Francis Chan: Church, Why Do We Go?

today's an awesome day today we celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Cornerstone Church it's incredible it's just so weird to think that we've been around for 10 years now and and to be honest with you it's actually it's actually next week that's the exact 10-year mark but I was gonna be gone next week so we thought we'd celebrate it now and yeah I have a conference I have to speak at and and I almost canceled it but the conference is in Hawaii and I saw you know I always said I'd go anywhere for the gospel and I want to I want to prove that but you know you think how many of you is there anyone in this room that was here on that first Sunday at Sinaloa junior high school Wow there's a few of us at school there's like 10 of us hey good to see you again it's been a while right on so you're there with otter remember otter work shift guy and yeah otter cutter otter oh yeah his name is honor and his cool guy you know I didn't know him real well but I asked him because I couldn't find anyone and and I said hey can you bring a band with you and and so I hadn't even met these guys you know they show up on Sunday morning our first Sunday there at the church and he brings his guy named Fabian Fabian Fabian and otter you know Fabian he was the drummer and he had this chain that went from his nose to his ear this is like 10 years ago you know it was like wow it's really cool you know and we just had our worship service and it was just it was so fun but it was so weird we didn't know what we were doing you know and there was there were maybe a hundred people that show up that first weekend you know so we're totally excited that it's second week there were fewer well that's alright you know and then just start growing and here we are ten years later with all these services and all these people and how many people after that we went to Chuck E Cheese over right there how many people's joined us when we wanted to over by Chuck E Cheese all right a few of you that's cool another dozen or so and then and then we started meeting and right across in the multi-purpose room here how many people started when we had services in there oh wow that's a lot that's a lot and so then how many just started coming the last three years since we've been in this building wow that's really cool you just think about all the changes that have taken place over ten years and and who would have thought and as I was thinking about you know what I really want to talk about this week I went back to my notes from my very first sermon ten years ago there at that cafeteria at Sinaloa junior high and I preached out of the book of Malachi Malachi chapter one and and you think man that's kind of a weird book I mean I I'm willing to bet that most of you have not haven't even read Malachi it's kind of this obscure minor prophet it's a last book of the Old Testament and when I say a lot of you probably haven't read it is because even when you go okay I'm gonna read through the Bible in a year by the time you get to Isaiah and you know some of the prophets you don't always get that you know all the way to the end to the book of Malachi at the end of the Old Testament but you guys it's such a great book I mean even to this day it remains if not my favorite one of my favorite books in the Bible because it's so clear so cut and dry and such a powerful powerful message because the message is about these people whose worship had become dull it had become routine it kind of half-hearted you know and God was so bothered by that to say the least and that's so applicable to our day and age where people just kind of attend church and become a casual thing and I thought man now 10 years into it it'd be so easy for us to come and walk in I go okay another church service another sermon another worship time this or that and you guys we can't do that because you know from the very start what we said is the goal of Cornerstone and the goal of our Sunday mornings Services is not that you would leave this room and go wow that was really good that that has never been our concern that's not our concern today our goal is that when the service is through God looks down and goes wow that was really good that he looked at the way that you worshiped him the way you listen to his word the way that I taught his word you know did the way that we gave to him and he says wow these people really do love me they really are committed that this would be a god-centered service not man-centered it's not to please you you know it's not said you leave here all happy and say well that was really good it's really all about God we want him to be pleased and once we turn from that you know there's so many so many organizations that start you know with this direction and this focus and somehow they get skewed and I thought well you know it's so good then for us this this Sunday you know ten years later to go back to that very first passage and say are we going in a wrong direction now are we keeping that same focus if it's all about God in Malachi chapter one God is addressing these people these Israelites who just got so casual about their worship and he says to them in chapter 1 verse 6 it's the first verse I preached out of Malachi 1:6 it says a son honors his father and a servant his master if I'm a father where's the honor do me if I'm a master where is the respect do me says the Lord Almighty it is you o priests who show contempt for my name God says to the people he goes hate a son honors his father right and and that may not be so true in our day and age unfortunately you know we're kind of that generation where you know the parents are no longer acting like parents you know and kind of laying that the kids do whatever they feel like doing but but you gotta understand that's not the way it's been for all time and that's not the way it is in most cultures in most cultures a child honors and respects their parent they really take you know it's a hard deal God's command honor your father and mother and especially you understand the Old Testament you know what they did when you had a rebellious son but did you know what they did the rebellious children it the Old Testament law you're to take that kid outside the city gates and stone him to death so there weren't a lot of rebellious kids I'm having a couple really fast ones but you know for the most part this was something that God says this is the