”From Anxiety To Trust” (Luke 12:13-34)

And uh

it feels like if you if you didn't hear

all the wonderful honoring and thanking

of all the amazing people, go back and

watch the stream or something because I

don't think I can emotionally take

trying to thank everyone necessary

again. But it has been an incredible

incredible uh beautiful effort by so

many people. I I also just want to say

like even even I know we're we're kind

of settling in and and we are trying to

raise the standard, raise the bar on on

so many on so many things, but we just

moved. So we're like every Sunday it's

it feels like we just moved to another

school again. How many of you have been

around for every school move that we had

in the last year? Yeah. Haven't they

been wonderful? Every move. Um so today

was like a a new day. We found out what

shorts out different things and the team

reconciled that and we think it again is

the coffee makers. Gosh darn those

coffee makers. I think it's just a

prophetic sign that we're meant to get

our uh our coffee shop going uh sooner

rather than later. Yeah. But um in all

seriousness, there's still a lot of

different things. We know that the sound

in here is bouncing all over the place.

We're working on sound panels, but the

team's done just an amazing job to get

moved in and just know that we are

settling. Uh the current bathrooms are

going to continue to look nicer and

nicer. the women's is got a a

significant upgrade and will continue to

look better. But that's all because of

the investment you guys are making. So,

I just want to say thank you again. Um

it's been beautiful just to watch the

the gifts of the body come alive. Um on

that note, before I start, I just want

to pray um for the church in Iran. Um

does anyone have uh a direct connection

um family otherwise um to Iran

specifically? Just like show of hands.

Okay, few hands. Um can we just for a

moment um

I just was inundated as I'm trying to

study in you know yesterday settle my

heart you just cannot ignore what's

going on in in the globe um and for a

moment the the church this isn't about

taking like a geopolitical stance this

is about um partnering with the work uh

of what's happening what I understand

the church in Iran is bursting

I want us to fixate on what the kingdom

of god is doing and and the reality is

is that um I hope America is doing the

right things, but it's impossible for a

government to be 100% pure-hearted ever.

Right? So, the only way that we can get

behind the right thing is that first and

foremost, we're we're not doing anything

behind a government other than the

government of his kingdom. So, the way

we start with is we pray for the church

of Iran. That's not the only thing. is

not the last word, but can you just join

me? I think this is north, so this is

somewhere in the direction, as far as I

can tell, uh, of Iran. So, stretch your

hands out with me. Holy Spirit, as the

church of Iran has has already gathered

to worship probably early this morning,

by our time, would you strengthen them?

Would you embolden them? Would you

sustain them?

And would you multiply them?

the church around the world. May we rise

up with your voice, your heart, your

resources, your goodness, and your

boldness.

We humbly say that we are imperfect. We

don't we often have no idea what to do,

but it starts with allowing you to

reposition our hearts and our hearts cry

and our prayers. Do that, Holy Spirit,

as we open your word in Jesus name.

Amen. Amen. Okay. So, we're we're going

to be in a parable today in Luke 12. And

uh I'm going to have to do some I feel

weird with this thing now that we're on

this I'm calling this an altar. Well,

even though it's a stage, we're calling

this an altar. Uh but this is taking

some getting used to. I I keep feeling

the urge to get this out of my face, but

um we'll figure it out. We're going to

be in Luke 12. There's a there's a

parable that Jesus tells u about a rich

fool. the the re the reason why we're

getting into this is we are learning how

to steward a building. Uh this is not

going to be like a message that gets

into uh uh generosity so that I can take

an offering at the end. Um we take an

offering as an act of worship every

week. What what we're going after though

and what I'm convicted that we need to

start this season in a new building, in

a new space within is is a heart

posture. I I'm fully convinced that

there will there will never be a

financial issue in the church when our

heart posture is in the right place. So

rather than trying to get to an action,

uh I actually did quite a bit of

research on on this subject. So many

churches with the right heart of

stewardship, they still manipulate

concepts of biblical stewardship in

order to get a result

most of the time unintentionally. But if

you do that, you miss what Christ gets

at. He's always taking you far beyond a

number and he wants to get out the root

issue. So what he's getting at today is

actually the issue of anxiety.

