Not Afraid

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WELCOME:

Hey friends and family there online! I love that you joined us, some in your jammies…others of you got dressed like you were headed somewhere today. Just make it essential. (smile)

If you are watching this while we are live, I would love for you to share this live video, even host a Watch Party if you know how. Make comments on the side. Share something that God is speaking to you. Maybe even how we can be praying with you.

This is a unique season, no doubt, and we want to stay focused on what really matters. We want to encourage you to look to God during these crazy days. I have found myself having to wrestle with thoughts of financial insecurity, potential health issues my family could face, as well as many other things that we are all dealing with. The truth is…now is time to let God sift what is inside us and cling to Him and Him alone. With everything we are hearing on the news, seeing on our Facebook Feed, and thinking in our minds this becomes a difficult task.

I want to encourage you to take some extra, intentional time to read God’s Word. Search verses that will help you with what you are dealing with whether it is fear, God’s providing for you, or His faithfulness to pull you through. There are certain verses that will take on a whole new meaning and level of understanding during this season. One of the verses I have has been speaking to me this week is Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 6:25–27 NIV

25 “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? 26 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

NIV25 “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? 26 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? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Let’s catch aside the worry and fear that seeks to cripple us. Let’s seek God first and watch the amazing things He will do. Join us now as we worship with a few songs. Raise your hands, sit with you eyes closed, lay on the floor before the Lord right where you. Whatever you do, worship with us with your whole heart. God’s going to meet us.

WELCOME:

WORSHIP

MESSAGE

Hey friends and family there online! I love that you joined us, some in your jammies…others of you got dressed like you were headed somewhere today. Just make it essential. (smile)

WELCOME:

Hey friends and family there online! I am so glad you have joined us to worship, hear from God’s Word, and be encouraged together. I’ll be honest. This is the strangest time in my life. I have never experienced nor imagined I would experience what we are right now. But last week, we had so many folks from all across the nation join us for worship. We had some traveling back home to us here in Knoxville. We had others that had moved away from Knoxville that were able to join us online. We even had some friends that hadn’t come to our church but were able to tune in with us. This is a unique season, no doubt, and we want to stay focused on what really matters. We want to encourage you to look to God during these crazy days. I have found myself having to wrestle with thoughts of financial insecurity, potential health issues my family could face, as well as many other things that we are all dealing with. The truth is…now is time to let God sift what is inside us, cling to Him and Him alone.

There are certain verses that will take on a whole new meaning and level of understanding during this season. One of the verses I have been meditating on this week is Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount.

Press pause on our normal message plans

speak directly into what’s happening in world today.

Speaking mostly from my heart!

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Now, unless you’ve been sleeping under a rock

You know that there’s a lot of unrest all around us today.

As you know,

· The coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading

· Stock market has been dropping

· People are panicking

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What should we do?

· Not worry about it and go on with life as usual? (Under-reacting?)

· Buy extra hand sanitizers and toilet paper, hide inside, prepare for end of world?

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I don’t pretend to be an expert—I don’t know where this is going to go.

But I’ll try to speak into it from a Faith-Perspective.

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Insert personal story of coronavirus impact if you have one…

