Divine Money Management

It's been going through 1 Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 5 is interesting. The New Testament talks about using your money in three ways.

Number one, global missions. The New Testament number two talks about using money to help out other Christians who are in need. And the number three talks about using our money to support your pastors financially. 1 Timothy 5 talks about two of those three issues. Helping other brothers and sisters in Christ who are in financial need. And then secondly, supporting your pastors financially. So really, whether you know it or not, 1 Timothy 5 is really about finances. And I don't like preaching about money. Did you know that?

In fact, I was wondering, why is it I don't like talking about money? And then it hit me. How many of y'all remember the financial scandals in the Intel Evangelist in the 1980s? Y'all remember that? And I was coming along at that time. Here's what I think happened.

That turned me off so much, I think I have overcorrected. And I don't like talking about money at all. But the Lord really spoke to my heart this week. And here's what he said. He said, Chad, look, if you know that there is a biblical way for my people to handle finances, if you know that there is biblical wisdom and how to handle finances, and you don't share that with them, particularly as we're entering into tough financial times as a country, you know how the Bible says to handle the finances, but because you don't know that, but because you don't want to talk about it, you're not going to talk to him about it?

Chad, that's unethical. You've got to just share the whole counsel of God. And then the second thing the Lord reminded me, did you know that Jesus talked about money and possessions more than any other single subject?

Did you know that? 16 out of 38 of his parables deal with money and possessions? One out of 10 verses in the gospel deal with money and possessions.

Jesus understood this could be the area where the enemy attacks you the hardest. And that's why Jesus Christ was so intense and intent on talking about money and finances. So we've got to follow the Lord's pattern and talk about this. There is a simple pattern of money management that has been proven for thousands of years. And this transcends just Christianity. This is Judaism and Christianity. And as you're going to hear me saying just a second, even secular finance people are starting to go back to the Bible and understand there's people who don't even believe in Jesus understand that this 2000 year old biblical principle still works even today, actually 4000 years back, back to the time of Abraham.

And here's how the Bible says to handle finances. It's so easy. A kid can understand it.

It's so easy. People who aren't good at math can understand it. I am not good at math. Even me not understanding math, I can figure out 10%.

So here's the thing. The biblical wisdom is number one, God blesses you. Number two, you give 10% of that blessing back to God. And the number three, he blesses you even more. God blesses you financially. You give 10% of those finances back to God. And the number three, God blesses you more. Some of y'all so when you're taking us back under the law of Moses, what I'm about to share with you precedes the law of Moses by five or 600 years.

This isn't law. This is divine wisdom. God blesses.

You give 10% back to God. And God blesses you even more. And I want you to look at this life of a man named Abraham. So turn if you would to Genesis 14. Abraham, before God changed his name to Abraham, the father of many, you might know what his name had been. Abraham. This is before God changed his name to Abraham. So at this time, he is still known as Abraham or Abraham.

And we see that first step in Abrams life. God blessed Abraham financially, Genesis chapter, Genesis chapter 12, God says this. Abraham, leave your country. And I'm going to bless you. And you read that you said, Well, he's just about spiritual blessings. The Messiah will come through you and you'll be happier and you'll just enjoy life and have peace. God's just talking about spiritual or spiritual blessings.

No, he's not. Because in Genesis 13, to it says this, the same God who says Abraham, I'm going to bless you. He blesses Abraham with crops and herds and finances. This isn't just spiritual blessing. This is practical blessing.

When I say to you, God blesses you. I'm talking about your finances. God has provided for you financially.

He said, No, God didn't do that. My business provided that my job provided. Who do you think gave you that job? God didn't provide for me.

I'm the one had to drag my carcass out of bed and go to work. Who do you think gave you the strength to get out of bed and the food to provide energy for you God, every good and perfect gift comes from above is what James says. So number one, God is the one that blesses you. And that's the first step in this process. We recognize God has blessed me. This income I have has come from God. Step number two, we give 10% back to God. Now in Genesis 14, 17 through 24.

