Jehovah Jireh My Provider

0:00 What's going on, everybody? Thank you so much for joining us for today's message from Zoe Church. We are starting a brand new series today called In God I Trust. We're so excited to be studying the Bible and to learn more about what the scriptures teach us about stewardship, wealth, possessions, and money. Open up your Bibles and turn with me to Genesis chapter 22. We're going to jump in in just a moment, but I want to say thank you to every person that gives to and through Zoe Church. We hosted I Love My City yesterday in three locations, serving the city of LA, doing our part and our best to serve the people of Los Angeles. Thank you for your generosity. It's making a direct impact here in LA. But let's jump into today's message called Jehovah Jireh, my provider. Go in your Bible, Genesis chapter 22.

0:58 We're starting today a brand new series called In God I Trust. I'm so excited about this series as we jump in because our currency reads, in God we trust, but I want to take the next few weeks and make it personal in God I trust. I trust in God in the area of my finances. I trust in God with the area of my money. Now, if you're new to church, this is crazy. The Bible refers to prayer, about 500 scriptures for prayer. There are about 500 verses on the subject of faith, but there are 2,000, over 2,000 scriptures that deal with money, wealth, possessions, and stewardship. And the reason why God talks so much about money in the Bible is because God is not mad if you have money.

1:54 He is mad if money has you. So he teaches us how to be free from the love of money. And he talks about money because there is no other thing in your life that battles, that tests your faithfulness to God like money. Money is in competition. Money wants to become the thing that you trust rather than making the declaration, in God I trust. So I want to just say this. We are free from the love of money because we want to live for the love of God. We want to live for Jesus more than our bank account. Somebody say amen. So we're going to talk about it so we can be about it. We're going to talk about money. And we've got to talk about this thing because most people, when you, just let me see your hand.

2:47 If you've ever been through a season where you look at your bank account and you're like, nah. The devil's a liar. Most people, when they are struggling financially, put a pause on their trust with God and feel like they've got a trust in themselves.

3:14 And what I'm trying to teach for the next few weeks is no matter what the season is, our trust is in the name of the Lord. No matter what you're going through, God never looks at a season in your life and goes, you know what? yeah take a break from faith no all of it every season of your life god is worthy of being trusted because god is a very faithful very generous very good father So I want to start in Genesis 22. Before we read, let me just tell you the story. If you don't know the Bible, there's one of our patriarchs, the OG father, Father Abraham. Anybody know Father Abraham, the song growing up in church? Father Abraham had many sons. Look at all these people that have trauma in their life. All these folks are in counseling right now.

4:10 Do you know what I'm talking about? Father Abraham had received a promise from the Lord. God had promised to give him a son. From that son, the whole world will be blessed. Abraham waited and he waited and he waited. And finally, at an old age, the promise is fulfilled. When Isaac is born and he's growing, God tells Abraham one day, I want you to take the thing you waited for and the promise you prayed about. And I want you to go up to the mountain and I want you to sacrifice your one and only son. This is a foreshadow of a greater act of sacrifice when our father who is in heaven gave his one and only son and sacrificed Jesus for the sins of the world. Anybody thankful that God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only son?

5:11 So God speaks to Abraham. I want you to come sacrifice your son Isaac on the mountain. Abraham doesn't get on social media on his story and say, vote, should I? Yes, no, maybe so. He doesn't consult with his wife or his friends or family. The Bible says early the next morning, Abraham gets up, goes up to the mountain and goes preparing the sacrifice of Isaac. They get the kindling, they get the firewood, they get everything ready. Isaac's old enough, he's like looking at his dad, he's like, your dad is crazy. We got everything for a sacrifice, but what are we going to sacrifice? His dad's like, ah, don't worry about it.

5:53 He ties up his son. He's getting ready to obey God at such a degree that he's willing to sacrifice his promise. While the knife is in the air, God speaks to Abraham and says, stop, don't do it. Now I know that you trust me no matter what I ask for. Just as he is about to take out his son, God shows him, read with me Genesis 22, then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it for a burnt offering instead of his son Isaac. And Abraham called the name of the place, the Lord will provide. As it is said to this day, in the mount of the Lord, it shall be provided. What I love about this story is that before God knew what Abraham would do, he knew what Abraham would need. And I'll tell you that before God ever knows what you will do, he already knows what you're in need of today. God knows the need of your life. And sometimes he is waiting to be, this is what Abraham calls him, is the title of my message today. Write down the title of today's message. It's called Jehovah Jireh, my provider.

