Overcoming Fear: Trusting God's Plan for Abundance

I'm MJ, and I'm Maya. This week, we are taking your kids on a journey to discover that life with Jesus is an adventure. We are learning that this adventure is realized in our lives when we do what Jesus says, believe who Jesus is, love who Jesus loves, and share what Jesus did and go where Jesus leads.

We had 1,017 kids participate in this adventure and over 424 volunteers sign up to make this adventure possible for your kids. We gave the kids an opportunity to follow Jesus, and many of them made that decision. Yes, it was an amazing week! Check out all the fun we had.

Awesome! That was an incredible week, and one of my favorite things after 26 years of doing VBS is that the one thing that does not change is the kids—the fun that they have, the way that they develop and learn and grow, the new friends they encounter. It's emotional, honestly, to watch it, and it never gets old.

One of my favorite moments was when I was passing through the fourth and fifth-grade snack in small group time. All the kids had their pizza around their tables, and their small group leaders were leading them in discussion. By the way, 55 of our volunteers were teenagers, and they leveled up this year. I'm so proud of them, seriously. I watched these leaders discuss Jesus and the Bible with these kids, and these kids were getting it. The light bulbs were turning on, and I was overwhelmed by what God was doing right here, right now.

To be a part of this life-changing adventure is something that you can't count; you can't put words to. 87 kids made first-time decisions, 44 kids rededicated their lives to Jesus, and many kids stepped forward on their spiritual journey. You guys are all a part of this when you give here at Crossroads. Life-changing things for over a thousand kids and all of their families happen. So if you've never given before or if you're wondering about giving, I would invite you to give—give financially because it matters to the next generation. You can give in multiple ways: online, on the app, through the buckets as they get passed around, the bins in the rooms, through Venmo, scan the QR code, whatever way you want. Give out of the gratitude that you have to Jesus for all these things that we get to be a part of.

Join me in prayer. Thank you so much, Jesus, for the moments and for the individuals and for the lives that were touched this last week. For all the volunteers, for the kids, for their families. I just pray that you touch them with your presence, help your love be so tangible and real to them. Thank you for the opportunity to bless them and to encourage them in Jesus this week. Thank you for taking our money and using it for something that matters for eternity. In Jesus' name, amen.

With Steve Weatherford, we have come up with a challenge to put him on Sixth Street and tell him to pick a fight. We know that he is traumatized from his childhood experiences with snakes, so we thought of finding a birth pain simulator or going to a place where they raise bees and making him put on a suit and walk through billions of bees. We also thought of making him bathe in honey and going to a forest to see who comes out. We could also try cage diving or putting some chum in the water and making him swim. We could even ask the congregation to come up with the worst tattoo ever and give him a tattoo.

My uncle and I were at Ulta four years ago, and he asked if they do manscaping with threaded eyebrows and fade. We thought of having someone else cut his hair and call it the Cade fade. We then took it to Pastor Chuck to get it approved, and hopefully, Pastor Craig forgives us by the time he is our boss.

We did exactly what we wanted, and now we are standing on the spot where Pastor Craig will face next week's challenge. Fear can lead to a major dysfunction in our relationships, and to preach on this is one of my favorite pastors. River, his daughter, told my granddaughter that we are best friends.

So, I want to welcome Pastor Joey Barkin to the Crossroads family. Good morning, everybody, and happy early Fourth of July. I want to welcome all those who are online with us today, wherever you are watching from. We are happy to have you.

I am the local Outreach Pastor here at Crossroads, and I have been doing this for about nine years. I get to oversee a lot of the outreach that we do in our community and in the surrounding area. It's absolutely a pleasure, and I think I have the best job here. I just get to go around and help people all week long and see God move.

I have been here at Crossroads for 30 years and have been able to watch Crossroads become what it is and see God move from generation to generation. I am 35, and I started when I was three, so I don't remember the early days, but I heard they were fun.

