1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,360 Welcome to the Islands Christian Church podcast. 2 00:00:02,440 --> 00:00:05,040 Subscribe to hear a new episode every week. 3 00:00:05,400 --> 00:00:10,160 Thanks for joining us. Hey, early on in my ministry 4 00:00:10,160 --> 00:00:12,720 here at Islands, I mean, I've been here 14, been around here 5 00:00:12,720 --> 00:00:16,560 14 years this March. And so it feels like 5 minutes. 6 00:00:16,560 --> 00:00:20,400 It's been amazing. And early on when I got here, I 7 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:24,200 met a man named John Major and I got to know him and John was 8 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:26,240 just a became a really good friend. 9 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:29,400 And John had a great career. He had been in the Navy as an 10 00:00:29,400 --> 00:00:32,520 officer. And then he became a quality 11 00:00:32,520 --> 00:00:35,720 assurance guy, ISO 9000 quality assurance. 12 00:00:35,720 --> 00:00:38,680 Basically what that meant was he knew how to ask the right 13 00:00:38,680 --> 00:00:42,280 questions and when to ask them. And he, he and I became fast 14 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:46,520 friends and he got involved in overseeing the finances of our 15 00:00:46,520 --> 00:00:48,200 church. He led a financial management 16 00:00:48,200 --> 00:00:51,160 team here and he was integral to our church. 17 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:54,200 One day he said to me, after I've been here just a short 18 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:57,160 while, he were talking about our finances and he said, Steven, 19 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:00,160 what if we just paid off our debt here at the church? 20 00:01:00,160 --> 00:01:05,400 We just paid it all off and we had enough money in reserves to 21 00:01:05,480 --> 00:01:08,720 pay off all of our debt. But it meant that when we paid 22 00:01:08,720 --> 00:01:11,120 off all of our debt, we would have nothing in reserves. 23 00:01:11,120 --> 00:01:13,000 We would basically have nothing in the bank account. 24 00:01:13,600 --> 00:01:17,120 And so I was a little nervous about it, but we met with our 25 00:01:17,120 --> 00:01:20,760 elders and we thought about it and they decided to, to, to 26 00:01:20,800 --> 00:01:24,520 take, to step out on faith, even though it felt risky and to step 27 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:26,320 out on faith and pay off our debt. 28 00:01:26,520 --> 00:01:30,160 This has been many years ago. And I remember thinking, man, 29 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,880 God surely is going to be proud of us for doing this, you know, 30 00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,960 and like this coming Sunday, I bet we're just going to have a 31 00:01:36,960 --> 00:01:40,400 massive offering because like, it's just going to like, he's 32 00:01:40,400 --> 00:01:43,120 going to like, he's going to be like, way to go, guys, you did 33 00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:44,520 it. I mean, I'm kidding, I'm not 34 00:01:44,520 --> 00:01:47,120 kidding, you guys. We wrote a check for $100,000 35 00:01:47,120 --> 00:01:50,960 and we had $0.67 left in our bank account as an organization. 36 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:54,280 Yes. It didn't feel awesome, brother. 37 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:57,680 It didn't feel awesome. And especially I was feeding my 38 00:01:57,680 --> 00:01:59,560 family on the bank account, you know what I mean? 39 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:03,760 My pay, the payroll. So I said, man, surely God's 40 00:02:03,760 --> 00:02:04,880 going to honor us. We're going to have a big 41 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:08,400 offering this Sunday. And instead, I kid you not, it 42 00:02:08,400 --> 00:02:12,800 was the lowest offering of my ministry to date on that Sunday. 43 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:16,600 And I panicked. I was like, what are we going to 44 00:02:16,600 --> 00:02:20,640 do? And John calmly said to me, 45 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:25,200 Stephen, we made a decision in prayer that honored God. 46 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:27,400 We can trust him with the outcome. 47 00:02:28,040 --> 00:02:32,200 Don't panic. And man was he right. 48 00:02:33,600 --> 00:02:36,640 Man was he right. Over time, we rebuilt that 49 00:02:36,640 --> 00:02:40,080 margin and then some and got to where we had significant months 50 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:45,240 worth of operations in March in reserves and years later. 51 00:02:45,240 --> 00:02:48,360 And John could have known this and neither could I. 52 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:51,080 When we were making those very wise financial decisions about 53 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,440 the future of islands. We couldn't know that in 2020 54 00:02:55,440 --> 00:02:59,320 COVID would come and many churches during COVID struggle 55 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:00,680 to survive. And I don't know if you know 56 00:03:00,680 --> 00:03:04,160 this, but many churches closed down and COVID simply because of 57 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:06,880 finances. They just didn't have money to 58 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,400 survive it. And not only do we have money to 59 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:11,800 survive it, we had money to thrive through it. 60 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:15,280 And if you were around in during COVID, that was a tough season 61 00:03:15,280 --> 00:03:19,040 for this church. And I'm telling you, one of the 62 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:25,640 reasons we're here today, still operating, yes, God, but through 63 00:03:25,640 --> 00:03:31,360 John Major and his wisdom in leading us to be careful with 64 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:36,560 our debt and finances years before COVID gave us the margin 65 00:03:37,120 --> 00:03:41,720 to get through COVID. So we didn't get through COVID 66 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,040 because of luck. We got through because of wise 67 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:50,280 decisions made under the leadership of God years before 68 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,520 COVID. Here's the thing about money. 69 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:57,840 And here's the main idea that I want you to carry home with you 70 00:03:57,840 --> 00:03:58,760 today. This is it. 71 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:01,080 If you want to write something down, this is the main idea. 72 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:06,640 How we leverage money and how we use debt. 73 00:04:07,760 --> 00:04:13,080 How we leverage money and how we use debt shapes our future far 74 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,360 more than it helps our present. So I'm going to say it again 75 00:04:16,360 --> 00:04:18,160 because I didn't see anybody write this down, so I'm just 76 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,640 going to assume you're going to like you're logging it in your 77 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:21,800 memory. I got you, Nancy. 