7:14 Yeah. Wish we had an organ player. Just love to say it. Jehovah Jireh. My provider. God, wasn't his voice good? That's a good voice. That is a man of God's voice right there. You are now going to get baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Abraham's right here, and he's getting ready to sacrifice. And just as he's getting ready, the Lord says, stop, and shows him that he had prepared a ram in the thicket. And so he brought the ram, and he sacrificed the ram instead of his son, and he named this place Jehovah-Jireh, my provider. See, a lot of times we would be in situations like this, and God's asking you to give.

8:11 He's asking you to follow. He's asking you to be faithful. And we're asking God, God, I don't know if I can. I don't know if you're good enough. I don't know if you're going to come through again. Not Abraham. Abraham marched up the mountain. He was full of faith. He was not full of fear. He trusted in the Lord. The Bible says, trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean not on your own understanding. In all of your ways, acknowledge him. He will direct your path and he will establish your thoughts. God is worthy of our trust today because he is a good, faithful, and generous God. Put it on the screen. Trust equals placing your complete confidence in God's character, his faithfulness, and his promises. To trust is to have reliance, surrender, obedience, and resting in God's character.

9:11 I rely on God. I surrender to God. I obey God's word and I rest in his character. Oh, I love Psalm 20 verse seven. Some trust in chariots, some trust in horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God. How about Psalm 34 10? Even strong young lions sometimes grow hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing. you will never regret trusting in God you will never regret doing life God's way you will never be filled with disappointment or sadness by trusting in the Lord you will always live in pressure and regret and unfulfillment if you rely and surrender to culture or yourself I want to remind you today you might be a resource but you are not the source when I get water from a faucet It's just a resource, but it's coming from something bigger.

10:11 Don't get it confused in your life. Your job is a resource. It's not the source. Your paycheck is a resource. It's not the source. Your talent is a resource. It's not the source. Clap today if you're willing to trust in the provider. Trust in the source. Jehovah Jireh. Come on, everybody, clap. My provider today. that's what Abraham's saying. He's saying, you're my source. My trust is in you. Even when it doesn't make sense, even when it doesn't look good, even when it's bleak and meager and it's not that good and great, even when I don't even understand it, I'm gonna trust in God. I'm gonna give you four things to write down, four questions. Write down number one today.

11:50 Creation testifies of the faithfulness and the goodness of God. The Bible is saying, if God takes care of birds and flowers and grass, how much more will he take care of you? If God dresses and prepares and takes care of birds, don't you think that he will take care of you? Oh, I love this. Put it on the screen. The same God that paints the flowers and feeds the birds knows what you need. Think about the birds who don't have a bank account and the flowers that don't have a financial plan, but they have something better, a good creator. These guys don't even have a bank account. These guys don't have a financial plan. These guys are not on Edward Jones, Charles Schwab, or even Robin Hood, and they're hooked up.

12:40 So the Bible's saying if God takes care of birds, tweet, tweet. I was thinking in my head, what sound does a bird make? So I went with that. if God can take care of birds, how much more will God take care of you? How much more could you trust in a good, benevolent, faithful God? God knows how to take care of his kids. When I was growing up in church, I heard this story about this guy, you know, his dad wasn't around. His dad just wasn't in his life. And so this other father, this kid was in middle school in the high school era, and his other father in the church felt like a burden for this young man. And so he would take him to like Dodger games and Rams games, and he'd buy him shoes. You really want to bless somebody, buy him a new pair of shoes. Come on. The spirit will break out when you do that. And he was buying him shoes. He was taking him to games, and he felt this burden to take care of this kid that was without a father. You're trying to tell me that God doesn't see the pain and the struggle you're going through?