I want to introduce you to my family. That's my wife, Elise, my daughter, River, my son, Everest, and my youngest daughter, Ellowin, who is two. My wife is actually from England. I went abroad to study for a year and came back with a little bit more than an education.

We are currently in a series called Family Dysfunction and have been learning a lot about the little things that can cause dysfunction within our family. A couple of weeks ago, we learned from Pastor Chuck about anger, and then most recently, we learned about generational curses. Today, we're going to talk about another one that we're going to dive into here in just a minute. The goal is always growth—one step closer to what Christ has for you and what He wants for your family. We want to try and identify those things that cause dysfunction.

Talking about a little dysfunction, I'll share a little bit more about myself. When I was a kid, I was super shy, and I didn't like being in the front of the room. I liked to sit up with all of you, up in the back or behind the screen. I didn't like being the example. I don't like being up front. I remember that carried through, and at college, I, for whatever reason, decided to take a public speaking class. You know what you have to do in public speaking classes—you have to get up front and speak.

I remember there was a final speech that we had to do, and I was so nervous I was about to be called up that I ran out of the classroom, ran to the bathroom, and I threw up. I've almost gotten over that. Anyone else have a mortal fear of public speaking?

We're going to be talking a little bit about fear and that anxiety and how that can create dysfunction. Fear can be a major source of dysfunction in our lives and in our families, so I want to start by defining the terms. What is fear? There are two main types of fear, as far as I can see it.

The first one I'm going to call rational fear. Rational fear is when we are actively in a dangerous situation. This is a really good type of fear; we need this primal fear. It's a primary emotion, and it helps us and guides us in life. For example, when you're hiking down the trail and you turn the corner and there's a mountain lion right in front of you, your pulse starts to quicken, your palms start to sweat, and your adrenaline goes through the roof. You're going to need that because you're about to fight that guy or run from that guy.

The next type of fear is irrational fear. It's when we fear something bad is going to happen, hurt us, or cause pain, but is not currently happening. It's almost as if we're having a fear response to something that's not actually happening. So we want to look into primarily that irrational fear today and see how that can work in our lives to cause that dysfunction.

How does that happen? Let me give you a couple of examples. Maybe you're a bit shy, like me. Nothing wrong with that, but it holds you back, and you know there are things ahead of you. There are opportunities to be a mother, to be a father, at work, in school, wherever it might be, and you keep saying no, and it holds you back and holds you back, and you become a little resentful, a little bitter, a little angry at yourself and the things around you. That can cause dysfunction.

Or maybe a bigger one. Maybe right now you're into something, and you know you shouldn't be, and so you have this fear, this anxiety, that somebody's going to find out. Somebody's going to find out about me, and so you're trying to hide everything, you're trying to cover everything up, you're telling all these lies, and you don't realize it—or maybe you do—but you're hurting everybody around you, and you're hurting yourself.

Maybe it's the fear of failure; maybe it's a fear of failure for your children, and so you try everything to keep them from failing. You don't let them fail, and in fact, that failure might be the very thing that they need to grow. We always have some level of these fears and anxieties, but it's when they reach an unhealthy level that they become dysfunctional. It's when our response becomes out of proportion to the situation.

I just want to spend some time looking at what His Word might say into this. I love looking at His Word. One of my passions is scripture. I'm not a psychologist, so don't take me for that. I love reading scripture and hearing the stories and what God brings and speaks into our lives in a real, intangible way.

Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, so much so that he made him a robe of many colors. This caused his brothers to become enraged, and they could not even speak peacefully to him. Joseph then had two dreams, in which he saw stalks of wheat and the sun, moon, and stars bowing down to him. He told his family about the dreams, which they found hard to hear. His brothers were so angry that they conspired to kill him and throw him into a pit. They were afraid of the threat Joseph posed, as he was 11th in line for the family inheritance, and they feared having to submit to their younger brother. The brothers were grown men with families, so their response was out of proportion to the situation.