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Brings us to today…

· Professional sporting events, conferences, concerts are canceling…

Thanks again for joining us online today. We are going to pause our series in . Instead, I want to speak directly into what’s happening in world today.Speaking mostly from my heart!At the end of our time together, I want us to take communion together. If you want to go ahead and get some bread, a cracker, whatever you might have along with some juice, water, coffee. I don’t think what you use will matter as much as who we are remembering, Christ our Lord. So, be prepared for us to take communion together virtually with our families right where we are each located. I believe it is going to be powerful! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Well, unless you have been under a rock, you have seen, heard, and can’t help but be effected by what’s going on this this global epidemic and national pandemic. If you are like me, then you have been working through the various challenges, various thoughts, various emotions in stages and cycles. First, I was challenged by just how serious this would or wouldn’t be. This was a couple of weeks ago now. Did we need to cancel that first service. About half the churches did, but we hadn’t yet been discouraged from meeting. I also wrestled with the thought of do I have enough of the essential things for my family during this time. You probably made multiple trips to the store, possible continue to do so each time you need something. *Just a side note, I want to go on the record as one of the few that didn’t buy any toilet paper or paper towels at a store during this time. I would like to say we were good, but we actually did need some. I just purchased it online. Ha! So, I think I can still say I didn’t go to the store to get any. But all of us have had to process what is happening. Some of us don’t agree with the government decisions. Some of us think they are too lax, others we think they are controlling areas they shouldn’t. We are surrounded by unrest in so many areas. With stocks down, unemployment up, shelves emptying, and fear filling, how should we be responding? And I am going to speak to us as a Body of Faith, followers of Christ, and if you haven’t yet followed Him, experienced His forgiveness and peace, this will be helpful for you as too. As people of faith, what should do? What should we be known for? ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------What should we do? · Not worry about it and go on with life as usual? (Under-reacting?) · Buy extra hand sanitizers and toilet paper, hide inside, prepare for end of world?----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I don’t pretend to be an expert—I don’t know where how long this will go on. But I’ll try to speak into it from a Faith-Perspective.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------STORY: When this all first started, I found myself challenged by the different reactions I was hearing about on the news, reading about on Facebook, and even seeing from others around me. I have to admit, at first, I made sure my family was ok. Got milk, bread, and food. But then, I was challenged about what Jesus would be doing during these moments. I have a hard time picturing Jesus isolating Himself. I have a hard time seeing Him in quarantine with His disciples till this passes over. I think of His reputation and those He interacted with most. The religious misunderstood Him labelling Him as a friend of sinners. In , Jesus calls some to follow Him, heals a leaper (while touching him), forgives the sins of a paralytic in front of the religious folks of His day, ask a tax collector to be one of His closest friends and follow Him, then sits to eat with a group of people that they classified as ‘sinners’. If you want to study who Jesus would be spending His time with right now, read Luke chapter 5. It will challenge all of our paradigms during this season. I began to think that Jesus would probably be starting the first COVID-friendly church. Instead of finding Him in quarantine, I think I would find Him visiting, siting with, spending time with those we are calling to isolation. I don’t think this illness would be scaring Him off or causing Him to panic. Instead, His compassion would override all this precautions and fears to see people made whole, made whole emotionally, mentally, and even physically during this crisis. That the Jesus I see in the Scripture. So, these were some of my initial thoughts. But I am not Jesus. And I have a responsibility to not test the Lord but walk in faith and wisdom, not two mutual exclusive virtues. This has been my process. I am sure you have had yours. Share that with us by commenting. What has been your process? Was it first, prepare? Was, there any fear? Was there just life as normal until you couldn’t anymore? Was has been your process? And where has God been in all of it? Has He had any input on how you are processing this? He wants to. He wants to help us navigate through this valley that we are all walking through. He wants to be with. He wants to guide us. Have you invited Him into this process? Have you spent time with Him, hearing from Him in His Word, spending some time worshipping Him, talking to Him, talking to Him even with your family. It is vital that we do. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------First, I’m not going to make any long term and permanent decisions today.I’ve found in times of crisis and panic,It’s best not to project out into the future.It’s always best to make wise decisions based on what we know today.I am not saying that based on what I know today, I am not make level headed decisions that help those I am responsible to lead best plan for the rest of this semester or even into the summer. Because we are having to make some of those decisions. We had to make the decision for what our programs would look like the rest of the semester knowing this situation is so fluid, constantly changing. We had to make some decisions this week regarding camp, choosing to deepen our relationships with our youth rather than give them the normal experience they have had the past few years. These are not normal circumstances, but the things we value drive our decision to create a normal experience for our kids right now. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------And as disciples of Jesus—the filter that forms our decisions is different.Why?—We are not of this world!—Not to be conformed by this world.Do not live like those who have no hope!—Different!That’s why today I am talking about why we are NOT AFRAID. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------THREE WAYS WE ARE NOT LIKE THIS WORLD1) We live by faith, not by fear.When Jesus was comforting his disciples in …“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:127 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. NIVI like the way the NLT translates Jesus’ words…----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. NLTWe are receiving things during this time whether we like it or not. It is a matter of who we are receiving from. Jesus says I am giving you peace, my peace. He then says the world can’t give this to you, but the world is giving you something—hearts full of trouble. The world is giving us something and right now it is filled with panic, fear, projections it can’t substantiate or possibly know. Who are you receiving from? Jesus? The world? You will know by what your heart is filled with. Is it filled with peace? Or is it filled with panic and fear and uncertainty and doubt and the possibility of troubles ahead? Let me be clear: that’s not coming from God. Those are not the “gifts” He gives us. The gift that Jesus is giving us in is during uncertain times for His followers, and Jesus could have given a number of different things. But Jesus chooses to give us one thing, “peace of mind and heart.” You have heard me say it before. The peace of God that Paul talks about in . Write this chapter down real quick. This is a great portion of Scripture to be looking at during this crisis. Look at . Paul tells them to choose joy. Choose to rejoice. Operate in patience and gentleness. He is near. Instead of anxiety, Paul says take to God in prayer. Don’t forget to infuse your prayers with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the perspective shifter for us to abandon anxiety and walk in faith as we lay the troubles the world gives us at the feet of Jesus. It is after we have chosen to rejoice in all things, always. It is after we have chosen the path of gentleness and patience, through prayer and thanksgiving, that Paul says THEN (in the Greek it says, as a result, as a result of doing these other things) the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus. This peace excels all human planning. I love what one writer says about this verse:

· Some schools shutting down for semester…

· Travel bans appearing…

· Grocery stores are out of toilet paper…

What are we going to do?

Ignore it—Stockpile beans/rice and stay home next 3 months?

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First, I’m not going to make any long term and permanent decisions today.

I’ve found in times of crisis and panic,

It’s best not to project out into the future.

It’s always best to make wise decisions based on what we know today.

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And as disciples of Jesus—the filter that forms our decisions is different.

Why?—We are not of this world!—Not to be conformed this world.

Do not live like those who have no hope!—Different!

TITLE of today’s message—NOT AFRAID—with an emphasis on “not”

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THREE WAYS WE ARE NOT LIKE THIS WORLD

1) We live by faith, not by fear.

When Jesus was comforting his disciples in John 14…

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. John 14:1

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27 NIV

I like the way the NLT translates Jesus’ words…

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27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

John 14:27 NLT

Peace that goes beyond human understanding…

God’s not sitting heaven thinking “I didn’t see coming.”

· Our God is faithful!—He’s in control!

· He is good! Our God has a plan!

· He won’t leave us. Won’t forsake us.

· He’s working in all things…

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Paul said…

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. 2 Tim 1:7

We are not panicking—> Peace

We are not fearful—> Have faith!

For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor. 5:7

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1. We live by faith, not by fear.

2. We are sacrificial, not selfish.

3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. Phil 2:3-4 (Paul believers Philippi)

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During the early church, they faced extreme persecution—Losing life for their faith!

1st C Christians didn’t hoard their goods!

They weren’t rushing the Jerusalem mega-mart to grab emergency supplies!

We are the body of Christ—We put others ahead of ourselves!

44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts… Acts 2:44-46

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 43: Philippians (Revised and Expanded) CommentGod’s peace is able to produce exceedingly better results than human planning, or it is far superior to any person’s schemes for security, or it is more effective for removing anxiety than any intellectual effort or power of reasoning (Plummer)

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Every day they continued to meet…

It’s a time when people will skip church and play it safe!

Encourage you to display your faith/worship—Not once a week—Daily!

Join as family—Pray!

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Are we going to meet publicly at church every week during time? We don’t know. But we will try.

As for meeting—See our church as a spiritual refuge for people in need.

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We’ve always been biased to being open—Having church—Always will.

You are smart people

If you don’t feel well, or don’t feel it’s wise—Stay home—Attend church online

Not forcing anyone—Not going to hell if you miss church!

But don’t stop worshiping—Don’t stop seeking God!

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We know a lot of people looking for hope!

If it becomes obviously unsafe and unwise to meet publicly extended then we’ll shift to the most evangelistic church online movement you’ve ever seen.

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

With all my heart, I believe God will use this time for good—Turn to Jesus!

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We live by faith—Not by fear—We are sacrificial—Not selfish.

3) We shine the light, we do not hide it.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matt 5:14-16 (Jesus)

During this time, people are afraid… unsettled… anxious…

Looking for hope—We are HOPE DEALERS!

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Hope Dealers—Light shiners—Love givers!

This virus may be highly contagious!

I’m praying for some Christians to be more contagious.

Spreading hope—Spreading love—Spreading life in Christ!

I’m believing the love and hope of Jesus

Spreads faster than any virus!