Here's what's happened. Abraham has a nephew named Lot. Lot lives way down south in a place called Sodom near Gomorrah.

Four kings swoop down from the north, kidnap Lot, his family, all the members of those towns, kidnap them, and take them all the way back up north. Now here's what I like about Abraham. You know, you kind of think about Abraham. Well, he's just nice old guy with a long beard, whatever. Abraham is a man's man. Abraham is minding his business. And somebody comes and says, Do you hear about your nephew Lot? He said, No, what happened? He said, These four kings came down, kidnapped Lot, his family, everybody else. They've taken him hostage. Abraham says, All right, boys, let's go.

And he gets 318 of his best buddies. And they go and they chase those kings about 160 miles north. That's about the distance from Charlotte to Raleigh. And in fact, we got a map of this here. They start out in Hebron. They go all the way up to Damascus. Do you see that town Dan? Now when we take people to Israel, we use it.

We try to take them to Dan. I don't know if we'll be able to go next time because it's right there on the border of the Golan Heights. But when you get to Dan, there's an ancient gate that they have uncovered. They call it the Gate of Abraham. Look at this picture. That gate was there during the time of Abraham.

It's entirely possible that Abraham passed by that gate or even went through that gate on his way to rescue Lot. And so we're going to take a group. Y'all just get ready. Y'all not taking another group back in October to go to Israel. So save up your money and sign up for that. Somebody said, well now, isn't there a lot of anxiety surrounding Israel right now and you guys going back in October?

Yes, there is. Hamas and Hezbollah, they're terrified about me coming in October. So there's a lot of anxiety there, but it's going to be all right, Hezbollah. And so we're going to go and take you. I'd love to be able to take you to that spot. I don't know if we can or not, but that's just happening.

Okay. Abraham rescues Lot and his family, and they all start going back south and they get back to what is modern day Jerusalem. And here's what happens. Genesis 14, 17. Then after he came back from striking down Chedor, Amor, and the kings who are with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh, that is the king's valley. Amal Kezadeh, king of Salem, brought out bread and wine. Now he was a priest of God Most High. Then he blessed him and said, blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth, and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered all your enemies into your hand.

And then he gave him a tenth of all. Now we're not sure where this takes place, but a lot of scholars think it takes place right here in the Kidron Valley. And this is right outside of Jerusalem. So somewhere around here is where Abraham coming back with all these hostages he's rescued meets an interesting king named Melchizedek.

Who's that guy? We don't know. But I am convinced that Mel Kezadeh is either a prophetic picture of Jesus, who arrived on the scene 2000 years from that point, or that might be a pre incarnate manifestation of Jesus himself. Chad, why do you think this guy represents Jesus?

Well, several reasons. Number one, look at his name, that the Hebrew word Melchizedek, I want you to see this Melchizedek, Melchizedek means the king of righteousness. The man's name literally means the king of righteousness. The city where he's king, look at this is the is the city of Salem, modern day Jerusalem. Salem means peace shalom.

So you put this man's name together. His name is the king of righteousness, the king of peace. Second reason I think that this might be a pre incarnate manifestation of Jesus is in verse 18. Melchizedek sees Abraham and he brings out what bread and wine.

What does that remind you of the Lord's Supper? And then the third reason why I think this symbolizes Jesus is Hebrews chapter seven, verse three describes Melchizedek quote as without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest continually. So whoever this man is, he somehow represents Jesus. So watch this, Abraham has lot his families, all these war possessions, you know, all the spoils of war that he has gotten.

And he comes and he meets this man that represents Jesus. And verse 20 says, and he gave him 10% of everything he had. This is again 500 years before the law even says to tithe, he gives him 10%.