Our lives are filled with experiences that can trigger fear and anxiety. We often try to control our environment and the people around us in order to remain in control. This is not what God has for us. Maybe somebody has hurt us so badly that we are afraid of it happening again. We can't trust anyone, and so we live our lives from a distance, unable to experience intimacy. We may also become overwhelmed by all the horrible things going on in the world and become overly cautious.

The story of Joseph and his brothers is a perfect example of this. His brothers were so threatened by Joseph that they decided to kill him. However, they ended up selling him to the Ishmaelites instead. They took Joseph's coat, slaughtered an animal, and dipped it in blood to take back to their father, claiming that Joseph had been killed by a wild beast. While this eliminated the threat for a moment, it caused Joseph an incredible amount of pain, and his brothers carried the guilt of what they had done.

From the story of Joseph, we learn that control leads to chaos. When we let fear and anxieties overwhelm us, our response is to go into self-preservation mode, which causes us to control, and that control leads to chaos. But it doesn't have to be that way. Our fears don't have to ruin our lives and our families. We can do it with God's help, and Joseph is a perfect example of what that looks like.

Joseph was sent to Egypt and sold. The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man in the house of his Egyptian master. His master's wife saw Joseph and wanted to have an affair with him, but Joseph refused. One day, they got into a compromising situation, and Joseph ran out of the house. His master's wife then told her husband that Joseph had done something wrong, and Joseph was thrown in prison.

In prison, two servants of Pharaoh had two dreams, and Joseph interpreted them. He said that the chief baker of Pharaoh would die and the cupbearer of Pharaoh would live. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him and plead his case to Pharaoh, but the cupbearer forgot. Joseph stayed in prison for two more years until Pharaoh had two dreams that nobody could interpret. The cupbearer then remembered Joseph, and he was brought to Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh's dreams and was made second in command of Egypt.

Joseph was thrown into prison after his brothers hated him for having two dreams as a 17-year-old. He was then forgotten and thrown into a pit again. Joseph was afraid to act with what God had given him, but he decided to interpret Pharaoh's dream. He told Pharaoh that there would be seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt, but after them, there would arise seven years of famine. Pharaoh chose Joseph to be wise and discerning and gather all the food during the seven years of plenty. Pharaoh gave Joseph his ring, clothes, and a place of authority and status.

When the seven years of famine had started, Joseph's brothers came to his door. Joseph was filled with a mix of emotions, but he chose to kiss them and weep on them. He told them that God had sent him to Egypt to preserve life and keep them alive. Joseph had a perspective that was different than ours, and he chose to forgive his brothers.

The idea that comes from the Bible is this: when we have faith in God and we trust in Him and we put our hope in Him, it leads to fruitfulness, it leads to abundance, it leads to success, it leads to joy, it leads to peace— it leads to all these things that we want in life, and Joseph is a great example of this.

Joseph had a different perspective when he was faced with every reason to be afraid, anxious, and overwhelmed. He knew that the Lord was with him and that his success was from the Lord. In Genesis 45:5, Joseph understood that God had sent him and that it was not his brothers who had done so. He also knew that God had sent him with a purpose, and that the hard things he experienced were so that many lives could be saved. After 17 years, Joseph was reunited with his family, and they all thrived in Egypt. His brothers were still living with guilt and fear, and they asked Joseph to forgive them for what they had done. Joseph saw through their ploy and responded with grace. In Genesis 50:20, he said, "Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today." Joseph knew his place, and he knew God's place. He knew that he could only control what was in front of him, and that God was in control of the rest.

What we learn from Joseph is that faith leads to fruitfulness. This is a term from the Bible that means when we have faith in God and trust in Him, it leads to abundance, success, joy, and peace. Joseph is a great example of this.

Fear doesn't just paralyze us and cause dysfunction in our families; it also paralyzes us from all the good that God wants to do through us and in us and through our families. We can have a fruitful life, and our families can be places of life, abundance, meaning, and purpose, but it starts with us. From Joseph, I have learned five things that I want to share with you.