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There is no replacement for our in person gathering but it is so important that we do what we can to joined together to worship, hear from God’s Word, and be encouraged together. I’ll be honest. This has to be the strangest time in my life, and I would imagine you would say the same. I have never experienced nor imagined I would experience what we are right now. But last week, we had so many folks from all across the nation join us for worship. We had some traveling back home to us here in Knoxville. We had others that had moved away from Knoxville that were able to join us. We even had some friends that hadn’t come to our church but were able to tune in with us online. This is a unique season, no doubt, and we want to stay focused on what really matters. We want to encourage you to look to God during these crazy days. I have found myself having to wrestle with thoughts of financial insecurity, potential health issues my family could face, as well as many other things that we are all dealing with. The truth is…now is time to let God sift what is inside us and cling to Him and Him alone. With everything we are hearing on the news, seeing on our Facebook Feed, and thinking in our minds this becomes a difficult task. I want to encourage you to take some extra, intentional time to read God’s Word. Search verses that will help you with what you are dealing with whether it is fear, God’s providing for you, or His faithfulness to pull you through.

Not of this world…

Do not grieve or panic like those who have no hope…

I did a little research—Looked up Bible verses in the New Testament that featured the word “Not”

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Angel at the birth of Jesus…

· Do not be afraid—bring you good news and great joy

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Jesus saying why he came…

· I did not come for healthy—Sick… Not for the righteous, but for sinners.

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We are not of this world…

· Do not live by bread alone, but by every word of God…

· Jesus does not lead us into temptation, but he delivers us evil.

· Do not store up for ourselves treasure on earth… but store up in heaven.

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· Do not worry tomorrow, each day has enough trouble of its own…

Choose this path Paul talks about, reminding yourself that God is faithful, He is in control, He is good, He has a plan, He won’t leave us, He won’t forsake us, and one of my favorite verses found in —He is working all things together for our good. He is working this entire crisis out for the good of His Church, for the good of His children, for the good of His Kingdom. Let’s press into this peace, this plan, through prayer. Amen!?! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Paul writes to Timothy …7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. :7We are not panicking—> PeaceWe are not fearful—> Have faith!For we live by faith, not by sight. :7But the the Spirit God has given us comes with some things. What it doesn’t come with is fear and cowardliness. Instead, it comes with courage, power, love, and a sound mind. I love that the strength of what God has given us is tempered by operating in this strength in love. And the reasonability behind what God has given us is the practical wisdom and discernment He gives us to operate with at all times, but distinguishes us at times like these. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------1. We live by faith, not by fear.2. We are sacrificial, not selfish. Don’t be selfish. Don’t try to impress others. When all the craziness started happening, I could see how we were going to be online more than ever. That meant there was going to be more comparison. For me, it was look at what that church is doing or not doing. Look at what that youth ministry is doing or not doing. Some to make me feel better about myself while others to make me feel like I need to present something that we weren’t doing as if we were. We can’t give into the deceptive games of comparison. During this time, it is not about us, or even us vs others, but it is about what is God wanting to do during this time. He may be wanting to deal with something that are rising to the surface during this time of testing. He is also showing us how to not just be about ourselves but truly put others first. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. As Paul would say in (Paul is saying this to believers. Not the lost or the world, but to us who are following Christ.) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------During the early church, they faced extreme persecution. They faced losing their life for their faith. We aren’t to that point yet, but look at how they did and didn’t respond. 1st Century Christians didn’t hoard their goods!They weren’t rushing to the Jerusalem mega-mart to grab emergency supplies! They didn’t stock up on wipeable scrolls or food for weeks.Look right here, I am tempted with these same thoughts and feelings. The need to self-preserve is real, but we are the body of Christ—We put others ahead of ourselves! He has called us to something greater than our selfish, immediate response. He’s got us. He’s got this. (Your going to hear me say that a lot). 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts… ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Every day they continued to meet…While this may be a time when people don’t meet in person it doesn’t mean we can’t and don’t need to stay connected. Quite the opposite! I want to encourage you to display your faith/worship—Not once a week—but daily! You don’t have to do it alone either. Do it with those in your house. Do it with those you could call or text. Do it with those gathered with us online right now. Do it with those you could gather online. I believe during this time we have an opportunity like never before to share hope with so many people needing His peace, needing the hope that only He can give. Let’s share what God has given to us. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------When will we meet together again, I am honestly not sure. But one thing I am sure of is that we don’t stop worshiping, we don’t stop seeking God, we don’t stop share His hope and love and peace. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We know a lot of people are looking for hope!46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. -47With all my heart, I believe God will use this time for good. While people are discussing what is essential and non-essential, let’s get back to the essentials of our faith. The basics of our walk with the Lord and each other are not only what is going to help us through this time but how others will find hope in Christ. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------We live by faith—Not by fear—We are sacrificial—Not selfish.3) We shine the light, we do not hide it.Jesus said...14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. -16During this time, people are afraid… unsettled… anxious…Looking for hope—We have HOPE in CHRIST! Let’s not only hoard our TP, but let’s not hoard our HOPE. Let’s share this peace, this hope we have found in Him. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------If you want to hoard something, hoard souls into the Kingdom of Light. Hoard treasures for Heaven. Hoard time spent in worship, exactly Jesus over the nation and nations right now. This virus may be highly contagious, but so is what we have. Against the backdrop of a bleak and scared people, we have the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE. The answer always has been, always will be JESUS. Let’s infect people with the love of God. Let’s spread awareness of what He has done in our hearts. Let’s start a pandemic, really an awakening, a revival of hope in Jesus ALONE. So what will we do…we will...Not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. We are different—Not of this world—Our minds are not conformed to what’s on the news or Facebook but instead we have the mind of Christ. We are being transformed by His Word, what He says, so we can do the will of God!We live by faith—Not by fear.We are sacrificial—Not selfish.We shine the light—We do not hide it!7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. -9That’s why we are NOT AFRAID!

