Losing My Religion

Religion: A Mixed Bag

Think about this with me. If you were to walk up to someone on the street and ask them, what do you think the biggest cause is of war and violence in the world? Well, a lot of people would say, they would say, one, not everybody, but a lot of people would turn to you and say one word and they would say religion. And I’ll say this, I think they’d be half right. Because religion, of course, brings us and has brought us a lot of good things. You think about hospitals, schools, universities, amazing art, amazing music. But to say that religion has not also contributed to a whole lot of suffering in the world would just be dishonest.

And so it’s always good to point out the good in anything. I think it’s a good habit to have. But you have to admit when it comes to religion and religious systems in the world that it’s a bit of a mixed bag. There’s some good and there’s some bad. And so a lot of people they feel like it’s kind of like if you had a nice juicy apple and you took a bite out of it, and it’s so good, and then you look down and you saw a worm. Worse than a worm, half a worm. Kind of ruin the whole experience. And you might be thinking, someone might come up with like, yeah, but look how juicy it is. I would say, like, half of that is worm juice. You know, so it doesn’t help much. And so religion, of course, is kind of a mixed bag.

How Did Religion Get Off Track?

And so the question that I’m hoping to address in this short series is how did religion get so far off track? And what does Jesus, what is the Christian faith in particular, offer us that’s different than the religions of the world? I don’t want to just disclaim this that people use the word religion differently. You know, some people use it in a positive way. You know, you go to your grandma and she’ll say, like, well, I had a religious experience, or I’m a very religious person. And like what they mean by that is they mean that it’s a genuine faith. And we want always want to hear people’s heart. We never want to argue about words.

But religion in this particular series, this is the definition. You can write it down if you’re taking notes. I’ve got it for you on the screen. Religion is a system we build to try to get close to God. A system that we build to try to get close to God. And there’s a key key distinction when it comes to the Christian faith. I would like you to write this down. This is something that we’re going to be repeating throughout the series, and it’s this. Everything we do in the Christian life, we do for celebration, not salvation. Everything we do in the Christian life, we do for celebration, not salvation. Because of the finished work of Jesus, the pressure’s off. There’s nothing left for you to choose. You don’t have to pay for anything because everything has already been paid for.

An Illustration from Volleyball

Remember, you know, a couple weeks ago it happened where I play sand volleyball, y’all know that, on Wednesday nights. We’re very competitive. Well, we have a lot of fun. Well, this a couple weeks ago, week before last, we had a few people that were traveling, and so we needed a couple subs for the team. And so I was tasked to find two subs for the team. And so I found Jonathan Woods, phenomenal volleyball player, and then y’all probably know Ethne Gibson right up here. She’s an amazing volleyball player too. So they came.

And so they show I told them when the show up, and so they came. Charlie’s sandbox is this place, and everyone plays volleyball. And so she showed up, and so Ethne, she’s used to playing like drop-in volleyball, where you’ve got to pay 20 bucks and you pay. That’s not what we play, though. We play season ball. And so for us, we pay a set amount at the beginning of the season. We don’t have to play pay every time we play a game. But she didn’t know that. And so she walks in and so she goes to Charlie. Charlie’s the guy who owns his sandbox, just this old classic dude with a mustache, awesome guy. But she hands him his $20 and he says this, thank you very much, and puts it in his pocket.

And so Ethney comes over and she’s like, and just so you know, I already paid, I already paid Charlie my $20. And I was like, for what? You know this is season ball. You don’t have to pay 20 bucks. And she’s like, oh, for real. I was like, yeah. And so I said, go get your money back. And she said, no. I said, why not? She said, because it’ll be awkward. But Garrett, her boyfriend, was there, and he said, I’ll go get it. So he walks over to Charlie and he’s like, hey, Ethne, my girlfriend, she paid you the $20 and blah, blah, blah. And so, but she didn’t know she was supposed to, she didn’t know she didn’t have to pay. And he’s like, So what are you saying? And he’s like, Well, you just she gave you the 20 and you didn’t have to give it to you. He’s like, So, and Charlie’s Charlie tells Garrett, so you’re saying I owe you money. And Garrett’s like, Yeah. So, anyways, he takes his $30 and he gives it back to Garrett.

