Fearless week 3

Amen.

Thank you, Jonathan.

Thank you for leading us this morning.

And we're in this series fearless.

You remember the first job that you ever had?

My first technical job was um at Win Dixie as a cashier at Win Dixie.

That was my first official job.

But before then, I uh mowed lawns around the neighborhood.

I had a nice little side hustle going.

I had my push mower and I would push it up and down the road, different houses and different people.

And uh we had a big yard that uh we had to mow that had several inclines.

And I was always asking my dad, I'm like, Dad, why why why don't we get a riding lawnmower?

And he'd always look back and say, I have two riding lawnmowers, you and your brother.

Well, not only did uh mow my lawn, but also uh my dad wanted me to also mow our neighbor's lawn as well.

Now I had this side hustle going.

I was, you know, making like 20 bucks a lawn.

I mean, I was really rolling it, okay?

My dad came to me and he said, Hey, I want you to mow the neighbor's lawn.

Now, what I didn't realize was that our neighbor, that this young family, they were going through a difficult time.

Had two young kids, and the father of the house, he was sort of there, and then he was not there, and I didn't really know what was going on at the time.

I wasn't really paying attention as a 13-year-old kid.

But my dad, who grew up with a single family home or single-parent home, he had been taking notice of what was going on.

Noticed that uh the dad wasn't always there, and there were some times that he was seeing some dynamics that I wasn't actually seeing.

So he asked for me to step up and for me to begin to um, for me to begin to okay, uh, for me to begin to mow their lawn.

And so uh I started to push mow their lawn.

It was bigger than my our lawn, and I was doing it for free.

And so it started as an annoyance and then moved to a frustration, and then as the weeks went on and it got hotter and hotter during the summer, um, I started to get furious.

I remember one time I was mowing their backyard and just tears were streaming down my face because I was so mad that I was having to do this for them.

My attitude was in the wrong place, okay?

That's embarrassing to even admit now.

You can just imagine 13-year-old me thinking, why am I doing this right now?

I didn't want to mow my own lawn, let alone my neighbors.

Well, then one day, after the end of the summer, there was a knock on the back door, and I happened to be the one to answer the door, and it was the dad from next door.

And just sort of in a weird way, he was like, Hey, I just want to say thanks.

I know that you've been doing the lawn, and I just wanted to give you this, appreciate it so much, have a good day.

And so uh he handed me an envelope, and so I took the envelope, I opened it up, and there was a check in the envelope written to me, Forrest Coleman, for$700.

I was rich! I was rich, I was the richest 13-year-old that I knew on my entire blogger, anybody I ever heard of.

I was sitting there thinking, I was like, counting the money in my head, and I'm like, I'm buying a car, I'm moving out, I'm getting an apartment, like I never seen that much money before.

And I was just thinking, I was like, man, glory to God, thank you, Lord.

Good things come to good people, good things come to those who wait.

I mean, I was really in a good attitude then, and I could not wait for my dad to get home so I could show him and really put it in his face.

So dad gets home and I say, Dad, guess what happened today?

Guess who came over and gave me this?

And I handed him the the uh envelope, he opens it up, he looks at the check, he looks at me, and then he tears the envelope and the check in half.

It was the first time I ever had an out-of-body experience.

My soul left my body.

I was looking for the top, I was thinking, I need to call the police.

I've been robbed.

I was so torn up, I didn't know what to do.

I was, as you can imagine, I was mortified and furious.

And I was just in my 13-year-old voice, what why would you do that?

And I'll never forget what my dad said.

He said, Son, you will not take food out of our neighbors, those little kids, out of their mouths.

You know, he told me that mowing their lawn would build character.

In that moment, that built my character.

You ever had something financially uh not go your way?

Got the check and then had the car engine light turn on.

You got that first check, saw all the taxes that came out of it.

That happened to me.

Maybe for you, you had a time where you were very blessed financially, and then all of a sudden there was a season where you lost a job or had unexpected bills.

Have you been in a situation financially that it didn't go as planned?

Have you ever had uncertainty when it comes to your finances that it may even have created some fear in you or made you be more afraid than what you should?

You know, some of us are dealing with financial fears right now.

Those gas prices are going up and down, food prices going up, what's on the horizon?

What's gonna happen next?

Maybe there's some circumstances that are outside of your control right now that are creating anxiety for you.

How can you be fearless?

How can you be fearless in the face of financial failures and difficulty?

Can you?

Can you be fearless?

Can you live a life that's free from being overwhelmed by worry and doubt when it comes to monies?