11 of his 39 parables are all about the

issue

of money and generosity because it is

the root of most of our anxieties, the

most common anxiety. And so today I I

just want us to let Jesus do some

surgery on the issues of trust,

surrender, security, and the root of so

much of our anxiety.

And in the midst of that, I want to

acknowledge we are going to probably be

talking about how we steward this

building. For those of you that are

fresh and new, um we've just moved into

this place. Many might ask like, "Oh,

how can you afford it?" Uh well, one on

faith, two on about half market rate

that that currently goes, three on an

outrageously beautiful vision to

entrepreneurally uh steward this place

to be a place of of mission and and we

have three main ways that we feel like

we're supposed to do that. One is a

partnership with a local a local

Christian school that's already in the

works uh that'll uh transition this

summer. Secondly is is with a a coffee

shop cafe that we are calling a third

space for the city. One where people can

come and and get a taste of what a

community of Jesus lovers is like and

it's the front door to the church. One

where we're pouring out but it's also

fueling our mission here at the church.

Uh thirdly is an event space weddings

and other events where we can host the

city uh to do multiple things. So this

is a very unique space that when we were

praying the Lord going before us, we saw

that this is an area where we're

actually not asking and putting our our

people at more of a financial burden,

but one where we can actually fuel

ministry and and that we may actually

turn a quote unquote profit to be able

to use the building to fuel it. It's not

the heart of all of this is this is not

going to be a financial weight on us.

It's one year of investment for 10 years

of impact. And and the the entire

purpose of this is so that this is not a

ball and chain. It's something that the

Lord can use and set us free. And so our

goal is actually a a typical church, if

if you don't know, typically spends

between 20 to 30% of their income on on

a building. Um we've actually been quite

um below that as our average in the in

the previous years. and and our goal is

that we'll be even far under that, maybe

as little as five or 10% if if our plans

go um accordingly. So, this isn't our

ask of anything isn't so that we can

spend more money on a building. It's so

that we can invest in something that can

fuel the other areas of ministry that

God's called us here to be. Is that does

that make sense? We're going to share a

lot more on that. I just want to frame

that so that as I get into this and

everyone's wondering, okay, where's the

call to guilt us into giving? We're not

doing that today. We already had our

offering. You can tap the seat in front

of They already covered all that. So if

you get convicted during the message,

you can tap the seat in front of you.

We'll always take your money.

But but the point of of today is is to

analyze your heart. That's our takeaway.

That's our goal. And we fully believe

that if people that are becoming like

Jesus, these things get taken care of at

a heart issue if anything else. So

here's what I want us to also start with

today. Christianity has always been been

marked by something highly unusual and

that is the concept of radical

generosity. Not just our faith, not just

our worship, the concept of generosity

has been something that is is

universally Christian in nature. I I

when I when I think of some of the ways

that I saw that growing up that that I

didn't realize was so counterultural, I

realized that like it was common place

to hear about someone giving their car

away to someone else. I want you to take

a moment and just think of the things

that formed you or that have impressed

you or blown you away by generosity of a

Christian in the name of Christ doing

something that's just like abnormal that

they didn't have to do. I I remember

there was um there was one uh afternoon

I was sitting at our our uh dining room

table and uh I needed a note for

something. I was just a little boy and I

started writing on the back of it like

this little note and then my dad go like

started like my dad doesn't stress out.

Is my dad here today? I don't think so.

Anyone seen my You guys know my dad? A

lot of you, right? Have you ever seen my

dad stress out? No. No, he doesn't

stress out. He's Norwegian. And

they don't stress out. They just put on

the skis, take a deep breath,

get cozy.

He didn't stress out, but he he was

stressing out a little bit. And it's

because I was uh notetaking on the back

of a massive check someone had just

written uh our family in the midst of a

bit of a financial crisis we were going

through. And and uh first my my initial

thought was, oh, I was feeling guilty.

And then but then um it worked out. They

figured out it was it wasn't that big a

deal. Um but then I realized like I

don't even know who this person is. I

mean, I knew everyone at our little

church and it was someone we I like

hardly knew had just given this massive

check to our family because we're going

through a rough time. Uh, that's the

kingdom.