But I think I think that’s like a pretty good example of so many Christians that are trying to pay for something that’s already been paid for. And if you’re not caring, and if you don’t understand like the character, the heart of the father and the character of Jesus and what he came to bring us, you can spend your entire life trying to pay for something that you don’t have to pay for. Trying to enter into something that you’ve already been invited to.

The Garden: Where Religion Was Born

So that’s what we’re gonna do. We’re gonna go to the very beginning to the garden where religion was born. Genesis chapter 1, verse 26. Familiar scriptures to most of us, I’m sure, says this.

Then God said, Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.

And I want you to notice something strange right off the bat. Is that God is talking to Himself in the plural? Which is very weird. I don’t know if you can think about that. You know what I mean? I know there’s a number of you you talk to yourselves all day, but you probably don’t talk to yourself in the plural. That’s extra weird. So if you’re like, let’s go get some food. And it’s just it’s just you. But God comes and he says, Let us make mankind in our image. So it’s interesting because it’s like, who’s he talking to? Uh, because he refers to himself as us and our. If your neighbor did this, you’d think they’re crazy. You know, it’s like, oh, we’d love a single guy who lives by himself. It’s like, we’d love to have you over for dinner. It’s like who? My dad used to say, ‘You got a mouse in your pocket?’ But it’s amazing.

So this is not God having multiple personality disorder. In fact, God here is revealing something beautiful about his nature. That even within himself, God has community. The Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are in perfect relationship. Not with you, that he they’re in relationship with you, but they’re in perfect relationship with each other. And we we don’t get past the first chapter before we realize that God is a communal God. He has community, intimacy, and love even within himself.

Made in the Image of a Relational God

Verse 27. So God created mankind in his own image. In the image of God, he created them. Male and female, he created them. It’s amazing that you were made. Did you know this? You are made in the image of God. You are made in the image of a relational God. In fact, 1 John chapter 4, verse 8 says this, that God is love. It says that God literally is love. Love is literally a part of God’s DNA. And guess what? Love is a part of your DNA too.

I don’t know if you can think about it like this, but love is a relational concept. Love is meaningless outside of relationship. You can’t love in isolation. You can’t love nobody. Love requires somebody else. And you might be thinking, well, I love pizza. Well, yeah, but even then it you it your love is directed at something or someone. In your particular case, pizza, which is God’s kind of love, if you think about it, pizza. But love is a relational concept.

And so what I want you to get is this is that we are all wired for relationship. It’s not just that you want relationship, it’s that you need relationship. And you might be thinking, nah, I mean, like you. It’s like it’s like spiritual oxygen. You can try to live without relationship, but you’ll dry, you’ll die trying to live without it. That’s why even the most hardened, cynical person in the world still craves connection with other people. Because you’re made in the image of a relational God.

Dirt and Divine

And then Genesis chapter 2, verse 7 says this:

Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

So now you see there’s this there’s this beautiful paradox about mankind and about you. Like, look what we’re made out of. We’re made out of dirt and the breath of God. That’s right. Dirt and the breath of God. So we’re both dirt and divine. And on one hand, you know, you’re made out of dirt. We’re very earthy, Gary. We we make many mistakes. You know what I mean? We’re like we all mess up in huge ways. We say, I’m not gonna do that again, and then like the next day you do it again. So we’re dirt, but we’re also divine. Like you have the breath of God in you. You have his image stamped on you.

And so if you’re thinking, well, dirt dirt divine, well, like which one is the real you? The answer is both. Right? To be human is to have this amazing ability to understand the things of God, but then fail to live through because of the brokenness that you have to follow through with the things that you know. And you’ve all experienced that, right? That you knew the right thing to do. So, right, divine, but then but then the dirt came and you didn’t do it. Paul says that this the things that I that I want to do, don’t do them. The things that I don’t want to do, that’s what I do.

But but I want you to notice this is that we as humans were the only part of creation that came to life through the breath of God. The animals, God spoke them into existence, the plants, God spoke them into existence. But us, mankind, God spoke us into existence, but he also breathed us into existence. And so what I’m hoping to communicate to you is this is that God’s presence, right? Pastor Marshall was just talking about God’s presence is the atmosphere that your spirit is designed to live in. Right? So that’s why when you come in here and we sense the presence of God, there’s just something in you that might feel like, oh, this is cool, oh, this is weird. But it also feels it feels like home. There’s a reason it always feels like home. Because your spirit is designed to live in God’s presence.