It's pretty amazing. When you tithe, I want you to see this, when you give 10% of your income to God, here's what you're saying. You're saying I'm just giving 10%, but really, everything I have belongs to God. It's your way of saying everything I have belongs to God. And to symbolize that I really believe that I'm giving him 10% back. You say, God doesn't need you to do that. He knows that you know that everything you have belongs to him. God knows that I know everything I have comes from God.

I don't need to give him 10% back. Hey, try that with your wife. You say to your wife, you know, you're the most special person in the world.

You really believe that? Yeah. You take her out to eat? No. You buy her gifts? No. You give her roses? No, I don't do any of that stuff.

But she knows she's the most important person in my life. God says no, you say that, but I want you to put your money with your where your mouth is. Do you really believe that everything you have everything you are comes from me?

Yes. God says, then you symbolize that by giving 10%. When I preach on this, I get a lot of yeah, butts and this and that metal.

I always get several. Number one, some people say this when I preach on this number one, they'll say no chat. When you preach on tithing, you are putting people back under the law. No, I'm not. When I say to you, hey, if you will eat right, cut out your sugars, get eight hours of sleep and exercise, you'll be healthy. I'm not putting you under the law.

I'm describing reality. And when I'm saying when you give 10% of your money back to God, I'm not putting you under the law. I'm just saying that's the healthiest way to handle your finances. When people ask me this, oh, you tell me that Christians have to tithe. You don't have to tithe.

If you're a Christian, you are saved by grace alone through faith alone. God is not going to check your tithing records when you stand at the pearly gates. Okay, that you as a Christian, do I have to tithe? No, you don't have to tithe. You also don't have to change your oil every 5000 miles. You also don't have to go to an annual physical. You are there's a lot of good things are really good for you that you don't have to do.

Your life is just gonna be a lot better if you'll do them. And tithing is one of those things. Here's the third thing people will say to me, which is, do I tithe on the gross income or net income?

And I always say the same thing, which just depends on how much you want God to bless you want to God to bless you on the gross of the net. There is a biblical concept of the first fruit. It says in verse 20, Abraham tithed on everything.

Do you see that? Not what Abraham paid his mortgage, then his chariot monthly chariot bill, then his kids college, then the government, then he tithes. Abraham said, No, no, I'm giving God the first fruit.

We give on our gross. I want to honor God before I honor the government. And so God gets everything first.

So I give 10% to tunnel to tower, and she gives 10% to this group. And aren't you glad everybody at cross assembly doesn't have that attitude? If everybody at cross assembly had that attitude, there would not be a cross assembly. And in fact, in the Old Testament, Malachi says, Bring your tithes to the storehouse. Now, john piper has done a really interesting study on first Corinthians 913 through 14, and first Corinthians 16, two, and it's very interesting when you look at the language that the apostle Paul uses in describing the church, it's obvious the apostle Paul believes that the church is the modern day manifestation of the Old Testament storehouse.

Here's what we're finding. Don't I finding this, when we bring our 10% to the storehouse, God begins to bless us to the point we now have more money to support all these other ministries that we have a heart for that we wouldn't have had we not given that 10% to the Lord. Does that make sense? I want to get to the poor. You tied the cross assembly, you're given to the poor, because we actually help people out financially all the time.

In fact, I'll say this. I think you you more efficiently give to the poor when you get through us, because we have a great filtering system. Y'all know there's a lot of people playing the system out there today.

Did you know that we have a beautiful system that kind of filters those folks out? In fact, I was at a gas station a little while back and I was pumping my gas and this guy comes up, I'm starving. Can you please give me some money? I was like, man, yeah. I gave him $5.

I'm not making this up. I saw the $5 in his hand. He didn't say thank you. He turned around and I see him walk inside, go and get not just a beer, it's one of those big old big daddy things about that big. I literally watched him take my $5 and pay for the bill. I was thinking, can you not insult me and do that right in front of me?