way she created the kids aren't earned to grow up and just do whatever they're supposed to do there's a reason God gave them authority and he says you know in in in a in a home a son honors his father and then he says and not only that but he says that a servant honors his master and you guys know about that if if there's a servant and there's the master the servant honors he respects the master wherever the master asked him to do he does it that's what a servant does so he lays that out a son honors his father servant honors his master and so God says so if I'm your father if you guys are calling me Father how come you're not honoring me like a father and he goes and if you're calling me Lord or master how come you're not treating me like a lord or master these people had all the right words when they prayed probably like a lot of the way you pray when you pray you probably address God as either father or Lord right and even throughout your prayer you'll say Lord Lord Lord and God says that's fine that's good that you call me that but if you're gonna call me that why don't you respect me like that I mean when you when you say Lord during prayer do you understand what you're calling God you're calling him master just like a servant would look at his his Lord and say okay Lord okay master what do you have me to do that's what you are saying now now think about that and think about the way that so many people pray master master go go do this for me go do that for me hey master I asked you last week to do this for me you still haven't done it let's think about our prayers for a while do we respect him like a master or do we treat him like a slave CNN and the incredible thing is we've got this awesome God who is the master is the Lord that says I actually do want to know your needs I actually do want to care for you but you guys let's be careful that we really respect him and treat him like Lord and not just call him that because there are many places there go Lord Lord you know and and say that and call him that but their lives don't show it they're not really his servants are not really his children and God says your words are meaningless I want to see in your actions if you can call me Father today treat me like father that's all he's saying if you're gonna call him Lord then treat him like Lord same thing Jesus said in Luke 6:46 he says why do you call me Lord Lord when you don't do what I say because that's kind of silly for you to call me master and then I command you something you don't do it just stop calling me Lord he goes on and and it says it is you o priests who show contempt for my name with universe 6 but you ask have we shown contempt for your name you place defiled food on my altar but you ask how have we defiled you by saying that the Lord's table is contemptible when you bring blind animals for sacrifice is that not wrong when you sacrifice crippled or diseased animals is that not wrong try offering them to your governor would he be pleased with you would he accept you as a Lord Almighty and now implore God to be gracious to us with such offerings from your hands will he accept you says the Lord Almighty see God is saying you guys are so insulting he says you guys insult me you defile me you despise my name and and the priests are gone what do you mean God well yeah we don't we don't despise you we don't defile your altar I mean we worship you we come and you gotta understand these priests were religious these people came and they came and they worship God every every time they're supposed to they would bring the animals they would bring the sacrifice and they were there religiously to serve to worship God the problem is is that God says yeah but look at what you're bringing to me he says when you bring blind animals for sacrifice because isn't that wrong NASB says isn't that that's actually the word you see you know the Old Testament where where they would bring an animal to be sacrificed to the Lord and that was their offering and and you were supposed to look in your flock and bring the unblemished animal supposed to bring the best to God okay the unblemished perfect now that's what you're supposed to bring to God what these guys were doing God says is that they would have these nice animals in their flock but instead they go away that what keeps running into the tree get him and it says they literally brought blind animals for sacrifice and it goes and God's going and you think I'm pleased with that because that's evil that's evil to bring me a blind animal for sacrifice and then he goes on and it says that he goes when you bring crippled or diseased animals so not only were they blind but they were crippled and diseased can you picture that in your mind these priests with these flocks of beautiful sheep and and it comes time for sacrifice and they go let's take that one he's blind he's only got three legs you know and this thing comes hobbling up to the altar and they do the sacrifice and think Oh God in heaven so pleased if God's saying that is so evil that is so wrong I mean isn't that a pretty disgusting picture let me ask you how different are we really how different are we here here in Southern California when God wants the best of what we have and and when so many people have so many wonderful things and were the richest people on earth and what do we what do we throw to God what do we give him of our time of our energy of our money you know are we really that different and do we think that God's pleased with just anything God says I don't accept your leftovers he is telling those people that you guys came you worship he thought that I was pleased with that he goes I'm not I think it's evil he goes try offering it to your governor he's tried giving that to your governor see if he'll take it okay how many of you are like me and you have not done your taxes yet okay it's a lot of us good feel better now those of you guys that haven't done it you guys did already did it too late but for those of you guys who haven't done it yet you guys let's let's all try something you know instead of giving the government what we owe them let's just write a note and say you know I got some old you know clothes and an old sofa and a little bit of money you know will you take this instead let's just try it now most you're going up and try that they're not gonna take it God says look the government won't even take it and you're gonna give it to God he's