78 00:04:21,800 --> 00:04:23,240 Thank you. Appreciate you. 79 00:04:23,240 --> 00:04:24,640 You make me feel better about myself. 80 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:33,960 How we leverage money and how we use debt shapes our future far 81 00:04:33,960 --> 00:04:38,040 more than it helps our present. Now, today isn't about 82 00:04:38,040 --> 00:04:41,320 condemning debt. The absolutely not. 83 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:44,600 If you notice when we're doing a money series, some people stay 84 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:48,840 home. All right, you guys picked up on 85 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:50,000 that. They're like, I'm not going 86 00:04:50,000 --> 00:04:51,240 around there. I don't want to hear this 87 00:04:52,240 --> 00:04:54,240 because it's so personal. Money is very personal. 88 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:57,880 It's really personal. So this today is not about 89 00:04:57,880 --> 00:05:00,560 condemning debt or pretending that this is. 90 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:02,560 This issue of debt is not complex. 91 00:05:03,600 --> 00:05:07,320 It's about understanding what debt does to our freedom and 92 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:11,000 what debt does to our future. And really, today's about 93 00:05:11,520 --> 00:05:15,800 letting Scripture invite us toward something else instead. 94 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:19,680 And we're going to start with a very clear passage of Scripture. 95 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:21,720 You know, normally I preach on like one passage of Scripture 96 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:23,480 and we get all of our ideas from that text. 97 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:26,200 But this series is more topical, meaning we're using different 98 00:05:26,200 --> 00:05:28,800 Bible verses to support ideas that I want to teach you. 99 00:05:28,800 --> 00:05:31,600 And so we're going to start with one very clear text from the 100 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,800 Bible. Proverbs chapter 22, verse 7. 101 00:05:35,560 --> 00:05:39,080 Proverbs chapter 22, verse 7. You have your Bibles, your your 102 00:05:39,080 --> 00:05:41,120 phone. This is a verse that maybe 103 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:43,440 you've heard before. I think this is a verse that 104 00:05:43,440 --> 00:05:47,440 every family should have on a magnet on their refrigerator in 105 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,480 their home. I really do. 106 00:05:49,720 --> 00:05:52,360 I think this is a verse that everybody should have on their 107 00:05:52,360 --> 00:05:53,840 coffee mug. And this is not a coffee 108 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:56,680 muggable verse. When you hear it, you're going 109 00:05:56,680 --> 00:05:58,800 to be like, that doesn't sound like a coffee muggable it. 110 00:05:59,200 --> 00:06:01,280 But if we all had this on our refrigerator, have us on our 111 00:06:01,280 --> 00:06:05,720 mug, it, it might help us. Proverbs 22 verse 7 Solomon, 112 00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,040 wisest man ever lived, said this. 113 00:06:08,480 --> 00:06:15,120 The rich rule over the poor and the borrower slave to the 114 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:18,680 lender. Y'all know that was in the 115 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:22,640 Bible. Now here's the first idea this 116 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:31,600 morning that I want you to get. Debt feels helpful now, but 117 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:37,840 shapes future pressures. Debt feels helpful now but 118 00:06:37,840 --> 00:06:42,920 shapes future pressures. When you turn to debt. 119 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:46,400 When I turn to debt and overspending in our lives, we 120 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:48,400 are not trying to wreck our lives. 121 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,560 Nobody's going. I'd like to make a mess of my 122 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,320 life. Let's just borrow more than we 123 00:06:54,320 --> 00:06:57,960 could ever pay back because it would be awesome to live with no 124 00:06:57,960 --> 00:07:00,520 margin. That would be fun. 125 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:05,200 Nobody says that. Usually when we reach for debt 126 00:07:05,320 --> 00:07:08,920 or overextending ourselves financially, it's because we're 127 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:13,840 looking for relief. We're looking for something to 128 00:07:13,840 --> 00:07:16,800 release the pressure we're feeling. 129 00:07:17,440 --> 00:07:21,080 So for example, if you're committed to driving, pay for 130 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,400 cars that are just you never have car debt and that's your 131 00:07:25,400 --> 00:07:28,400 commitment that for most of us, that's going to mean we're going 132 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,200 to drive old beat up cars that have to be worked on from time 133 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:33,560 to time. All right. 134 00:07:34,360 --> 00:07:37,640 And that means you're going to be frustrated on some days 135 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:39,840 because you're going to have some piece of junk in your 136 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:45,760 driveway that didn't start again and you're having to like piece 137 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,960 it together or you're going to be headed to Macon and it's 138 00:07:48,960 --> 00:07:50,760 going to break down. You're going to have to get it 139 00:07:50,760 --> 00:07:55,800 fixed on the road like, but your commitment to living card 140 00:07:55,800 --> 00:07:58,600 without car debt means you're probably going to drive old cars 141 00:07:58,600 --> 00:08:00,920 and then you're probably going to have the frustration of 142 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:04,680 fixing old cars. And So what would that's a lot 143 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:08,160 of pressure. So what would feel like relief 144 00:08:08,160 --> 00:08:14,040 to you would be to do what to go finance a new car. 145 00:08:14,440 --> 00:08:17,280 It would feel like relief to say, man, I could have at least 146 00:08:17,280 --> 00:08:20,800 three or four years without this, without this, without this 147 00:08:20,800 --> 00:08:25,200 misery of always. Like if you go to Google Earth, 148 00:08:25,200 --> 00:08:28,840 Google and you look at my house on Google Maps and you look at 149 00:08:28,840 --> 00:08:33,080 them right now in my yard on Google Maps, there's a car with 150 00:08:33,080 --> 00:08:35,640 a hood up. And I kid you not, if you go to 151 00:08:35,640 --> 00:08:39,440 the previous picture, like there's a car, it's a different 152 00:08:39,440 --> 00:08:41,919 car with a hood up. OK. 153 00:08:43,320 --> 00:08:48,040 And so if so, nobody goes into debt, you know, trying to make 154 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:50,720 their lives tough. Everybody goes into debt trying 155 00:08:50,720 --> 00:08:54,280 to find relief. You want relief from the 156 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:58,320 pressure, So we borrow money. Something feels urgent. 