· We walk by faith, Not by sight

· God has not given us a spirit of fear…

· Like Jesus: Not my will but yours be done!

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Do we have good news! Yes!

· We are saved by grace and not by works!

· Justified by faith in Christ not by the works of the law

· God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation

· Do not set minds earthly things (social media, the news)— set minds things above.

· Let perseverance finish its work… not lacking anything

· Do not become weary in doing good

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Will it be a battle? Yes…

· We struggle not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this world

· Will not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good

· We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed but to those who have faith and are saved

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· The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise

· We will not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope

· We will not give up meeting together

· The Lord is our helper, we will not be afraid

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Not ashamed of name of Jesus—or the Power of the Gospel

It’s the gospel that brings salvation to everyone who believes!

Like 1st century believers in book of Acts…

Cannot stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard!

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· Not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

We are different—Not of this world—Our minds are not conformed

Transformed so we can do the will of God!

We live by faith—Not by fear.

We are sacrificial—Not selfish.

We shine the light—We do not hide it!

7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 2 Cor 4:7-9

That’s why are NOT AFRAID!

Pray…. This is a unique season, no doubt, and we want to stay focused on what really matters. We want to encourage you to look to God during these crazy days. I have found myself having to wrestle with thoughts of financial insecurity, potential health issues my family could face, as well as many other things that we are all dealing with. The truth is…now is time to let God sift what is inside us, cling to Him and Him alone.

There are certain verses that will take on a whole new meaning and level of understanding during this season. One of the verses I have has been speaking to me this week is Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount:

SONG

Matthew 6:25–27 NIV

I want us worship with a song that our friends at Elevation recorded from some house worship there in North Carolina. This song has been one of my favorite worship songs for 2020, as I believe the Lord dropped a single word in my heart for this year—VICTORY! Let’s worship together with this house worship then we will come back and pray together. It is called See the Victory by Elevation Worship. Written by Steven Furtick, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Chris Brown CCLI#: 7129060

PRAY

WORSHIP

BLOOPERS

Thanks again for joining us today…before we move forward enjoy these bloopers of us preparing for today...

VIDEO

MESSAGE

Thanks again for joining us online today. We are going to pause our series in . Instead, I want to speak directly into what’s happening in world today.

speak directly into what’s happening in world today.

Speaking mostly from my heart!

At the end of our time together, I want us to take communion together. If you want to go ahead and get some bread, a cracker, whatever you might have along with some juice, water, coffee. I don’t think what you use will matter as much as who we are remembering, Christ our Lord. So, be prepared for us to take communion together virtually with our families right where we are each located. I believe it is going to be powerful!

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Well, unless you have been under a rock, you have seen, heard, and can’t help but be effected by what’s going on this this global epidemic and national pandemic. If you are like me, then you have been working through the various challenges, various thoughts, various emotions in stages and cycles. First, I was challenged by just how serious this would or wouldn’t be. This was a couple of weeks ago now. Did we need to cancel that first service. About half the churches did, but we hadn’t yet been discouraged from meeting. I also wrestled with the thought of do I have enough of the essential things for my family during this time. You probably made multiple trips to the store, possible continue to do so each time you need something.