who you think I am the things you won't even do for your own government your own governor you give to me the creator of your government the creator of this world because are you kidding me and you think that I'm in heaven rejoicing because I look at it as evil I look at it as wrong and these priests you know God's just just letting them have it because they weren't giving God their best and you guys I just say we're really not that different you know I brought them you know this is what a lot of us do I brought a piece of chicken and this is what a lot of us do well well if this represents our time will come before the Lord and we'll say okay Lord you know what my whole life is yours here's here's here's all the time everything I've got because I recognize that that I belong to you and I wouldn't be alive today without you so here is my life here is my day but first I'm gonna go to work you all got to work right now working I'm done with working well then I go home and say how the kids hang out the kids well hang out my wife watch some television then go for a jog work out a little bit you know eat some more then okay and then what we've got is we're at the very end of the day we're dead tired we're laying in bed now let me just go I didn't even really spend time with God hey God thanks for the day we kind of tossed out a poem there you go and we give them what's left over after we spent all our time on ourselves doing all the things we want to do we go if there's any time left over then I'll give it a God and here's the crazy part is we actually think that God in heaven goes oh cool still some bone there's still some meat mmm that he's excited that we tossed him something well he said he thinks he gave me something and then gods fetching after our scraps all fired up look what I got angels and and you guys the thing is is we do this in so many different areas of our lives we do this with our money I want to buy the house I want first car I want first you know and take my kids to the school I want them to go to the clothes we want all this stuff we want go the places we want if I got a few bucks leftover I'll toss it to God there you go there you go there's a little bit left over on there God and we'll toss them a bone and we think that's the craziest part about it is we think God's cool with that I throw a couple bucks in because at least I gave something so that's the same thing these priests thought they thought well at least we gave something yeah it's not the best animal yeah that three legs out of four it's not bad we gave him something and God says what an insult who do you think I am you gave your government nerve better than you give to me I'm a great God he doesn't deserve that he doesn't deserve our leftovers and the thing that nuts intense is when you look at verse 10 Micah what he says in verse 10 he says oh that one of you would shut the temple too so that you would not light useless fires on my altar I'm not pleased with you says it Lord Almighty and I will accept no offering from your hands what does he say right there in verse 10 oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates that's a powerful verse there they were in the temple doing their sacrifices and God says I wish someone would just shut the gates to the temple I wish they would just close that thing down you think but why people showed up and they were saying because trust me I just want it shut down because that's so insulting to God see God would rather you not worship Him at all than to insult him with toss him your leftovers God doesn't want our leftovers he says why don't you shut the doors to that place won't you to close the gates I'm not pleased you know he looked at those people I mean that was in Jerusalem that's the temple that's the you know that's the Holy of Holies that's where he placed his name when he says you know what I wish they would just close the doors to that place I don't want to see that just don't worship me at all do you really believe that do you really believe that God says look I I want the best I deserve the best and so if you're gonna throw me your scraps I don't want him that's the God we worship what scares me about that verse is I look at that in God says man I wish someone would shut the doors cuz I'm just tired of looking at their sacrifices I'm not accepting it anyways there they're lighting this useless fire does no good so why don't you shut the doors the thing that fear scares me about that is I think right now it's very moment there are hundreds thousands of churches where people come and gather here in America and God is looking down now at America watching the worship that's going on and I wonder how many churches he would say that same thing to right now seriously that he would look down on on this earth and go Shh you called that worship I wish someone just shut that place down that's insulting there's so insulting they would come here and think that I'd be pleased with that you know was it just back then and was it just the temple that got so bad or what he looked down at here you know at some of the churches I really believe he would look at some of the churches across this country and say I wish they would just shut their doors what an embarrassment what a mockery of worship I'm not pleased with that and yet they're down there thinking that I'm happy that they showed up and just at least gave me something God says that's not me you guys the one thing I pray that we never become is one of those churches the guy would look down and say look at cornerstone they got a ton of people that showed up but I wish they never started I wish that church never existed most people aren't here to worship me they're not giving me their best because I don't ever want to be that and I know you don't either I mean I want to be one of those churches where God looks down and and tells the other people you know what just close your doors because this is real worship go look and see me Valley go check out Cornerstone those people are giving me their best not their leftovers you know why God says this verse 11 my name will be great among the nations from the rising to the setting of the Sun in every place incense and pure offerings will be brought to my name because my name will be great among the nation says the Lord Almighty God says from heaven listen I'm a great God I don't care what you think of me or what you think you deserve it goes but I am a