157 00:08:58,320 --> 00:09:01,080 Something unexpected has come up and that's happened to me. 158 00:09:01,920 --> 00:09:04,120 Something or maybe something's missing in our lives, something 159 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:08,120 we wish we had. And here's the thing, borrowing 160 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:11,720 money often for all of us feels like progress. 161 00:09:11,720 --> 00:09:13,360 It feels like we're moving forward. 162 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:16,040 It does. It feels like we're taking care 163 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:18,000 of a problem, that we're getting something handled. 164 00:09:18,400 --> 00:09:20,800 Have you ever borrowed money for something and went, I will just 165 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:26,360 figure that out later. Anybody yes, but let's be 166 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:30,080 honest, we'll just that's a that's a tomorrow problem. 167 00:09:31,120 --> 00:09:34,720 I'll just figure and and and see that feels like relief because I 168 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:36,200 don't have to solve that problem today. 169 00:09:36,200 --> 00:09:39,800 I can solve that problem later or this borrowing this money 170 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:42,400 right now will help us get our ducks in a row for right now and 171 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,080 we can figure out the problems with that later. 172 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:48,840 Now let's be very clear about what Proverbs is saying and what 173 00:09:48,840 --> 00:09:53,160 Proverbs is not saying. The writer is not condemning 174 00:09:53,200 --> 00:09:56,960 borrowing. The writer is not condemning 175 00:09:56,960 --> 00:09:58,880 borrowing. And I know you think, well, 176 00:09:58,920 --> 00:10:00,480 that's what Stephen's going to say in the sermon. 177 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:03,640 And while I kind of wish the Bible said that, I wish the 178 00:10:03,640 --> 00:10:05,960 Bible just condemned borrowing, but it doesn't. 179 00:10:06,680 --> 00:10:09,640 The writer, Proverbs, is not condemning borrowing. 180 00:10:09,920 --> 00:10:12,280 He's not saying that if you borrow or use debt, you're a 181 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:14,960 Sinner or you're a bad person. He's not saying that at all. 182 00:10:17,440 --> 00:10:21,600 No, the writer is simply describing reality. 183 00:10:22,800 --> 00:10:25,520 This is descriptive, not prescriptive. 184 00:10:25,520 --> 00:10:27,160 Do you understand what I mean by that? 185 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:29,720 This is descriptive. The writer of Proverbs is just 186 00:10:29,720 --> 00:10:31,480 describing something. What's he describing? 187 00:10:31,480 --> 00:10:35,840 He's saying simply, this borrowing will create pressure, 188 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:40,960 obligation, and reduce freedom. That's all he's saying. 189 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,720 So I'm saying you're a bad person for doing those things. 190 00:10:43,720 --> 00:10:46,360 It's just like if you borrow, you're going to create pressure, 191 00:10:46,360 --> 00:10:48,000 you're going to create obligation and you're going to 192 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:51,480 reduce freedom, not because God is punishing you or someone is 193 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:57,120 punishing you, but because now your your future has a claim on 194 00:10:57,120 --> 00:11:01,240 your present. Your future has a claim on your 195 00:11:01,240 --> 00:11:04,120 present. It's, it's not like God's mad at 196 00:11:04,120 --> 00:11:05,680 you, like, well, you borrowed all this money, now I'm going to 197 00:11:05,680 --> 00:11:07,560 punish you and you're going to feel pressure and misery and 198 00:11:07,560 --> 00:11:09,640 like no margin. No, it's just like, this is just 199 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:11,680 a, this is just a law, like a natural law. 200 00:11:11,680 --> 00:11:14,840 Like if I drop a, an item from up here, it's going to fall 201 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:16,200 because of the natural law of gravity. 202 00:11:16,200 --> 00:11:20,400 The natural law of debt is that if I leverage debt, it's going 203 00:11:20,400 --> 00:11:23,200 to create pressure, obligation and reduced freedom. 204 00:11:23,200 --> 00:11:26,840 Not because someone is punishing me, but because the future now 205 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:31,600 has a claim on the present. Let's be frank. 206 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:35,760 Most people, you and I, we borrow money because we're 207 00:11:35,760 --> 00:11:39,960 trying to solve a problem. That's what most of us are 208 00:11:39,960 --> 00:11:41,560 trying to do. We're trying to solve a problem. 209 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,000 We're not trying to create a bigger, bigger problem. 210 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:53,440 We're trying to solve a problem. If last week we said that the 211 00:11:53,440 --> 00:11:56,560 key to our money challenges is not about dollars but about 212 00:11:56,560 --> 00:11:59,720 authority, do you remember that that was the main idea last 213 00:11:59,720 --> 00:12:03,320 week? So then if that's true, the key 214 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:05,600 to our money challenges is not about dollars but about 215 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:09,400 authority. How does debt impact this 216 00:12:09,400 --> 00:12:12,880 authority issue? That's a question worth asking. 217 00:12:13,200 --> 00:12:17,040 If I want to have the authority of God in my life, how does debt 218 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:22,320 impact the authority issue? See, the necessary shift that 219 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:27,840 happens when you and I leverage debt or overspending is it has 220 00:12:27,840 --> 00:12:31,800 to change who or what we're loyal to, who or what we serve. 221 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:35,720 It has to leveraging debt forces that change. 222 00:12:36,240 --> 00:12:40,040 So the question today in this moment is if it's all about 223 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:42,960 authority and who has the authority of my life, how does 224 00:12:42,960 --> 00:12:47,560 debt shift that authority? It's a question worth asking. 