Imperial Valley Christian Center

Hebrews 2:15  And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

We are willing to trade bondage to the world system in exchange for the promise of safety and security. But, in someways, the promise is a fraud. People get fired from jobs all the time. Businesses go broke. Government agencies lose their funding. People become diabled and unable to work. Even savings and investments can be lost. Shoot, the Social Security system may even go insolvent and even if it doesn't the value of the payments it makes may be severely diluted, i.e. they pay off with 1960 dollars in 2006.

There is no certain security in this world. Security is in God. The peace of mind the world offers is a fraud, that's why it comes with a prescription drug plan. Real security, real peace, real saftey, comes only from learning to trust in God. I love the 37th Psalm.

Psalms 37:
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6 And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the LORD, they shall inherit the earth.

10 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11 But the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace. (NASB delight themselves in abundant prosperity.)

Do those things and your safety, security and peace of mind is guaranteed. Not gauranteed by the govenment, which may change it's mind or by a business which may no longer have need of your services or by a savings and loan which may have made a bunch of bad loans but guaranteed by the Great King, the author and signatory of the everlasting covenant.

You can be free to risk for God because God has promised to take care of you. That's the whole point of Jesus prosperity sermon. (You didn't know that Jesus was a prosperity preacher?) Jesus tells us first, Matt. 6:24, that we can't serve both God and mammon.  In other words, if you have two jobs there will probably come a time when you are going to have to choose between the two. One employer asks you to stay late or work on the weekend when you usually go to the other job. At this point we're going to discover which job is more important to you. It's like that with serving God. If your committment to your job is constantly overrulling your committment to God, then you are serving that job not God. But the point Jesus is really making here is, if money, the desire to get more of it, is constantly overrulling your commitment to God, guess what? You're not serving God you're serving mammon.

But Jesus doesn't just leave us there he tell us what to do to serve God instead of mammon:

Matthew 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Sometimes we read this and conclude that we're not supposed to make any plans. But the word take no thought here, is really talking about not being worried or anxious. That's how all the modern Bibles transalte it. Here's the NASB (New American Standard Bible)

Matthew 6:25 For this reason I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, as to what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor for your body, as to what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body than clothing?

What do you mean Jesus?  How am I supposed to not be worried about what I'm going to eat or drink? Do you mean I'm supposed to take a vow of poverty and go live in a cave or something? Or am I supposed to just shut my mind down and live with my head in the sand?

But Jesus tells us why we don't have to be worried in the next few verses. Look, he says, God takes care of the birds. You ever seen a worried bird? God even dresses the grass with beautiful flowers. You can be sure he's going to take care of you.

After Jesus tells us not to worry, because God will take care of our material needs, he tells us what to do instead:

Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

In other words, you can feel safe in taking risks for God because God will take care of your material needs. If you'll live your life for God instead of mammon God will take care of you.

So, go take some risks for God. Don't get to the end of your life like one of the 95 year olds Tony Campolo mentioned, and wish you had taken more risks, that you had done more things that would live on after you were gone. Take some risks for the Kingdom of God.