Now we've talked over this last couple series about fear and about being fearless, and today we're gonna talk specifically about what do I do in this economy or what what what about financial fears?

You're thinking, oh man, we're we're talking about money today in church.

Well, we are talking about money today in church and the way that we're supposed to respond and what our attitude should be towards it.

Because this, you know that Jesus talked more about money than he did about heaven and hell?

Do you want to know why?

Because he knows how easily we can be overwhelmed and be caught into anxiety and worry and fear when it comes to our finances.

Praise the Lord that he talked about it, and we're gonna look at a couple of patches today from the scripture that should help to show us what our attitude should be and what it should look like when it comes to matters of being fearless in our finances.

What's the approach that we should have when it comes to money and what does God have to say about it?

Over the last couple of weeks, we've actually been looking at this passage in 1 Timothy chapter 6.

1 Timothy 6 · chapter mention

I referenced it a few weeks ago.

Christian Rowe, who's preached two weeks ago, referred this same chapter.

And there's a part of scripture in the passage that Paul writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy chapter 6, that in reading it, I thought to myself, man, we've got to talk about this.

1 Timothy 6 · chapter mention

Our church has got to hear this, and we've got to look at this scripture together.

So if you have your Bible, you got your phone app, you want to turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 6, we're gonna have it on the screen as well.

1 Timothy 6 · chapter mention

Starting in verse 6, look at what the scripture says that's true.

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth.

After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can't take anything with us when we leave it.

There's no U-Hauls behind hears.

So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.

But people This is verse 9.

But people who long to be rich will fall into temptation and attrap that into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and to destruction.

For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Some people eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Did you read that?

Did you read that?

True godliness with contentment is wealth in as of itself.

Those of us who desire to be rich can fall into temptation and be plunged into ruin and destruction.

And the famous verse that we've heard all of our lives that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

We don't necessarily read all the context that's around that, but for some people craving money, they've wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows, many difficulties and grief.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that that passage the love of money is the root of all evil is most of the time you hear it taken out of context.

People just say, well, money is the root of all evil, and that's not what the scripture says.

It says the love of money is the root of all evil.

And so for us, we have to ask ourselves what happened that first verse when he tells us in verse 6 that true godliness with contentment is itself a great gain or great wealth.

For us to live a life of contentment, for us to be content in what we have and what God has provided and given to us is very difficult.

Many times when things are getting short, the bank account is going down, our anxiety is going up.

We're looking at our wages and what God is providing, the provision in our life, for us to take a look at that and say, okay, God, I want to be content with what you have given me, it's a great challenge, isn't it?

Do you want to know why?

Because most of the time, instead of us being in a mindset of contentment, we're in a mindset of consumption.

Consume, consume, consume, consume, consume.

Whether it's going out to eat or all the fun stuff that we get to do, all the little trappings, that extra trip to Target.

Oh now I'm really stepping on somebody's toes.

Here's a defin a great definition of contentment that was shared with me.

Contentment is the inward, quiet, gracious frame of mind that submits and delights in God's wise and fatherly disposal of every condition.

That we would have a gracious, thankful, inward peace, and quietness towards God, submitting to and delighting in how in a fatherly way he chooses each condition and every condition of our life, including our wallets.

Are you in a mindset of contentment?

Or are you in a mindset of consumption?

Now here's the thing.

A few weeks ago we talked about the rich young ruler and talked about what it looks like to be rich, and talked about the fact that for us as Americans, I mean, compared to the most of the world or a vast majority, we would probably be considered to be rich.

If you're driving an automobile, you're in the the upper percentages of the whole world, the fact that you have a car.

If you do.

Wealthy.

But the scripture also says that we should not be tempted for us to want to spend our whole life just wanting to be rich.

That's like totally opposite of what the world is telling us right now.

Every single thing on Instagram is like, it's a side hustle.

I'm gonna start an Etsy shop, I'm gonna start this, I'm gonna start this business.

How many side hustles can I have?

Get that bread.

Game, gang, game, right?

That's what we're being told, and what we're being fed constantly from the culture is that we need to pursue and get richer and richer and richer and richer.

And this here's the thing.

It's not a sin to be wealthy, it's not a sin to be rich, but it's a sin to love it.

The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Jesus has some words for us himself that he spoke to us about how we should think and what our mindset should be when it comes to possessions and the Lord providing for us.

In Matthew chapter 6, verse 24 through 34, these are the words of Jesus, so pay attention.

Matthew 6:24–34

Jesus says, No one can serve two masters.

Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and money.

Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life.

What you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?

Look at the birds of the air.

They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life?

This is Jesus saying this.

