Well, hey everybody. Welcome to Valley Creek. It is so good that you're with us today. Hey, before we jump in, why don't we just welcome all of our campuses, whether you're in Gainesville, Denton, Lewisville, Flower Mound, or Online. Come on, can we just give it up for one another? My name is Justin. I get to serve as one of our student directors at our Flower Mound Campus. And hey, we hope you and your family had a great 4th of July week. See, every year we're just so grateful for this week to allow our teams, our staff, our buildings the chance to rest, so that we can come back rejuvenated and refreshed and ready for whatever it is that God wants to continue to do in and through our church. And so, once again, we hope you and your family had a great 4th of July week. And today, today we're jumping right back into our summer series, 60 Days of Unfamiliar Promises. And I know it's summer. We've got a million things going on. It's a trillion degrees outside. So, if I can, let me just give you a quick recap as to what we've been talking about throughout this series, because our series is 60 days of Unfamiliar Promises. And no, that's not a spelling error. We're talking about unfamiliar promises, and we say that, but really, they're familiar promises, like they're familiar because we see them everywhere. We see them in the clearance section of Hobby Lobby. We see them on Instagram, TikTok reels. People are like, dancing and pointing to the Scriptures. We see them painted on some dude's cleat or maybe his eye black. We see it stitched on grandma's pillows. We see it in all these places. And so, they're super familiar to us, but at the same time, they're unfamiliar. They're familiar to us. And so, we think we believe them, but we don't believe something when we think we believe something. We don't even believe something when we say we believe something. You know when we believe something, when we act as if it were so. So, if we actually believed these promises, that means we wouldn't struggle so much with things like fear, anxiety, worry, doubt. We wouldn't try to control or manipulate things. Why? Because our thoughts were filled with the promises of God.

And so, this is why so many promises in the Bible are actually unfamiliar to us because we don't act as if they were so. But one of our hopes for you during this series is that you wouldn't just be familiar with these promises, but that in Jesus' name, you would grab a hold of them, and that you would act as if they were so. And when we first started this series, we looked at this verse just talking about the promises of God. And it comes out of 2 Corinthians. It says, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are yes in Christ. And so, through him, the amen is spoken by us..." Y'all. "All of God's promises are a 'yes' in Jesus' name." That means they're facts, they're certain, they're never in question. And again, He's not talking about some of His promises. He’s talking about all of His promises. And then, it says, "The 'amen' is spoken by us." Essentially, that's saying, that's our chance to say, "I believe these promises. Like, I agree with these promises. I'm going to grab a hold of these promises, and I'm going to walk out these promises by faith." And so, in this series, we've just been saying that in order for us to really grab a hold of these things, we have to do three things. We have to claim the promises of God. We have to declare the promises of God, and we have to walk in the promises of God. Like, you have to claim the promises of God. You have to say those, like those are mine, because you can have a million dollars in your bank account, but go broke if you never actually claim it. So, you have to claim the promises of God and then you have to declare it. You have to speak it out loud. Speak it out loud, so your ears hear it and your heart can start to believe it. And then you have to walk in it. You have to act as if it were so, because in Jesus' name, it is. I mean, can you just imagine what your life would look like if your mind was filled with the promises of God, if the promises of God were your filter for how you viewed life, how you made decisions, how you had everyday normal interactions, your life would look drastically different. But this is the kind of life that Jesus invites us into. He invites us into a big life filled with the promises of God.

