MOVE with Contentment | Kyle Idleman

Well, hey there Pando family, welcome to Southeast Christian Church. We are so glad that you are joining us today for worship. I wanna encourage you, no matter where you are, to go in and write in to us. You'll see there in the description box below, you'll find our address. We have a team of volunteers, a team of staff, who would love to hear from you, to hear your story, to know how we can pray for you and alongside you during this time. While you're down there, you'll see the subscribe button. You can join over 31,000 people who are subscribed to the Southeast Christian Church channel. We'd love to have you do that. That way you get updates every time a new service or a new video is posted. This week, we are wrapping up our Move Midpoint series. We are in week six and Senior Pastor Kyle Eidelman is gonna be sharing with us a message called Move with Contentment. We're gonna be in the end of Philippians chapter four, just talking about how contentment and commitment go hand in hand with one another. Speaking of which, this week is Commitment Weekend for our church family as part of our Move initiative. And we know that it's gonna look a little different for you guys as opposed to what's happening in the room today, but I wanna invite you during that time of commitment to do one of two things.

One is to pray that prayer that we've been talking about throughout this series. God, what do you want to do in me and through me? Ask God to make that clear to you today. But also, maybe think about what it looks like in your own situation to give your first, your best, no matter what situation you find yourself in. Ask God to show you what he wants to do, how he wants to move in your story today as we go into that commitment time as a church family. So let's head into worship and I'll catch up with you afterwards. Come on, church, put your hands together this morning. We're gonna sing this out. Oh, oh, oh, oh. He's on the move. We sing, hey. We glorify His name. We glorify His name. So we surrender. We surrender everything we lay down at the feet of Jesus. No limit to what He's about to do. Every chain. Every chain, every curse is broken at the name of Jesus. No limit to what He's about to do. He's on the move. The Lord is here. The Lord is here. We welcome Him with songs of praise. Let faith arise in the atmosphere.

The Lord is here. We glorify His name. We glorify His name. We glorify His name. We declare this together. If you've tasted heaven, then glorify His name. If you've been forgiven, then glorify His name. If you know His presence, then glorify His name. Glorify. Come on, would you testify today? If you've tasted heaven, then glorify His name. If you've been forgiven, then glorify His name. If you know His presence, then glorify His name. Glorify His name. Come on, lift your voice. You sing. The Lord is here. The Lord is here. We welcome Him with songs of praise. ♪ Oh, let faith arise in the atmosphere ♪ ♪ The Lord is here, we glorify His name ♪ ♪ The Lord is here, the Lord is here ♪ ♪ We welcome Him with song, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Let faith arise in the atmosphere ♪ ♪ The Lord is here, glorify His name ♪ ♪ If you've faced it heaven, oh, glorify His name ♪ ♪ If you've been forgiven, glorify His name ♪ ♪ If you know it's within, then glorify His name ♪ ♪ Glorify His name, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ Thank you.

♪ I love you, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, your mercy never fails me ♪ ♪ All my days I've been held in your hands ♪ ♪ From the moment that I wake up until I lay my head ♪ ♪ I will sing of the goodness of God ♪ ♪ All my life you have been faithful ♪ We sing this out this morning. ♪ All my life you have been so kind to me ♪ ♪ With every breath that I am able ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God ♪ ♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪ ♪ I love your voice ♪ ♪ You have led me through the fire in darkest night ♪ ♪ You are close like no other ♪ ♪ I've known you as a father, I've known you as a friend ♪ ♪ And I have lived in the goodness of God ♪ ♪ And all my life you have been faithful ♪ ♪ And all my life you have been so, so good ♪ ♪ With every breath that I am able ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, oh, we will sing ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ With my life laid down, I surrender now ♪ ♪ I give you everything ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ It's running after me, oh, oh, oh, oh ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ With my life laid down, I surrender now ♪ ♪ I give you everything ♪

♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪♪ ♪ And all my life you have been faithful, we lift this up to Him ♪ ♪ And all my life you have been so, so faithful ♪ ♪ With every breath that I inhale ♪ ♪ I will sing to You, Lord Jesus Christ ♪ Sing it again. ♪ And all my life You have been faithful ♪ ♪ And all my life You have been so, so good ♪ ♪ With every breath that I am able ♪ ♪ Oh, I will sing of the goodness of God, yeah ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ With my life laid down, I surrender now ♪ ♪ I give it all, I give it all, I give it all ♪ ♪ Your goodness is running after, it's running after me ♪ ♪ Your goodness, Your kindness ♪ ♪ Your goodness, Your kindness, Your kindness, Your kindness ♪ ♪ Your goodness, Your kindness, Your kindness, Your kindness ♪ Amen. Can we just celebrate and honor Him this morning? Well, you can grab a seat right where you're at. Proverbs 3 tells us that if we put our trust in the Lord and we don't lean on our own understanding, but we sacrifice and surrender everything to Him, He'll make our path straight. And each week we have an opportunity in our service to be reminded of what God has done, which is make good on a promise where He promised that He would never leave or forsake us