First, know that fearful things are going to happen to you. People are going to hurt you and deceive you, just like they did to Joseph.

Second, know that God is with us no matter where we go.

Third, know that God is in control. From one point of view, you could say Joseph was a victim, but Joseph said, "I'm not a victim; God's in control. I'm here because God sent me."

Fourth, know that God is working through us. God wants to create life and abundance and meaning and purpose through us.

Lastly, know our place and know God's place. We have relatively little control over the things in our lives, but Joseph thrived where he was at, and we can do the same.

Three years ago, I got sick and couldn't breathe. I had to get help and medication, but I developed a fear. What I learned and what God was working in me is that I didn't really trust Him the way that I should have. If we can implement these things in our lives, it will transform us and allow us to overcome those fears that hold us back.

I want to give you an opportunity to have that relationship with God—to have somebody walking alongside you. I want to invite you to come to the front and just pray with me and some of our team members and just talk to God. Just tell Him what's on your heart and ask Him to come into your life. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.

I wasn't afraid to die because I knew I'd go to a better place. It wasn't because of me, but because of my kids. I work with families every single day that don't have fathers, and I know the impact it has. I see the hurt and pain in those children's eyes, and I didn't want that for my kids. I read a story from Joseph, and I believed that God spoke to me and asked me to put myself in His place. We had some conversations, and I worked through it.

During that season, I was carried by fears of not being able to breathe and not being able to move. I grew distant and wasn't present the way I was. I was grumpy, but now I'm free from that, and I'm experiencing God's fruitfulness in my life. Just this morning, I had to take my inhaler because I couldn't breathe correctly. I could have let that hold me back, but I chose to trust God. It doesn't mean the fearful things aren't there; it means that God is with us, He's in control, He's got it, and He's working through us. It's not our place to decide which lives we have; it's our job to live them.

I want to lead you through a simple exercise. I want you to put out your hands with me and close your eyes. Think about what are the things that you fear, what are the anxieties that you have, and what are the things that you've been thinking about. Picture them in your hands right now. Then, close your hands, hold them tight, and recognize that these are yours, and they're real to you. But they're not meant to be. This is not your place; this is God's place, and He cares for us deeply. He tells us to cast all our fears and worries and anxieties on Him, and He'll give us rest. He will create good things out of our lives no matter what. Slowly open your hands and imagine giving it to the Lord and letting Him have control.

Lord Jesus, we give You control over our lives. We give You control over the beginning, the middle, and the end, over the outcome, and over the things that might happen. We give You trust, and we give those things to You in Your name. Amen.

Maybe you didn't do the exercise with me, but it's a good thing to do. Some of you in this room right now don't have a relationship with God. I want to give you an opportunity to have that relationship with God and to have somebody walking alongside you. I invite you to come to the front and pray with me and some of our team members. Talk to God and tell Him what's on your heart. Ask Him to come into your life and be with you. Ask Him to be your Lord and Savior.

I want to give you the opportunity to accept that maybe for the first time. Maybe you've never wanted to or had a desire until now. Maybe God has been this figure that judges, this figure that was never there when you needed Him, when things were fearful and the anxiety was there. I promise you that couldn't be further from the truth. He was with you, and He wants to continue to walk with you. The Creator loves His creation, and there is nothing that gives Him more pleasure than to walk with the beautiful thing that He created and loves. That's what He wants to do. He did it with me, and He wants to do it with you.

So I want to give you a chance to invite this God of the universe—the God that can raise up and tear down, the God that can create, the God that can bring life, abundance, and meaning and purpose. I want to give you a chance to invite Him into your life. Maybe you walked in here, and you do have some of those fears and anxieties, and you've never walked with God, and you want to for the first time.

