Sermon Tone Analysis

/Whitewater Wisdom / \\ In God We Trust?

\\ Life Journey Christian Church \\ David Limiero, Lead Pastor \\ October 19, 2008

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Whitewater!

My whitewater rafting experience:

* Cache le Poudre river in Colorado

* Singles group from church

* Two kinds of whitewater rafts

* Oars– steered exclusively by the whitewater guide – like a rowboat with one oar on each side

* Paddles –

* Guide at the back with one oar (like an airplane rudder).

* People in the boats all have paddles – assist in the steering by either forward-paddling or back-paddling

* Goal is to navigate down the river through what’s called “whitewater” – the effect you get when the water is rushing over and around the rocks in the river.

* Not like taking a canoe or a boat out on a lake, or even a smooth-flowing river like the Mississippi.

That’s the point – going over the rapids is what makes the journey fun.

* Not all rapids the same.

Actually ranked, from Class 1 to Class 6

* *Class 1:* Very small rough areas, requires no maneuvering.

(Skill Level: None)

* *Class 2:* Some rough water, maybe some rocks, small drops, might require maneuvering.

(Skill Level: Basic Paddling Skill)

* *Class 3:* Whitewater, medium waves, maybe a 3-5 ft drop, but not much considerable danger.

May require significant maneuvering.

(Skill Level: Experienced paddling skills)

* *Class 4:* Whitewater, large waves, rocks, maybe a considerable drop, sharp maneuvers may be needed.

(Skill Level: Whitewater Experience)

* *Class 5:* Whitewater, large waves, large rocks and hazards, maybe a large drop, precise maneuvering (Skill Level: Advanced Whitewater Experience)

* *Class 6:* Whitewater, typically with huge waves, huge rocks and hazards, huge drops, but sometimes labeled thusly due to largely invisible dangers…Class 6 rapids are considered hazardous even for expert paddlers using state-of-the-art equipment, and come with the warning "danger to life or limb."

(Skill Level: Expert)

* Our river had Class 3 and Class 4 rapids, so we were given extensive safety instructions

* Life vest (Type V).

Head float on the back (in case you hit your head on a rock and become unconscious)

* “Whitewater swimming position” – feet first

* All got into the raft and headed downstream

* I was on right side of the raft – at the very front.

My friend Lynn McQueen on the left side of the raft at the very front.

The guide had the two of us – both men – in these positions because we were the strongest in the group.

* How you sit – feet inside the boat, sitting up on the edge of the inflated part.

One foot slips into a vinyl pocket, so that, when you lean back and back-paddle, you’ve got some leverage.

* Going down the river, hitting some Class 4 rapids, guide yelled out “Back paddle!”

* I grabbed my paddle with both hands, leaned way back to get leverage, and put my full weight into back-paddling – at which point my foot slipped out of that little vinyl pocket, and I flipped backwards over the side of the raft and into the water.

* This was the point at which I was supposed to assume the “whitewater swimming position”, allow the river to carry me downstream, and eventually catch up to the raft.

* But instead, as I came back up out of the icy-cold water, I managed to grab onto the raft with one hand (and was still hanging on the paddle with my right hand).

* So here we were, the raft shooting through the rapids, with me desperately hanging on for dear life.

* That’s when my friend Lynn suddenly appeared, reached over the side, grabbed my life jacket with both hands, and pulled so hard he literally threw me back into the boat.

That happened almost twenty years ago, but I remember it like it was yesterday.

I can still picture myself hanging on desperately to the edge of the raft, praying that I wouldn’t lose my grip.

While I was in the water, it seemed like forever.

I remember praying that my body wouldn’t get smashed against the rocks before we got out of the whitewater.

But later on I realized I wasn’t in the water for very long – 10-15 seconds at most – before my friend pulled me to safety.

What seemed like an eternity was merely a small blip in that day, much less in my life.

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Whitewater Times

I’ve been thinking about that whitewater experience a lot these past few weeks as we’ve been going through this economic crisis in our country.

You all know what I’m talking about – first the housing crisis, then the credit crisis, then the stock market crisis and now the banking crisis.

Some people are saying that we’re going through the worst financial crisis in American history since the Great Depression.

Whether you believe that or not, it’s fair to say that our current economic times are definitely a whitewater experience.

Nobody knows for sure how bad the rapids will be, but there’s no doubt that we’re living in turbulent times.

As I have been praying and reflecting on what’s going on in our world right now, one word comes to mind – fear.

Read the newspapers, watch the television news, look at the blogs and you’ll see that our nation right now is captivated by fear – fear that things will keep on getting worse; fear that the government’s “solution” to the economic crisis hasn’t made things any better yet.

Fear that our jobs may disappear, the value of our homes will keep declining, even fears that the economy itself will collapse.

And the temptation in times like this is to do what I did when I fell out of the whitewater raft – to forget everything our guide has told us about what to do and cling desperately to the side of the boat, wondering whether our finances are going to get smashed against the rocks.

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Whitewater Wisdom

So today we’re starting a brand-new message series about thriving in turbulent times.

It’s called “Whitewater Wisdom” because I believe that we need the wisdom of an experienced guide now more than ever.

It is my firm belief that God is our guide, and that God’s principles for dealing with money are more relevant now than ever.

And that now is not a time for great */fear/*; instead, it’s a time for great */faith/*.

You’ve heard me say this many times before, but I want to remind you that God has a lot to say about money and possessions:

* Jesus said more about money than heaven or hell combined.

16 of Jesus’ 38 parables deal with handling money and possessions.

* 1 out of 10 verses in the Gospels (288 total) deal directly with the subject of money.

* The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.

God has a lot to say about money.

But on the flip side, did you realize that money has a lot to say about God?

ILL: Take some money out of your wallet right now (bills, not coins).

If you have more than one denomination (1, 5, 10, 20, 50 – even a 100) take out one of each.

Now, look at those bills carefully and see what they tell us about God.

Shout it out if you know the answer: [“In God We Trust”]

Those words first appeared on a US coin in 1856, and that phrase “In God We Trust” became the national motto exactly 100 years later, in1956.

See if you can find that phrase on the money that you’re holding in your hand.

Everybody find it?

Now – one more thing – don’t put your money away.

I’ve asked the ushers to come forward so that you can take that money and put it right into the offering plate (Kidding!).

I’d revise the national motto – just add one character to the end –

“In God We Trust*?*”

It’s when times are tough that our faith is tested.

When the whitewater is raging and we get thrown from the boat – those are the times when we find out whether what we */say /*we believe is what we */really /*believe.

Do we */really /*trust in God?

Or do we just */say /*that we trust in God.

This morning I’d like to talk to you about that word *trust*.

And I want to share a passage from the Bible, which, although it doesn’t use that exact word, has a lot to tell us about trust:

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"Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment."

(1 Timothy 6:17 NIV)

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Those words from the Bible were written by Paul, a seasoned follower of Jesus in his later years of life, to a young man named Timothy, whom Paul had sent to the church in a city called Ephesus to give them further instruction to strengthen their faith in Jesus.

Look back at that first verse.

I want you to notice the audience -- these words are written to */“those who are rich in this present world” /*– the people who had some measure of money and possessions.

Right off the bat, some of you are already thinking that this doesn’t apply to you – that, because you’re not “rich in this present world,” you don’t have to pay attention to what comes next.

But nothing could be further from the truth.

First of all, compared to the rest of the world, every person sitting in this room is “rich in this present world.”

Around the world today there are literally billions of people who are barely surviving.

They live in countries marked by famine and starvation.

They literally have no idea where their next meal is going to come from.