Spiritual Separation Anxiety

It’s like your lungs are designed to breathe oxygen, and your spirit is designed to live in relationship with God, which is a beautiful strength for mankind, but it’s also a potential weakness. If someone can come and convince you that God is far away, well, then all of a sudden you start to panic and you start to have spiritual separation anxiety, which is exactly what happens. Chapter three of Genesis. Look at the enemy comes and exploits this exact thing.

Genesis 3, verse 1.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden?

So notice that when we’re first introduced to Satan, the devil, the word that the scripture uses to describe him is crafty. He doesn’t say evil, it doesn’t say wicked, it doesn’t say lying. It says crafty, which is like sneaky, subtle. Crafty, it’s it’s the ability to gently nudge someone in a direction to get them to do what you want them to do. Some of y’all are very good at this. Right? And if your heart is good, you know what we call it? Leadership. Oh, it’s a leader. Right? But if your heart’s evil, we call it manipulating.

But but notice the subtlety of the enemy. Like the devil doesn’t just come with a bullhorn and say, like, attention, God hates you. You know, he’s holding out. He comes and it’s much more subtle. And what he does is he asks a question. But it’s not just any question. He comes and asks a question about God. And maybe you’ve never thought about this, but this is the first conversation in recorded history about God. Listen to me, instead of with God. This is the first time. Right? Up until this point, every conversation had included God because he was always there. But the enemy comes and he gives a question not to God, he gives a question about God. And what he’s doing is he’s implying that God’s not there. And the serpent is creating space between God and Eve. And he’s planning the suggestion, however subtly, that God’s far away.

The Birth of Religion

Look at what Eve does. Genesis 3, verse 2.

The woman said to the serpent, We may eat from the fruit of the trees in the garden. But God did say, you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. And you must not touch it or you will die.

And you might be thinking, like, wait a minute, God didn’t say that. He didn’t say he didn’t say that. Like he said, don’t eat it, but he didn’t say anything about you must not touch it or you’ll die. Like Eve added that part. Right? And that right there, that’s that’s the that’s the beginning of religious tradition, right? Adding a little bit here, a little bit there, you know what I mean? And you could imagine generation after generation after generation of well-intentioned people just trying to be extra careful, just adding a little bit, a little bit, a little bit, fast forward a few hundred years, and you’ve got this huge system of things that people have to do if they want to be included in the community.

When the serpent continues, Genesis chapter 3, verse 4.

You will not certainly die, the serpent said to the woman. For God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

It’s so ironic that what the fruit that he’s floating to Eve is this. You’ll be like God. Which is so weird, right? Because they were already like God. They were already made in God’s image. Right? But but the but the thought was this is that God’s far away, and if you do something, you can get closer to him and be more like him.

And then here’s what happened, verse 6.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

I just love this detail. I find it hysterical that Adam was there the whole time. You know what I mean? Like I just I love that. It’s just being like a total dude. You know what I mean? Like, some of y’all know this because you this is what your husband’s like. Oh, yeah, and he was you care to add, you care to speak up, Adam? Like he says nothing. Right? Like Eve is arguing with the devil, and he’s like daydreaming. Not I just I just love it. It’s like, oh yeah, and Adam was there. This is so funny. So he contributed nothing.

But here, what what you have here in Genesis chapter 3, what you have, of course, is the first sin. But what I’m hoping to show you is this is that we also have in Genesis chapter 3 the first environment that produces sin. And it’s the feeling that God is far away. Right? And so, and because we’re made for relationship with God. Like that’s that’s what our spirit is designed to live in. Like if if we feel like God’s far away, you know, if we think he’s distant, like then we begin to experience what I call spiritual separation anxiety.

The Origin of Religion

You know, I’ve got a two-year-old nephew named Nathan. Great kid, but and he has a grandma who’s my mom, we call Nana. And I remember up until a few months ago, my mom would come and she’d be like, that kid doesn’t like me. Like all the other grandkids, they all love her, you know what I mean? But like Nathan was like, because anytime Nathan would see Nana, he would instantly cry. So I’m like oh my god, she’s like, that kid hates me. Well, the reason, of course, is this is that he associated Nana with mom’s leaving. Right, because Nana was watching when Holly had to go on some errands, and so so any time that he saw Nana, he just thought, you know, my mom’s leaving. And like any parent, I think knows the feeling of kids experiencing anxiety when you’re not around.