so much that He would send His only Son for you and for me to pay a price that was not His to pay on a cross and be put to death. Three days later, He rose again. We know that part of the story. We celebrate that part of the story. And I so often in my life can get caught up in the victory of that, and we should, because it changed everything. Where I've noticed I slip is I don't always let the victory of what that means, the final price that Jesus paid, and His resurrection from the grave to move me to trust. You see that verse says that we have to surrender everything to give you a life, to trust Him and He will make the path straight. That doesn't mean it won't come without twists and turns and bumps in the road, but what it means is when you reach that turn in the road, when you reach that fork in the road, when something comes at you that you did not expect, you can trust Him that He will see you through because He saw that before you ever even imagined it. And we're reminded that He made good on that promise in this moment of communion. So as you hold the elements today, whatever you've carried in with you this morning, maybe you're wrestling with the decision and a step in obedience you need to take today as we respond. Maybe it's a relationship in your life, something you're worried about.

Maybe you're waiting on test results from a doctor. Today, be reminded of the one who gave everything for you. And lay everything down at His feet right now at the foot of that cross. And put your trust in Him. And just trust that, oh God, that He sees, that He's for you and He protects you. That's who He is, that's what He does, church. So to be reminded of that today as you take communion. And as you do, would you give Him thanks? Would you remember that sacrifice? Would you respond by putting your trust in Him again? And by worshiping Him, you can eat and drink communion whenever you're ready. For more information visit www.fema.org Jesus is mine. He's been my fourth man in the fire, time after time. Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood, and what He did for me. Calvary is more than enough. Come on, you sing. I trust in God. I see the other one. Come on, just sing to Him now. Place your trust in Him. I trust in God. I see the other one. Fear, He will never fear. And perfect submission, and all is at rest. Yes, I know the author of tomorrow is all in my stead. So this is my story. This is my song. Praising my risen King and Savior all the day long. I trust in God.

I see the other one who will never fail. He will never fail. I see my trust in God. I see the other one who will never fail. He will never fail. If you came to meet with God today, if you need a word from Him and a smile, would you extend your hands to heaven? He's a God who's near. He's a God who cares. He's a God who hears. Come on, church, let's cry out to Him together. Sing this out. Sing, I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord. Come on, you sing. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. Come on, if you need to hear from Him this morning, would you just sing louder now? Sing louder than your circumstance. You sing, I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. So that's why I trust Him. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. That's why I trust Him. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. I sought the Lord and He heard me answer. That's why I trust Him. That's why I trust Him. God, I say, oh, oh, oh. See, He will never fail. I know He will never fail. I just thank God. My Savior the one.

Oh, oh, oh. He will never fail. He will never fail. Come on, you sing. Oh, oh, oh. I saw the Lord and He heard and He answered. I saw the Lord. ♪ I saw the Lord and He heard me answered ♪ ♪ I saw the Lord and He heard me answered ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him ♪ ♪ I saw the Lord and He heard me answered ♪ ♪ Yeah I saw the Lord, He heard me answered ♪ ♪ I saw the Lord and He heard me answered ♪ ♪ That's why I trust Him, that's why I trust Him Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh ♪ ♪ Sing your praise, sing your praise, sing your trust in God Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh-Oh ♪ God we gather together here but also with believers around the world and we declare that our trust is in you, that our hope is in you, that our confidence is in you. God we just take a breath here in this sanctuary and we acknowledge that there's so much happening in our world right now that we have no control over. We do not sit in a position of authority. We don't get to decide what happens next and so we put our dependence on you. God we're recognizing more and more what's always been true and that is we have just very little control over this life and that this life is very short and it's temporary. So God would you just teach us even as we worship and even as we pray would you just teach us to have eternity in mind. God we want to pray specifically for what's happening in the Middle East. We want to pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially those who've lived under fear and oppression that most of us can't quite imagine. God we pray that you would shield innocent lives. We pray for children and we pray for the elderly. We pray for the displaced. God we pray for peace and hope to arise where fear and darkness

overwhelms. God all of us as a church we agree together in prayer for our ministry partners. There are names, there are people that we know and love and care for who are in that part of the world and we just pray for your protection over them and we pray God that you would grant their families peace and comfort. God we pray for specifically our leaders. As you tell us to pray we pray for our leaders. We pray that you would grant wisdom and humility and dependence on you and Lord as this world at times feels like it's unraveling would you remind us that you are not caught off guard by any of it. You told us these days would come. Jesus you said there would be wars and rumors of wars that nation would rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom and then you told us God see to it that you are not alarmed. And so Lord even as the headlines shake us we lift our eyes because every tremor in this world is a reminder that this world is not our home. Every headline that feels like something is ending is a reminder that there's a new beginning coming when you will say enough I'm making all things new. And so we say come quickly Lord Jesus and until that day would you keep us faithful and hopeful. Would you keep us grateful and joyful. Would you keep us watching and working. Would you keep us focused on heaven. God make us people of prayer and not people of panic. God when the world feels unstable would you just remind us that we've put our trust in you. That you are our Savior and you will not fail. So let your kingdom come and let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It's in Jesus name everybody said amen. Amen. You may be seated. Philippians chapter 4 verse 11. I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. Don't you wish you could say this in your life? I've learned to be content with whatever's happening in my life. Whatever my financial situation might be. Whatever my relationship status might be. Whatever notifications might pop up. Whatever might be happening in the news. I've learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I think that's what all of us want and yet the secret to contentment isn't what we think it is. We think... Just intuitively, that the secret to contentment