Can you at least wait until I leave before you do that? There's a lot of people messing with the system and if you have a heart for the poor, we actually give to the poor in a way that your money goes to where it needs to go to. Does that make sense? Well, Chad, I got a passion for missions. You give the cross assembly to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ because of our ministry here. You love the lost people, you give to our church.

My point is when you start doing it God's way and bring it to the storehouse, you're blessed and the nations are blessed. Here's another one. I'm in a financial mess. I ain't got 10% of my income. I don't have a 10% margin. Here's what I'd say to do. Start where you're at now and make it your goal to build up to 10% as quickly as you possibly can. I understand some of y'all can't go from not tithing to tithing overnight, but that needs to be your goal to start increasing, to get to that point of obedience.

You with me? Here's the last one people give. Actually, I've heard a lot of people say this. I'll start tithing once I start making more money. Just statistically, that doesn't happen. Statistically, the more money you start making, the less likely you'll be to tithe.

Start now wherever you're at. In fact, a man came to Peter Marshall. Peter Marshall was the chaplain of the U.S. Senate. I think he'd preached at a church on tithing. He said, Pastor Marshall, can you pray for me? He said, absolutely. How can I pray for you?

He said, here's my challenge. I have tithed all my life. It was easy to tithe when I was making $20,000 a year, because that's $2,000 a year to give to the Lord. But Pastor, I'm now making $500,000 a year.

It's hard to give $50,000 a year to the Lord. And Pastor Marshall said, man, I understand your problem. He said, you know what? Let's pray about it.

And so he put his hand on his brother's shoulder and he said, oh, Father, my brother has a problem. He wants to tithe, but he makes too much money. So God, I'm asking you in the name of Jesus, please reduce his salary back to the point where he can start tithing again. In Jesus' name, amen. So like Abraham, God blesses us.

We say God 10% automatically goes to you. And the third part of this process is God blesses us even more. Verse 19, Melchizedek, who represents Jesus, blessed Abraham. Then he blessed him and said, bless be Abram of God most high, possessor of heaven and earth.

This is really interesting. There are two men in the book of Genesis that it specifically says were rich and prosperous. Abraham and his grandson, anybody know what his grandson's name is?

Jacob. Abraham and Jacob are both prosperous men. There are two men that the book of Genesis specifically says are tithers.

Do you know who they are? Abraham and Jacob. Do you think that's a coincidence that the two men who the Bible calls men who are blessed financially were also men who the Bible specifically says are tithers?

I don't think it's coincidence. In fact, I was listening to two rabbis or reading something about two rabbis. They were talking about this.

These aren't even Christians. These are Jewish rabbis. And they pointed out this, that the Hebrew word for tithe, the noun, is ma-ser.

Do you see that? Ma-ser. That's the noun. What makes it a noun in Hebrew is that first letter, the M. You take that M off and ma-ser becomes a verb, a-ser. A-ser means to make someone rich, to make someone prosperous.

That's interesting, isn't it? And the very Hebrew word for tithe is this idea of blessing and prosperity. Now, again, I've all time with that. I'm good at preaching that if you follow Jesus, we'll go through tough times. That's easy for me to preach. You follow Jesus, you may die. It's easy for me to preach.

What's hard for me to preach is you follow Jesus Christ and he might just bless you. But Jesus does say that. I want you to look at Luke chapter six, verse 38.

Luke 638. This is Jesus talking. It's not Creflo Dollar.

It's not Kenneth Copeland. It's Jesus. And Jesus says this, give and it will be given to you a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap.

For with a measure you use, it will be measured to you. What in the world is he talking about? It'll be poured out in your lap. Here's what Jesus is talking about. In his days, if you went to the grain market to buy some grain, you'd have your basket, you'd sit down, you put your basket in your lap, you pay the guy for the grain. The guy would come and if he's stingy, he just poured just enough to fill that basket up and send you on your way. But if he was a wealthy grain merchant, he would pour that grain into your lap and then he'd press it down and he'd pour more grain into that and he'd shake it like you do a bag of potato chips and everything's settled at the bottom.