great God whether you think so or not and and whether you worship me or not there will be people on this earth all around the earth that will give me the praise that is due my name is you don't want to worship me of excellence there's other people who will that's something I learned early in my walk with the Lord is that I can be replaced in a second God can replace me he created me he spoke me in existence and he can speak someone else into existence I can be replaced and he says these people it's not he's up in heaven going come on come on just just just go to church you know bring a friend get as many people as you can he's just saying you know what if you're not gonna give me the best I don't need you to I'm a great god that's what he says right there I am a great God and my name will be great and in every nation there's gonna be sacrifices made to me sacrifices that are pure real ones so if you don't want to worship me don't bother just go you're tired go you know what I cuz I want the best I deserve the best I'm a great great god I don't know who you came in to worship today well what do you picture what do you think's going on in heaven right now who's up there watching our worship yeah are you picturing some little old man on a rock or gonna thanks for coming you know you know and you know all excited anytime anything happens or do you really see that up in heaven theirs is awesome holy God who dwells in unapproachable light this amazing being who up there says look I'm great I spoke this world in existence how are you gonna worship me what do you wanted you come to give me see that's the God I came to worship one who deserves my best I would not be alive right now without him I know that full well and so every breath I got as long as I can speak I'll speak up for him and stand up for him and say you know this is not a place where we're going to casually worship God and throw leftovers at him if that's the case let's just close it up let's just close it up and then those who are serious just come over to my house and let's just give them everything we got so now is the whole point in starting the church was it could this be a place where people really came and thought about who God was and gave him their best and and I I fear that we we stray from that sometimes and I don't ever want to that's why this passage was so good for me just a review and think it through again he says there's people everywhere that will worship me give me excellence a few years before I preached this this is for the first time I was in I was in Hong Kong and I went to this service you know just wanted to see what church service was like out there you know visiting grandma and you know as with my brother and little sister and then we go to this church you know this Chinese like Baptist Church or something in Hong Kong and and we go early because you know I wanted to just kind of check it around and see what goes on there and we get there and everyone's already there everyone's already there and they're singing so then I'm thinking I'm wait so we go rushing in you know thinking we're early Irish we rushed it I look at the usher I go hey are we late and he was no you know rate you know it's like okay you know and so we go we sit down and they're singing these songs and then they take a break and then okay what's going on I mean my Chinese is okay but I don't understand how things are going on and then then they start singing again and it's the same songs they had just sung and then their whole service goes through and I thought I figured it out later their whole congregation comes early to practice the songs they're gonna sing to God so that when service starts they're ready to give him their best and how different is that from us who come as late as we can you know unprepared not ready that's just a different culture we can say well that's that's Chinese you guys always do everything better but it's not kidding know it you know it's not as it shouldn't be anyways a cultural thing but I think of that when I think about this passage when it says that you know what my name is gonna be feared by all these nations these people really will fear me all around the world people really will give me their best and that's where I go okay I want to be one of those I want cornerstone of you one of those places that got points to as they're giving me their best they come with their best you see and if we don't here's why we can't afford not to be we can't afford to blow this because look at what he says in Malachi chapter 2 there's so many you kind of read did I already tell the service you got to read this book okay I mean it's gonna take you ten minutes okay read it this week but because there's so many things I want to point out but Malachi 2 verse 1 he says and now this admonition is for you o priests if you do not listen and if you do not set your heart to honor my name says the Lord Almighty I'll send a curse on you and I'll curse your blessings yes I have already cursed them because you have not set your heart to honor me because of you I will rebuke your descendants I will spread on your faces the offal from your festival sacrifices and you'll be carried off with it do you know what that means you guys God says you know if you don't repent I'm gonna curse you in fact I've already cursed you and I'm not blessing you and he says and if you don't change he says I'm going to take the offal from your sacrifices and spread it on your face and you'll be carried out with it the old --fill the offal CC there was then when they would sacrifice an animal there were certain parts the Old Testament law says you don't sacrifice you that it's unclean it's not to be part of the sacrifice it's the intestines it's the inner parts and it was the dung that was left behind okay and and and you mix that with all of the ashes what they would do at the end of the day after the sacrifice is it they would take the ashes all of the manure that was left and all of the the intestines and they would carry it all outside of the city gates throw it out there to be burned because it was unclean and what God says to these priests is if you guys don't change the way you worship I'm gonna take all of that manure and the intestines and the ashes and I'm gonna spread it I'm gonna shove it in your face and then I'm gonna take you outside the city gates and burn you with it this is God you guys we live in a world and at a time