And why do you worry about clothes?

See the flowers of the field grow, they do not labor or spin.

Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow, and is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith?

So do not worry, saying, What shall we eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear?

For pagans run after all of these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow.

For tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

That's the true words of Jesus.

Jesus telling us to not worry about tomorrow, but instead for us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

You know why we don't have to be anxious?

Because God promises us that he's going to provide for us and all of our needs.

Philippians 4 19 says this, and this same God who takes care of me, and my God will meet all of the needs according to his riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

Plainly, God says that the same God who takes care of me will supply all the needs that you have from his glorious riches, not from ours.

You know what that scripture doesn't say?

It doesn't say that in the same way that God's going to supply and going to grant all of our wants.

It says all of our needs.

There's a big difference there, right?

All of our wants versus all of our needs.

God knows exactly what you need when you need it.

You know what's ironic about that?

What's ironic is that God knows both of those things better than you.

What you need and when you need it.

The culture, people, friends, around us, Instagram, all that wants to tell us go get your wants, wants, wants, wants, wants.

And God has given us plenty.

There are plenty of wants that we have and you might be providing for.

But we know this that God's going to give us everything that we need.

When we need it.

So for us to think about finances, to think about provision, to think about food, clothes, shelter, those things that we need in our life, Jesus is telling us do not be anxious.

Do not fear.

Do not let the overwhelming fear of the future take hold of you and take root of you and hold you back from believing and trusting in faith that I've got you.

God's got you.

He's going to provide for your needs.

If you're following Christ, if you're in him, if you're following the way of Jesus and walking in faith with him, Jesus tells you, I'm going to give you what you need.

When you need it, trust me.

Trust me.

I'm faithful.

Any coffee drinkers in the house this morning?

Yeah?

Yeah.

Old school.

I'm talking old school coffee.

I was talking about my dad earlier.

Man, my dad drank just straight black coffee every single morning in my entire life.

He still does.

No creamer, none of that.

Just straight black, just motor oil coffee.

But even him, even him, he used the coffee filter.

Y'all know what I'm talking about?

Those little paper things that you put into the old school$10 Walmart coffee maker.

And you put the grounds in there.

And then what comes out?

Ooh, the good stuff comes out, right?

What's the point of the filter?

The filter gets keeps all those grounds from getting in your coffee.

He might have drank it that way too.

I don't know.

But the whole point of the filter is for it to filter through and for the good stuff to come out and to keep the bad out, right?

Here's what I want you to remember today.

Here's what I want you to write down to think about is this.

Filter.

Filter your fear through God's faithfulness.

Filter your fear through God's faithfulness.

Do you want to know why?

Because God wants to give you the good stuff.

Can I hear somebody today?

God has good for you planned.

And he has good stuff.

And he wants to filter out the bad.

And wants to filter out a mindset of thinking, oh God, I don't know the walls are falling in.

I'm not gonna be thinking of God.

You don't know what I need.

I'm gonna trust some side hustle or or some person or something or some business to provide for my needs, and still God wants to give you the good stuff.

Is faith in him, which is trust in his faithfulness.

So we've got to use a filter to filter out the fear, and the filter is God's faithfulness.

You know how I know that?

I know that because my family has experienced something.

We're desperately needing the faithfulness of God.

Back in 2008 and 2009, y'all remember there was a housing crisis.

It was a recession in the United States.

Many people fell on hard times, and my family, my wife's family at the time, were one of those families.

2008-2009, my father-in-law was laid off from his job.

High wage earner executive at a manufacturing facility in Murray, Kentucky.

They were living a great life.

Beautiful, historic 4,000 square foot home with big giant white pillars right downtown on the main strip in Murray, Kentucky.

Lost a job, financial hardship, tried to sell the house in the midst of that climate, no takers.

Not only the home, but many of the possessions inside ended up being sold on the courthouse steps on an auction.

My wife's family.

So difficult.

My wife's family who've been faithful to the Lord for so long.

Her parents loved Jesus and been faithful followers of Jesus, tithe their whole life, just amazing, upstanding people.

Their faith was rocked.

Emily's mom, her faith was shaken.

She actually wrote an excerpt about this time for you today.

I asked her if she would write about this experience and for you to hear directly from her.

This is what she wrote.

She said, the expectation of financial secure, a financially secure future was gone and fear was crippling.

While I could quote scripture about God's faithfulness, I had never actually had to depend andor trust his faithfulness.

We went from a 4,000 square foot home to a one-bedroom apartment.

It was a dark time.

It was a time of great spiritual testing.