He just kind of shakes it and pours more in and more in and he keeps pouring until it overflows your basket and goes all over your lap. And he says that's the kind of God we serve. He is not a stingy God.

He is a God that delights in blessing his people. The Apostle Paul says the same thing in 2 Corinthians 9-6. 2 Corinthians 9-6, what I'm about to read to you is in the context of giving. Context is important. It's in the context of giving and Paul says this, remember this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.

This is in the Word. And I've got people telling me, Chad, I want you to preach on this more because I've seen what God does in my life. I was listening to a Native American, grew up way down east in extreme poverty. He was an alcoholic, grew up in a kind of a pool hall. He's very wealthy now.

He's been very blessed. And I heard him give his testimony. He said let me tell you what happened to me. He said when my wife and I were 20 years old, we were reprobates, living in poverty. He said we got saved.

He said that was on a Sunday morning. That Sunday night, the pastor of the church and the chairman of the deacons show up at our house and they have two things. They have a Bible and a box of tithing envelopes. And the pastor said congratulations, you are born again now. Every day I want you to read your Bible and from this day forward, 10% of your income automatically goes to God. He said on the very day I got saved, I started doing something that most Christians who've walked with Jesus 40 years don't do. That is I start tithing my income and God has blessed me ever since. I had a man in our church email me this past week.

I'm quoting him. He said, quote, I can tie every major blessing in my life from my wife to my current executive level job at age 39 to being obedient in this single spiritual practice. It has never been hard for me to tithe because I started when I had so little. There were weeks in college when all I had to give, all I had to tithe was $3 or $7 per week. But today it is not hard for me to tithe despite my gifts being substantially larger because for the last 20 years I have experienced God honoring my faithfulness in giving.

Tithing is my favorite habit. Sir John Templeton, he was a mutual fund pioneer, philanthropist in 1999, Money Magazine called him arguably one of the most successful investors of the 20th century. Here's what Sir John Templeton said. He said, in my lifetime of observing many hundreds of families, almost without exception, the family that tithes for more than 10 years becomes both prosperous and happy. This is a secular guy, a preacher is a secular guy. Pastor Mark, our finance guy, was listening to a podcast this week. Again, it was a secular podcast guy. Guy's not a Christian, the podcast guy, or Pastor Mark is a Christian. But the podcast guy was not a Christian.

And it might even be an atheist, I don't know. But he said, it's really weird. He's this financial investing guru.

He said, I can't explain it. He said, I'm now seeing the individuals who give away 10% of their income are more prosperous than those who keep that 10% of their income. Isn't it interesting when the secular world finally catches up to the Bible here?

What's the process? God blessed Abraham, Abraham tithed, and God blessed him even more. Now there's a warning here. I want you to look at verses 21 through 23. In verses 21 through 23, a shadowy figure arrives on the scene. He is called, all we know about him is called the king of Sodom.

Sodom is the most wicked city on earth and this guy is the king. And he steps up while Abraham and Melchizedek are having this conversation. Melchizedek represents Jesus Christ, the king of the most wicked city on earth comes. And here's what he says in Hebrew, in Hebrew, the Hebrew language. He says, Abraham, you can take the money, give me the nefesh, give me their souls.

Who do you think that man represents? Satan. At this point, there is this temptation for Abraham to no longer partner with Melchizedek, who represents Jesus. No, partner with me, Satan. Handle your finances my way. If you decide to become a tither, there will be, at least in the beginning, a war between the enemy and Jesus. And you're going to have to ask yourself, who am I going to partner with?

I'm going to tell you something, your partner with the wrong person is going to mess you up. James Dobson, y'all know him, and Lear Burkett went on to be with Jesus, but a Christian finance advisor, they both have said this, the number one cause of divorce among young couples today, do you know what it is? Finances.

