Tim Timberlake - Lean In (01/02/2026)
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Summary:
As the church-wide fast concludes, the preacher encourages the congregation not to ease up but to «lean in» deeper into God’s presence and unity. Drawing from Psalm 133, he highlights how harmony among believers—despite differences—releases God’s pronounced blessing, likening it to a symphony where diverse instruments create beautiful music together. From Isaiah 43, he shares three declarations from God: «I’ve got this,» «I’ve done it before,» and «I’m coming to do it again,» urging believers to trust God’s sovereignty, remember His past faithfulness, and expect new things. He closes by calling everyone to lean forward like the forward-only emu, refusing to retreat, and to enter worship and communion expectantly.
Encouragement at the End of the Fast
As we come to the end of our fast for those of you who have been participating in our church-wide fast, and as we get ready to incorporate some things back into our diet and start to fill our calendars and schedules back to what we would consider somewhat of a normal routine, I want to encourage us with this word that I have today, and it’s simply to lean in. It’s my prayer that we would continue to lean in during this season to hear and to see what it is that God has in store for us, and that we would not take our foot off the pedal but continue to drive towards what God has planned for us.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 133
So I want to encourage you right now to go in your Bibles to Psalms chapter 133. The team is going to display it at the bottom of the screen, and I just want to encourage you to read it along with me because I believe there’s something so powerful about us reading Scripture corporately. I know you may be at home by yourself, or you may be with your family, or you may be watching me from the confines of your car, but there is something so powerful when we take an opportunity to declare the Word of God together.
And so, although you may not be able to hear your brothers and sisters, I want to encourage you with this thought: your brothers and sisters in one accord will be reading this Scripture along with you. Psalms chapter 133 says, «How wonderful and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters live together in harmony! For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil that was poured over Aaron’s head, that ran down his beard and onto the border of his robe. Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon that falls on the mountains of Zion. And there, the Lord has pronounced His blessing.» I want to repeat that: «There, the Lord has pronounced His blessing.» Where has the Lord pronounced His blessing? Where there is harmony! Where there’s harmony, the Lord pronounces His blessing.
Harmony Like a Symphony
As I read that Scripture, I’m reminded of music and how it plays such a pivotal role in our lives. We tend to wake up with a song on our minds; you watch a good movie, and one of the most memorable portions of any movie is the music that accompanies it. One of the most calming and relaxing types of music for me is symphonic music. Here in Jacksonville, I don’t know how it is where you are, but here we have the Jacksonville Symphony, and what I love about the symphony is that all of the musicians play different instruments—some are wind, some are wood, and some are brass. But no matter what they are playing, what makes it unique to the symphony is that they are not all playing the same thing. And that is what the Word of God is talking about when it speaks of harmony. Each and every one of us plays a part; we are unified together. When we are in unity, it doesn’t mean that all of us are doing the same thing; it means that all of us are in one accord, in harmony with what God desires for us.
You may play a different part than I do, and I may play a different part than you, but we are all a part of the Symphony of God. When we bring our differences together and utilize them for the betterment of the body of Christ and for the advancement of the Kingdom of God, that’s when we see the blessing of God pronounced over and on our lives like never before.
If this season has done anything for us, it has shown us that the enemy desires for us to be divided. He wants us divided by our politics, divided by our race, and divided by our income, but it is God’s desire to utilize our differences to bring harmony to His Kingdom and to the body of Christ. I love the last part of that Scripture; it says that when we are in harmony and in one accord, that’s where the Lord pronounces His blessing.
Scripture: Isaiah 43
I am reminded of a passage of Scripture in Isaiah chapter 43. If you have your Bible, I want you to go there. I’m going to begin at verse 15: «I am the Lord, your Holy One, Israel’s Creator and King. I am the Lord who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea.» Verse 17 says, «I called forth My mighty army out of Egypt, with all of its chariots and horses. I drew them beneath the waves and they drowned, their lives snuffed out like smoke from candle wicks.» But forget all of that! I love this part: «It is nothing compared to what I am going to do.» And I just want you to think about that for a moment: it is nothing compared to what God is about to do.
Just like the symphony, they may be warming up, playing different things and all these different types of noises, and then the conductor hits his stick on the stand, and they all lean in. No matter what our differences are, no matter what season of life we may be in, no matter what the scenario or circumstance is, I believe God is hitting His conductor stick on the stand, and He desires for us in this season to lean in.
I just want to go back to Isaiah that 19th verse for a moment: «For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun. Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness, and I will create rivers in a dry place.» What He is talking about is doing something new when we lean in that we have not seen. I believe this is our season to see things we’ve never seen before, to hear God speak like we’ve never heard before, and to see God move on our behalf like we’ve never seen Him move before. But this is only possible when we lean in.
When you think about a symphony and you have been to an opera or a symphony concert, you know when the conductor hits the stand, they all sit on the edge of their seats and lean in.
God’s Three Declarations
If you’re taking notes, I want you to write this down: Point number one—in Isaiah, God makes three declarations to us. The first declaration that God makes is, «I’ve got this.» I want you to hear me when I tell you that God has got this. It’s so important for us to remember that this is not taking God by surprise—what we are seeing, what we are going through, what we are dealing with. God has declared over us, «I’ve got this.» Your destiny is God’s history.