is getting things the way we want it. If I just had this, if this situation would have just unfolded this way, then I'd be happy, I'd be content if that happened. And yet, here's what I want you to see on this commitment weekend, is that the secret to contentment is commitment. I'm gonna throw those two words up on the screen. Commitment and contentment. Commitment to contentment. Like, if you say it fast, it seems like the same word. Similar spellings, same amount of syllables. And yet, we would, I think, consider these to be, in some ways, opposites. Like, commitment sounds like something that costs you. We're leery of it. We're not too quick to make it. But contentment is something that all of us are chasing. It's something that we want. And what I would just say, and what I hope we'll discover together, is that commitment is the path to contentment. That these are two sides of the same coin. Commitment leads to contentment. So, imagine it this way. Imagine you're dating someone, and it's going well, maybe going really well. Maybe you're in this situation, maybe you've been in this situation in the past. There's this voice in the back of your head

that says, hey, don't lock this down, because what if there's something better? What if there's someone better? What if you're settling? You need to keep your options open. And there's this fear that commitment will lead to discontentment. That commitment will trap you. That commitment will steal your freedom. That if you say, hey, this is my person, then it might keep you from finding somebody better. But if you ask anyone who's been married for any length of time, anyone who's been happily married for any length of time, they'll tell you that contentment in a relationship doesn't come from keeping your options open. It comes from closing them. That commitment creates contentment. And until you make a commitment, you won't have much contentment. And that's true in a lot of different areas. It's true in your career. Like some of you have been job hopping for decades, and you're afraid to commit to a certain job because you think there might be somebody better out there or something better out there. But what if contentment is found in commitment? And after 30 years of ministry, I could just tell you that the most content people I know are the most committed people I know.

And the most restless and anxious and kind of the never have enough people, they're the ones who resist commitment. And so today, I just want us to explore this idea that it is our commitments that lead to contentment. And the reason a lot of you are struggling with contentment is because you haven't made commitments. Commitment leads to contentment. So with that in mind, let me just ask you a question. I want you to answer this honestly, meaning that I want you to have a real answer in your head when I ask this question. Okay, here's the question. How much money would you need to make you feel content? How much, not to be rich, not to be wealthy, but just to make you feel content. What's the dollar figure? Just get that in your head. Do you have it? Lots of research has been done on this contentment question of how much would it take? And what's fascinating is it doesn't really matter how much you currently make. The answer is almost always the same. It's always about 15 to 20% more than what you currently have. And so people who are making 50 grand a year say, how about 60? If I made 60, I think I'd be content. People who are making 500 grand a year,

how about 600? If I made 600, I think that'd be enough. I think I'd be content with that. People who are making a million a year, 1.2. If I was making an extra 200 grand, I think I'd be content with that. Like it turns out that contentment is this moving target that enough is just always out of reach. In fact, in psychology, there's a term for this. It's called the arrival fallacy. And it's based on this idea that we think the horizon, like where we're looking, when I reach that, then I'll be content and I'll be happy, but we never quite arrive that it's not a certain level of compensation or accumulation that determines our contentment. There's a psychologist named Tim Kasser who's spent over a decade studying materialism. And what happens to people when they organize their lives around the accumulation of wealth or possessions, he's researched thousands of people across different ages and income levels and cultures. And here's what he found. He said, people whose values center around the accumulation of wealth have significantly higher risks of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, and problems with intimacy. They tend to just become more and more isolated. Now, what most of us do is we hear that research and we're like, yeah. Those rich people.

And yet, here's the consistent part of this research. It's not about how much you have or don't have. It's not really about income level. It's not necessarily about net worth. It's about orientation. And you can be rich and you can be poor. It just comes down to what are you living for? What are you orienting your life around? And so Paul talks to us about this in Philippians 4 starting in verse 11. He says, I'm not saying this because I'm in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need. I know what it is to have plenty. Paul's been on both extremes. He's had abundance and he has been dependent. And he says, I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well-fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. And then verse 13, you'll recognize this one. I can do all things through him who gives me strength. And so do you see what Paul says here? He refers to contentment as a secret. I have learned the secret of being content. And so he treats contentment like it's insider information, like it's something that most people never figure out, like it's a code that needs to be cracked. And I think he's right. Because contentment seems like it's one of the best kept