225 00:12:48,120 --> 00:12:49,680 And that's our second idea this morning. 226 00:12:50,320 --> 00:12:56,320 Debt shifts of debt shifts future loyalties, not just 227 00:12:56,320 --> 00:13:00,880 future dollars. Debt shifts, future loyalties, 228 00:13:01,200 --> 00:13:04,840 not just future dollars. Let's go to Matthew chapter 6, 229 00:13:04,840 --> 00:13:06,760 verse 24. You should have known this is 230 00:13:06,760 --> 00:13:09,880 going to show up in this series. This is something Jesus said 231 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:12,040 from the Sermon on the Mount. This is what he said. 232 00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:14,480 He said no one can serve 2 masters. 233 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:17,200 Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be 234 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,000 devoted to the one and despise the other. 235 00:13:19,560 --> 00:13:22,880 He said then it's a period. And then Jesus said, you cannot 236 00:13:22,880 --> 00:13:26,240 serve both God and money. Now what is Jesus doing here? 237 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:28,720 The principle that Jesus is teaching is simply this. 238 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,200 You cannot live with divided loyalties. 239 00:13:32,520 --> 00:13:34,800 You cannot live with divided loyalties. 240 00:13:35,680 --> 00:13:38,120 And then he just uses money as an example. 241 00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:40,600 He just, it's just money as an example. 242 00:13:40,920 --> 00:13:43,840 He's saying, hey, no one can have divided loyalty in their 243 00:13:43,840 --> 00:13:46,040 life. You cannot serve both God and 244 00:13:46,040 --> 00:13:48,120 money. For example, money's just an 245 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:51,160 example. You see, here's the thing about 246 00:13:51,160 --> 00:13:53,600 debt. Debt doesn't just affect our 247 00:13:53,600 --> 00:14:01,080 future, but specifically debt effects our future loyalties. 248 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:05,440 It doesn't just affect our future, it affects our future 249 00:14:05,440 --> 00:14:08,240 loyalties specifically. Now be very clear. 250 00:14:08,240 --> 00:14:11,560 Again, Jesus is, you know, thinking about Proverbs was not 251 00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:14,480 a condemnation passage. Jesus here is not condemning 252 00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:17,960 anyone. Jesus is not using shame here or 253 00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:20,200 guilt here. He's not saying, oh, you're a 254 00:14:20,200 --> 00:14:22,160 terrible person if you serve money. 255 00:14:22,600 --> 00:14:27,120 He's just saying, hey, here's the, here's the rule of life. 256 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:31,200 You can't serve two people. You can't be devoted to two 257 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:34,560 people. Married people get this. 258 00:14:36,920 --> 00:14:42,480 Amen. Like it's just, it's just kind 259 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:45,720 of how humans work. Like this is just how humans 260 00:14:45,720 --> 00:14:51,160 work. They they have to have a single 261 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:54,240 loyalty. He's saying, hey, it's 262 00:14:54,240 --> 00:14:57,360 impossible to serve God and also to serve money. 263 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:03,240 In other words, whichever you serve will demand your complete 264 00:15:03,240 --> 00:15:06,720 loyalty. Now here's what's interesting. 265 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:15,960 Debt has a way of forcing you to shift your loyalties without you 266 00:15:15,960 --> 00:15:20,800 making an intentional choice. Debt has a way of forcing you to 267 00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:25,640 shift your loyalties without you making an intentional choice. 268 00:15:26,200 --> 00:15:31,320 So think about it this way. If I leverage my future with 269 00:15:31,320 --> 00:15:35,160 indebtedness, then I've already committed my future. 270 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,040 I've already committed my future loyalty. 271 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:39,920 I've already committed my future effort. 272 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:42,160 I've already committed my future energy. 273 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:49,080 So what I've said is that my future freedom is the currency 274 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:56,280 that I'm spending today. But I'm also saying that my, my 275 00:15:56,280 --> 00:16:01,480 future will have to have a loyalty to the debt that I'm 276 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:06,280 creating today. So I know this is a little bit 277 00:16:06,280 --> 00:16:09,120 of a nuance, but think about it like this. 278 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:16,520 When we're carrying debt, your future decisions are already 279 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,360 spoken for. You have some decisions that are 280 00:16:20,360 --> 00:16:23,480 already made. You're not going to be able to 281 00:16:23,480 --> 00:16:25,360 make them because they're already made for you. 282 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:30,840 Your generosity, your margin for generosity, for example, will be 283 00:16:30,840 --> 00:16:32,720 shrunk down. You'll have less margin for 284 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,320 generosity. So you think, hey, I want to be 285 00:16:35,320 --> 00:16:38,480 more generous. Well, debt will automatically 286 00:16:38,480 --> 00:16:42,440 bring that margin down. That's not a choice you 287 00:16:42,600 --> 00:16:45,160 necessarily made to have less margin and generosity. 288 00:16:45,160 --> 00:16:47,440 That's a choice that debt make for us. 289 00:16:47,440 --> 00:16:53,480 Does that make sense? Our margin Forrest will shrink. 290 00:16:57,040 --> 00:17:00,280 It just will. You can't rest when you owe the 291 00:17:00,280 --> 00:17:03,040 man. I owe. 292 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:07,280 I owe. It's off to work. 293 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:14,079 I go I/O, I/O, I/O, I/O, I/O. I can't. 294 00:17:14,079 --> 00:17:15,800 I rest. I rest. 295 00:17:17,000 --> 00:17:18,839 It's. I have a bunch of debt. 296 00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:22,640 Like it doesn't go, it doesn't go hand in hand. 297 00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:26,480 Future decisions are already made for you because of debt. 298 00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:30,440 Our ability to respond to God's prompting shrinks. 