WEBVTT 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:13.919 Ministering to the heart of Western Arkansas's River Valley for over 165 years, welcome to Chapter and First, the Bible teaching ministry of Fort Smith's First Baptist Church. 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:19.359 You'll find sermons and teachings from Pastor Greg, our ministry staff, and guest speakers. 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:21.280 Thank you for listening. 00:00:21.839 --> 00:00:24.719 Now let's talk about giving a little bit. 00:00:24.879 --> 00:00:28.800 Again, Jesus, let's turn to Matthew chapter 6. 00:00:29.039 --> 00:00:30.559 Now, why do we do that? 00:00:30.719 --> 00:00:32.159 Why do we do these projects? 00:00:32.320 --> 00:00:33.039 Why do we grow? 00:00:33.200 --> 00:00:35.039 Why do we invest in ministry? 00:00:35.600 --> 00:00:38.159 How does this work for us as believers? 00:00:38.399 --> 00:00:47.039 I was reading this week that one scholar has taken pencil to paper and he's written all this down. 00:00:47.280 --> 00:00:56.240 He said, in the first three Gospels, one out of every six verses is related to a teaching on money that Jesus gives. 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:58.240 One out of every six verses. 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:04.480 If you count parables, they differ depending on whether they call a short one a parable or not. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:18.159 If you say roughly 40 parables that Jesus taught that are recorded in the Gospels, 16 of them use money as a spiritual thermometer about where a person's heart is. 00:01:18.400 --> 00:01:25.920 So clearly, Jesus understood the significance of what money means to us as we function in this life. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:34.159 So what I'd like to show you here for just a few minutes in Matthew chapter 6 is how giving reveals the motivations of our heart. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:40.719 Or, if you want to think about it this way, this is what motivates us as believers to give. 00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:44.239 So here in Matthew chapter 6, this is called the Sermon on the Mount. 00:01:44.319 --> 00:01:45.760 People refer it to that way. 00:01:46.000 --> 00:01:52.239 And in this sermon, Jesus is over and over and over teaching about the heart. 00:01:52.480 --> 00:01:58.719 He is trying to help the crowd recognize that what is in your heart is what God is looking at. 00:01:58.959 --> 00:02:08.639 And that Jesus is calling us to understand where our heart is and to give our heart in trust to Him as our Savior. 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:16.639 The famous verse that you have heard often, where your treasure is, your heart will be also, is in this passage of Scripture. 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:25.599 So I want you to read with me real quick just a portion of this where Jesus unpacks how giving reveals the motivations of our heart. 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:35.680 He says in verse 19, don't collect for yourselves treasures on earth where moss and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:43.680 But collect for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves don't break in and steal. 00:02:44.240 --> 00:02:47.599 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:51.039 The eye is the lamp of the body. 00:02:51.280 --> 00:03:01.120 What he's doing here is he's saying, where you put your eyes, what you focus on as a matter of focus, reveals what's in your heart. 00:03:01.360 --> 00:03:03.520 The eye is the lamp of the body. 00:03:03.759 --> 00:03:10.719 If your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. 00:03:10.960 --> 00:03:15.840 So if the light within you is darkness, how deep is that darkness? 00:03:16.159 --> 00:03:20.479 No one can be a slave of two masters. 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:26.240 You'll either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:31.599 You cannot be slaves of God and of money. 00:03:31.919 --> 00:03:40.879 This is why I tell you, don't worry about your life, what you will eat, or what you will drink, or about your body what you will wear. 00:03:41.120 --> 00:03:44.879 Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing? 00:03:45.120 --> 00:03:52.960 Look at the birds of the sky, they don't sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. 