinary life. Listen, church, God doesn't want a visit from you on Sunday. He wants a life with you every day. You know what's interesting? This invitation to bring our whole lives to God isn't just freeing - it's also challenging. Because it means there's no part of our lives that's off-limits to Him. No compartment we can keep to ourselves. The world tells us something very different. It says, 'Keep your faith private. Keep your religion contained. What you do Monday through Saturday is your business.’ And Paul saw this tension coming. That's why in the very next verse, Romans 12:2, he says: "Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without thinking.” Guys, look around! Every day this world is trying to squeeze us into its mold. There's this constant pressure to conform, to fit in, to chase after what everyone else is chasing. And the scary thing is how easy it happens! We don't even realize it. We're just breathing it in - the values of this world, the priorities, the ways of thinking. Before you know it, you're making decisions exactly like everyone else without even questioning why. But Jesus didn't die on the cross just to forgive your sins and then leave you the same! His sacrifice wasn't just a get-out-of-hell-free card. When He offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice, He was inviting us into a completely different way of living! The issue is… we’re caught between two ways of living… Think about it… The world is constantly whispering, "Be comfortable. Take the easy path. Look out for yourself." And on the other hand…. religion often responds, "Follow these rules. Check these boxes. Perform these rituals.” But Jesus? Jesus offers something totally different. Not comfort. Not rules. But relationship. Connection. Transformation from the inside out. Paul nails it when he says, "Fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out." Not by trying harder to follow religious rules, but by focusing your heart on the One who gave everything for you. And so heres the issue,… The world pulls toward comfort; while religion pushes toward rules. But Jesus offers a third way: relationship through everyday worship in our ordinary lives

As Peter comes up…

Folks, when this truth grips your heart—when you truly understand what Jesus has done as your perfect offering—everything changes! Your Monday morning worship isn't a burden; it's a RESPONSE to undeserved grace! You don't live from religious obligation anymore—you live from RELATIONSHIP! From DELIGHT! From WONDER! So how do we actually live as offerings in response to Jesus' perfect offering? Let me give you three ways before we leave today: First, show up honestly. Drop the religious mask with God! The God of the universe doesn't want your polished performance—He wants YOU. Listen churhc, Your brokenness isn't a barrier I need you to understand that… —it’s an INVITATION for His grace to flood in! Oh man.. David knew this so well… he writes…”The Lord is near to the brokenhearted" (Psalm 34:18). Don't you see? Your weakness is the stage where His strength performs its greatest work!

Second, show up for others. In Leviticus, offerings created connection. Today, our greatest offering isn't stuff—it's PRESENCE. Jesus made this crystal clear in Matthew 25 when He said, "I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in..." When the people asked when they did this, He responded, "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Our presence with others becomes our presence with Jesus. Just this week at Red's Grill, God nudged me to notice an older gentleman who seemed to need connection. Nothing dramatic—just asking thew waitress to pay for his meal. But in that moment, that small sanctuary was built. At Safeway on Monday there was this elderly lady pushing her cart... she looked at me and smiled and I simply said, you have a beautiful smile. Connection. Holy moment was created. Later in the week, at Wendy's with my son on Friday night... we came to the speaker and after our order, I simply said, I appreciate you... every moment... is an opportunity to show up for others, and watch how Jesus works in you and through you. Your attention to others is an offering!

Finally, show up consistently. Like Daniel who prayed three times daily, find those regular touch points with God. Not because you have to, but because you GET to! Let everyday moments—your morning coffee, your commute—become holy ground where you meet with the Living God! But hear me clearly: This isn't about straining harder. It's about surrendering deeper. We can't do this on our own strength—and that's the BEAUTIFUL NEWS! Jesus is our offering. Jesus is our righteousness. Jesus is our presence. When we come broken, HE is whole. When we come weak, HE is strong. When we cannot show up, HE has already shown up for us! Your hope isn't in your ability to be perfect. Your hope is in the One who was perfect on your behalf. Christ—our substitute. Christ—our righteousness. Christ—our EVERYTHING! You are loved. Right now. Not for what you do, but for who you are in Christ. *