secrets of our culture. We spend our lives chasing it, but we just never seem to find it. And it's just ironic that here we are living in the most affluent culture in the history of the world, and yet we are, objectively, some of the most discontent people who've ever lived. And so Paul says, I've learned this secret. So he uses the word secret. The other word I'd point you to here is the word learned. He uses it twice. It's something I've learned. It didn't come intuitively to me. I wasn't born being content. It's something I've had to learn along the way. And if you're a parent with young kids, like you get this, you understand that you have to teach children contentment. They have to learn contentment. They're not naturally content. They naturally want more of whatever it is they want. So you have to teach them to be content. So how do you teach a child? How does a child learn contentment? Do you teach a child contentment by giving them what they want? It feels like that would be the way to do it. Like they're freaking out in the grocery store line because of something they want that is eye-level to them at the checkout counter. The way to make them content

is to let them get whatever they want. It feels like that's the right thing to do. Just give them what they want. Then they'll be happy. Then they'll be content. And yet what we know is that's not how it works with kids. If you wanna raise a discontent child, give them everything they want. That's a sure way for your child to grow up feeling discontent in life. Last year, I took my oldest grandson, McKay, to breakfast and then to pick out a toy at Goodwill. This is a thing we do. And listen, I don't want all of you to start doing it. You'll drive up those prices at Goodwill. I don't need that. So it's our thing. We go for pancakes, and then we go treasure hunting at Goodwill. About a year ago, when I took him to do this, I took him to Goodwill. It's a place where you can pick out one toy from the toy aisle, anything you want from the toy aisle. And he picks out this little stuffed animal, George the monkey. Here's a picture of him I took while we were there. He picked up George from the Goodwill toy aisle, and everything seemed to be going well. We're headed to the checkout line. But in order to get to the checkout line,

you have to walk past the bikes. And sitting there amongst the bikes was this little red scooter car. You know what I'm talking about? It's the one where a toddler would sit in it, and then they can make it go by scooting their feet along. Has a horn, has a steering wheel. And he sees it and just locks onto it. I'd already told him, one toy from the toy aisle. This isn't the toy aisle, this is the bike aisle. I'm trying to explain to him as a two-year-old. But he runs over, he climbs in, he starts scooting around in this car. I'm like, no, buddy, you've already picked out your toy. One toy, just one toy. Do you remember? He did not. No, he did not remember, he's not calling this to mind. So I try to, he's inside the car, this little window. I try to pull him out of the car. And this is when I discover that my grandson has the grip strength of a baby gorilla. He is holding on to that steering wheel, like death grip. And I finally get his legs out. And so I'm pulling on his legs while he's holding on to the steering wheel. And he starts screaming. Now we're starting to draw attention to ourselves. There's a woman over in the kitchenware aisle pretending to look at a blender,

but I know she's judging me. I'm like, it's not my son, which sounds. It's not helpful either. I'm trying to treat this like a teachable moment. So I calmly, but through girded teeth say, buddy, I need you to let go of the car. And he turns around, he says, no. And I'm yanking his legs like I'm trying to start a lawnmower, trying to get him out of that car. And he discovers the horn, he starts honking the horn. And in that moment, like I've got this question, do I stand firm and teach this boy about contentment and not getting what you want in life? And I'm like, no, you know what? I'm the grandpa, that's not my job. That's his parents' job, I'll let them worry about that. I don't need to worry about that. But what do we know? We know intuitively that giving a child everything they want isn't how you teach a child contentment. It's not how you produce a content child, it's how you produce an entitled child. If you want a child to grow up unhappy and discontent in life, then you give them everything they want when they're young. But if you want them to be content, then you say no when you set limits and you teach them to be grateful for what they have. And just because you can say yes, doesn't mean you should say yes.

And so we know this with our kids, but as adults, there's something within us that thinks, yeah, but if I can get my little red car, if I can get what I want, I really think I would be content. And so we teach this to them, but then we have a hard time remembering it ourselves. And Paul uses the word learned, and this word here for learned is not like learning information. It's learning that happens through practice. Does that make sense? It's not an intellectual discovery that he made to teach him contentment. An example of this might be like, if you're learning to play an instrument, you could read a book on how to play the instrument, but that information, even though you're learning, it's not what teaches you how to play the instrument. What teaches you how to play the instrument is what? It's practice. You learn through practice, and that's what Paul is saying here is I've learned contentment through practice. Verse 13, I can do all things through him who gives me strength. One of the most misused verses in the Bible. Maybe you saw like Olympic athletes over this past month kind of claim this verse for being able to win the gold.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, and we've tried to turn this verse into achievement and about winning and accomplishing our goals, but that's not the context. Paul says I've learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Then he says I can do all things through him who gives me strength. All things here isn't about winning championships or closing deals or achieving dreams. It's about contentment. All things is I can be at peace in all circumstances, whether full or hungry, whether having plenty or having nothing. I can be content in all circumstances and in every situation through Jesus who gives me strength. And so the secret to contentment then is not a principle. It's not a strategy. It's not a formula. It's a practice, and it's a person. It's a practice, and it's a person. Specifically, the person is Jesus, that Jesus is the secret to contentment. It's not about having more. It's about who has you. It's not about an amount. It's about a relationship. And it gets really interesting. This next section, verse 13, he keeps going. These next verses reveal something surprising