00:03:53.439 --> 00:03:56.000 Aren't you worth more than they? 00:03:56.560 --> 00:04:01.599 Can any of you add a single cubic to his height by worrying? 00:04:01.840 --> 00:04:04.319 And why do you worry about clothes? 00:04:04.560 --> 00:04:07.439 Learn how the wild flowers of the field grow. 00:04:07.599 --> 00:04:09.039 They don't labor or spin. 00:04:09.199 --> 00:04:15.840 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:22.240 It's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and thrown into the furnace tomorrow. 00:04:22.560 --> 00:04:26.639 Won't He do much more for you? 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:29.040 You of little faith. 00:04:29.360 --> 00:04:33.680 So don't worry, he says, saying, What will we eat? 00:04:33.920 --> 00:04:35.120 Or what will we drink? 00:04:35.279 --> 00:04:36.959 Or what will we wear? 00:04:37.360 --> 00:04:45.360 For the idolaters eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 00:04:45.759 --> 00:04:51.920 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 00:04:52.160 --> 00:04:56.800 Therefore don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. 00:04:56.959 --> 00:04:59.439 Each day has enough trouble of its own. 00:04:59.680 --> 00:05:13.199 Now, what I'd like to do in just a few minutes that we have, show you four reasons why we give, and four motivations that when we make the choices of giving, Jesus says it reveals our heart. 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:15.279 The first motivation is this. 00:05:56.240 --> 00:06:04.720 What he says is it's a picture of greed and of just selfishness and stacking things up, stacking things up for ourselves. 00:06:04.959 --> 00:06:10.639 He said, instead of that, understand that heaven is for eternity. 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:22.560 And understand that when you are being stewards of what God has given you in all the ways that we do that, that you are investing in an eternity in heaven. 00:06:22.800 --> 00:06:38.639 When you are giving, when you're going on mission trips, when you're teaching Sunday school and serving, in all the ways that we do that, but including in what we do with our finances, we are making a decision each time do we believe in heaven? 00:06:38.879 --> 00:06:44.399 And are we storing up in heaven fruit of ministry and what we do here? 00:06:44.720 --> 00:06:46.959 I was thinking about this this week. 00:06:47.279 --> 00:06:51.040 Our church was founded in 1857. 00:06:52.079 --> 00:06:53.439 1857. 00:06:53.759 --> 00:06:55.120 Think about this for a minute. 00:06:55.279 --> 00:06:58.399 We've been here since 1857. 00:06:58.879 --> 00:07:03.439 And all of that times later, 168 years later, we're still baptizing. 00:07:03.600 --> 00:07:05.600 We baptize two folks today. 00:07:05.839 --> 00:07:07.199 How does that happen? 00:07:07.439 --> 00:07:16.720 1857, Arkansas had only been a state for 20 years when we were planted as a church. 00:07:17.040 --> 00:07:22.879 In 1857, we didn't have railroads in Arkansas yet. 00:07:23.199 --> 00:07:33.920 In 1857, they were building the first railroad from Memphis across the river into the state of Arkansas to move agricultural goods back and forth. 00:07:34.160 --> 00:07:54.399 In 1857, they found a locomotive, somebody purchased a locomotive, they named it the Little Rock, and they ran it as a fundraising deal and as a big spectacle to show everyone what was coming, and they ran it on the initial stages of the tracks of that very first railroad. 00:07:54.639 --> 00:08:02.399 And in 1858, that railroad was completed and it began the process of railroads covering our state. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:04.800 In 1857, imagine that. 00:08:04.959 --> 00:08:10.800 People planted a church to preach the gospel before there were railroads in the state of Arkansas. 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:12.160 Is that incredible? 00:08:12.480 --> 00:08:19.199 In 1857, there was a national and even an international financial crisis. 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:30.800 In fact, economists described that as the first international financial crisis in the terms that we describe economics today. 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:40.240 And so in 1857, in the midst of all of that, a group of people said, we need a place where they'll preach Jesus. 00:08:40.480 --> 00:08:42.399 And they began to build. 