299 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:42,880 Debt demands loyalty. Specifically, it demands loyalty 300 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:47,280 to income. How do you service debt with 301 00:17:47,320 --> 00:17:50,680 everybody? Say income, you're all like, 302 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:52,920 man, this hurts you guys. Does this hurt a little bit? 303 00:17:54,040 --> 00:17:55,720 It's OK. I'm, I'm not trying to shame 304 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:56,320 you. I love you. 305 00:17:57,880 --> 00:18:03,840 Debt demands loyalty to income. And So what I mean by the fact 306 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:08,840 that that debt has a way of shifting our loyalty away from 307 00:18:08,840 --> 00:18:13,280 God to income is that that's not an intentional choice we made. 308 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,920 It's something that's forced upon us because we reached for 309 00:18:16,920 --> 00:18:23,120 debt to solve a problem. And so now we have to be loyal 310 00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:25,680 to income. And let me explain this to you. 311 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:29,160 The replacement of making God first and serving God first. 312 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,360 That replacement doesn't happen overnight. 313 00:18:32,520 --> 00:18:35,880 No, because of debt, I'm slowly wooed away from my loyalty to 314 00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:40,920 God and I'm forced to focus on income so I can serve as debt 315 00:18:42,120 --> 00:18:43,680 again. This isn't like you're a bad 316 00:18:43,680 --> 00:18:45,800 person and you need to get your life together. 317 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:51,520 This is just descriptive. This is just what happens if I'm 318 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:55,080 overextended, if I have a lot of debt, if I'm trying to service 319 00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:58,320 that debt, then I have to earn a lot of money. 320 00:18:59,760 --> 00:19:03,400 I have to be focused on income, and that's going to limit margin 321 00:19:03,400 --> 00:19:07,360 in other areas of my life. Again, not that I'm a bad 322 00:19:07,360 --> 00:19:09,480 person, not that I'm dumb or stupid. 323 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:15,280 It's just reality. My son just said, well, if 324 00:19:15,280 --> 00:19:17,560 anybody would like for him to live with you, let me know. 325 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:29,120 Oh man, break his kneecaps. I'm just kidding. 326 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:36,120 This is on YouTube. So again, this is not intended 327 00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:40,600 to make any of us feel guilty. It's meant to function like a 328 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,280 triage or a diagnosis for you to kind of just do some inventory. 329 00:19:46,880 --> 00:19:49,120 You can't heal from what you do not name. 330 00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:55,520 You got to name it. So debt feels helpful. 331 00:19:56,320 --> 00:19:58,960 It does it feel, it feels like you're solving your problem, but 332 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:04,040 it shapes future pressures. It creates pressure and debt 333 00:20:04,080 --> 00:20:07,040 will slowly shift loyalty away from God. 334 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:12,200 It just has to, it has to shift it to money, to income. 335 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:14,240 Now, what's the alternative, Steven? 336 00:20:14,400 --> 00:20:16,040 You always have a solution for us. 337 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:19,120 I do. There is an alternative. 338 00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:22,800 The alternative is contentment, and this is the last idea. 339 00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:27,160 Today, contentment projects. I'm sorry. 340 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:32,400 Contentment protects the future by quieting fear. 341 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:36,240 Contentment protects the future by quieting fear. 342 00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:40,640 Now, contentment doesn't mean pretending that we don't feel 343 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:43,240 fear because we feel fear about the future. 344 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:47,480 It means that we're learning to trust God enough that fear no 345 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,720 longer gets the final say. Contentment protects the future 346 00:20:51,720 --> 00:20:56,680 by quieting fear and slowing the urgency that that fear creates. 347 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:01,760 All right, the writer of Hebrews writes this beautiful passage. 348 00:21:02,920 --> 00:21:05,960 Writer of Hebrews says keep your lives free from the love of 349 00:21:05,960 --> 00:21:09,960 money and be content in what you have. 350 00:21:10,480 --> 00:21:14,520 Because God has said never will I leave you and never will I 351 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:17,480 forsake you. Now that promise sounds 352 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:20,920 beautiful, doesn't It's just, can we just look at it for a 353 00:21:20,920 --> 00:21:22,440 second? Keep your lives free from the 354 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,200 love of money and be content with what you have. 355 00:21:24,720 --> 00:21:28,800 Because God has said never will I leave you, never will I 356 00:21:28,800 --> 00:21:34,120 forsake you. It sounds beautiful and they're 357 00:21:34,120 --> 00:21:36,720 beautiful words. But if we're honest, when fear 358 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,560 rises up in a view, have you ever had fear over financial 359 00:21:39,560 --> 00:21:43,520 situations? Yeah, some of you are like, sit 360 00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:45,200 down, son. Let me tell some stories. 361 00:21:47,080 --> 00:21:50,840 When fear rises up in you over financial situations, when the 362 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:55,200 numbers don't work and the future feels uncertain, most of 363 00:21:55,200 --> 00:21:58,160 us don't struggle in that because we don't know this 364 00:21:58,160 --> 00:22:00,880 promise. We know this promise. 365 00:22:01,320 --> 00:22:04,240 That's not like, it's not like if you just knew this, you 366 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:07,000 wouldn't struggle. No, we know this promise that 367 00:22:07,000 --> 00:22:08,440 God will never leave us or forsake us. 368 00:22:08,440 --> 00:22:10,800 The problem is not that we don't know what the problem is. 369 00:22:10,800 --> 00:22:14,440 Do we actually trust it? Do we actually trust that it's 370 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:17,880 true? You see, there's a deeper issue 371 00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:23,920 beneath debt. That deeper issue is about trust 372 00:22:24,400 --> 00:22:30,600 in God, my Savior, that that's the deeper issue below debt and 373 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:35,080 why we leverage debt. You know, guys, debt has has a 374 00:22:35,080 --> 00:22:38,800 power over us. Not because we're irresponsible, 375 00:22:39,880 --> 00:22:43,400 not because we're silly or foolish, but because at some 376 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:47,160 level we're afraid that if we don't secure our future for 377 00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:49,320 ourselves, then nobody else will. 378 00:22:51,120 --> 00:22:52,360 Like that's what we're afraid of. 379 00:22:54,880 --> 00:23:02,880 Contentment sounds right and trust sounds good, but fear 380 00:23:02,880 --> 00:23:05,920 keeps whispering this to us. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 381 00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:08,880 I know you read that Hebrews passage and I know you go to 382 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:14,080 church and I know you love God and all, but what if what if he 383 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:19,440 doesn't come through for you? What if this doesn't happen the 384 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:27,720 way you think it will? And here's the thing that that 385 00:23:27,720 --> 00:23:31,440 fear, if that fear were true, like in other words, if God were 386 00:23:31,440 --> 00:23:35,800 distant from us and he's unreliable, in other words, if 387 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,200 it was kind of like we have this God and he's up on a mountain, 388 00:23:38,200 --> 00:23:41,640 but he's not really personally involved in our lives, then that 389 00:23:41,640 --> 00:23:46,880 fear would be reasonable. And borrowing from your future 390 00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:49,600 would make sense to protect your presence, right? 391 00:23:49,840 --> 00:23:54,320 That would make total sense. But Christianity, if you're not 392 00:23:54,320 --> 00:23:55,720 a Christian, listen to this for a second. 393 00:23:56,040 --> 00:23:59,800 Christianity never asked us to trust in God. 394 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:05,480 Like in the abstract, No. Christianity says look at the 395 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:10,800 work and the acts of God and trust him based on what he has 396 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:15,320 done already. So in light of what he's done, 397 00:24:15,320 --> 00:24:17,800 trust him, not in some abstract idea. 398 00:24:18,480 --> 00:24:20,520 So what has God already done for us? 399 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:25,160 When you look at Jesus, we see that that God came to earth. 400 00:24:25,360 --> 00:24:27,440 Jesus came to earth, God in the flesh. 401 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:33,800 He came not to secure his own future at our expense, but he 402 00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:37,920 came to secure our future at his expense. 403 00:24:37,920 --> 00:24:43,000 In other words, he paid a price so that I could have a future. 404 00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:46,120 He paid a price so that you could have a future on the 405 00:24:46,120 --> 00:24:47,320 cross. And think about this for a 406 00:24:47,320 --> 00:24:48,640 second. All the things you're afraid to 407 00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:53,040 lose, security and safety, knowing that you're OK on the 408 00:24:53,040 --> 00:24:55,360 cross. Jesus lost the very things we're 409 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:58,120 afraid of losing. That security, that provision, 410 00:24:58,120 --> 00:25:00,280 that control over life. He lost control. 411 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:02,600 He lost all of those things we desperately want. 412 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:05,160 He lost the things that we use debt to secure. 413 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,440 He gave them up. Why? 414 00:25:07,560 --> 00:25:12,040 So we would never have to wonder if God would abandoned us. 415 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:14,840 How do I know God would abandoned me? 416 00:25:15,080 --> 00:25:20,360 Because Christ died on the cross for me, I can trust. 417 00:25:20,560 --> 00:25:23,240 I'm not trusting God in the abstract like, well, I believe 418 00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:25,920 God is good. No, I'm looking at the cross and 419 00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:29,520 I'm saying, well, God has already proven that he will not 420 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:31,240 abandon me. He's already proven that he came 421 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:34,400 for me and met my greatest need. And so when the writer of 422 00:25:34,400 --> 00:25:37,320 Hebrews says, never will I leave you and never will I forsake 423 00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:39,560 you, that promise is not optimism. 424 00:25:39,560 --> 00:25:41,520 It's not the writer of Hebrews is like, oh, this will feel 425 00:25:41,520 --> 00:25:43,200 good. Let me tell the guys this, that 426 00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:45,280 God will never leave you and God will never forsake you. 427 00:25:45,360 --> 00:25:51,480 No, that promise is based on a purchase, a purchase, a purchase 428 00:25:51,480 --> 00:25:54,240 made in blood. You, the Bible says were 429 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,280 purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ. 430 00:25:57,440 --> 00:26:00,160 And so the reason God can't forsake you and can't deny you 431 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:03,320 because to forsake you or deny you would be to deny himself 432 00:26:03,840 --> 00:26:06,720 because you are one with him through the blood of Christ. 433 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:10,960 And this is this is where the this is the deeper issue under 434 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:13,240 our fear around our finances, right? 435 00:26:13,360 --> 00:26:15,760 This is why this message just can't be about going out and 436 00:26:15,920 --> 00:26:18,720 changing your behaviors and getting really serious about 437 00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:20,680 your money. No, the message is really the 438 00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:24,840 deeper issue is like, do I actually believe the gospel that 439 00:26:24,840 --> 00:26:27,520 I am one with the heavenly Father through the blood of 440 00:26:27,520 --> 00:26:30,120 Jesus Christ that he purchased for me and that this promise 441 00:26:30,120 --> 00:26:32,800 that he will never leave me or forsake me is not empty 442 00:26:32,800 --> 00:26:34,880 optimism. It is a purchased promise, 443 00:26:34,880 --> 00:26:38,280 purchased with the most precious blood of God himself. 