about how contentment actually works. Just as a reminder, this whole passage, this whole letter is really a thank you note where Paul is thanking the church in Philippi for their generosity. So verses 14 through 18, he says, yet it was good for you, good of you, to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving except you only. For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. And so Paul's talking to this church about the fact that they're a generous church. Like, they're really generous. They're the only church that had supported him financially when he was getting started. And they had helped him again and again and again. But watch what he says in verse 17. He says, not that I desire your gifts, not that I desire your offerings, what I desire is that more be credited to your account. Paul says, look, what I'm most excited about in your giving is not what your giving did for the ministry, it's what your giving is doing for you. What I desire most, he says, is that it be credited. did to your account, that this generosity

that we're talking about, yeah, it blessed me and I'm grateful for that. Yes, it blessed the kingdom and the work of the mission, but what I'm really grateful is that you added to your heavenly account, and this is so helpful. Because when we are talked to in scripture about generosity, our motivation is oftentimes, like, okay, well, here's what my generosity can do. And it kind of makes us feel important, like, okay, here's what we were able to accomplish because we were generous. But if you look at this passage here, Paul's emphasis is not on the kingdom impact that's happening out there, it's on the kingdom impact happening in here. Imagine that you're 32 years old, you sit down with a financial advisor, and maybe for the first time, and you talk to this financial advisor about retirement, and the financial advisor creates this account and says, hey, you need to start putting money in every month into this account. But you've got a truck payment, and you've got kids and travel ball and a mortgage, and so you don't really do it. But the financial advisor keeps pushing you to do it. And you start to get annoyed with the financial advisor. You're like, every time we get together, you're always preaching to me about this account. You're always preaching to me

about where I need to be putting my money. And so you start avoiding the financial advisor. But the thing is, that financial advisor is not doing his or her job unless they're saying, hey, this is the account that you need to have in mind. Because when you're 65, you're gonna walk into your financial advisor's office, and they'll be like, how's that account doing? They're like, well, you didn't put any money in it. You told me you didn't want to hear about it. You told me to stop preaching to you about it. And for that financial advisor, like for him or her to be good at their job, it's because they're pointing you to this account. I actually have a friend who's a financial advisor who told me that he does this with some of his clients who are believers, followers of Jesus, that he creates different accounts for them. And on their giving account, he doesn't call it like their giving thing. He calls it their eternity account. And so he has their retirement account, their emergency account, their eternity account. And he sees it as part of his job, because he doesn't want to one day in heaven see them, and they come up to him and be like, why didn't you tell me about this account? And so he's constantly pointing them to that account. And this is what scripture says, that it's the invitation of Jesus.

Jesus says, to store up for yourself treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy, thieves don't break in and steal. Last year, after our young commitment night, I, about a week later, was in my notes app on my phone, and I saw this note that said, move commitment. And I thought it must have been mine, but I didn't remember making it. But here's the thing. Like, in our house, I don't know how it is with you, but even though my kids are out of the house, a number of us still share an iCloud account, because it keeps, you know, it's just kind of convenient for pictures and photos and things like that. But sometimes, our notes, I don't know how it all works, but sometimes our notes get saved onto that iCloud account. So I saw this move commitment. I thought it was mine. It wasn't mine. It was one of my kids. I didn't know that. I clicked on it. I'm not trying to be nosy, but I clicked on it, and it had the commitment that they had made to move, and kind of their monthly giving for the next two years, what it would be. And I'm a little embarrassed to tell you this, but when I clicked on that and saw that as a dad, my first response was, that's too much. My first response was, hey, you're not at the right season

in life for this. You need to be thinking about saving for a house, and you need to be thinking about, like my first response was caution. And it revealed something in me. It revealed that as much as I want to believe what I'm teaching on what Jesus says about storing up for yourself treasures in heaven, there's part of me that isn't fully convinced. Because if I was fully convinced, I would have seen that, and it would have been like, that's awesome. I would have celebrated it fully. But my first response was a little bit protection. And it just shows us that this is a hard thing. Like this is a hard thing for us to understand and to accept. Look at verse 18. I have received full payments, and I have more than enough. I am amply supplied, Paul says, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts that you sent, their fragrant offering, and acceptable sacrifice pleasing to God. So what's he saying here? He's saying that your generosity is an act of worship. It's an act of worship. You're adding to your eternal account, and it's an act of worship. Verse 19, one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. And my God will meet all your needs

according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. That you have been so generous. And God will meet not some of your needs, not most of your needs, He's gonna meet all your needs according, not to your riches, but according to His riches. God's gonna take care of you. And one thing, I've been in ministry for 30 years. One of the things I've never seen is I've never seen anyone out give God. I've just never seen it. And so in this series, we've spent time talking about where our moved generosity is going and where the kind of impact it's having, but we've really focused on not just where we are moving, but how we are moving. And I love how Philippians has challenged us in this and how the testimonies have inspired us. So let's just watch a quick recap of these last five weeks. As we're on this journey, this move journey, it's an invitation that we're in the middle of responding to, and the two invitations for move was number one, 100% engagement. Look, our challenge to you unapologetically is don't just come to church. Be a part of what God is doing here. If you're not in a group, join a group. If you're not serving, serve. If you're not giving, give. If you're not part of the prayer life of this church,