00:08:42.720 --> 00:09:01.279 And in 18, since 1857, generation after generation, has had a heart for the gospel and has built and built and built and shared and shared and preached and preached and given and given and prayed and prayed and invited and invited and served and served. 00:09:01.440 --> 00:09:03.679 And here we are today. 00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:05.759 Why do we do this? 00:09:06.080 --> 00:09:08.720 Because we are a church of the living God. 00:09:09.279 --> 00:09:11.600 We are here to spread the gospel. 00:09:11.919 --> 00:09:23.759 And so we give to missions, and we're sending teams on mission trips, and we're helping plant churches in El Salvador, we're helping replant churches in London, England area. 00:09:23.919 --> 00:09:26.480 We are buying Bibles in Africa. 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:33.679 We are giving through Arkansas Baptist to disaster relief because things like this weekend happen. 00:09:33.919 --> 00:09:43.279 And so, in all of that, generation after generation, people have been giving and building things like this for one reason. 00:09:43.519 --> 00:09:45.759 Because they believe there's an eternity. 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:50.399 And people who know Jesus will spend an eternity in heaven. 00:09:50.639 --> 00:09:58.559 And how we give and what we invest in and how we structure our finances that determines what is our view of heaven. 00:09:58.639 --> 00:10:03.360 And I do believe that I am laying up treasures in heaven. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:14.080 Faithfulness that God is using to bring people into the kingdom, to help people grow and to be a part of God's family. 00:10:14.240 --> 00:10:16.480 And so Jesus makes it very clear. 00:10:16.799 --> 00:10:21.840 Our focus should be storing up in heaven, not here. 00:10:22.320 --> 00:10:31.440 And so if you think about what he's saying, he is not saying that we don't save, he's not saying that we don't save for retirement, he's not saying those kinds of things. 00:10:31.600 --> 00:10:40.399 He is talking about stacking up money for money's sake, stacking it up so I can have it, so it's there, so it makes me feel comfortable, and all those kinds of things. 00:10:40.559 --> 00:10:47.279 And that is that we as Christians should have a different return on investment idea for eternity. 00:10:47.519 --> 00:10:49.679 Let me show you the second motivation. 00:10:50.559 --> 00:10:55.600 Jesus continues to talk, and he says, where your treasure is, your heart will be also. 00:10:55.840 --> 00:11:08.000 And then he gives this illustration of the eye, and he's saying, what you put your eye on, what you focus on, is where your mind, your heart, your emotions, your commitment follows that. 00:11:08.320 --> 00:11:17.919 This idea of the eye is the lamp of the body, and if your eye is good, if you go back to the original language, he's giving the idea here of a single thing, of a focus. 00:11:18.159 --> 00:11:24.799 He's saying if your eye is looking for all the stuff you can do, you can be, you can get, and all that kind of stuff, all of that is a problem. 00:11:24.960 --> 00:11:40.399 But he says if your eye is single focused, if it is singularly focused on the things of God, then your heart is going to be good because where your treasure is, your heart will follow. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:45.759 And then he makes it clear, you can't follow two masters. 00:11:45.919 --> 00:11:50.799 And so our second motivation shows our love and commitment to Jesus above all. 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:53.360 Am I focused on things of the earth? 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:54.639 Am I always distracted? 00:11:54.799 --> 00:11:56.320 Am I trying to buy this and buy that? 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:57.279 And what can I do that? 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:58.320 What can I do that? 00:11:58.559 --> 00:12:08.960 And God gets the second best, or he gets the leftovers, or whatever, that tells us that our focus is not singular. 00:12:09.519 --> 00:12:12.159 It's not a question of how much you're supposed to give. 00:12:12.240 --> 00:12:16.720 If you notice, we give you the cost of things, but we don't set goals, we're not doing that. 00:12:16.879 --> 00:12:19.200 Listen, we don't ever want to limit God. 00:12:19.919 --> 00:12:23.679 What churches have always talked about is this idea. 00:12:24.080 --> 00:12:27.679 Not the same gifts, but the same sacrifice. 