*Just a side note, I want to go on the record as one of the few that didn’t buy any toilet paper or paper towels at a store during this time. I would like to say we were good, but we actually did need some. I just purchased it online. Ha! So, I think I can still say I didn’t go to the store to get any.

But all of us have had to process what is happening. Some of us don’t agree with the government decisions. Some of us think they are too lax, others we think they are controlling areas they shouldn’t. We are surrounded by unrest in so many areas.

With stocks down, unemployment up, shelves emptying, and fear filling, how should we be responding? And I am going to speak to us as a Body of Faith, followers of Christ, and if you haven’t yet followed Him, experienced His forgiveness and peace, this will be helpful for you as too.

As you know,

· The coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading

As people of faith, what should do? What should we be known for?

· Stock market has been dropping

· People are panicking

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What should we do?

· Not worry about it and go on with life as usual? (Under-reacting?)

· Buy extra hand sanitizers and toilet paper, hide inside, prepare for end of world?

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I don’t pretend to be an expert—I don’t know where how long this will go on.

But I’ll try to speak into it from a Faith-Perspective.

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STORY: When this all first started, I found myself challenged by the different reactions I was hearing about on the news, reading about on Facebook, and even seeing from others around me. I have to admit, at first, I made sure my family was ok. Got milk, bread, and food. But then, I was challenged about what Jesus would be doing during these moments. I have a hard time picturing Jesus isolating Himself. I have a hard time seeing Him in quarantine with His disciples till this passes over. I think of His reputation and those He interacted with most. The religious misunderstood Him labelling Him as a friend of sinners. In , Jesus calls some to follow Him, heals a leaper (while touching him), forgives the sins of a paralytic in front of the religious folks of His day, ask a tax collector to be one of His closest friends and follow Him, then sits to eat with a group of people that they classified as ‘sinners’. If you want to study who Jesus would be spending His time with right now, read Luke chapter 5. It will challenge all of our paradigms during this season.

I began to think that Jesus would probably be starting the first COVID-friendly church. Instead of finding Him in quarantine, I think I would find Him visiting, siting with, spending time with those we are calling to isolation. I don’t think this illness would be scaring Him off or causing Him to panic. Instead, His compassion would override all this precautions and fears to see people made whole, made whole emotionally, mentally, and even physically during this crisis. That the Jesus I see in the Scripture.

So, these were some of my initial thoughts. But I am not Jesus. And I have a responsibility to not test the Lord but walk in faith and wisdom, not two mutual exclusive virtues. This has been my process. I am sure you have had yours. Share that with us by commenting.

What has been your process? Was it first, prepare? Was, there any fear? Was there just life as normal until you couldn’t anymore? Was has been your process?

And where has God been in all of it? Has He had any input on how you are processing this? He wants to. He wants to help us navigate through this valley that we are all walking through. He wants to be with. He wants to guide us. Have you invited Him into this process? Have you spent time with Him, hearing from Him in His Word, spending some time worshipping Him, talking to Him, talking to Him even with your family. It is vital that we do.

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Brings us to today…

· Professional sporting events, conferences, concerts are canceling…

· Some schools shutting down for semester…

· Travel bans appearing…

· Grocery stores are out of toilet paper…

What are we going to do?

Ignore it—Stockpile beans/rice and stay home next 3 months?

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First, I’m not going to make any long term and permanent decisions today.

I’ve found in times of crisis and panic,

It’s best not to project out into the future.

It’s always best to make wise decisions based on what we know today.

I am not saying that based on what I know today, I am not make level headed decisions that help those I am responsible to lead best plan for the rest of this semester or even into the summer. Because we are having to make some of those decisions. We had to make the decision for what our programs would look like the rest of the semester knowing this situation is so fluid, constantly changing. We had to make some decisions this week regarding camp, choosing to deepen our relationships with our youth rather than give them the normal experience they have had the past few years. These are not normal circumstances, but the things we value drive our decision to create a normal experience for our kids right now.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------And as disciples of Jesus—the filter that forms our decisions is different.

And as disciples of Jesus—the filter that forms our decisions is different.

Why?—We are not of this world!—Not to be conformed by this world.

Do not live like those who have no hope!—Different!

That’s why today I am talking about why we are NOT AFRAID.

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THREE WAYS WE ARE NOT LIKE THIS WORLD

1) We live by faith, not by fear.