I was angry and felt betrayed that God had, the God that I loved, would allow this to happen to me.

I thought I deserved better.

For a long time I stayed in the place of anger, disbelief, hurt, and depression.

Because the circumstance did not change, and I didn't get to wake up and find out that it was just a bad dream, I had to make a choice.

Would I walk away from my faith with bitterness?

Or would I be like Peter in John chapter 6, verse 8, when he said, Lord, to whom shall I go?

John 6:8

I chose to lay down my complaints at the foot of the cross.

I stopped asking why us and demanding answers.

He was God, and I was not.

Though I could see no way that God could bring something good out of the situation, I chose to trust.

Was it painful?

Very.

Did my fear go away instantly?

No.

But as I clung to the scriptures, like a drowning man to a life vest, I began to know that God was faithful.

Not just because the scripture says so, but because I knew it was true experientially.

It was a dark night of the soul, but through it I gained an intimacy and trust with my Savior that I would not trade for anything.

His faithfulness has been divinely imprinted on my soul.

And no one can ever take that away.

That's the words of my mother-in-law.

Now, some 12, 15 years later, I'm happy to report to you that they've been completely financially restored.

About to build a home for them to retire in.

And God has done an amazing work.

But in the midst of it, in the midst of that struggle and hardship and pain, she had a choice.

To trust in the faithfulness of God, to trust in the fact that He was going to provide every single one of their needs, not once.

To filter the fear out through the lens of God's faithfulness and his truth.

Can you just imagine with me for a moment?

Everybody look here.

Imagine with me for a moment.

Imagine if you had a faith like that.

That when the winds come and the rains come and the hardship comes, when the enemy wants to trap you and overwhelm you with fear and doubt of who God is, for you to remain faithful, knowing that God's gonna be faithful to you.

What would that look like?

What would that look like?

For you to let fear and anxiety be submitted to God and say, God, I'm gonna trust you.

I'm gonna trust you.

What would it look like for your home?

For your relationships, for your kids, for your future children, for your grandchildren.

What would it be like?

Church, what would it be like?

What would it be like for us?

For us is multiply church for us to choose faith over fear when it comes to finances and the way that we bless the community, the way that we give, the way that we trust that God's gonna provide for every single one of our needs.

As we end today, I want to say this.

That you may be in the room today, and you may be one who's been gripped by fear.

In some area in your life, I want you to know that God wants to deliver you from that.

Maybe this very morning, God wants to deliver you from that and break that off of you.

For a change to happen in your heart, for you to go from somebody who doesn't know what's happening and that you feel like the whole world is on you and it's all about you, and that you're in control for you to recognize I am not God.

You are God.

I give my life over to you in this area of fear.

I'm gonna give it over to you, especially when it comes to our finances.

What would it be like for you?

Maybe today that's you.

Maybe it's not today, but maybe believer, Christian in the room, everything may be well right now, but maybe in the future you may hit some hardship.

Something may happen when you get tested like that.

Are you gonna remain faithful?

Are you gonna let fear dictate your decisions and your choice?

Are you gonna let God be God of your life?

Today you may be in the room.

You've been gripped with fear and you need deliverance from God.

Maybe you're not even following Jesus right now.

Maybe today is the day for you to take the free gift that Jesus gave to you on the cross that we celebrated with communion today.

Maybe for you, today is the day for you to say, God, save me.

I want you to be Lord of my life.

I want you to restore my soul.

I want you to forgive me of my sins so that I can be in the right relationship with you.

Maybe that's you today.

Would you all join and bow me, bow your head in prayer with me?

Father, we thank you, God, that Lord, we can trust you to be faithful.

And when times are dark and challenging, God, you can be trusted.

Lord, that you're gonna restore us in this life or in the next.

We get to spend eternity in heaven with you.

Father, I pray over this room right now, Lord.

I pray against the spirit of fear and anxiety, but instead of faith and peace and love.

God, I pray right now over this room.

If there's anybody in here who has not yet accepted you as their Savior and followed you that right now, that they would do that.

That they would pray, Jesus, save me.

I believe that you are the Son of God.

I believe that you died on the cross for my sins.

Forgive me.

Watch me as white as snow, forgive my sins so that I can be in heaven with you one day.

I give my life to you as you gave your life for mine.

Thank you for saving me.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Today, maybe the day of salvation for some of you.

You came in the room, you got a connect card on there.

There's a spot that says, I want to follow Jesus.

Would love for you to fill one of those out so we can pray for you and encourage you, help you to take your next steps.

I'm gonna invite everybody right now for us to stand together, for us to worship the one who is faithful.