be a part of the prayer life of the church. Commit yourself to it. The second goal was two years of sacrificial generosity. We committed to giving $266 million over a two-year period, but here we are at the halfway point, and I just want us to talk about this idea of what fuels us when the feelings fade. It's not guilt that works. It's not pressure. It's not obligation. We've got grace, and we've got God's love, and we've got this deeper motivation, and so here's what I would say. What motivates us in the middle is gratitude. It's gratitude. The legacy is gonna continue. It started on our knees, and so within our marriage, our prayer is a priority. What if every single one of us prayed a dangerous prayer that sounds like this? God, what do you wanna do in me and through me? You're kind of saying, God, I'm telling you up front, I'm gonna do it. Just tell me what it is. At that point, we decided we're gonna ask the Lord to open doors. We're gonna identify the mountains that he has to move, and we're gonna start walking this path. What does it look like? We have to be willing for it to cost us everything.

We're not worshiping in this room today, in this building, if not for so many who have sacrificed in so many different ways across our church to say yes to how God called them. It's not about the church needing it. It's just about our obedience and our hearts. And I think that's what God was trying to teach me in that moment. No, I don't need your money. I just want your heart. And if I can separate it from this money, then I'll have it, and he did. I wanna be a part of a church that is defined more by how God is working through us than what divides us. God has moved in you. You've been comforted by his love. You share in the life of his Spirit, and so because of that, let that same love move through you. We have more peace and contentment than we ever have, and it is 100% because of the commitment we made to move. Man, I just cannot imagine what he can do with more buy-in from more people. Like, if God can use us, he can use anybody. And that is the invitation, that we will be a people who are defiant in our joy. This is how we rebel against this world, that it can take so many things from us, but it cannot steal our joy.

And all giving it to God is just more of less me and more of what can I do for others? And ultimately, how is God going to use me, and how am I gonna make myself available to him? Remember how this church constantly loves people one at a time, and remember that this church just doesn't talk about being the hands and feet of Jesus, but this church actually serves, and gets his hands dirty, and gets his feet tired. And I just remember this, and I just am grateful. I just say, God, thank you. My heart is full of gratitude, and I just cannot wait to see what he does next. We are in the middle church, and I want you to know, I would not want to be in the middle with anyone else. I love you, I thank God for you. I cannot wait to see what he does next. Let's move forward with gratitude. And honestly, like that has been, for me, the, I don't know, unexpected, but primary emotion over this last year, it's just being grateful, just recognizing what we get to be a part of. When I first came to Southeast, I was 26 years old. I turned 50 this next week. And I would sometimes sit in elders meetings where we would talk about the budget or money. money being spent. And I was allowed to sit in there, but I wasn't really allowed to say anything. And so I would sit in there,

and I would sometimes hear this question get asked that I didn't really understand, but I thought I got the idea of it. They would say, one of them would say, well, what would Doris think? What would Doris think? And as we were preparing for the series, one of our former elders shared a story that when Southeast was growing and preparing to move from Hikes Lane property, we held our very first generosity initiative, doing everything we could to raise some money for what we believed God was calling us to. But there was one gift that kind of stood out above all the rest, and it wasn't because it was a certain dollar figure. In fact, it was from an elderly widow whose husband had been a truck driver. Her name was Doris Chisholm. She didn't have any immediate family, and when the generosity initiative came, Doris gave a gift that looked like was probably most, if not all, of her life savings. And so the elders, every time they made a decision about spending money from that point forward, they would ask themselves, what would Doris think? Like her generosity shaped how they stewarded every dollar. Doris died not long after that initiative. She never stepped foot in this building or any of our campuses.

She never really got to see what she sacrificed so much for. She didn't get to see any of the baptisms that took place in that new space. And I think about her sometimes. I thought about her this week. That when thousands of people are getting baptized, like, she's a part of that. I was sitting at a table a few days ago in Dallas at a conference with pastors, different churches, and at my table there were five other pastors, and three of them were pastors of churches that we had been partners in planting. Three of them wanted to make sure I said to all of you, thank you for your generosity because you helped plant this church in these different parts of the country. And I just thought of Doris and what she was a part of. And that you can trace, you can trace so much of what God is doing and has done to this elderly widow with almost no family who opened up her hands and just gave what she had. And so, church, now it's our turn, and I just want to invite you to pull out your commitment card, and I just want you to hear me clearly as you do this. Listen to me, some of you who I know are cynical and skeptical about all these things. We don't need your money. The church doesn't need your money.

I'm not inviting you to give because of that. I'm inviting you to give so it'll be added to your account because your soul needs the freedom that generosity brings because God in his sovereignty designed it so that the church would be his hands and feet. He doesn't need us, and yet the way he has designed it is he's invited us. And so I'm thankful for this opportunity. Jesus said it's more blessed to give than to receive. I just really believe that's true. It's more blessed, more joyful, there's more contentment on the other side of it. So I just want to walk you through this card. Some of you are making a commitment for the first time. You've started coming to church in the last year since we launched MOVE, but you weren't here when we started. Or maybe you were here and you just weren't quite sure about it, but since then you're like, you know what, I really want to be a part of it. And this is your weekend to do that. We want you to jump in with both feet. Today is your day. And so I just want to encourage you to fill out the card, to make a one-year commitment. I've been amazed at the things that we've been able to say yes to because of the commitments that have been made. I want you to hear me on this.