When Jesus was comforting his disciples in …

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. NIV

NIV

I like the way the NLT translates Jesus’ words…

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27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

NLT

We are receiving things during this time whether we like it or not. It is a matter of who we are receiving from. Jesus says I am giving you peace, my peace. He then says the world can’t give this to you, but the world is giving you something—hearts full of trouble. The world is giving us something and right now it is filled with panic, fear, projections it can’t substantiate or possibly know.

Who are you receiving from? Jesus? The world? You will know by what your heart is filled with. Is it filled with peace? Or is it filled with panic and fear and uncertainty and doubt and the possibility of troubles ahead? Let me be clear: that’s not coming from God. Those are not the “gifts” He gives us.

The gift that Jesus is giving us in is during uncertain times for His followers, and Jesus could have given a number of different things. But Jesus chooses to give us one thing, “peace of mind and heart.”

You have heard me say it before. The peace of God that Paul talks about in . Write this chapter down real quick. This is a great portion of Scripture to be looking at during this crisis.

Look at . Paul tells them to choose joy. Choose to rejoice. Operate in patience and gentleness. He is near. Instead of anxiety, Paul says take to God in prayer. Don’t forget to infuse your prayers with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the perspective shifter for us to abandon anxiety and walk in faith as we lay the troubles the world gives us at the feet of Jesus. It is after we have chosen to rejoice in all things, always. It is after we have chosen the path of gentleness and patience, through prayer and thanksgiving, that Paul says THEN (in the Greek it says, as a result, as a result of doing these other things) the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds in Jesus. This peace excels all human planning.

I love what one writer says about this verse:

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 43: Philippians (Revised and Expanded) Comment

God’s peace is able to produce exceedingly better results than human planning, or it is far superior to any person’s schemes for security, or it is more effective for removing anxiety than any intellectual effort or power of reasoning (Plummer)

Amen!?!

God’s not sitting heaven thinking “I didn’t see coming.”

· Our God is faithful!—He’s in control!

· He is good! Our God has a plan!

· He won’t leave us. Won’t forsake us.

· He’s working in all things…

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Paul writes to Timothy …

7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

We are not panicking—> Peace

We are not fearful—> Have faith!

For we live by faith, not by sight.

But the the Spirit God has given us comes with some things. What it doesn’t come with is fear and cowardliness. Instead, it comes with courage, power, love, and a sound mind. I love that the strength of what God has given us is tempered by operating in this strength in love. And the reasonability behind what God has given us is the practical wisdom and discernment He gives us to operate with at all times, but distinguishes us at times like these.

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1. We live by faith, not by fear.

2. We are sacrificial, not selfish. Don’t be selfish.

2. We are sacrificial, not selfish.

Don’t try to impress others. When all the craziness started happening, I could see how we were going to be online more than ever. That meant there was going to be more comparison. For me, it was look at what that church is doing or not doing. Look at what that youth ministry is doing or not doing. Some to make me feel better about myself while others to make me feel like I need to present something that we weren’t doing as if we were. We can’t give into the deceptive games of comparison. During this time, it is not about us, or even us vs others, but it is about what is God wanting to do during this time. He may be wanting to deal with something that are rising to the surface during this time of testing. He is also showing us how to not just be about ourselves but truly put others first.

Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. As Paul would say in (Paul is saying this to believers. Not the lost or the world, but to us who are following Christ.)

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During the early church, they faced extreme persecution. They faced losing their life for their faith. We aren’t to that point yet, but look at how they did and didn’t respond.

During the early church, they faced extreme persecution—Losing life for their faith!

1st Century Christians didn’t hoard their goods!

They weren’t rushing to the Jerusalem mega-mart to grab emergency supplies! They didn’t stock up on wipeable scrolls or food for weeks.

Look right here, I am tempted with these same thoughts and feelings. The need to self-preserve is real, but we are the body of Christ—We put others ahead of ourselves! He has called us to something greater than our selfish, immediate response. He’s got us. He’s got this. (Your going to hear me say that a lot).

We are the body of Christ—We put others ahead of ourselves!

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Every day they continued to meet…While this may be a time when people don’t meet in person it doesn’t mean we can’t and don’t need to stay connected. Quite the opposite!

It’s a time when people will skip church and play it safe!

I want to encourage you to display your faith/worship—Not once a week—but daily! You don’t have to do it alone either. Do it with those in your house. Do it with those you could call or text. Do it with those gathered with us online right now. Do it with those you could gather online. I believe during this time we have an opportunity like never before to share hope with so many people needing His peace, needing the hope that only He can give. Let’s share what God has given to us.