I think it’s probably like an older kid type of thing. Now my daughter’s eight, and like if she’s gonna go, you know, out with the cousins or something like that, she’ll turn to me and say, like, you’re not going, are you, Dad? No. I didn’t want to call my own friends. She’s like, you can stay at home, that’d be great. Okay, fine. But separation anxiety, the anxiety from distance that comes from distance from the parent.

And I want to argue, and I want you to think about that the origin of religion and religious systems is the feeling that God is far away from us. And that we have to do something to bridge that gap. We have to build, we have to build a stairway to heaven, and we start to act out of fear and not outside of love. So you can write this down. The birth of religion is this the feeling that God is far away, and you have to do something to get close to him. That’s religion. Feeling like God’s far away from you, and so you have to do something so that you can get close to him.

Stop Trying to Earn What God Has Given You for Free

And I’ve got three points for you for this from the story that they can all apply to your life today. Number one, I want you to write this down. Stop trying to earn what God has given you for free. Stop trying to earn what God has given you for free. And look, that sounds so simple, but but that’s where most of us get tripped up. I can say for me, this is where I get tripped up. But it’s so subtle because all of us, I think, especially American people, we have this deep belief that if that if like something’s valuable, well, then we gotta work for it. And that makes sense in like a lot of areas, right?

You want like a college degree, well, then you’re gonna have to do your tests, you’re gonna have to do your studying, you’re gonna have to turn in all kinds of papers. You want to get in shape, well, you’re gonna have to eat right, you’re gonna have to exercise, you’re probably gonna have to pass on the giant bowl of ice cream, you know, like right before bed. You want a promotion at work? Well, you’re gonna have to show up. You have to work hard, you’re gonna have to prove yourself. Right? And so, and so, like we naturally think that if we want God’s love and acceptance and forgiveness, we think, well, I better get to work.

Right? But but when you see Jesus hanging on the cross right before he dies, he says three words that change everything. And it’s this it is finished. It is finished. And when Jesus says that, he’s not saying, like, woo, glad I made it. So glad that’s done. Wow, I’m glad that’s over. No, Jesus is saying this that the work is complete. The payment has been made. The debt has been settled. And you know what you can’t do? You can’t improve on it is finished. You ain’t got nothing to add to that. Right? It’s like, it’s like if I gave you like a brand new iPhone, I’m not gonna say, give you a brand new iPhone, it’s in the box, and you open it up, and it’s like, man, that’s so amazing. So incredible. Thank you so much. But you know, I’m gonna make this even better. And then like you pull out the duct tape and you start duct taping the sides, and I’m like, what are you doing, dude? It’s like already perfect.

That’s and that’s what we do with the gospel. That God hands us this perfect gift, salvation and relationship and intimacy with the Father. And we’re like, that’s amazing. Wow, that’s so incredible. But now let’s add, let me add some good works, let me add some perfect attendance, let me add some extra Bible reading to make it better. And God’s like, what are you doing? It’s already perfect. There’s nothing for you to add. Everything we do in the Christian life, we do from the place of love, not to get love. Right? Everything we do in the Christian life, we do for celebration, not for salvation.

So here’s a question. I’ve got it for you on the screen. What are you trying to earn from God that He’s already given you? What are you trying to earn from God that He’s already? Are you trying to earn His love? Look, you already have it. Look at this. Romans chapter 5, verse 8.

But God demonstrates His love, His own love for us while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

That means that Jesus loved you at your worst. Are you trying to earn His acceptance? Look, if you’re in Christ, you’re already accepted. You’re already accepted. Ephesians chapter 1, verse 6, to the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted into the Blood. So it’s not saying like God will accept you if you do enough. He’s saying, no, God made us accepted. Are you trying to earn His forgiveness? Look, if you’re in Christ, you’re already forgiven. Right? And not just the sins you’ve confessed, also the ones you don’t even know you committed.

And you will be thinking, like, I’m not sure that’s true, Pastor David. You better hope it’s true. Right? You think you’ve confessed every single time you’ve had pride? Give me a break. You know what I mean? But like, but like you don’t have to, you don’t have to fight to earn God’s forgiveness. If you’re in Christ, you’re already forgiven. A couple weeks ago, I was talking to someone doing a counseling deal, and they said, like, they said, Pastor David, just no matter how hard I try, I feel like I’m not getting anywhere with God. That was the phrase they used. Getting anywhere with God. And I told them, I said, well, well, maybe you’re trying to run towards something that you’re already standing in.