God's love for you and our love for you has zero connection to whether or not you turn in a card. Hear me? God's love for you and our commitment to you as a church has nothing to do with what number you put on this card. It is our prayer that this card would be a joyful response to the prayer, God, what do you want to do in me and through me, that this should be an expression of gratitude. This is not meant to be an expression of pressure. It's not meant to be an expression of obligation. If that's where you're at, then I just encourage you not to put a card in. I would encourage you to just press pause. That's not what this is meant to be. Some of you have been on this journey with us over the past year and you've made a commitment and you've been faithful, but today we just want to encourage you to turn in a card as a way to say I'm finishing strong. It's a recommitment. I'm gonna finish what I started. I just want to say thank you for your faithfulness and for your sacrifice. for your courage, it is amazing what God is doing through our church. And then there's some of you who are on this journey and your original commitment wasn't easy, required a lot of faith, but if you were honest you would say, you know, it really didn't represent

my first and my best, it didn't really represent sacrifice and I wanna give in a way that represents that. Verse 17, so that even more would be added to your account. As we've said from the beginning, this is not about a fundraiser or a capital campaign, it is a discipleship journey. And so the band's gonna play here in a minute and we're gonna give you a few minutes just to prepare your card. Some of you've already got that filled out, just take this time to dedicate that to the Lord, to pray over it, to ask God to give you faith, to fulfill what he's calling you to do. Some of you haven't written it down yet, so take a few minutes, you can write that down. Fill out that card, if you're with your spouse, feel free to talk quietly with them, but let this be a time of worship, a time to think and to pray, a time to write. Stay seated where you are as you fill out this card, as you pray, and then in just a few minutes after the band plays, we'll have a moment of commitment as an act of worship, so take a few minutes and fill out your card. Amen. So in just a moment, we're gonna move together, and again, this is an act of worship. If it's not that for you, then please do not feel obligated in any way to be a part of it. You'll see blue move commitment boxes

placed all around at each campus. They're down front, they're in key spots throughout the room, so after I pray, the campus teams will dismiss at each campus, kind of guide you through this moment, this commitment time, this time of worship. Let this be an outward declaration of the work God is doing in you and through you, a way of saying, hey, I'm not sitting on the sidelines. The more I see the darkness in this world, the more I recognize the soon return of Christ that is coming, I want my life, and I want my decisions, and I want my giving to reflect that reality. Our collective generosity is gonna fuel the mission that God has called us to, so let every step you take be a recognition that this is a step that changes lives and changes eternity, and so let this be a time where you pray as you walk and you worship as you give. Let it be a sacred space, whether this is your first commitment or it's a recommitment, whether you're giving out of abundance or sacrifice, whether this step feels easy for you or terrifying, just wanna invite you to come and be a part of what God is doing, so let me pray for us, and then. We'll do this together. God, thank you for your grace towards us. You have been so generous to us that you've forgiven our sins. You've given us eternity.

You've given us hope, God, so that when things in this world seem so dark and so uncertain, it doesn't shake our foundation. We know who we are and we know what our future holds. God, this life is just a breath. We're only here for a moment. We get so caught up in the temporary trappings of this world. God, would you let this be a moment of clarity? Would you lift the veil from our eyes? Would you let us see eternity? Would you let us see the privilege that you're inviting us into? And God, my prayer is for generosity, not just so that it will impact the world out there, but it'll impact our worlds and our own hearts, that it'll be added to our account. So God, would you let this be a discipleship journey where we grow in our dependence and in our faith in you? God, I pray for the full force of the church to come together, that we would impact this world, that we would be obedient to your call, to be a light in the darkness, to be a city on a hill. It's in Jesus' name, amen. All right, so here's what we're gonna do. If you'll exit your row to the nearest aisle, if you'll find a blue box, a commitment box close by. If you're in the balcony, there are some commitment boxes in front of your sections as well, so feel free to use those. And then we're just gonna worship together,

celebrate some baptisms together. So let this be part of worship. Drop your commitment card in the box as an act of worship, then head back to your seat as we celebrate God's goodness and his grace and all that he has done. Go ahead and do that now. Amen. ♪ In us ♪ ♪ We wanna see a kingdom come in our church and in our city ♪ ♪ Spirit come move through us ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ We bring an offering, you bring the flame ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ Just have your way God ♪ ♪ Teach the hurting, Spirit come move in us ♪ ♪ Till we see the gospel taken to the corners of creation ♪ ♪ Spirit come move through us ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ We bring an offering, you bring the flame ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ We bring an offering, you bring the flame ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit have your way ♪ ♪ Just come and do what only you can Lord ♪ ♪ So let faith arise, let darkness flee ♪ ♪ A move of God like we've never seen ♪ ♪ Consuming fire, a rushing wind ♪