Join as family—Pray!

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When will we meet together again, I am honestly not sure. But one thing I am sure of is that we don’t stop worshiping, we don’t stop seeking God, we don’t stop share His hope and love and peace.

As for meeting—See our church as a spiritual refuge for people in need.

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We’ve always been biased to being open—Having church—Always will.

You are smart people

If you don’t feel well, or don’t feel it’s wise—Stay home—Attend church online

Not forcing anyone—Not going to hell if you miss church!

But don’t stop worshiping—Don’t stop seeking God!

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We know a lot of people are looking for hope!

If it becomes obviously unsafe and unwise to meet publicly extended then we’ll shift to the most evangelistic church online movement you’ve ever seen.

With all my heart, I believe God will use this time for good. While people are discussing what is essential and non-essential, let’s get back to the essentials of our faith. The basics of our walk with the Lord and each other are not only what is going to help us through this time but how others will find hope in Christ.

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We live by faith—Not by fear—We are sacrificial—Not selfish.

3) We shine the light, we do not hide it.

Jesus said...

During this time, people are afraid… unsettled… anxious…

Looking for hope—We have HOPE in CHRIST! Let’s not only hoard our TP, but let’s not hoard our HOPE. Let’s share this peace, this hope we have found in Him.

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If you want to hoard something, hoard souls into the Kingdom of Light. Hoard treasures for Heaven. Hoard time spent in worship, exactly Jesus over the nation and nations right now.

This virus may be highly contagious, but so is what we have. Against the backdrop of a bleak and scared people, we have the WAY, the TRUTH, the LIFE. The answer always has been, always will be JESUS.

Let’s infect people with the love of God. Let’s spread awareness of what He has done in our hearts. Let’s start a pandemic, really an awakening, a revival of hope in Jesus ALONE.

This virus may be highly contagious!

I’m praying for some Christians to be more contagious.

Spreading hope—Spreading love—Spreading life in Christ!

I’m believing the love and hope of Jesus

Spreads faster than any virus!

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Not of this world…

Do not grieve or panic like those who have no hope…

If you look up verses in the New Testament that featured the word “not” listen to what you will find:

*Angel at the birth of Jesus…

Angel at the birth of Jesus…

· Do not be afraid—bring you good news and great joy

*Jesus saying why he came…

Jesus saying why he came…

· I did not come for healthy—Sick… Not for the righteous, but for sinners.

*We are not of this world…

We are not of this world…

· Do not live by bread alone, but by every word of God…

· Jesus does not lead us into temptation, but he delivers us evil.

· Do not store up for ourselves treasure on earth… but store up in heaven.

· Do not worry tomorrow, each day has enough trouble of its own…

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· Do not worry tomorrow, each day has enough trouble of its own…

· We walk by faith, Not by sight

· God has not given us a spirit of fear…

· Like Jesus: Not my will but yours be done!

So what will we do…we will...

*Do we have good news! Yes!

Do we have good news! Yes!

· We are saved by grace and not by works!

· Justified by faith in Christ not by the works of the law

· God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation

· Do not set minds earthly things (social media, the news)— set minds things above.

· Let perseverance finish its work… not lacking anything so that you may have wisdom on the other side of what you are enduring now.

· Do not become weary in doing good

*Will it be a battle? Yes…

Will it be a battle? Yes…

· We struggle not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this world

· Will not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good

· We do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed but to those who have faith and are saved

*· The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise

· The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise

· We will not grieve like the rest of mankind who have no hope

· We will not give up meeting together

· The Lord is our helper, we will not be afraid

*Not ashamed of name of Jesus—or the Power of the Gospel

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Not ashamed of name of Jesus—or the Power of the Gospel

It’s the gospel that brings salvation to everyone who believes!

Like 1st century believers in book of Acts…

Can not stop talking about what we’ve seen and heard!

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Not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, make your requests known to God and the peace of God that passes all understanding will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

We are different—Not of this world—Our minds are not conformed to what’s on the news or Facebook but instead we have the mind of Christ. We are being transformed by His Word, what He says, so we can do the will of God!

Transformed so we can do the will of God!

We live by faith—Not by fear.

We are sacrificial—Not selfish.

We shine the light—We do not hide it!

That’s why we are NOT AFRAID!

SONG

It is called See the Victory by Elevation Worship.

Written by Steven Furtick, Ben Fielding, Jason Ingram, Chris Brown

CCLI#: 7129060

PRAY

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