when we don't we don't think of God as this holy powerful God but we see him as this little weak God that we kind of bossed around and say hey why'd you do this why'd you do that and we questioned and God says no no I questioned you and you answer me and you worship me the way I asked to be worshiped you don't do it I'll take that that crap that those intestines and shove it in your face and toss you outside the gates and burn you with it that's the god I were ship and you guys we cannot lose that reverence for God okay he says he doesn't change don't don't think well it's New Testament times now God doesn't change he's the same yesterday today and forever he's a great God and deserves my best and deserves yours and he demands it and he says I'm not gonna take anything less if you don't want a worship go ahead leave because other people well all around the world they will and you guys and I want you to understand something this is not like God is just being harsh just for the sake of being harsh he wants us to repent and turn to him I mean the most beautiful thing is his return to the next chapter chapter 3 I mean just shows you his heart in chapter 3 verse 6 like it says like I said earlier Malachi 3:6 I the Lord do not change okay so make sure you understand that the same God back then is the same God we worship today he doesn't change and he says so you O descendants of Jacob are not destroyed ever since the time of your forefathers you've turned away from my decrees and have not kept them returned to me and I will return to use as a Lord Almighty but you ask how are we to return will a man Rob God yet you rob me but you ask how do we rob you in tithes and offerings you're under a curse the whole nation of you because you're robbing me bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house then look what he says test me in this as a lord almighty and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you'll not have room enough for it why did God want these people to return to him so he could bless them why is God saying these things and in a sense yeah he's scaring these people saying look at Who I am come back to me return it why did he want to do that because he wanted to bless them he wanted these people to be blessed he doesn't want us to be cursed people and miserable lives that's not why God created us he says come back to me and the people say okay God okay I hear you I want to come back to you how do I come back to you and God says well first of all stop robbing me stop ripping me off and they're going wait a second we did not steal anything how are we robbing God and God says well you're not giving me the full ten percent for one you're giving me these these lame crippled animals these diseased things you throw it up there you're giving me half of half of what I deserve because why don't you try giving me what I deserve Juan Jake bring the whole tithe in the storehouse and see what I do for your life see if I don't just throw open the floodgates of heaven and blow your mind and bless you so much and this isn't necessarily he's gonna make you rich because that's not that's not where joy comes from anyways pieces but just try me try me try to bring the whole ten percent and see if you don't have more than you can you can even handle guys if there's one thing I've learned over these last ten years of ministering here at Cornerstone from the star of this church to this day it's that man God just he wants to bless me he loves me he's crazy about me and I don't know that I totally understood that when I started I've shared that before I didn't understand that love and that relationship with God I understood the fear part enters to the reverence but I understand how badly he just wanted to bless me see see the thing is is what I've learned is when I give him everything not I don't toss him the bone but when I give him that whole piece of chicken this is what I've learned he takes it and gives me back a whole bucketful you know he just gives it all when we give him our best he's saying you know all I want you to do is just to test me show me that you have faith to me show me that you believe in me and watch what I do for you give me your best and see what I give you God's not gonna be out giving you no I found something when I give God my first you know you know how you keep from giving leftovers give him first give God first that means that wake up in the morning give him your first hour so you don't come to the end day as I always spent all my time no give him the first wake up early wake up an hour earlier take a shower do some push-ups run around the block get wide-awake and then just say god here's the best most alert time of the day from he right now and it's yours I love you I'm crazy about you thank you for your son thank you for another day of life get into word learn some more of his commands and just give that to him you know what happens when you give him first you'll have plenty of time the rest of the day to do what needs to be done that's one things I've learned another thing I've learned about giving is you know first first thing I do with every check is I give the first 20% back to God say god this is yours it's all yours and then you know what happens I get blessed beyond belief I've never been in need man I look at people that make 10 times what I make and they're miserable they never have enough I look at my life and say this is such a joke I mean it really is to the point where there's times I'm laughing and going god quit it here's what I do I just go this is ridiculous you're spoiling me I could tell you story after story where is it I mean just even next week you know all right you know I'm asked to speak at this conference in Hawaii you know and then they call back and say you know is it okay if we fly your family along alright you know you guys might I tell you life is a it's ridiculous I tell my friends all the time I I feel like I'm in a fairy tale you know something you read out of a book because this relationship with God everything is so incredible he is so amazing that's all he's ever wanted from me he just wants to show off how much he loves me Brett starts with us and giving him our best

Channel: Crazy Love

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Keywords: Francis Chan, sermon, church, GOD, Jesus, Crazy Love, Crazy, Love

Id: Zg9gmeoRO1g

Length: 34min 51sec (2091 seconds)

Published: Tue Dec 02 2014