They don't handle their money God's way, they get themselves into a lot of debt, and all that tension starts to drive a wedge between them. Beloved, are you going to partner with Jesus, or you can partner with Satan? I would rather have Jesus's blessing on my 90% than Satan's hand on my 100%. And that's what Abraham had to decide. Tithing doesn't make sense.

It really doesn't. To be blessed, give away, that makes sense. But you know, God tells us to do a lot of things that just don't make sense, does it?

In fact, John Bunyan had this great little quote, he said, there was a man, some thought him mad, because the more he gave, the more he had. Well, that's God's way. You do it God's way, you're going to have God's blessing. And let me say this, tithing is not for God's benefit. You don't understand, he doesn't need your tithe, you don't understand it, right? He's not sitting in heaven, biting his fingernails to the quick, saying, oh my, oh my me, what am I going to do?

How am I going to get the money? He's got it all. Tithing is for your benefit, it's not for his benefit.

And I don't know, I've just seen this play out over and over and over and over again. James Kennedy tells the story of a man who was on the verge of financial disaster. He's two months behind his mortgage, his car payments are late, he has a pile of bills, and he prays, God, I don't know what I'm supposed to do financially, give me a sign, God. He said the next day, God answered his prayer, God gave him a bunch of signs. The man dragged himself out of bed, and as he sat at the breakfast table eating juice, he's saying, God, give me a sign. He got in his car, gas gauges on empty, he's frustrated, he shook his head, he pulls into an Exxon station, and while he's at that Exxon station pumping his gas, he says, God, I'm in a financial mess, give me a sign. At lunch, he had a Chick-fil-A sandwich, and as he's eating that Chick-fil-A sandwich, he mumbles, God, give me a sign.

What am I supposed to do? He turned on the street beside the local Food Lion grocery store, and as he passed by that Food Lion, he said, oh, God, give me a sign. That night as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror brushing his teeth, he said, God, I don't know what to do financially, God, give me a sign. Kennedy said that day God had given that man who had financial troubles a lot of signs. For you see, the cereal that he ate from that morning was from a company started by Henry Crowell.

Henry Crowell had dropped out of school because he had tuberculosis. He struggled at a blue-collar job for many years. He finally saved up enough money to put a down payment on a meal owned by an old Quaker, and as a Christian, he said, God, if you will bless this from this day forward, I will tithe off of everything we make as a business.

That company was known as the Quaker Oat Company, and now it's a multi, multi, multi-million dollar a year business. God gave our friend another sign that day. The juice he poured that morning was from a company started by a young man who took over his father's business of producing non-alcoholic wine, and the young man said from the outset, God, I will tithe every penny we make as a business. That young man's last name was Welch, and he started the Welch's Grape Company.

When our friend stopped to get gas, God had given him another sign. Young Johnny's father had died when he was a teenager. Johnny had to go to work to provide for his family his first week's earning was only one dollar and fifty cents, and he placed that earning in his mother's lap, and she gave him a dime and a nickel and said take this to church because we tithe in this family. And from that day on, little Johnny said, God, I don't care how much money I make, I will tithe to you. That young man's name was John D. Rockefeller. He soon became the richest man in the world, and he started the Exxon Oil Company.

Our friend who asked God for a sign, what do I do? God gave him a sign that day while he was eating a Chick-fil-A sandwich. Chick-fil-A was started by a man named Truett Cathy, and even though Cathy was raised in poverty, he tithed from the time he was in elementary school, and when he would talk to business groups about the key to Chick-fil-A's success, he would always mention tithing. The Food Lion grocery store that he turned beside was started by a man named Ralph Kettner. Ralph Kettner spoke to my school leadership group, and when they asked him why is Food Lion so prosperous, so blessed, the number one thing he said to us from the outset, I said to God, I want to tithe off of everything I make. The toothpaste our friend used that night when he was brushing his teeth was from a company started by a young man named William.