And so, this has been our invitation to this series. Each week, we've just been taking a super familiar promise, and we've been unpacking it together. And I'm excited to jump into the promise we're going to be talking about today, because it's one you've probably heard a million times. One that we may say when we hit hard times or trials, one that you may use to build someone up or encourage them, and it comes out of the Book of Philippians. And it says, and my God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. So, just like we've been doing throughout this series, I'm going to invite everyone across all of our campuses to declare this out loud with me by faith on the count of three. You ready? One, two, three. "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." That was good. But one more time, like you believe it. "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Come on, that's a promise. I mean, anyone else want to grab a hold of this one for their life? Believing by faith that no matter what, God is going to meet all of your needs. And we see this promise everywhere, don't we? Pillows, profiles, Pinterest, I don't know. Anybody still using Pinterest out there? See it tattooed on some dude in Cabo? We see it on the bumper sticker of someone's car. We see it in all these places. But wouldn't it be nice if this were true? Like, I want this promise to be true of my life. But I think if we're honest, this may be one of those promises we know, but we don't act as if it were so. And so, my prayer for you today is that you would grab a hold of this promise and that in Jesus' name, you would act as if it were so. But before we jump into this promise, I think it's important I give you a little context around this verse, because as you can tell, this verse comes out of the book of, you guessed it, Philippians, and the book of Philippians was a letter to the church in Philippi from Paul. Now, what you may not know about Philippi was Philippi was wealthy, prosperous. It was what some of the students I get to lead would refer to as boujee. And the reason it was boujee was because it was a Roman colony, meaning it belonged to the Roman Empire. Now, if you knew anything about the Roman Empire during this time, y'all, it was boujee. And since Philippi was a part of Rome, it actually meant that every citizen of Philippi got to declare Roman citizenship, and this was a big deal, because what you've got to understand is at the time, Rome was the superpower of the Earth. And so, if you were a citizen of Rome, that meant you had certain rights, certain privileges, certain freedoms that no one else had. And so, everyone in Philippi prided themselves in the fact that they were Roman citizens. They would dress like it, they would talk like it, they would act as if it were so. But then Paul comes on the scene and he starts to talk about the teachings of Jesus. You know, teachings like your citizenship isn't on Earth, it's actually in heaven. Teachings like you can't serve both God and money. Teachings like stop caring about what other people think about you, like what you eat, what you drink, what you wear, you know, teachings that contradicted everything the citizens of Philippi built their entire life on. Teachings that turned the benefits of being a Roman citizen upside down. And so, as I'm sure you can imagine, not everyone in Philippi loved the teachings of Jesus. Like not everyone in Philippi had ears to hear. In fact, the Bible tells us that Paul had to go to the outskirts of town to even share the Gospel. But as he does, it starts to work in people's lives. People begin to follow Jesus and their lives are changed forever. 

Now, fast forward a little. Paul has left Philippi and he's now sharing the Gospel in Rome. And so, if you think sharing the Gospel in a Roman colony was rough, how about sharing it in Rome itself? So, as Paul is sharing the Gospel, he's arrested, thrown into prison, typical Paul stuff. But as news of this spreads to the church in Philippi, it cuts him to the heart. Like here was Paul, the guy who had risked his life to bring the good news of the Gospel to them, and now he's thrown in prison in Rome for doing the same thing? And so, the Church in Philippi feels called to respond. So, they pull together. They take up an offering. They send Paul money to help support him during this time, because even though Paul was under house arrest, he still had to provide for his needs, like no one else was going to provide his needs for him. And so, the church in Philippi pulled together and they sent Paul money as a gift. And this is where after receiving their gifts from them, Paul responds in his letter to the Philippians saying, "And my God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." Paul closes his letter to the Philippians saying, "Hey Philippi, God is going to meet your needs." Why? Because God just met my needs and I need you to know that we serve a God who meets our needs, because that's who God is. God is a provider. Look at this verse. "For the Lord God is our son and our shield. He gives grace and glory. The Lord will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." The Lord will withhold no good thing, because He's a provider and He can't not provide for His children. And Paul needs the Philippians to know this, because the Philippians had just sacrificed part of their wealth. And I think it's hard to articulate just how big of a deal this was, because I’m sure if you're a Christian in Philippi, learning to give away part of your wealth was no easy thing to do, because their entire culture was built on it. I mean, these were people who lived in a culture of excess. But after hearing the teachings of Jesus, they began to live a different way. They began to rearrange their view towards things like finances, money, generosity, and the reason that this is so important for you and I to catch is because being a follower of Jesus in Philippi then, is probably a lot like being a follower of Jesus in America today. Because I don't know about you, but I've got what most of the world would consider some pretty excessive things in my life. For starters, my Costco membership, y'all, literally like, the epitome of excess. Don't get me wrong. I love it. I love it so much. But no one needs 50 rolls of toilet paper all at the same time, unless maybe it's Spring 2020. Or what about t-shirts and sweatshirts I accumulate over the years? I convince myself that every single time I buy one, I'll get rid of one. But my wife will tell you that never seems to happen. Or what about coffee mugs? I drink for maybe five or six any given week, but for whatever reason, we own 20 or 30, just in case, I guess. And hear me, please, these things in and of themselves, they're not bad things. It's okay that I own these things. But over time, I have convinced myself that some of these things are necessary things, that I need these things. But these things aren't needs, they're just wants. 