Come on. I love the gym. Y’all know I love the gym. But I hate cardio. Thank you, one person. The worst and the worst form of cardio to me is the treadmill. Right? Like, I can’t, I can’t handle the treadmill. I got no interest in no treadmill. No time for that. But like some of you, some of you love the treadmill. I laugh because people will like fight for the closest parking spot so they can walk as short of a distance possible to the treadmill. Like, why are you fighting over this pot? Y’all just go into the treadmill.

Well, well, religion, right? Trying to get to God, that’s like a treadmill it’s like a treadmill. It says, like, if you just read more, if you just pray more, if you just serve more, if you just give more, maybe, maybe, just maybe, God would love you. But grace says you can step off the treadmill because you’re already loved. You’re already accepted. Right? And so, like this week’s challenge, here’s what I want you to do. This week, if you catch yourself, instead of saying like God, I’ll try harder, instead of saying that, just say this. Thank you. Right? Like when you mess up and you will. Thank you that you still love me. Thank you that you know everything about me and you still love me. Like, and when you’re doing incredible, you know, you say, like, God, thank you. Thank you that even me doing good is a gift from you. Even that the grace that I have to even do this is a gift from you. It’s a small shift, but it’s so important, right? It’s living from God’s love instead of trying to earn God’s love.

Don’t Just Talk About God, Talk to God

Point number one: stop trying to earn what God has given you for free. Number two is this: don’t just talk about God, talk to God. Don’t just talk about God. Talk. Remember the serpent’s strategy? He got Eve talking about God instead of to God. Right? And then all of a sudden she’s thinking, like, oh well, maybe God’s holding out on me, blah, blah, blah. And you know who she’s talking to? Somebody else who’s not God. And the serpent still uses that same strategy today.

And don’t get me wrong, I love studying scripture. I love theology. I have my degree in biblical studies. I love, I love discussing, I love debating. You know I will. You know what I mean? Like, and you can read every book on marriage, you can attend every marriage seminar you ever, like you can know all the statistics about like what makes a great marriage and what kills a marriage. But if you don’t actually talk to your spouse, you don’t have a marriage, you have a research project. Right? And like some people, some people can explain the Trinity way better than I can. You know what I mean? Like they can explain it way, you know, brilliant, like like they know so much, but they’ve stopped actually praying. Right? They went over to the academic place, and I’m an app academic, so I understand that. But it’s so easy to just spend all your spiritual time thinking about and talking about God instead of talking to Him. It’s like becoming an expert on friendship and not having any friends. But true true faith is not a research project, it’s a relationship. It’s a relationship.

I remember a few years ago, one number of years ago, I was doing a funeral for a 17-year old boy, took his own life. It was really, really sad and really hard. And I remember I sat down with some of his friends afterwards, and they just had all these different questions, you know, totally understandably. But you know, some of like the classic, you know, why did God let this happen? They were wondering, you know, pretty much everyone around here has heard the Catholic thing, like, not sure, can he still go to heaven if he took his own life? All that’s and it’s like it was all of these questions about what God did do or what God didn’t do or what God was gonna do, or maybe what God was not gonna do.

And and I just told him, I said, man, all y’all’s questions are super understandable, super normal. But can I encourage you in one thing? So instead of just talking about God, why don’t you talk to God? You know, and if you have concerns about God, feel free to talk to me about it, but talk to him about it. Right? Because he’s he’s not a God that’s so far away that we just talk about he’s a father that wants to be in relationship to in with us and amongst us. Right? He’s not far. Religion says God’s so far. We might as well just talk about him, right? But relationship, re the real Christian faith says God’s right here. Like, let’s just ask him.

People people remind me of this. I need this reminder too. I remember a couple years ago, I don’t even know, Inga, if she remembers this, but I remember we were talking about something, and we were just talking about, you know, and I forget exactly I don’t even remember the the the deal, but we were talking about it, and I said, like, I’m not sure that’s that doesn’t sound like something God would do, but you know, it’s hard to it’s pretty hard to know. And she said, she said, well, why don’t we just ask him? And I was like, oh yeah. Darn it. And so we stopped and we prayed, and we just asked God. You know, and it’s just like it’s just so it’s it’s a it’s again, it might be a small change, but man, it changes everything in your mentality to think like I don’t have to just sit around wondering about God. I can ask him because he wants to have relationship with me.