William was extremely poor. Only thing he knew how to make was soap, and so he started his own soap making business, and he said, God, from the outset, I'm giving you this business, and I want to tithe off this business, and you know that man as William Colgate, the founder of the Colgate Palmolive Company. I could go on and on and on. There is biblical wisdom stacked up in this, and sure, sometimes I think about our church, and God's doing great things. Only about 15 to 20 percent of our church tithes.

If everybody tithes, do you know what we could do for the kingdom of God? We've got a great partner, Stu Epperson, who oversees the Truth Network. He owns the Truth Network. You ever listen to the Truth Network? He's like, Chad, we love cross assembly.

It doesn't make any sense. He's a dyed in the wool Southern Baptist, and he says, I love this Pentecostal church. I want to put you on radio stations all over the place. I said, Stu, I'd love to, but we can't afford it.

We could be on radio stations all over the place. You know, we're sending out 200 missionaries from our church to change the world for Jesus. When we send out those 200 missionaries, it takes about a year and a half to two and a half years to raise their money to get on the mission field. If we were a tithing church, we could just send them out to reach the world for Jesus Christ. God can do so much if we will just say yes to him and be obedient in this. Now, here's what I'm praying. I want to pray for a generous spirit just to take over this church.

I'm not just praying that for y'all. I'm praying that for me, because my wife and I, we tithe, whatever. But by nature, I can be kind of stingy. I'm cheap with my money. I buy my clothes off of eBay.

I buy my shoes used, REI used. I'm just a very stingy kind of guy, okay? I want to get to the point in my life where this church and this pastor is known just for being generous giving people. I'm going to pray that that same spirit that was on the Father that caused God, who loved this world, to give. I want that same giving spirit on me. So, Father, in the name of Jesus right now, here's my prayer, Father.

Make cross assembly a ridiculous giving church. Father, yes, may we be known for standing for the truth. Yes, may we be known for missions and preaching the gospel. But, God, may we also be known as being the most generous people in this city. Give us that spirit of generosity in Jesus' name. Amen.

Hey, would you stand with me for just a second? Here's what I want to close today. I was reading some psychologist recently talking about anxiety and fear in America. This psychologist said this. He said, we're finding out now. Now, listen to this. Does that ring? We may want to stay in here a little bit longer and just kind of have a little hallelujah, hullabaloo.

I don't want to walk out into that mess. Here's what he said. He said, what we are finding now is that people can get their eyes off of themselves and get their eyes off of something bigger than they are and start developing a heart of gratitude, of thanksgiving.

Here's what he said. We're finding that that breaks anxiety, that breaks depression. When you stop nasal gazing and start looking up and just thanking God, it's broken. Folks, he's a good God. They've been so good to us.

You said, it ain't been good to me. You got a roof over your head right now. You're in a climate controlled room. You're with people who love you. If you're born again, you got a Jesus that saved you.

You got a heavenly home waiting for you. How can you say you've not been blessed, church? So right now, can you raise your hands and raise your voice and let's just praise God for his faithfulness and his goodness.

Praise the name of the Lord right now. Don't you get shy on me, lift up your song. Cause you've got a light inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. Come on, my soul. Don't you get shy on me, lift up your soul.

Cause you've got a light inside of those lungs. Get up and praise the Lord. So I throw up my hands and praise you again and again. Cause all that I have is a Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

I know it's not much, but I have nothing else meant for me. Except for a heart singing Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Man, how can you say God doesn't want to bless you when God himself said, when my people get together, I want you to say to them, Yavareke ka Adonai, bishmereke. El Adonai pinyaf, elekavikuneka.

Esaw Adonai pina v'lekha. Vayasim lecha shalom. Which means, church, the Lord bless you. The Lord keep you, Lord make his face to you and give you shalom. Peace, wholeness, mind, body, soul, spirit, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit we pray, Amen and Amen. God bless you, beloved. Let's go change the world for Jesus Christ.