And what I'm having to learn about this promise is that it doesn't say, "My God will meet all of your wants." It says, "My God will meet all of your needs." See, in order for this promise to actually be fulfilled in our lives, we first have to understand it's not about getting everything we want, it's about getting everything we need. But I think if we’re honest, this is why for so many of us, this promise feels unfulfilled, because we didn't get the things we wanted. Like, we didn't get that spouse, or we didn’t get that job, or we didn't get that breakthrough, or we didn't get into that school, or into that friend group, but those things are just that, wants. And there's a big difference between the things you want and the things you actually need. And I need everyone to take a big, deep breath for me on this next one. Let it out. Because what this verse is saying is that if God didn't give it to you, even if it's a good thing, it means it's not good for you. If God didn't give it to you, even if it's a good thing, it means it's not good for you, because the Lord will withhold no good thing. The Lord will withhold no good thing from you. And so, believe it or not, that may have not been the best spouse for you, or the best job, or the best breakthrough, or the best friend group, or the best school. Why? Because God withholds no good thing from you, and if you can catch it, that right there, that's God actually meeting your needs. It's not Him giving you what you want; it’s Him giving you what you actually need. And so, like all promises, believing that God is going to meet all of my needs requires trust. And so, can I just ask you right out of the gate, do you trust God to meet your needs? Or if you look at the scope of your life, how you make decisions, do you trust more of yourself to meet your needs? Like, do you do everything in your own strength, believing that in you, all your needs will be met? Or do you let God be your strength, believing that in him, all of your needs are already met, because God is trustworthy? He withholds no good thing from you.

Psalm 103 says, "He satisfies our desires with good things, so that our youth can be renewed like the eagles." Come on, that's a promise. And again, hear me, there is nothing wrong in asking God for what we want. In fact, the Bible tells us to pray for the desires of our heart. But like any good parent, He won't always give you everything you want. He will always give you everything you need. Because if my two-year-old could live life his way, he would want chips and cookies for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Now, I certainly would not be doing my job as a parent to satisfy that want. Why? Because it would be horrible for him, that's why. And as much as he may not like it, it's not my job to give him everything he wants. It’s my job to give him everything he needs. So, can I just remind you? God is your Father, and He's a good Father, and He knows what you need. This is why Jesus tells us on the Sermon on the Mount, "For your Father knows what you," say it with me, "need, before you ask him." God already knows what you need before you even ask him. And He's a good Father, He's a provider, and He withholds no good thing from you. And I think it's important for us to also understand who or what gets to define our needs. Like, do we let the world define our needs, social media, the news, the people we compare our lives to, or live next to or go to school with? Or do we let God and His Word define our needs? Because when you and I can let God and His Word define our needs, we begin to discover this truth that I promise you, can radically change your entire life. And that is, God will always give you what you need to be who He's called you to be and do, what He's called you to do. God will always give you what you need to be who He's called you to be and do what He's called you to do, because that's who God is. I mean, think back to the Garden. God's original design for you and for me in the Garden, we had everything we needed. And so, there were no college saving funds, no 401ks, no Roth IRAs, no Teslas, no iPhones. The only Amazon was the Garden itself, and I'm pretty sure it was better than free two-day shipping. Yes, I've been sitting on that one. But in the Garden, you and I had everything we needed to be who we were called to be and to do what we were called to do. But then instead of letting God continue to define those needs, we begin to let the world define our needs. And so, could it just be that since then, so many of us work so hard to get everything we want in life that we never actually get what we need from God? Like, what if the things you think are needs are actually the very thing that's stopping you from becoming who God has called you to be and doing what God has called you to do? And the reason I ask is, because we see this all throughout Scripture. I mean, think about the Israelites. The Israelites wanted food from the world, but what the Israelites needed was bread from heaven. Gideon wanted a bigger army, but what Gideon needed was to trust God, believing that He was who God said He was. The disciples wanted Jesus to remain in the flesh, but what the disciples needed was for his Holy Spirit to dwell within them. What about Paul? You think Paul wanted to be under house arrest? This dude had been hoofing it, risking his life, hustling on mission for quite some time. I promise, he was ready for the all-inclusive getaway, the good friends, the good food, the good times. But Paul had everything he needed to be who he was called to be and to do what he was called to do. And so, Paul learned something that few of us ever do, that what you need from God is really what you want in life. What you need from God is really what you and I want, like truly want in life, because when we have what we need from God, we have freedom. We have joy, we have peace, we have strength, we have breakthrough. We have everything we're searching for in the world. But instead of trying to find it in finances, possessions, relationships, status, power, appearance, like how you look, instead of trying to find it in all the ways the world convinces us we find it, we actually find it in God, who promises to meet all of our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.