There's those of you in the room, I wish

I could share the examples, but those of

you that have just blown my mind with

your generosity, it's the kingdom. Some

of you have been completely reformed

because of the act of generosity of

other people. that that softened your

heart and opened yourself up to the way

of Jesus because of the act of

generosity. Uh if if you are pursuing

the way of Jesus, the most natural thing

in the world is for generosity not to be

just a a a normal worldlike thing. It's

a countercultural thing that should set

you apart. It's incredibly holy. It's

incredibly uh forming and it will

determine the direction of your heart.

Many of us think that our our hearts

will determine generosity. Here's the

thing that Jesus is getting at. Let

generosity form you.

I I still remember little church ladies

saying things that I thought wasn't a

big deal until I realized these were

putting seeds into the soil of my heart.

Where your treasure is, there so your

heart will be also. It's more blessed to

give than receive. These things just

sound nice. I I want you to realize

these things are not nice.

These these are catastrophically

formational worldchanging statements

that that underly the entire way of

Jesus that are not like the way of the

world. For 2,000 years, something

strange has followed the gospel and

taken root in radical generosity. One

sociologist, not a Christian, Rodney

Stark, wrote about how Christianity

spread in the early centuries in part

because of how believers in Jesus

treated the vulnerable. He he shared how

in the the second and third century

during many of the plagues, many fled

cities to save themselves, but the

Christians were the ones who stayed. And

because they stayed, they nursed the

sick, they buried the dead, they shared

resources. The survival rates were

higher in Christian communities because

they refused to abandon one another in

their times of need.

Then in the 4th century, a pagan emperor

Julian complained that Christians were

supporting not only their own poor but

ours as well,

critiquing his own people. And we've

shared this before, but many of you

know, hospitals, as we know them, were

first organized by Christians.

Monasteries ran medical centers. Early

American colleges were founded by

churches and today Christian

organizations are among the largest

providers of clean water globally. Still

practicing Christians adopt at rates two

to five times higher than the rest of

the population. In subsaharan Africa,

Christian groups run almost a third of

the health healthcare facilities. These

are these are just not perfect. The

church is not perfect. Many of us like

we we need to purge

the atrocities that we see in the

church.

But we also

we can't build something if we're not

full of hope. If we can't remember who

we are, if we can't remember what we're

capable of.

So we can debate theology and doctrine,

but historically the gospel has created

radical generosity and a culture of

generosity. Why? Because something

happens

when people stop clinging

to their stuff. or as Jesus would say

today, to their barns in Luke 12. And

I'll get into that in a moment. The

early church, if you look at the

earliest church in the book of Acts, I

want to remind us when when Pentecost

happened, the spirit descended. The the

early church was unleashed. The spirit

of God was flowing. Miracles were

happening. It then goes into this whole

little exchange about how people who

once clung to property now released it.

It goes on this whole thing where it

says in Acts, they sold possessions.

They distributed to any who had need. No

one said their things were their own.

And then something sobering happens.

Not socialism.

A Christ centered kingdom-filled reality

where a couple named Ananas and Safh

tried to fake generosity.

They weren't required to give anything

or everything.

Peter says plainly, it was theirs to

keep. Their sin had nothing to do with

withholding money. The sin was

pretending to sacrifice

when they weren't.

They wanted the appearance of radical

generosity

without the sacrifice.

And that

was the first example

of a massive penalty

of compromising holiness.

They were struck down and died.

I don't have the time or emotional

energy to break down all the nuances of

that intense reality right now. What an

introduction, Christian. That was pretty

intense. You haven't even got to Jesus

yet. I know. I just want you to know how

how God cares more about you

compromising the appearance of sacrifice

than he does about

making sure you gave.

He'll make sure he'll make sure he's not

worried about the bills being paid for.

I am. That's my That's my own issue.

what he what he's concerned about

and what we need to invite him to shift

our hearts towards.

Money reveals trust.

We're stepping us into a building. We're

going to be handling holy things. We're

going to have to talk about these

dynamics, finances, and otherwise. But

what we want is what happens here in

Acts is is a warning that I think is

really important for us that leads us

into the parable Jesus is going to give

us today. And it's this. Never create a

culture where people feel pressure to

perform generosity. That's what Acts

tells us. Never create a culture where

image replaces integrity. And then never

confuse some concept of fundraising with

faith. I hate it when churches go into

fundraising mode. They call it faith.

and all they did was just really push

fundraising.