♪ A move of God, pour it out again ♪ ♪ So let faith arise, let darkness flee ♪ ♪ Let darkness flee from you Lord ♪ ♪ Like we've never seen consuming power ♪ Revival in our lives God, revival in our hearts Lord ♪ So let's raise our eyes, let darkness flee ♪ ♪ A move of God like we've never seen ♪ ♪ Consuming fire, a rushing wind ♪ ♪ A move of God pouring out again, yeah ♪ ♪ Pouring out again, yeah ♪ ♪ Comparing all again, oh yeah yeah ♪ ♪ Comparing all again, compare it all again ♪ ♪ Comparing all again, and again, and again ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit, have your way ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit, have your way ♪ ♪ Oh, we bring it on through, you bring the flame ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit, have your way ♪ ♪ Oh, we bring it on through, you bring the flame ♪ ♪ Holy Spirit, have your way ♪ ♪ You're our hope, our firm foundation ♪ ♪ You're our hope, our firm foundation ♪ ♪ How I long to breathe the air of heaven ♪ ♪ Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets ♪ ♪ To look upon the one who bled to save me ♪ ♪ And walk with him for all eternity ♪ Let it rise. ♪ There will be a day when all will bow before him ♪ ♪ There will be a day when death will be no more ♪ ♪ Standing face to face with he who died for us ♪ ♪ There will be a day when all will bow before him ♪

♪ There will be a day when death will be no more ♪ ♪ Standing face to face with he who died for us ♪ ♪ There will be a day when all will bow before him ♪ ♪ And in the end we'll see it all was worth it ♪ ♪ When he returns to wipe away our tears ♪ ♪ There will be a day when all will bow before him ♪ ♪ There will be a day when death will be no more ♪ ♪ Standing face to face with he who died and rose again ♪ ♪ Holy, holy is the Lord ♪ ♪ On that day we'll join the resurrection ♪ ♪ Come on you sing and stand with me ♪ ♪ With one voice come on would you sing to him ♪ ♪ Sing worthy is the lamb who was slain ♪ ♪ And on that day we'll join the resurrection ♪ ♪ We'll stand beside all those heroes of the faith ♪ ♪ And with one voice a thousand generations ♪ ♪ Sing worthy is the lamb who was slain ♪ ♪ He is the Lamb who was slain ♪ ♪ And on that day we'll join the resurrection ♪ ♪ So forever He shall reign ♪ ♪ Thank you Lord, so let it be today ♪ ♪ We shout the hymn of heaven ♪ ♪ With angels and with saints ♪ ♪ We raise a mighty roar, sing glory, glory to our God ♪ ♪ Who gave us life beyond the grave ♪ ♪ Holy, holy is the Lord, so let it be today ♪ ♪ We shout the hymn of heaven ♪ ♪ With angels and with saints ♪ ♪ We raise a mighty roar, sing glory to our God ♪ ♪ Who gave us life beyond the grave ♪

♪ Sing holy, holy is the Lord, sing He's holy, sing He's holy ♪ ♪ Holy, holy is the Lord, you're so holy God ♪ ♪ Holy, holy is the Lord, you're holy God ♪ Well, welcome back, Pando family. So glad that you joined us for worship today. And I love that we are wrapping up this move series, looking there in Philippians chapter four. And Kyle's reminder to us that, you know, we find contentment in commitment. I think that goes so backwards from how we normally operate or how we think the world works. We think, you know, if we have our own freedom, if we have our own way, you know, we're gonna find what makes us happy. But it's really in committing to God and committing to what He has for us that we find contentment, that we find joy, that we find hope. And I would just encourage you this commitment weekend, as you think about that prayer, God, what do you want to do in me and through me? You know, that whatever that answer is, whatever you feel the spirit is guiding you towards, commit yourself to that. Find your contentment, your joy in doing what it is that God has for you and committing to going wherever it is He wants you to go. This week, I wanna let you guys know that we're gonna be continuing on with the last episode of our MOVE podcast, episode six.

It's gonna drop on Thursday, so be on the lookout for that. But also know that our Pando exclusive podcast, it's gonna be coming back in the next couple weeks. We're gonna be sharing just what this MOVE message series means for you, how you can apply it to your life. We're gonna have a conversation about that with some of our friends. So I hope you'll join us for that and continue on as we pick back up in that Pando exclusive podcast. You know, these past few weeks, we have been closing with a prayer based on Paul's own prayer in Philippians chapter one. And I think as we wrap up this MOVE series, as we wrap up our time together in the book of Philippians, it's just a powerful way for us to take away the message of this book about joy and love and what Paul is wanting to accomplish not only in the life of the Philippians but in our lives today. So let me pray this prayer over you as we close up today. Father God, we pray that our love would abound more and more with all knowledge and all discernment so that we may approve, Father, what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ. Lord, we wanna be filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. So Father, to the glory and the praise of God, we pray all of these things in Jesus' name, amen. Thank you all for joining us again this week. We'll see you next time on Southeast Christian Church.