And so, if you've ever felt like God's withholding something from you, can I just tell you, God is not out to get you and you're in good company. But it’s because He knows that in withholding that thing, it will actually help you become who He has called you to be and do, what He’s called you to do. And by the way, He also knows whatever that thing is, it won’t be good for you in the temporary. Because if you think about it, so many of the things we want in life have no eternal value. They only have temporary value, Costco membership. But this is why the Bible tells us to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary, but on what is unseen, which is eternal." God plays the long game, y'all. He's not just interested in your 90 years of life here on planet Earth. He's interested in the 90 trillion years you're going to spend with Him forever in eternity. And so, He's interested in doing a deeper work in all of us, a far more important work, a work that lasts through fruit that lasts. And so, He tells us to fix our eyes on Him, because when we fix our eyes on God, we will see that He will meet all of our needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. And so, do you know what your needs are? Truly, like, do you know what your needs are? Because Jesus tells us in the Sermon on the Mount that our needs in this life are clothing and food. But when you think about eternity, like when you think about who you're becoming, do you know what your needs are? Because you and I, more than anything, in order to be who God has called us to be and do what God has called us to do, need the grace of God, the Spirit of God, the Word of God, the people of God, and the mission of God. In order for us to become who God has called us to be and do what God has called us to do, we need the grace of God, the Spirit of God, the Word of God, the people of God, and the mission of God. And in Jesus, all of these needs are already met. This is why Paul can say, "I know what it's like to be perfectly content in every circumstance. Even like shipwrecks, beaten half to death, bitten by a poisonous snake, yep, still know what it's like to be perfectly content in all those circumstances." Why? Because Paul knew he had what he needed. He had the grace of God, he had the Spirit of God, the Word of God, the people of God, and the mission of God. Paul had everything he needed. But this isn't just a promise for Paul. It's a promise for you, and it's a promise for me. We can be perfectly content in every circumstance if we can grab a hold of this promise and act as if it were so. And this promise isn't just something to quote when you go through the crisis, or when you get the diagnosis, or when you go through the breakup, or when the kids are acting all wayward. Yes, those are great times to remind yourself of this promise. But just like all of God's promises, it's bigger than that. It's a promise to change the way we live our everyday life, because if you believed every single day that God would meet all of your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus, you have nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of, nothing to worry about, nothing to control, because you knew no matter what, God was going to meet all of your needs.