00:12:27.919 --> 00:12:34.159 Everyone has a certain economic structure and how they live life and where they are in these circumstances and all of that. 00:12:34.399 --> 00:12:39.840 And so the question for us is not how much you give, it's not what I gave or whatever. 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:44.639 The thing for me and we're giving is am I committed to Jesus? 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:47.120 Is my single focus on the Lord? 00:12:47.279 --> 00:12:57.919 Are we building our family on a belief system that everything we have comes from God and we serve Him and we give as an act of worship and thanks to Him? 00:12:58.080 --> 00:13:04.320 And Jesus says, look, how we structure our finances is an indicator of where our eyes are focused. 00:13:04.559 --> 00:13:06.399 Motivation number three. 00:13:07.279 --> 00:13:14.399 Jesus then goes on to talk about this idea of we all have needs, we have these needs in our lives. 00:13:14.559 --> 00:13:15.279 What are we going to eat? 00:13:15.440 --> 00:13:17.039 What are we going to take care of our families? 00:13:17.120 --> 00:13:17.919 What are we going to wear? 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:19.519 All that kind of stuff. 00:13:19.840 --> 00:13:23.679 And he says, listen, your heavenly Father knows that. 00:13:24.240 --> 00:13:27.679 Trust Him to provide. 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:36.399 And so how we structure our giving shows whether we have a relationship of trust with the Father or not. 00:13:36.639 --> 00:13:39.360 Am I trusting Him to provide those things? 00:13:39.679 --> 00:13:47.200 My wife and I, we give 10% or more right off the top as our tithe, and then we give offerings beyond that. 00:13:47.360 --> 00:13:52.799 I'm sharing that testimony with you just to give you that testimony so you know that we do that. 00:13:52.960 --> 00:13:57.679 And we have always done that through the years, and we trust God to provide. 00:13:58.000 --> 00:14:02.240 We know that if we have given to the Lord, he is always going to meet our needs. 00:14:02.399 --> 00:14:15.519 And it just time and time again, every time we get something flows in, we have learned after all these years of doing this, uh-oh, God provided something is about to happen. 00:14:16.320 --> 00:14:18.559 Um, and that's just kind of how it goes. 00:14:18.720 --> 00:14:25.279 But what we have learned is how much we can trust the Lord to provide for everything that happens. 00:14:25.519 --> 00:14:27.759 This weekend I was driving around Memphis. 00:14:27.840 --> 00:14:42.320 Uh, we went to visit our grandkids, and my sister and brother-in-law came and visited, and we're trucking along, and Jan had already gotten there, and I was coming after work on Thursday, and I'm on the interstate, I'm on I-40, which is always taking your life in your own hands, right? 00:14:42.799 --> 00:14:44.399 And so here I am trucking along. 00:14:44.480 --> 00:15:04.559 I'm five minutes where we're supposed to be, and some Arkansas redneck dude with a redneck Arkansas truck got stuff unstrapped in the back of his truck, and something that looked like a microwave comes popping out of the back of that truck, and I hit it dead on on I-40 right there. 00:15:05.200 --> 00:15:06.559 It just happens, right? 00:15:06.799 --> 00:15:08.320 Stuff happens, right? 00:15:08.720 --> 00:15:12.799 I don't have to worry about what we do with all that. 00:15:12.960 --> 00:15:13.919 Now nobody's hurt. 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:16.960 Don't some of you are gonna come afterwards and say, it was fine. 00:15:17.120 --> 00:15:26.559 But my point is, stuff happens, but Janna and I have learned our reaction is always, well, God's already taken care of that. 00:15:26.879 --> 00:15:28.720 He's already taken care of that. 00:15:29.600 --> 00:15:42.480 Because as we have structured the finances in our life, it's not a financial decision, it's a spiritual decision of faith and trust that God provides for our needs. 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:51.200 And the fourth motivation, and this may be the best one, and I may have to come back and do this as a whole sermon because this is just really good. 00:15:51.679 --> 00:16:05.360 After giving these motivations, Jesus sums up this section and he says in verse 33, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 00:16:05.759 --> 00:16:10.000 Don't worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have enough worry for itself. 