444 00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:44,400 Like that's the deeper issue. And when that begins to sink in 445 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:47,080 that I can trust this God because of what he's done for me 446 00:26:47,080 --> 00:26:50,800 through Christ, then contentment stops being something we try to 447 00:26:50,800 --> 00:26:54,360 produce. It's something that comes out of 448 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:58,880 a spiritual practice of daily trust in God of as I say all the 449 00:26:58,880 --> 00:27:02,480 time, preaching the gospel to myself every day. 450 00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:11,800 The God is all has already proven to me and to the world 451 00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:17,960 that He's trustworthy because he paid for my sins. 452 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:23,520 So let me be clear, contentment is not pretending we don't want 453 00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:27,080 things. It's just choosing to trust God 454 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,600 more than we trust the urgency to get things. 455 00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:35,720 Just that practice. And the more you practice 456 00:27:35,720 --> 00:27:41,280 trusting that God has taken care of you, the urgency to borrow 457 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:45,520 from your future weakens. Because you know it's not all up 458 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:49,800 to you. God has proven He will be there 459 00:27:49,800 --> 00:27:54,800 for you. You know, consistently choosing 460 00:27:55,000 --> 00:28:00,560 trust will keep us from asking our future selves to pay what 461 00:28:00,560 --> 00:28:04,200 our present selves want. So when you're looking at a 462 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:08,400 present self moment and you're thinking about leveraging debt 463 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:12,440 for something your future self is going to have to do, just ask 464 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:16,560 yourself, do I really want to put this on future Stephen? 465 00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:19,200 Because future Stephen's going to have to deal with this 466 00:28:19,200 --> 00:28:23,520 decision. And what can, what contentment 467 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:28,640 does and trusting God does is it keeps you from forcing your 468 00:28:28,640 --> 00:28:32,840 present wants to put demands on your future self. 469 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:38,520 So here's some practical things that I just want to say to you 470 00:28:38,520 --> 00:28:42,800 before we close. Number one, I want to be very 471 00:28:42,800 --> 00:28:45,400 clear about this. This message is absolutely not 472 00:28:45,400 --> 00:28:47,960 been about and the scripture we've read has absolutely not 473 00:28:47,960 --> 00:28:52,120 been about saying debt is wrong and never use debt or faithful 474 00:28:52,120 --> 00:28:53,840 people who love God will never use debt. 475 00:28:53,840 --> 00:28:56,600 I mean, I have a mortgage. I have a great mortgage. 476 00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:01,320 I mean, it's amazing. I told my wife if I die and I 477 00:29:01,320 --> 00:29:03,960 get you get the life insurance, do not pay the mortgage off. 478 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:07,000 I told her I said put the money in the bank, let it draw 479 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:08,440 interest. Because you, I'm telling you 480 00:29:08,440 --> 00:29:10,440 the, the interest rate on my mortgage is nothing. 481 00:29:10,440 --> 00:29:12,840 I would if they give me 100 years to pay it off right now, 482 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:15,320 I'd take it at the rate I just read. 483 00:29:15,560 --> 00:29:18,520 So, so the, the reality is, I'm not saying, and this the 484 00:29:18,520 --> 00:29:21,200 scripture is not saying that you know that, that all debt is 485 00:29:21,200 --> 00:29:23,760 wrong. Some debt can be strategic and 486 00:29:23,760 --> 00:29:27,560 some debt can be temporary. And let's be frank, our economy 487 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:31,680 functions as a debt economy. I know dude. 488 00:29:31,680 --> 00:29:35,040 That's and that's brutal. Like if you notice that all 489 00:29:35,040 --> 00:29:37,400 we've talked about for like 2 years is interest rates. 490 00:29:37,400 --> 00:29:42,040 Three years interest rates. My father did not like Jimmy 491 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:45,040 Carter. My grandfather loved Jimmy 492 00:29:45,040 --> 00:29:47,080 Carter. Do you know what the single 493 00:29:47,080 --> 00:29:49,960 difference between them was? My father was middle-aged with a 494 00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,320 16% mortgage. My grandfather was retired with 495 00:29:53,320 --> 00:30:00,640 a paid for house and CDs that were paying 10% later. 496 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:03,440 My father loved Reagan and guess who my grandfather could not 497 00:30:03,440 --> 00:30:07,040 stand. And what was at the center of 498 00:30:07,040 --> 00:30:09,440 that? Interest rates. 499 00:30:10,560 --> 00:30:13,720 So we are a debt economy. I get that. 500 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,960 But what you and I as Christians are being invited into is 501 00:30:16,960 --> 00:30:20,200 something deeper than rules. Like hey you shouldn't and you 502 00:30:20,200 --> 00:30:22,280 should. We're being invited into 503 00:30:22,280 --> 00:30:25,160 discernment. Discernment. 504 00:30:25,720 --> 00:30:28,080 The invitation this week is not for you to go out of here 505 00:30:28,080 --> 00:30:30,840 feeling guilty and shameful and being like, I got to fix this, 506 00:30:31,640 --> 00:30:37,080 no, but instead to just slow down and invite God into the 507 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:40,160 conversations about your money. That's it. 508 00:30:41,440 --> 00:30:45,040 Just pray. Before taking on debt or 509 00:30:45,040 --> 00:30:48,600 extending yourself financially, consider asking some questions 510 00:30:48,600 --> 00:30:51,120 in prayer. So one question you could ask is 511 00:30:51,240 --> 00:30:54,760 what is driving this decision? Is it fear and patience 512 00:30:54,760 --> 00:30:57,120 comparison? Is it genuine need? 513 00:30:57,600 --> 00:31:01,640 Remember, debt will often promise relief and it'll tell 514 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:03,040 you, hey, this will make things better. 515 00:31:04,880 --> 00:31:06,520 But it's stealing from your future. 516 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:11,600 So it's worth pausing to ask what it is you're really trying 517 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:14,920 to solve right now, and if there's a different way to solve 518 00:31:14,920 --> 00:31:19,320 that problem than debt. Another question to ask is what 519 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:21,160 will this cost my future freedom? 520 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:23,960 What will this cost my future freedom? 521 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:26,600 Will this decision limit my generosity? 