Choose Faith Over Fear

So point number one, stop trying to earn what God has given you for free. Number two, don’t just talk about God, talk to God, and number three is this, and I’m done. Choose faith over fear. Choose faith over fear. Notice I said choose. Faith and fear are a choice. And you might be thinking, uh-uh, like fear is just a reaction, and that’s certainly true to some extent, but fear is also a choice. Why? Why? Because your emotions follow your thoughts. And you control what you think about. And what you think about controls how you feel. And so while you might not be able to control like that initial flash of fear, you can’t absolutely control what you do with it.

It’s like even if you remember in the garden, right? The whole problem started when Adam and Eve started to feel afraid that God was distant. And that fear caused them to make bad decisions. This is true. I I won’t say for everybody, but I think this is true for most people. Christian people is that when you start operating in fear, you immediately get religious. Right? Am I, you know, like you get the doctor’s report, and you know what you start thinking? Oh, my, am I, am I doing enough? Am I praying enough? Am I reading my Bible enough? Right? And that and that’s that’s the thing about fear that comes from religion. It’s always about you. Right? Fear, religion is looking like this. Just looking in. What am I doing? Am I am I reading my am I reading enough scripture? Am I having it, you know what I mean? Oh my gosh, I haven’t fasted since 1972. It’s in, it’s just in.

Look, but but but faith is the opposite. Faith is God focused. Faith isn’t looking you looking at yourself, faith is focusing on his character, not my performance. That’s what faith is. Faith is focusing on his love, not my performance. Faith is focusing on his promises, not my performance. And so you might be thinking, okay, so how do I do that practical? I’ve got like three just super fast little sentences for you on how you can choose faith over fear on a day-to-day basis. Number one is this catch yourself in the act. Catch yourself, what does that mean? It’s like so when you feel anxiety rising up on the inside of you, when you feel fear creeping in, you stop yourself and you ask, what am I thinking about right now? What am I focusing on right now? And I bet you will catch yourself in the act that you’re thinking from a place of religion or you’re thinking from a place of fear rather than a place of faith. Catch yourself in the act.

Number two, redirect your thoughts. You you can do this, by the way. So instead of asking, like, what what if something bad happens? Like you can ask yourself, like, start asking, like, what if God does something good here? And some of y’all think like that, that’s so foreign to even, but you can do that. You can recognize, man, I’m feeling so anxious about this, and I’m feeling so worried about this. It’s like, well, what am I thinking about? Well, I’m thinking, I’m I’m role-playing all the different scenarios of how this could go super bad. It’s like, yeah. But then, and then you can you can redirect that to from what if something bad happens to what if something good happens because God’s here. Right? I’ve told you this before, but fear is assuming God won’t come through. Faith is assuming He will.

And then number three, talk to God about it. Don’t just think about it, talk to God about it. Right? God, I’m feeling anxious about this situation. Help me to trust you. I just feel like this is super overwhelming. I’m not, you know, like it doesn’t have to be pretty, right? Prayer is not poetry, it can be, but prayer is not poetry. Prayer is relationship. Like some of the best prayers I’ve ever prayed are like help. Or like, why? Or uh oh. Right? Like it doesn’t have to be amazing, but but instead of just talking to other people, talk to God about it.

So some examples, like maybe you’re worried about your finances. Well, instead of lay lying awake at 3 a.m. like thinking about all the bills you have to pay, like maybe maybe in that moment start thanking God for all the ways he’s provided for you in the past. God, thank you that you’re faithful. God, thank you that you’re always generous towards me. God, thank you that I’m your child. God, thank you that you always seem to make a way, even when there’s no way. Like, God, thank you that you can like pull money out of the mouths of fishes. Like, what am I what am I doing? I’m feeding, I’m starving my fear, and I’m feeding my faith. Right? But it’s a choice. It’s a choice. And it’s it’s a it’s a choice that God’s not gonna make for you. It’s up to you. Right. He tells you to take every thought captive.