00:16:10.399 --> 00:16:16.639 Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 00:16:16.960 --> 00:16:38.399 How you give, when you step out in faith and you invest in eternity, and you give because you are focused on Jesus and you are giving as an act of worship to him, and you are trusting him to take care of your needs, you are worshiping with your tithes and offerings because he has provided everything that we have. 00:16:38.639 --> 00:16:43.840 It orders your thinking and your worldview in a spiritual way. 00:16:44.320 --> 00:16:55.279 Here's the thing: our hearts, and it's easy to say I love God, it's easy to say I do this, it's easy to say I love the Bible, it's easy to say I love church, it's easy to do all those things. 00:16:55.679 --> 00:16:59.919 And there's a difference between I love those things and I'm committed. 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:03.039 There's a difference between I love Jesus and I'm committed. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:05.359 There's a difference between I love my church and I'm committed. 00:17:05.519 --> 00:17:07.519 There's a difference between those things. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:18.880 You see, if you're not committed, then anything distracts us, all these things happen, things get in the way, they cause doubt, they cause us to run down this path, and then we run down this path, and then we run down this path. 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:25.119 But when you have ordered your life to be committed on the Lord, you are functioning with a biblical worldview. 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:32.160 You are pursuing Him, and He becomes the grid of all the decisions that you make in your life. 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:44.079 And when we come and look at our giving life, those are the things that strike at our need, doubt, and desires. 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:48.799 That's why Jesus used it as a spiritual thermometer. 00:17:48.960 --> 00:17:56.880 I read one guy said this week, he said, giving is not how God raises cash, it's how he raises his kids. 00:17:58.319 --> 00:18:04.640 It's how he teaches us to be people of faith, it's how he teaches us to be drawn to him, it's how he teaches us to be focused. 00:18:04.799 --> 00:18:19.119 And so when my mind and heart is treasured on the Lord, and I take this scarce resource in my life and I give it to the Lord and I make this spiritual decision with it, it affects how I make other decisions. 00:18:19.680 --> 00:18:36.799 It affects how I have a mental grid, a decision tree about how I decide how I'm gonna do my family, I'm gonna do my job, I'm gonna make business decisions, how I'm gonna raise my kids, how I'm gonna be involved in church or not, and all of those things. 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:51.119 And so what happens is when I am pursuing the Lord, when I have placed my treasure, both spiritually and financially, to the Lord and focused on Him, it begins to develop my mind and thought process. 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:56.640 And there are three or four areas in our life that function this way, and giving is one of them. 00:18:56.799 --> 00:19:05.359 When I have made this commitment to pursue the Lord, and I'm thinking in that process, it spills over and helps structure the rest of my life. 00:19:05.680 --> 00:19:12.079 Because it's the same brain and the same heart that makes all of those life decisions. 00:19:12.400 --> 00:19:27.279 And so when we have certain areas, having a quiet time daily, how you do your finances, your decisions that you make about the body of Christ to serve and to be involved and be committed. 00:19:27.440 --> 00:19:29.759 There are certain life things like that. 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:41.680 When we are focused in those areas, it develops an orderly spiritual thought process about how we how we walk through life. 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:47.279 And that's why Jesus says, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. 00:19:47.519 --> 00:20:06.079 What he's saying is, if you believe in the permanence of eternity and you're focused on him and you invest in eternity, then you are focused and becoming righteous, becoming obeying, pursuing him, and God will bless and bring those things behind you. 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:17.920 When your eye is singular focused on Jesus and you are structuring your decision processes in life to pursue him, he's gonna add those things to you. 00:20:19.119 --> 00:20:30.240 When you are looking at these decisions and you think, am I going to trust God or am I gonna pull back from that because some idiot didn't tie the microwave down in the back of his redneck pickup truck? 