And I know all this sounds too good to be true, but it's not. God can and will meet all of our needs. We just have to know what our needs are and we have to look for them. And there was someone in the Bible other than Paul who did this better than most, someone who believed by faith that God would meet all of his needs and that person is Abraham. And we see this played out in the story of him and his son, Isaac. You see, Abraham had waited his whole life for a son, someone to carry on his name, his legacy. And after 100 years of waiting, the Lord gives Abraham a son he calls Isaac. But one day, God tells Abraham to go up a mountain, and instead of sacrificing an animal, he wants him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Now I'm just saying, if I'm Abraham, this is maybe where I call it. This is maybe where I tell God, "No thanks," because if you know the story, it's not like God asked Abraham hypothetically, like, "Hey, if I were to ask you to do this, what would you say?" And I think for so many of us, we can play the hypothetical game all day long. But God told Abraham to do this. So, Abraham had to climb the mountain. He had to gather the wood. He had to grab hold of the weapon and place Isaac on the altar. And as Abraham is moments away from taking his life, probably in shock, he looks up and you know what he sees? He sees a ram caught in the thicket. And in that moment, God says, "Stop. Don't lay a hand on the boy." And so, Abraham goes over, and instead of sacrificing Isaac, he actually sacrifices the ram instead. But here's what's fascinating. The ram had always been there. Abraham just couldn't see it. It's not like the Bible tells us that all of a sudden, like poof, like God manifested a ram out of thin air. The ram had always been there. Abraham just had his eyes fixed on his circumstances. The ram was in the thicket. He just couldn't see it. And how often do you and I do the same? God tells us to put things in our life on the altar. And instead of looking up, instead of taking our eyes off of our circumstances, we keep them fixed down. And I know for some of you, you're here today, and there's things in your life that feel out of control, things that you're afraid to lose. Can I just tell you, there's a ram in the thicket, you just can't see it. Like, there's a ram in the thicket for your marriage, you just can't see it. There's a ram in the thicket for your finances, you just can't see it. There's a ram in the thicket for your healing and your breakthrough and your family and your relationships with Jesus. There's a ram in the thicket. You just can't see it. How do I know? Because my God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. There's a ram in the thicket. You just can't see it. 

And about three months ago, about three months ago, there was a ram in the thicket in my life. I just couldn't see it. About three months ago, my wife and I had some unexpected financial struggles. We had significant foundation problems in our home, boo, a plumbing leak underneath, like all the way underneath our house. Our AC system went out, like not just a part of it, like the whole thing. We had to redo an entire shower. We had an engine leak in one of our cars. And no joke, all of this happened in a span of about 12 days. And as it was all, yeah, thank you. As it was all unfolding, you'll never guess what happened to me. I got invited to teach this message. And our church and our staff didn't have kind of the full picture to what had been going down yet, but I can just tell you today, God knew. God knew for sure. And when I found out what promise I was going to get to teach on, I just started to laugh. You know why? Because God will give you everything you need to be who He's called you to be and do what He's called you to do. See, I wasn't acting as if this promise were so. I believed this promise. I shared this promise. I would disciple other people with this promise, but God knew I wasn't living this promise. There were a whole lot of Isaacs in my life that hypothetically I thought when the time came, sure, I'd be more than willing to put those things on the altar. But I can just tell you that when it did, I did not want to do that. I did not want to place those things in their rightful place. Like, I didn't want to climb the mountain, I didn't want to gather the wood, I didn't want to put them where they belonged. But God knew that those things were getting in the way of me experiencing true freedom, true life, true kingdom, true joy, and things that aren't bad things, things like our savings account, things like a hope for a new car for our family as we keep growing, things like a fund for our boys and their future, things that aren't bad things, but things that aren't needs. They're just wants.