Maybe maybe you’re anxious about your kids, right? Well, instead of like lying awake at 3 a.m. thinking about all the possible ways they might mess up their lives, right? Like maybe start praying for God’s protection and wisdom over them. And thank him. You know, it’s like, God, thank you for watching out for my kids. God, thank you for protecting my kids. Thank you for bringing the right influences into my kids’ life. This is something I prayed for kindergarten. I was in charge of the drop-offs, and so I would drop off my daughter, and she was struggling in school, and I would drop her off, and I would come into my car and I would pray this every day. I would say, God, thank you that you’re developing my daughter’s spirit, soul, and body. God, thank you that you are developing her spirit, soul, and body. God, thank you that you’re developing her academically, you’re watching out for her relationally. And I would tell and I would I would remind myself, I was telling God, but I was reminding myself. This was your kid first. This was your kid first, right? But I’m not just thinking about all the ways that things could go back. You know, I’m I’m deliberately in those moments. I’m choosing, I’m choosing, I’m talking to God about it, and I’m choosing faith over fear.

And when you catch yourself operating in fear, just like pause and choose faith instead. When that anxious thought pops into your head, like don’t let it set up camp, right? Say, like, God, I’m choosing to trust you with this. I don’t know how it’s gonna work, but it’s gonna work. Help me to focus on your promises instead of your problems. And I’ve told you this, I’ll I’ll tell you this a hundred more times if you live the rest of your life in this church with me. You’re you are always operating in one of two modes: faith and fear, not both. They’re they’re the same kind of thing and they occupy the same lane. Right? And so you recognize that when you’re in fear, you’re not in faith. Right? And it’s and God won’t make the choice. And so you just always have to be reminding yourself. Always remind yourself. Like this is this is just such a beautiful thing to do. It’s something that I do. It’s like, God, you’re here. God, you’re here. God, you’re here with me. You’re near to me. You’re here with me. You’re here with me. God, you’re here with me.

And you just got just one more little thought is you know, 2,000 years ago, there was this young girl. Her name was Mary. And she was there, and an angel appears to her. Um, not much older than any of these teenagers here. And an angel shows up and tells her that she’s having a baby. But it’s not just any baby, it’s gonna be the savior of the world. It’s gonna be Jesus, and the angel tells her, you’re gonna call him Jesus, but other people are gonna call him Emmanuel. Emmanuel, you’re like, uh Emmanuel is a word that means God with us. God with us, right? Not a God that’s far away, not a God that’s waiting for you to get your act together, not a God that’s keeping score. God with us.

And like all the things that we talked out about today, all the like the religious systems that we build are all centered around the idea that God’s far away. And I’ve got to do something. If I do these 20 things, then maybe I can get close to God. But Jesus comes and says, I’m not far away. Right? Like I’m with you. I’m with you. I’ve always been with you. And when you’re lying awake at 3 a.m. worried about your kids, he’s right there with you. Right? When you’re sitting in the doctor’s office waiting for the results, he’s right there with you. Right? When you feel like you messed up your life so bad that he couldn’t possibly love you, like he’s right there with you. Right? Whispering, you don’t have to earn what I’ve already given you. You don’t have to earn what I’ve already given you for free. You just say yes. That’s why I think one of the most profound prayers in the Christian life is this. Yes. Just yes. I just receive, I receive your free gifts.

So here’s what I want to do as we come to the end of the message. I want you all to close your eyes if you’d be willing. Just right where you’re at. And I want you to become aware of your own thoughts, your own feelings. How are you feeling right now? What’s going on in there? And then I want you to turn your attention to the reality that God is right there with you. And you see that baby in a manger, that’s God saying, I’m right here. See that man on the cross? That’s God saying, I’m right here. You never have to wonder if I love you. You see that empty tomb? That’s God saying, I’m right here. Emmanuel, God with us, not just on Christmas morning, but every morning. Not just when you’re being good, but especially when you’re being bad. Not just in church, but in your car, in your kitchen, when you’re at work, when you’re in your struggles. Like religion says, do this and maybe God will come close to you. But Emmanuel says, I’m already here, and I’m not leaving.

Okay, you can open your eyes. Just my closing statement. Religion says you have to build a bridge to reach God. Jesus shows us that’s not necessary. One, stop trying to earn what God has given you for free. Rest in his finished work instead of running on the religion treadmill. Two, don’t just talk about God, talk to God. Faith is not a research project, it’s a relationship. Three, choose faith over fear. Fear focuses on your performance, but faith focuses on God’s unchanging love and character.