I'm going to say a prayer, and I want you to join me with it. If you do, if you do make that prayer, I want you to come down to an aisle, walk up, and when the music starts, I want you to greet us, come over here to our living room where we're going to give you a Bible, we're going to hear your story, and talk about next steps. Because God doesn't want us to do it alone; He wants us to do it with Him.

This church—I've been a part of this church for 30 years—they've walked through hell and back with me. You can't do it alone. So I'm going to pray right now, and if you're online, you can do that too. You can respond by saying Amen to 77247. But let's pray.

Lord Jesus, I thank You that You are with us. I thank You that You are a God that we can trust, that You are a God who holds everything in Your hands. I pray right now for anybody who's in the audience who maybe came for the first time and just wanted to hear or just wanted to listen—not knowing what was happening or what was going to be talked about—but Lord, You are moving in their hearts. Lord, would they respond to You even now? Lord, would You be with them the same way that You have been with me for so many years? Would You love them with the same love that You have loved me? You care for them as You have cared for me.

If that's you, I want you to pray this prayer with me right now. If that's you, speak these words right after me.

Lord Jesus, I ask that You would come into my life right now. I know You love me, and You love me enough to die on the cross. Would You forgive me of my sins and bring healing and freedom? Would You retake control of my life and help me live the life You have for me? I give You my life completely. Would You make me whole and make me brand new? Amen.

Amen. For whoever prayed that prayer, we're going to start a song here in a minute, and if you prayed that prayer, I want you to come to an aisle, come down, walk, greet us, and head on back to the living room. If you're online, don't forget to text Amen.

If I can get up here with you all today and here coming here, you can come forward. I love to greet you as we're singing.

Come, let's sing, "Oh hail King Jesus! Oh hail the Lord of Heaven and Earth! All hail King Jesus!" Yes, sir, and every knee come down before the King of Kings. He is Lord! Lift up your shout! Let us join with all the dead men. Holy, we're singing, we're singing, "All hail King Jesus!" Lifted up, "All hail King Jesus!" Amen, amen.

A couple of announcements: there's prayer in the chapel. If you've been wrestling with some fear and anxiety and you've walked with the Lord and you just need some prayer, talk to somebody about it. I encourage you to go out into the chapel; it's out these doors to the left. They would love to talk with you and pray with you right after service.

Also, this Wednesday is First Wednesday. If you've never been to one of our First Wednesday services, we're going to worship the Lord together. It's a time of worship to celebrate as we start a new month.

Chuck is on vacation, but you can submit prayer requests to him at chuck@crossroadschurch.com. I would love for you to just flood his email with prayers while he's trying to be on vacation, but he wants to pray for you.

But as you go, would you know that God is with you, that He is in control, that you can trust Him, that He wants to bring life through your life? He wants to bring fruitfulness in your life, and we don't have to let those fears control us and cause chaos in our families and with our children. We can live a life of fruitfulness and peace and joy, and it can start today with those small choices.

God bless you! Have a wonderful day. Thanks for joining us for worship today. If you made a decision to follow Jesus, let us know by texting Amen to 77247. We want to come alongside you to help you take your next steps towards Jesus, to help you see the transformation you're longing to see, and to help you discover your God-given purpose.

When you text Amen, you'll receive an email from me inviting you to take your next step. As the pastor of this online community, I highly recommend joining one of our online groups where you'll learn more about Jesus and be encouraged by other like-minded people seeking to be more like Him. You can click the link in the email you receive or text me a message to 77247 and just let me know if you'd like to learn more about our online groups.

And lastly, if you decided to make Crossroads your home, be sure to download our app to keep up to date on what's going on around our church and to light badges along your journey when you choose to take steps toward Jesus. If you haven't already, be sure to check in on the app and let us know how you worshiped with us today. The more you use the app, the smarter it gets to push you info that you care about.

Thanks again for joining us. We'll see you for our service on Wednesday at 6:30 and again on Sunday at 9 AM or on demand after those live service times. Have a great week!