13:48 The Bible's saying, don't worry about tomorrow. Don't worry about what tomorrow will bring. Today, seek first the kingdom of God. Trust in God with all of your heart. Follow the ways of God. God will not just take care of creation. He will look after. He will hook up. He will provide for his children. He is a good father. This is his character and his nature. So I'm trusting not in culture or the economy. I am trusting in the character and the nature of a father that looks after me, that knows what I need, that knows what I'm praying. Even before I get to the top of the mountain, he's already prepared what I need. Somebody thank God today if you believe that you can trust in the name of the Lord.

14:38 Oh, I love this one. write down number two. If God took care of me in the past, why wouldn't he take care of me right now? Psalm 37, 25, I was young and now I'm old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging for bread. When I was young and now I'm old, one thing that's been consistent, no matter what the season of my life, is that God has been faithful to everybody. I've never seen the righteous forsaken and I've never seen their children begging for bread. We went on Friday night, we went to a high school football game. We went to support Chad and Natalie, their daughter Vivian was performing at the halftime of the Palisades High School homecoming.

15:26 Shout out to Viv. And it was awesome to be at a high school football game, Friday night lights. Eat your heart out, Texas. And we went, we're having fun. We're having a great time until my 11-year-old melted down. I'm not saying he ruined the night, but he definitely altered it. And I got to defend him. It's not his fault. It's my fault. Because when we got to the game, he turned around and he's like, I'm dying. I need food. You ever seen your kid manifest demonically?

16:05 It's a food demon. It's not a real demon. It's a food demon. So his mom went to go see in line, you know, if we can get him some food. But the line was 30 minutes long and they don't do Uber Eats at Friday night football. So we were kind of jammed. We're having such a good time, but my guy's melting. He's melting down. He's melting down. He's begging. He literally said, I was begging you for food. Again, that's on me, not you. Next time I will feed you before we go to the game. What is the Bible saying? He's saying, I've never seen the righteous forsaken, and I've never seen their children. I've always seen God provide for the children of the Lord. Not only does he take care of grass and birds, he takes care of his children because he's a good God. And when you look through the past of your life, when you go through all the history and the different eras and iterations of who you've been, and you go through the different timeline, you ever look at your phone and a photo appears from seven years ago? And you look at the phone, you're like, I don't know, should I do it?

17:09 It's going to cost me 10 minutes. Oh, let's just do it. And you click on it and you start swiping on all the other photos from seven years ago. And you're like, oh man, I got to start working out. Wow. Those were great days. If you go through the photo library in your phone and you try and go back seven, eight, 10, 15 years, all those photos do is tell a story of how good and faithful and generous and kind and merciful and compassionate. Come on, if you believe that he's slow to anger and he's rich in love, why don't you thank God that he's been faithful all the days of your life. So if he's been faithful in the past, he's gonna be faithful right now. Whatever you're up against, it doesn't even compete with the power of our God. God is bigger, God is stronger, he is greater.

18:04 Abraham marched up that mountain. He said, I know all the things God's done for me to get here, and I'm not going to start trusting in me now that I've got a son. Now that I got the job, I'm not going to trust in me. Now that I got the promotion, I'm not going to trust in me. Now that I got the followers, I'm not going to trust in me. I'm going to keep on following and keep on hoping and keep on trusting and keep on serving. Oh, come on. Praise the Lord today. If you believe God is worthy of your best follow.

18:33 Oh, I love this. Psalm 23, verse 1. The Lord is my shepherd. I lack for nothing. Philippians 4, 19. And my God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Oh, I love this quote. The God that brought you through your last seasons has not lost his strength for this season. God didn't get weak. He didn't grow weary. Isaiah said, have you not heard? Have you not known? Our God, the everlasting God, he never grows weary and he never grows tired. The same God that has brought you through, some of you have been through hell on earth. Some of you have been through seasons. You don't even want to look at the photos. Some of you have gone through so many trials and tribulations and sadness and hardship This is more than just being a Clipper fan.

19:28 This is life. And some of you gone through all, yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are, you're with me. And God does not have plans on failing you. Do you think that God brought you this far to bring you this far? No, God has plans for your prosperity. God has plans to give you a hope in the future. God has plans to bless you. God has plans to promote you. God has plans to do something for you that you can never ask, think, or imagine. Why don't we clap and thank the Lord for his faithfulness and his goodness today.