We we covenant with you that this is not

what this is going to look like.

We do need to raise some funds

and at the same time I have no interest

in a fundraising campaign. I I have a

conviction that if we just go after what

we've been going after in the way of

Jesus, it will more than take care of

it. So, we're gonna ask three questions

today of our own souls.

What am I trusting? What are you

trusting? Where does where does our

anxieties what does it reveal? What does

anxiety in my life reveal? And third,

where where's my treasure? Where's it

going? So trust, anxiety, and treasure.

So the big idea today is your trust your

your treasure is always going to reveal

your trust.

Generosity then is how the father

ultimately reshapes our hearts. He's

always he's always about the reshaping

of our hearts. Generosity is the way he

reshapes our hearts. We think that it's

because of our hearts we're generous.

And he says, if you will step into my

way of generosity, I will reshape your

hearts in the process. Your treasure

reveals your trust. So the first

question, what are you trusting? Luke

12. And I know we're going to get a new

projector, I think, by next week, if not

the week after. Um, so bear with us as

we figure all these things out. I know

you probably can't read half of the

stuff behind me, but I put it there

anyway. And no, you can't tap for that.

So, okay. Luke 12 verse 13. Someone in

Luke 12:13

the crowd said to him to G to Jesus,

"Teacher, tell my brother to divide the

inheritance with me."

But Jesus said to him, "Man, who made me

a judge or arbitrator over you?" That

language is like, "Who made me a

divider? The one that's supposed to

divide things up over you?" And he said

to him, "Take care and be on your guard

against all covetousness. For one's life

does not consist in the abundance of his

possessions."

So, from the get-go, Jesus is going

after like, you're obsessed with your

stuff.

And he told him a parable. And here's

the parable, very short. The land of a

rich man produced plentifully. So, he's

already rich and he's going to get

richer. And he thought to himself, "What

shall I do? For I have nowhere to store

all my stuff."

And he said, "I'll do this. I'll tear

down my existing barns and I'm going to

build bigger ones, which sounds great.

And there I will store all my grain and

my goods in my bigger barns.

And I'll say to my soul, "Soul,

you have ample goods laid up for many

years. Relax, eat, drink, and be merry.

Retire.

Move to Florida. no income tax.

Stupid.

But God said to him, "Fool."

God's God calls you by a name sometimes.

Sometimes Sometimes you need to hear God

call you a name. Call him a fool. Fool

this night.

fool, listen, your soul is required of

you, and the things you have prepared,

whose will they be?

He's he's basically saying, uh, you're

now going to die, and you can't take any

of this with you. So is the one who lays

up treasure for himself and is not rich

towards God. Now, we sang a song during

worship. It was a psalm of David. It was

his ache, his heart cry after sleeping

with Bath Sheba,

screwing up the her world, their

family's world, and his world.

And his cry is, "Create in me a clean

heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit

within me."

I love that psalm so much.

But, you know,

adultery is pretty clear. Like I've

never heard someone go like, "Where's

the line of adultery?" Like, I've never

I mean, maybe maybe there's some some

people uh that that aren't sure, but not

once in all of my years of pastoral

counseling has has another man come to

me and gone like, "So, where's the line

of like adultery, Christian?"

And I think I I think I'm not being

presumptuous where um because you know

where the stupid line is, fool. We all

do. It's pretty easy. No one's come to

me and goes, "Is this stealing or not

stealing?" It's usually pretty

straightforward. Stealing, adultery.

Here's here's the issue with generosity.

Everyone thinks they're generous. We all

think we're generous.

And Jesus is trying to call all of us

fools.

Let's see how, shall we? Isn't this

going to be fun? It It's gonna It's

going to end on a high Jesus note. Just

be patient. This man, we have to

understand first and foremost, he's not

evil.

He wasn't violent. He wasn't corrupt.

It's clear that he's simply successful

in agriculture. He just planned his

life. The issue, the scripture says, and

what Jesus is saying about him, his

issue is not any violence, corruption.

It's simply this. He planned his life

without any reference to God.

That's the issue.