So it’s important that we lean into His voice to see what He has already done so that we can carry it out, walk it out, and live it out in the life that God has allowed us to live. I just want you to put that in the chat: «God’s got this.» He is saying, «I’ve got this.» I love the passage of Scripture where God tells us, «If I be for you, who or what can be against you?» In verse 15, it says, «I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.» Before He made His promise, God declared His ultimate name: «I am.» I love that word «I am» because it declares who God is to us, and it declares He is what we need Him to be and so much more.
I don’t know what it is that you need God to be, but I’m a firm believer that no matter what you have need of, He is. For a moment, I want you to put in the chat that «God is» whatever it is that you need Him to be. If you are sick in your body, He is a healer. If you’re going through a crisis, He is a deliverer. If you’re facing financial problems, He is a provider. Whatever you need God to be, that’s what He is, and He wants you to know, «I’ve got this.» He’s got this; He knew what 2021 would look like; He’s got this. He knew what you would be dealing with this month; He’s got this. He knew what the obstacles would be; He knew what enemies would be present; He knew what hurdles you would have to overcome, and He’s still declaring to you, «I’ve got this.»
So I want you to have peace and be assured that no matter what you may be facing, you can be on your mountaintop or you can be in your valley. No matter what season you are in, God wants you to know, «I’ve got this.» The blessing and benefit of serving God—the way that we serve a King who is risen and sits on the throne—is that if you’re having a great season, it gets better. If you’re having a bad season, it gets better. No matter what season you’re in, the benefit of serving Jesus Christ is He declares, He promises, He decrees that a life with Him is far better when you live it out in the will that I’ve laid before you.
Point number two is this: this is the declaration God makes; this is what He decrees, what He announces: «I’ve done it before.» In verse 16, it says, «Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea and a path through the mighty waters.» He’s telling us, «Listen, this is not new to me; I’m not taken by surprise. This is a season for you to lean in and experience My goodness, My grace, and My mercy. This is not new to Me; I’ve got this! I’ve done this before.»
And the reality is, I’m going to see you through this season. I love what it says in verse 16: «Thus says the Lord, who makes a way.» God is making a way for you right now. The reality is, we can’t make a way in our own power or ability. We need a Savior to help us navigate, dictate, predict, and walk out what we may be facing. Because in our own power, we don’t have the ability to do it, but we serve a God who does.
The Scripture continues to read that God reminds us that He makes a way, a path through the impassable, where there is a dry place, and He provides a river. Whether there is a mountain, He provides a valley, and whether it’s a valley, He provides a mountain. No matter what is in your way, God desires for you to know that He has your back because He has done it before. And the reality is, if God has done it before, He will do it again.
I just want that to sink into your spirit for a moment because I need you to know this. I need you to walk away from this moment understanding and being confident that He that has begun a good work in you shall complete it until the day of His return. I love the idea that God gives us the declaration: in verse 15, «I’ve got this.» In verse 16, «I’ve done it before.» And I’m telling you that God desires to stake a claim in every situation and circumstance that you may be going through, reminding you how faithful He has been in the past. When you remind yourself and bring yourself to the place where you got out of the test, it brings you to a testimony and reminds you that if He did it then, He’ll do it now, and He’ll do it for my next.
I don’t know what it is that you have need of, but we serve a God who does, and He wants you to confidently know, «I’ve got this. I’ve done it before.»
Point number three is this: «I’m coming to do it again.» The process may be painful, but the results will be beautiful. I know in this season you may be going through some things; you may be battling some giants; you may be scaling some mountains. But God wants you to know, «I’ve got this; I’ve done it before, and I’m coming to do it again.» I want to encourage you with this: don’t close the book where God is asking you to just turn the page.
I know there’s a lot of unknowns and a lot of uncertainty, a lot of confusion in certain seasons, and we may not have the answers, but we serve a Savior who does. We cannot forget that we have a secret weapon that never loses a battle. We have a secret weapon that promises over and over again victory, and what He asks from us is that we would continue to believe in Him and surrender to Him so that we can see the hand of God move on our behalf like never before.
Illustration: The Emu
I’m reminded, as we close, of the Australian coat of arms—the shield—their badge of honor on it has an emu and a kangaroo. After I was looking and doing some research on the emu, I was amazed by some of the interesting facts. The emu can’t do certain things. If you’re like me, you may have never heard of an emu before, but I encourage you to do a little research after this and see how unique this animal is. One of the interesting facts about the emu is that it can’t go backwards. No matter how hard it tries, no matter what its face would do, it cannot retreat.
My prayer for us is that we would lean in during this season, and just like the emu, not go backwards. We must have our minds made up that we can’t go back to the things we used to do, we can’t go back to who we used to be, and we can’t retreat to who it is that we were never called to be. Instead, we would always lean in and lean forward, charging ahead because we have certain victory.
So we take this moment, this season, this time—every battle, every giant, every obstacle, every hurdle—and we don’t retreat. We lean into it because the God of all sufficiency has said, «My grace is sufficient for you.»
Closing Call to Worship and Communion
We’re going to enter a time of worship right here as Ryan and Marie lead us. I want you to get your elements ready to take communion with us. At the conclusion of this song, we will be led in communion, and as we worship, I want you to lean in. I want you to seek out the voice of God because I believe that no matter where you are-whether you are at your office cubicle, in your living room at home, or in the front seat of your car-the presence of God can meet you right where you are.