20:07 Right down, number three. If God is in control, why am I so worried? 1 Timothy 6, 17, command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant, nor to put their hope into wealth, which is so uncertain. but to put their hope or their trust into God who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. No, no, no. I'm not gonna live in worry when I get to talk to the one who I can worship. Why would I live in worry when I could live in worship? I will not be overwhelmed with anxiety. When you get pinched financially, money becomes the last thing you think about when you go to bed and the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning. But when you worship the God, Jehovah Jireh, my provider, you go to bed with peace on your pillow.

21:01 You go to bed with joy in your spirit. You go to bed with strength in your body, and you wake up the same way. Because God is who he says he is, and he can do what he said he would do. He is the God that numbers all the stars and calls them all by name. He is the God that told the sun this morning, it's time to get up. He is the God that rules the planets. He holds the whole world in his hands. That is the God that's taking care of me. So why would I live in worry when I could live in worship? Clap if you're willing to worship the Lord, even when it looks like I got to sacrifice something I don't want to sacrifice. Oh, I love this Philippians 4. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.

22:01 Oh, I love that. The Bible, there is no season of your life, there's no situation in your life where the Bible goes, hey, if I were you, it's time to freak out. No, find the panic button. We are jammed. It doesn't just be anxious for nothing, but in everything. Through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God will guard your heart and it will guard your mind. Some of us are experts in trying to predict the worst possible outcome.

22:47 Some of us go to bed with our mind racing about the possibility of the worst. And we are level 10 warriors. And the Bible says, worry about nothing. The Bible literally says, any of you, by worrying, have you improved your life? I don't know the person at Zoe that's like, you know how I got here was worry.

23:16 The key to my success, I was on the diary of CEO recently, and the reason why I got so good at my job is I just worried myself into success. There's nothing in your life that you should be worried about because God is seated on the throne. He is ruling. He is reigning. He is sovereign. He's in control and you have nothing to worry about if God is your source. If it depends on you, hit the panic button. If it depends on God, hit the worship button. If it depends on you, you're jammed. If it depends on God, you're blessed and highly favored. Come on, everybody. Thank God that I don't have to worry when I can tap into my worship. If God has never stopped being faithful, why have I started living like he's going to be? You can either spend your energy imagining everything that could go wrong or spend your time praying to the one who is able to accomplish anything that concerns you today.

24:18 You're gonna spend your time doing something. So instead of spending your time thinking about the worst case, worst possible, this is going to happen, why don't you spend your time praying to the God that can make a way? Praying to the God that can provide for your need? Praying to the God that can heal your body? Praying to the God that can restore your family? Praying to the God that can bring your prodigal home? Praying to the God that can build your business? Praying to the God that can, come on, provide for your needs? Come on, instead of living in worship, in worry, come on church, let's be a people that live in worship. God has no plans on failing you now. He's got no plans on quitting on you now. He's been faithful. He's going to keep being faithful. Abraham didn't go up that mountain worried to death. What's going to happen? What am I going to tell Sarah? How's this going to end? What's about to take place?

25:10 All these years I've been praying. No, no, he didn't walk up in worry. He walked up in worship. By faith, Abraham offered Isaac. He was more convinced that God is who he says he is and can do what he said he would do than even trusting in his own understanding. In fact, write down the last one today. If God is my provider, why did I stop depending on him?

25:35 Abraham was dependent all the days of his life. Abraham, no matter what he is facing, he chose to depend on the Lord. even when he walked up on that mountain, he's probably saying to his head, Lord, you've been faithful all my life. You've been good all of my days. You've never led me astray. You've never been a liar. You've never been a promise taker backer. I'm just gonna keep on following you. so I want to ask you when what was the season where you told God I don't know if I can depend on you right now because I need to depend on me right now faith runs on trust.

26:22 We trust in the character and the nature and the ways of God. Trust is reliance, surrender, and obedience to who God is. My trust is not in the economy. My trust is not in a political figure. My trust is not in any human. my trust is not in me and what I can do I put my trust in God I lift my eyes to the mountains of San Gabriel Mountains. Where does my help come from? He's my helper. He's my source. And God has provided for me all the days of my life.