So the question, what am I actually

trusting to secure my life?

Some of us, so you could even start with

some of us have great retirement plans.

Some of us would like a retirement plan.

Whether you need a retirement plan or

you have one, let's just start with

those that have retirement plans. You

should. Great. Nothing wrong with a

retirement plan. What are you trusting

to secure your life? If you're being

honest, if that was stripped away from

you, what would happen? How would that

feel? What kind of anxiety would be

stirred up?

Am I actually tr what am I actually

trusting to secure my life?

Some of us is still like, well, I can

always I've got a family system,

parents, whatever it is.

Most of us we we have a hard time even

again this is why generosity is a

difficult question because none of us

are overtly evil just like this this

rich man the issue is can I even ask

this question honestly so let's let's

try to ease in so that we're all asking

a a vulnerable question myself included

greed is the only sin that we're never

aware of

why it's because

You can easily put greed in the bounds

of I'm being wise. I'm being prudent.

I'm being realistic.

Here's all we're asking. God, show me

where I have an issue with trust.

If if if you can't even ask the Lord,

Lord, show me where I have an issue with

trust. If there's an ounce of

defensiveness, whatever makes you

defensive, that's that's your barn.

How do we get into that? Would you lose

what would you lose just your own

stability if your comforts were taken?

Would losing certain comforts just

completely destabilize you if we're

being honest.

I'm not talking about like getting

rocked by a family member with cancer.

We all know that pain and it's real. I'm

not talking about health, just comforts.

I'm talking about the things like super

practical for a moment. Just like if you

couldn't get the car upgrades, the house

size, the vacation patterns that you're

used to, how would those things

destabilize your internal life?

The private schools, the reputations,

the savings milestones that you're just

so close to getting,

the things that we still put our trust

in,

your boba habits. I don't know. You

know, it it all exposes a false

security.

So Jesus is first exposing our trust

issue. That's the first thing you have

to notice here. The rich fool wasn't

wicked. He was secure without any

mention of God. And that's why he calls

him a fool. That's why not because uh

he he didn't like how he saved his

grain. That wasn't it. Not because he

trusted what he saved. It was it was the

first question. What am I actually

trusting to secure my life? That's the

first question. This rich f fool had no

reference to God. Is God even involved

in your trust process? Secondly,

then Jesus gets into the concept of

anxiety and it goes like this verse 22.

He said to his disciples, I love it when

Jesus shares something and then he he

talks to the disciples longer than

whatever he just shared. Otherwise, I

just sit there like dumbfounded. He

tells you exactly what he's trying to

get at. Verse 22 to his disciples,

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious

about your life,

what you'll eat, about your body, what

you'll put on. Your life is more than

food." This is like the most peaceful,

beautiful words, some of the most

amazing things Jesus has ever said. Some

of us need to get up and read this every

day for the next 40 days and see how it

changes your life. He says, "For life is

more than food, the body more than

clothing. Consider the ravens, which is

an ugly, unclean animal that the Jews

are repulsed by. He goes, "Consider the

We consider them." Oh, it's a nice and

nice little bird. No, this is an evil,

disgusting, unclean bird. And he goes,

"Consider them. They neither sow nor

reap. They have neither storehouse or

barn. And yet God feeds them of how much

more value are you than the birds?

And which of you by being anxious can

add a single hour to his existence, to

his life? If then you are not able to do

as small a thing as that, why are you

even anxious about the rest of it?

Consider the liies talks about flowers,

how they grow, they don't toil or spin.

Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his

glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Solomon was like the pinnacle. He was

like Elon Musk plus like another figure

that you really love and respect and had

a whole like it's it's the it's like a

whole different realm. It's not just

rich. It's like rich, wise, and

wonderful in every way. That's Solomon.

In all his glory, he was not arrayed

like one of these little liies in the

field. But if God so clothe the grass

which is alive in the field today and

tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how

much more will he clothe you? Oh you of

little faith,

don't seek what you are to eat, what

you're to drink, nor be worried. For all

the nations of the world seek after

these things, and your father knows what

you need. Instead, seek his kingdom, and

these things will be added to you. Just

as an aside here, um, just because I

can't read this without putting a

context to it, I don't think what Jesus

is talking about here is is a, uh,

you know, a 25-year-old missionary who's

been, you know, wandering around since

they were 17 looking for fun excursions

all over the world and just expecting

the church to provide for them.