And I could stand here today and tell you that just like Joseph, God took what the enemy meant to harm me and he turned it for my good. He used those things to set me free and give me what I actually needed, because what I actually needed was just more of Him. The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. You know another way to say that? I shall not want, because the Lord is my shepherd. Y'all, Jesus is our ram in the thicket. Jesus is our ram in the thicket. Jesus stood in our place. He let His life be taken instead of ours, so that we can experience life to the full. And because of Jesus, you know what I had? I had the grace of God. I had the Spirit of God. I had the Word of God, the people of God, and the mission of God. Because of Jesus, in spite of my circumstances, I had everything I needed. And this is why our promise ends with, "My God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." In Jesus, you and I have everything we need in life. We have the riches of His wealth, the riches of His healing, the riches of His wisdom, His abundance, His mercy, His grace. In Jesus, we have the riches of His kingdom. And so, can I just ask you? Do you have a Paul or an Abraham story in your life, a story where you saw a ram in the thicket, a story where all of your needs were met? Because I can promise you, if you and I spend our whole lives trying to get everything we want in life, we'll never get what we actually need from God. But Jesus says, what good is it to gain the world if you lose your soul in the process? But what if there was a way to keep your soul and get everything you needed in the process, because this is what Jesus invites us into with His promise. In Jesus, there's always a ram in the thicket. Sometimes, we just can't see it. And so, maybe what you and I need to surrender more than anything is what we want in the world. Because when we can surrender what we want in the world, you know what we find? We find everything we need in Jesus. Like Abraham was given a ram to sacrifice instead of Isaac, but Abraham didn't see the ram until he surrendered his wants and believed by faith that God had already met all of his needs. Paul received a blessing from the Church in Philippi. But Paul didn't receive the blessing until he surrendered his wants and believed by faith that God had already met all of his needs. And recently, my family and I received an anonymous gift from some families and our church that covered to the penny, every single expense we paid for. But we didn’t receive the blessing until we were made to surrender, like fighting tooth and nail, our wants, and believed by faith that God had already met all of our needs. Like because of the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus, we had everything we needed. But in this instance, God took care of our physical needs as well. He satisfied our desires with good things. 

And I don't know how God will move in your life or your circumstances. But what I do know is that God knows what you need and He withholds no good thing from you. Just remember, God gets to define what those needs are, because He’s not a make-a-wish. He's a provider. And He's a good provider. He's a good father. And He wants to provide you with good things as His beloved son or daughter. And so, what does this promise look like in your life? Like, how do we walk this promise out? How do we let it become a part of who we are and change the way we live? Well, just like we've been saying all throughout this series, we claim it, we declare it, and we walk in it. And so, like right now, in spite of anything that's going on in your life and your circumstances, can you just claim, like unclaimed luggage at the airport, like, that's mine. This promise, my God will meet all of my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Yeah, that's my promise. I claim that, I claim that in Jesus' name. And then you have to declare it. You have to speak it out. Y'all, I cannot tell you, when we were going through the financial struggles, how many times I would speak this verse out. And there would be days I believed it and days I struggled to believe it. Days I said it one time, days I said it a hundred times. Days I'd be walking around the house and my sons would look at me and be like, "Dad, what are you doing?" And I'd say, "Sons, I'm winning the battle." The battle up here, because the enemy wants to tell me God won't meet all of my needs, but God's promises tells me a different story. And so, I'm winning the battle. Because spoiler alert, the battle is over. We've already won. But we have to declare from a place of victory. And don't just declare it in crisis. Declare it when things are good. Like, declare it as gratitude. Declare it as blessing. Declare it prophetically over someone's life and all things declared. And then finally, you got to walk in it. You have to act as if it were so, because in Jesus, it is. Jesus is our ram in the thicket. And so, God's goodness is always in front of us in spite of our circumstances. Sometimes, we just have to look up and fix our eyes on Him, because when we do, we will see that God will always give us everything we need to be who He has called us to be and do what He has called us to do. And so, Valley Creek Church today, I just want to declare over you prophetically, my God will meet all of your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. And so, let's claim that. Let's declare that and let's walk in it, in Jesus name. 

Would you close your eyes with me? Come on, y'all, what's the Holy Spirit saying to you? Jesus, thank You that You are our ram in the thicket, that in You, we have everything we need. We have the riches of Your life, the riches of Your kingdom. And so, would we not not claim this promise? Would we claim, would we grab a hold of this promise, so that it can change, not just our crisis, but that it can change the way we live every single day of our life, believing by faith that my God will meet all of my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Come on, Valley Creek. God will always give you everything you need to be who He has called you to be and do what He has called you to do. And so, Jesus, we thank You for this promise. We pray this in Your name. Amen.