00:20:31.200 --> 00:20:32.079 Y'all got that. 00:20:32.160 --> 00:20:34.160 I'm saying that good naturedly, right? 00:20:35.279 --> 00:20:39.839 When you make that decision, I can't give because now I've got to pay for this, or whatever. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:42.480 When you're doing that, am I trusting the Lord? 00:20:42.880 --> 00:20:49.440 When you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, he promises to add these things back to us. 00:20:49.759 --> 00:20:55.359 But it is a response of his blessing to our choices of faith to trust him. 00:20:56.079 --> 00:21:11.599 And so that's why Jesus uses this so often, and why in this incredible sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, so many times he refers back to finances and to giving to ask the question, How is our heart? 00:21:11.839 --> 00:21:14.319 Why don't you bow your heads as we close this morning? 00:21:15.839 --> 00:21:20.079 Trusting Jesus is a fundamental decision that we make. 00:21:20.720 --> 00:21:26.319 The first time you make that decision is when you decide if you're going to trust Christ as your Savior or not. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:28.160 Are you going to trust Him as your Savior? 00:21:28.240 --> 00:21:44.640 Are you going to take your life and chart your course by surrendering your life to Him and giving it to Him, trusting Him to pay the price for your sins, and then trusting Him to bless and to work and to teach and provide and all those things we've talked about in your life. 00:21:44.880 --> 00:21:51.279 If you've never trusted Christ as your Savior, listen, this whole message is about trusting Jesus. 00:21:51.440 --> 00:21:54.160 It's about recognizing that there's an eternity. 00:21:54.400 --> 00:21:58.960 There is, as Jacob said earlier in the worship time, there is a hell and there is a heaven. 00:21:59.200 --> 00:22:04.400 And if you come to that moment where you have trusted Christ as your Savior. 00:22:04.559 --> 00:22:06.880 If not, I'm going to pray in just a moment. 00:22:06.960 --> 00:22:08.240 Our people are going to stand and sing. 00:22:08.319 --> 00:22:10.640 And if you need Jesus, I want to invite you to come. 00:22:10.960 --> 00:22:24.880 Church family, as we move into this time over the next few weeks of praying through what God would have your family do in our faith forward emphasis as we prepare for making these decisions as a church family later on in the month. 00:22:25.119 --> 00:22:26.640 It is a time for us to pray. 00:22:26.720 --> 00:22:28.160 What does God want us to do? 00:22:28.319 --> 00:22:29.440 Where is our trust? 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:30.880 Where is our investment? 00:22:31.359 --> 00:22:32.799 Where is our focus? 00:22:33.039 --> 00:22:36.480 And you just listen to what God tells you to do. 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:48.720 If you'll make a commitment as a family to just listen to the Lord and follow what he asks you to do, he will provide beyond all we can think or imagine. 00:22:48.960 --> 00:22:49.839 I'm going to pray. 00:22:51.279 --> 00:22:52.400 If you need Jesus, you come. 00:22:52.640 --> 00:22:54.480 Lord, we love you and we thank you. 00:22:54.799 --> 00:22:56.720 We thank you that we can trust you. 00:22:56.880 --> 00:23:07.519 We thank you for this incredible passage where Jesus says, listen, the way he adorns the flowers and provides and all of that, he loves us more than anything else in creation. 00:23:08.079 --> 00:23:17.519 He has provided Jesus for salvation and he knows our every earthly physical need and will provide for those as well if we'll trust him. 00:23:17.839 --> 00:23:20.720 Lord, give us a freedom to place that trust in you today. 00:23:20.880 --> 00:23:22.799 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:23:23.200 --> 00:23:27.839 We pray this message has been a blessing to you and helped to strengthen your walk with Jesus. 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:30.799 Please know we want to minister to you and pray for you. 00:23:31.039 --> 00:23:38.400 Send an email to contact us at fsfbc.org and let us pray for you and help you in any way we can. 00:23:38.799 --> 00:23:44.880 Thank you for listening to chapter and first, the Bible teaching ministry of Fort Smith First Baptist Church.