Okay. All right.

He's talking about people that are

hoarding their resources. What do you

put your trust in? Okay. So, what is

Jesus doing? He connects worry to your

view of God. Theology, what does God

like?

Worry and your view of God cannot

be less intertwined than they are. They

are married. Anxiety is not just a

personality trait. It's your theology.

When you wake up and whatever you're

feeling heavy about,

it is in direct relationship to your

lived theology. What you believe about

what God is like.

If I believe I'm alone in securing my

life, I will cling to provision.

If I believe the father knows and gives

the kingdom, I can open my hands. That's

the issue.

So this is where faith and hope live.

Faith is where I trust the father. Hope

is my future in the kingdom. That's what

Jesus is getting at. Faith is trusting

the father's provision. Hope is trusting

the father's future.

And when we when we realize that we're

weak, we grip things tightly.

And when we're when when we're

struggling to have any hope, what

happens is is we we're tempted to hoard.

But when we're stepping into a place

where our faith is growing, it is

impossible to grow in faith and trust

and not have your hands open to what

he's doing and what he's saying to his

provision. So again, the question, what

would it look like to live as if the

father actually meant what he said?

Just really simply,

we're almost done. The rich fool, he had

barns.

He had no understanding of what God was

like. He didn't even consider God in his

provision or what he should do at all.

Jesus wants you to have wise plans. But

he also wants you to be full of trust.

He's not saying don't plan. He's not

he's he's saying

he's saying don't panic.

He's saying you matter more. He's not

saying never save though. So don't hear

me clearly. He's saying never worship

the things that you say.

And the difference between hoarding and

generosity has nothing to do with your

income level. It's

a fathering issue. What do you believe

about what God is like, how he fathers

you?

I'll be honest, there's seasons where

this has felt really easy.

usually when there's margin.

And when there's no margin, it's not

easy.

Because this isn't this isn't about it

being easy. It's about it being an act

of of trust where I'm not sure the

outcome. And I act I act beyond just

like how I'm feeling emotionally and

I'm simply inviting him to reframe my

heart posture. What does your anxiety

reveal? It always reveals what you're

really trusting. Always.

Now, some of us, it's just like we don't

want those anxieties.

So, that's that's the other thing is

that Jesus isn't coming with just this

ugly wagging finger. How dare you feel

anxious.

Look at his tone. He's basically saying,

"Here's what I have for you. You're

anxious, but you're trusting in the

wrong thing. Just look at look at the

creation.

put God to the test and see if he won't

provide for you too.

So, so the third question, your

treasure, where it's going. Verse 32

says, "Fear not, little flock."

I just love the fact that he's talking

to a bunch of brutish teenage men and

he's calling them his little flock.

They, I'm sure, loved that so much.

I still have these things. I get

together with my buddies where we're on

the same team and remember when coach

said this and this. Oh, I hated it so

much. And I'm not sure you can say that

about Jesus because that sounds gross.

But I still think there are some

phrases. They didn't love it at the

time. And I think when Jesus called them

his little flock, I don't think they

liked it.

Fear not little flock, for it's your

father's good pleasure to give you the

kingdom.

Set your possessions. Sell your

possessions. Give it to the needy.

Provide yourselves with money bags that

do not grow old, with a treasure in

heavens that does not fail, where no

thief approaches and no moth destroys.

For where your treasure is, there will

your heart be also.

Your treasure then becomes the absolute

steering wheel of your entire heart.

That's what you need to remember.

What steers your heart is where your

treasure is. He doesn't say where your

heart is, your treasure will follow.

He's saying where your treasure is, your

heart will be also. That's a big deal.

Your money doesn't just reveal your

heart, it directs your heart.

Your treasure is the steering wheel. If

you want to know where your heart is

headed, find out what means the most to

you. If you want to reshape it, redirect

your treasures. That's why generosity

isn't just a mature Christian add-on. It

is the act of a lifelong formation

pursuit. And so here we're going to

close with just like a generosity test.