27:04 I have no plans on living a life of worry and a life of regret and a life of living for money. Some of us need to get right financially. because nothing reveals our faith. Nothing reveals our relationship with Jesus more than our relationship with money. Money is a revealer. It is not a healer. It reveals where you at with your faith, where you at with God, where you at with following God, trusting in God, living God's way. I have found money to not heal anybody's heart. I have watched it cause more damage than it ever did good. That's why you've not been called to live for money. You've been called to live for God. And Jesus said, you can't serve two masters. You're going to love one and hate the other, or you got to choose. You got to choose. So for me, I'm going to live, and this is the struggle for most people. Most people are like, you know, I would do it, but then I got to depend on someone else other than myself. And I've worked so hard and I've made stuff happen and I've networked and I've made business. Some of us would rather depend on us than depend on God. And Jesus, when he teaches us to pray, put it on the screen, Matthew 6. He says, give me my bread, my daily bread, because following God is a daily dependence. I rely on you for the source of strength and wisdom and favor, and I need you in every season, and without you, I cannot, I can do all things through Christ, but I cannot do anything on my own strength. So I'm willing to live dependent on my God because I know that God is good and God is faithful and God is kind and God is generous.

29:07 It's making sense to anybody. Come on, clap if you're thankful that you don't have to live in a world of worry and a world of regret. Last scripture today, Deuteronomy chapter 8, verse 18. I want to read from the message. If you start thinking to yourselves, I did all this and all by myself, I'm rich. It's all mine. Well, think again. Remember that God, your God, gave you the strength to produce all this wealth. So as to confirm the covenant that he promised to your ancestors as it is today. Think again, think again, think again. We put this on your seats. I want everybody to grab this. It's a in God I trust commitment card. and it says on here, first line,

30:00 because I trust God with my future, I choose to be faithful with my finances today. During this series, I'm committing to five things, praying about my finances, creating a monthly budget, taking practical steps toward financial freedom, practicing intentional generosity, and developing a long-term plan for biblical stewardship. it. Flip it over to the next page. I like this one. The one financial habit I need to change the most is, and I believe that our whole church has the same answer, DoorDash. Just put it down. No shame. No judgment. We all have the same answer.

30:47 Number two, the one step I'm going to make this month is Thank you. what are you going to do this month to apply the word of God? Two prayers. God, when it comes to my money, help me to manage it wisely, grow it intentionally, and give it generously. I love this prayer. God, help me to trust you more than I trust money. Give me wisdom to manage what you've entrusted me with and give me courage to make the changes I need to make and give me a generous heart that reflects your ways. Jump to your feet with me. Everybody jump up to their feet. and I'm asking our church that you put this card somewhere where you're going to see it every day maybe it's in the car maybe it's in the mirror maybe it's sliding it into your bible but I want you just to take a few weeks to start to think about your relationship with money and ask yourself, how am I doing with trusting in God in the area of my finances?

32:04 Ask God honestly as you fill out these questions. Lord, what do I need to change? Where do I need to step up in faith? And I always want to tell you that when it comes to money, Money is a terrific servant. It is a terrible master. and we use money at Zoe Church to feed people and clothe people and add more locations. Money is not evil, but the love of money is, and we want to be free from the love of money and approach it in the way that's godly, in a way that honors God, and the way that says, I trust in God, not in my money. Amen to that. Come on, clap if you agree with what God's about to do in the next four weeks. I just believe there's some freedom that's going to come to your life. Come on, let's pray together. God, we thank you that today you are good. We thank you that today you are greatly to be praised. We trust in you, not just for jobs and clothes, not just for a roof over our head and food on our table. We trust in you for everything that we need.

33:16 We thank you that you are Jehovah Jireh, my provider. I thank you that you will meet all of my needs according to your riches and according to your glory. We give you the honor and the praise today in the name of Jesus. Oh, come on, Zoe. Come on, let's praise the Lord. Again, thank you so much for listening to today's message. We pray that today's word brought you great strength and great courage to continue to trust and obey the Lord. If you want, make sure you hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any of the messages coming out from our church. And we'll be back next week with part two of In God I Trust.