522 00:31:26,600 --> 00:31:29,440 Will it limit my margin? Will it limit my ability to 523 00:31:29,440 --> 00:31:32,400 respond to what God may ask me to do later? 524 00:31:34,280 --> 00:31:39,480 Remember, when we borrow, future freedom is the currency we're 525 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:42,680 spending today. You could say future rest, 526 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:47,480 future vacations. You can say all that future 527 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:50,600 freedom. And the third question is, have 528 00:31:50,600 --> 00:31:52,720 I invited God into this decision? 529 00:31:52,720 --> 00:31:55,000 And I am amazed at how many Christians I've talked to that 530 00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:58,440 will make major financial decisions and will not pray 531 00:31:58,440 --> 00:32:06,160 about it. So have I invited God in this 532 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:07,760 decision? Not after the fact. 533 00:32:07,760 --> 00:32:10,480 Like, hey, God, by the way, I just went in and indebted myself 534 00:32:10,480 --> 00:32:12,280 $50,000. I thought I'd let you know. 535 00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:13,400 Can you help me make the payment? 536 00:32:14,520 --> 00:32:19,960 But I mean, before you make the decision, not just asking him to 537 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:24,520 bless it, but thinking like a thinking like a steward, like a 538 00:32:24,520 --> 00:32:28,200 manager instead of an owner and saying, God, I'm seeking your 539 00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:30,760 wisdom because I'm about to spend some of your money that 540 00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:33,200 you gave me. I'm about to leverage it in the 541 00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:34,760 future too. I'm about to leverage the future 542 00:32:34,760 --> 00:32:36,200 income you're going to give me in the future. 543 00:32:36,320 --> 00:32:38,480 And I need your wisdom on this decision. 544 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,400 Will you bless me? Will you give me your 545 00:32:40,400 --> 00:32:44,400 understanding and let me know whether I'm doing a foolish 546 00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:46,720 thing or not? Just talk to God about his 547 00:32:46,720 --> 00:32:49,240 money. Now, these questions are not 548 00:32:49,240 --> 00:32:51,760 meant to shame you. They're meant to createspace for 549 00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:55,320 wisdom, clarity and trust and to try to help your discipleship in 550 00:32:55,520 --> 00:32:58,440 following Jesus. The invitation this morning is 551 00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:00,600 freedom. It's freedom, It's freedom from 552 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:05,320 pressure, it's freedom from fear, freedom to trust that God 553 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:09,880 has provided for you and that it's enough that you can you can 554 00:33:09,880 --> 00:33:11,360 be like, hey, what I have is enough. 555 00:33:13,240 --> 00:33:15,600 And that if he's provided for you in the present, that he will 556 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:19,880 provide for you in the future. You see, when you choose 557 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:23,520 contentment and trust, we stop asking our future selves to pay 558 00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:26,880 for what our present selves want, and we begin living with a 559 00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:30,440 freedom that money can never provide. 560 00:33:31,800 --> 00:33:34,120 How we leverage money shapes our future. 561 00:33:35,080 --> 00:33:40,040 How we leverage money and how we leverage debt shapes our future 562 00:33:41,120 --> 00:33:44,480 far more than it helps our present. 563 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:49,360 Will you stand with me as I pray for us? 564 00:33:50,840 --> 00:33:53,120 We're going to pray for our brother Brad, who's still 565 00:33:53,120 --> 00:33:57,040 overseas just a few days left. I hope you've been using your 566 00:33:57,040 --> 00:33:59,320 prayer card to remember him this week. 567 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:02,920 Father, thank you for this church. 568 00:34:02,920 --> 00:34:04,320 Thank you for the gathering we've had. 569 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:08,600 Thank you for just the Scripture that it's not full of shame and 570 00:34:08,600 --> 00:34:12,440 guilt, but it's instead invites us into a better life, a life of 571 00:34:12,440 --> 00:34:16,080 freedom, a life of wholeness. Thank you that you're proven 572 00:34:16,080 --> 00:34:18,960 that you've trustworthy. Lord, I pray that the brothers 573 00:34:18,960 --> 00:34:21,199 and sisters that have heard this message today, whether in this 574 00:34:21,199 --> 00:34:24,520 room or online or later on a podcast, that they have sense 575 00:34:24,520 --> 00:34:27,480 that I love them and care for them and do not have any 576 00:34:27,480 --> 00:34:30,159 authority in these areas around debt and money. 577 00:34:30,199 --> 00:34:33,199 I only have the authority of the scripture. 578 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:38,120 And so we, we just, we trust that there's been no shame, but 579 00:34:38,120 --> 00:34:41,760 there's only been hope. God, we pray for our brother 580 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:43,960 Brad. He's in South and he's in Asia, 581 00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:46,320 Southeast Asia. We pray that you're watching 582 00:34:46,320 --> 00:34:48,400 over him and his team and you protect them. 583 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:51,080 Or we thank you that our church has been praying for him these 584 00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:54,600 past few days and we look forward to seeing him when he 585 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,720 returns. And we pray for every moment of 586 00:34:57,720 --> 00:34:59,920 every second. Your angels are shielding them 587 00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:02,600 and shielding him specifically from any danger that would come 588 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:04,160 to them. We love you. 589 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:08,280 We thank you for our church. We're honored to have been given 590 00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:10,160 this beautiful place. God, I just thank you for 591 00:35:10,160 --> 00:35:12,320 letting me start this message by talking about my good friend 592 00:35:12,320 --> 00:35:17,880 John, who's in heaven now and all that he taught me. 593 00:35:19,480 --> 00:35:21,680 Honored for that wonderful relationship and give you praise 594 00:35:21,680 --> 00:35:23,360 for it. In Christ name we pray, Amen. 595 00:35:23,880 --> 00:35:25,720 Have a wonderful day, friends. We love you and we thank you for 596 00:35:25,720 --> 00:35:26,360 being here today.