Here's all it is. It's asking where does

your lifestyle money go? I don't mean

like you know those of you with well it

can include that too actually. It's it's

not your rent. It's not your groceries.

It's not your children's needs as

wonderful as those are and as massive as

they may be for some of you.

It's it's your margin.

No matter how small the margin is,

just a tiny bit of of what you get to

say, the little bit of upgrade, extra

comfort and choice that you have, where

does that go?

The easiest thing in the world is to

compare to others and go like, "Well,

look how good a job I'm doing." That's

what I do. If I can just compare to

somebody else,

preachers with sneakers, and he's got

$1,000 sneakers. I've never once bought

a $1,000 sneakers.

I ask Matt to order them from his

sister. I get 40% off. It's amazing

deal.

Well, stupid example.

The point is you can compare your way to

righteousness.

I do.

We all have the issue of generosity.

We all have potential of growth and

trust. The issue is do you want to grow?

Do you want to be closer to the father?

Do you want your heart to be what Jesus

offers it?

This is the issue.

Your margin. Where does it go?

Experiences. What experiences do you sew

into?

Status, security,

people.

If someone followed your bank

statements, what story would it tell

about your your trust?

For many of you, it would tell a lot of

really great things.

I would just encourage you like though,

could you share it with someone you

trusted

and ask them to speak into it?

Just the act of doing that makes me

sweat. How does it make you feel?

Not because I can necessarily think of

of something horrific.

It's vulnerable. It's raw. It's real.

Has

anyone ever been stunned

by my generosity? Can you ask that

question? Have I ever stunned someone by

my generosity?

Again, there's those of you in the room

who have stunned me by your generosity.

But can we each kind of take for a

moment, can you think of a few moments

where you've stunned someone with your

generosity?

Do you realize the the mark you make?

Not out of striving to impress someone,

but what that does to your heart when

you do that radical act

sacrifice.

Not to impress, not to be thanked.

Has anyone ever said, "I cannot believe

they did that."

I can't even tell you how how many times

I've been marked by people that I've

seen do that to others and done that in

my own life.

That is normal Christianity.

And you are missing the blessing

of the Christian life.

If you can't think how you have stepped

into that kind of act

as a way of life,

we can admire it in others. We often

live cautiously ourselves.

Why?

It's always because we're still

calculating security.

Where do I find my security?

Another question. Am I investing in

anything that will outlive me?

Most of us are.

When you really

think,

when you make those regular monthly

payments, can you confidently say, "I'm

investing. I know intentionally that I'm

investing and the different areas that I

am investing in the things that will

outlive me."

If I'm being honest, I need to audit

that regularly

in every area of my life. Not as a task,

not as an overwhelming thing, as a thing

that sets me free. Because if I'm being

honest, I just separate it from money

for a moment and just put it into time,

the resource of time. I realize that

much of my anxiety is where I'm

investing my time.

Should it be here? Should it be here?

Have I divvied it up with all five kids

equally?

Possible.

Am I just responding to crisis

or am I being intentional

with my generosity?

The Lord wants us to be intentional.

Where are you feeling reactionary?

Because where you feel like you're

living in reaction, you will have a

weight on your shoulders. Right? This is

every time that I feel a weight, it's

I'm not living intentionally. It's a

reaction.

So, what I want us to respond to today

is to ask the Holy Spirit in his

kindness and goodness to help us.

It's really quiet in here. Are we all

right? No.

Just keep in mind as you ask that

question, what am I investing in that

will outlive me? The rich fool invested

in Barnes.

The man in in early Acts, his name was

Barnabas, that started this whole thing

that led to Ananas and Safh. He invested

in people. He took his belongings and it

and it and it sparked something in the

church that when it got compromised,

the consequences were heavy. The point

is is he didn't have to. He got

something of the way of Jesus

and his heart had to do something

radical.

We can spend our entire lives upgrading

a world that we're leaving

or we can invest in a kingdom that's

coming.

Choice is ours. We make those choices

every day.

If all our investments disappear with

us,

we've got a short horizon and a short

vision.

Jesus is always inviting you into a

bigger vision, a longer vision, an

eternal one.

Generosity is not what mature Christians

do after they grow.

Generosity is what the father does to

grow us.

So when we give, we're not just

transferring money. We're we're

literally retraining our hearts. We're

not loosening fear. We're strengthening

a way of trust

where we trust something outside of

ourselves.

And so we're being we're being invited

into a season, yes, with a building that

hopefully will outlive us in this

generation. It's a space for something

that's not just about any one of us,

obviously. But the question that we just

have to keep going back to that we have

gone to many many many times in many

years leading up to the year that we're

in is what kind of people are we

becoming? What kind of people are we

becoming

before we ever talk about the goals and

the numbers of the finances here and

before you talk about the goals and the

numbers in your home.

And I know some of you I just cannot

wait to get in the car and start talking

to your spouse about their spending.

This is about you today, not your

spouse.

We're not asking today about your

giving.

What would it look like to trust the

father more?

Three practices. Team can start to come

up. Three practices

this week. Just invite you review

your last 60 days of spending. Yay!

Homework.

For me, that's like pouring salt in my

eyeballs. Not because I'm afraid of the

spending,

but because like just opening up like a

detailed spreadsheet or like that is

just like my least favorite thing to do.

I challenge you.

Lean in. Look at your last 60 days. Not

with guilt. Not with guilt at all.

Invite the Holy Spirit to set you free.

That's the That's the invitation. Not

convict me, set me free. There are times

for conviction. I just want one prayer.

Holy Spirit, set me free from the

anxiety of this world.

Second, just identify one place that's

gripping your life. One place. What's

gripping you tightly?

One area that you're holding on to just

a little too tight. just loosen it. What

would loosening that grip look like? And

then third, ask God if there's one

person, just one person or one need that

you can invest in deliberately and

intentionally.

All that is is one little review of your

life the last couple months. Identify

one place you're holding on to things a

little too tight. loosen it up and ask

God one person, one need that you can

intentionally invest in

for one reason. Where your treasure is,

there's your heart. Your heart will

follow your treasure. Would you stand

and let's pray.

I just want to be super

conscientious to the reality that

there's some in the room

your anxiety is is about a just a real

need, a real breakthrough. Like rent is

due and you don't have a solution and

whether it's your fault or not, it

doesn't matter. Some of you it's like

you've got to get a breakthrough job or

you got to leave town. Some of you it's

it's it's a weight a bill that's due or

something else.

Some of you have got lawsuits. Some of

you have companies. Some of you have

payroll that's due. And it's just the

responsibility and the weight on your

shoulders is unimaginable.

Before we get into that, I just want to

say that the father sees you right now.

Some of those areas may be super

vulnerable, but

if you feel the grace on it with me and

you just you have a heavy burden in the

realm of provision, can you just can you

just lift a hand?

Not for anyone to look at you, just in

the posture of worship.

We need your provision. We need your

breakthrough.

We call forth the father that sees every

need,

every flower, every blade of grass,

every bird

in every barn.

And we just declare over every single

situation, God sees you. You are not

alone. You're not isolated. And you He's

not done with you.

Bring the breakthroughs

both to those who don't deserve it and

those who do. The gospel has nothing to

do with what you deserve. I find many of

us are struggling the most when we don't

feel like we deserve to have the

struggle.

It's easy to trust him when we screwed

up. When we don't feel like we screwed

up, we can just compare to the next

person.

And that's why generosity is so hard.

It's so easy to compare our way to

righteousness.

Holy Spirit, would you just come

generously,

kindly,

but like a father,

wrap us up,

stir our hearts,

show us where our treasure lies and

where you want to take us

in Jesus name.

Amen. As we close, we have a prayer team

that's going to gather both on either

side to the left and right. So, please,

if you just need partnership in trusting

the Lord to deal with some anxiety in

your life, you need healing or

breakthrough, we'd be honored to pray

for you. We have a posture of lingering

and worshiping until each of you feels

like you're done for the day. So, this

team will play, but we are officially

done. So, go when you need, but don't go

until you feel released. This altar is

always open. There's communion elements

if you need them. Holy Spirit, would you

come?

Deal with the work in our hearts.

Thank you. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that

you've established a sacrificial culture

where Christians throughout history

discover our identity in you, which

becomes the keys to a countercultural

life of breakthrough and promise. We

love you and honor you in Jesus name.

Amen. Come respond.