1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,840 Hey, I'm Matt Brownell. 2 00:00:08,840 --> 00:00:10,480 And I'm Van Owens. 3 00:00:10,480 --> 00:00:12,160 And I'm Tim Adams. 4 00:00:12,160 --> 00:00:18,120 Welcome to Climbing the Mountain, where we dive into the scriptures and discuss themes, 5 00:00:18,120 --> 00:00:21,280 connections, and real life application. 6 00:00:21,280 --> 00:00:24,960 We're kicking off a series here where we're going to examine the Sermon on the Mount and 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:34,960 discuss implications for this teaching for Christians today. 8 00:00:34,960 --> 00:00:35,960 Welcome back. 9 00:00:35,960 --> 00:00:39,680 Last time we had another great episode with Jim Garten, and he's back. 10 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:42,000 And we're closing out Matthew 6 now. 11 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:48,080 The previous passages thrust of treasuring heavenly treasure, as opposed to treasuring 12 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:53,440 earthly treasure, flows right into the subject matter we're going to discuss now, which is 13 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,240 anxiety. 14 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,760 Jesus tells us not to worry. 15 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:04,400 But there is a lot of fear and anxiety in the world today. 16 00:01:04,400 --> 00:01:07,680 So I want to preface what we're going to examine with the disclaimer. 17 00:01:07,680 --> 00:01:13,160 If you are struggling with crippling anxiety, we don't want you to hear this discussion 18 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:15,240 and feel worse. 19 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,280 We hope you get help. 20 00:01:17,280 --> 00:01:22,060 Help might come in several ways, including therapy, even medication. 21 00:01:22,060 --> 00:01:27,120 We don't want anyone to hear this discussion and think, oh, I'm just not spiritual enough, 22 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:33,040 I guess, or think you need to come off medication that you might really need. 23 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:37,160 We don't want you to get depressed or further anxious thinking God is judging you on top 24 00:01:37,160 --> 00:01:38,720 of how you're already feeling. 25 00:01:38,720 --> 00:01:43,880 We just want you to consider Jesus' words and know that they are said with incredible 26 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:47,640 love for you. 27 00:01:47,640 --> 00:01:51,840 If taking medication is what you need to be able to hear these words in the first place, 28 00:01:51,840 --> 00:01:53,440 that's great. 29 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,760 That's a miracle God has provided. 30 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:56,760 Take it. 31 00:01:56,760 --> 00:01:59,600 Start developing strategies to address mental health. 32 00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,540 We believe Jesus' words will help. 33 00:02:03,540 --> 00:02:10,400 For all of us, I'm guessing anxiety is something we've tasted and probably on more than one 34 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:11,400 occasion. 35 00:02:11,400 --> 00:02:12,560 I know I have. 36 00:02:12,560 --> 00:02:19,400 Jesus' words may sound really odd to us because what he does is so opposite of our 37 00:02:19,400 --> 00:02:20,400 culture. 38 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:26,960 Instead of dealing with a strong emotion like anxiety, emotionally, he uses logic. 39 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:32,280 He doesn't focus on the feeling itself directly. 40 00:02:32,280 --> 00:02:38,640 He focuses on something else and expects a list of thoughts or arguments, really, to 41 00:02:38,640 --> 00:02:41,440 help us feel differently. 42 00:02:41,440 --> 00:02:46,560 Some of you who might be in cognitive therapy, behavioral therapy, probably already see the 43 00:02:46,560 --> 00:02:49,000 value of what Jesus is doing here. 44 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:53,880 What I want to point out that we see especially strong in this passage is something true of 45 00:02:53,880 --> 00:02:55,240 the Bible as a whole. 46 00:02:55,240 --> 00:03:00,040 If you haven't noticed, the Bible isn't just a bunch of cool quotes. 47 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,760 It's not just the book of Proverbs. 48 00:03:02,760 --> 00:03:08,000 It makes arguments and expects us to wrestle with what it's saying, to love God with our 49 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:11,560 mind and struggle to understand what he's teaching us. 50 00:03:11,560 --> 00:03:15,840 What we're going to do here, and we hope this is helpful for you as you approach anxiety 51 00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:19,680 specifically in the Bible in general, is we're going to look at these arguments. 52 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,760 Jesus gives us several reasons why we shouldn't worry. 53 00:03:22,760 --> 00:03:23,760 Let's read. 54 00:03:23,760 --> 00:03:24,760 Great. 55 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:32,080 So in Matthew 6, verse 25-34, Jesus says, Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your 56 00:03:32,080 --> 00:03:36,300 life when you eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. 57 00:03:36,300 --> 00:03:40,280 Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? 58 00:03:40,280 --> 00:03:41,800 Look at the birds of the air. 59 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:45,200 They don't sow or reap or store away in barns. 60 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,760 And yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 61 00:03:47,760 --> 00:03:50,600 Are you not much more valuable than they? 62 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:55,200 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? 63 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:57,320 And why do you worry about clothes? 64 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,200 See how the flowers of the fields grow. 65 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:01,240 They do not labor or spin. 66 00:04:01,240 --> 00:04:06,520 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon and all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 67 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:11,200 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is 68 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:16,480 thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothes you, you of little faith? 69 00:04:16,480 --> 00:04:21,600 So do not worry, saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? 70 00:04:21,600 --> 00:04:25,800 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need 71 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:26,800 them. 72 00:04:26,800 --> 00:04:32,040 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you 73 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:33,040 as well. 74 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:37,720 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. 75 00:04:37,720 --> 00:04:41,080 Each day has enough trouble of its own. 76 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:42,080 Ask him. 77 00:04:42,080 --> 00:04:48,080 All right, Jesus tells us not to be anxious several times, and he gives us nine reasons 78 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:49,680 not to worry. 79 00:04:49,680 --> 00:04:55,160 We're going to start looking at each one, and we will get through as many as we can. 80 00:04:55,160 --> 00:04:59,560 The first thing I want to draw our attention to is this word therefore. 81 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:05,240 So we're already in the middle of an argument at verse 25. 82 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:09,160 So I want to read the previous verse and then ask this question. 83 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:13,360 In verse 24, no one can serve two masters, either you will hate the one and love the 84 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:16,880 other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. 85 00:05:16,880 --> 00:05:19,480 You cannot serve both God and money. 86 00:05:19,480 --> 00:05:23,920 Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or about 87 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,720 your body, what you will wear. 88 00:05:26,720 --> 00:05:33,920 Why does the premise that we cannot serve two masters form the basis of Jesus's therefore, 89 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:37,120 do not worry? 90 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,520 So I can start on this one. 91 00:05:39,520 --> 00:05:44,360 As Matt has explained, my passion is ancient cultures and sort of trying to get into the 92 00:05:44,360 --> 00:05:46,400 mind of the original hearers. 93 00:05:46,400 --> 00:05:53,880 And the idea that you can't serve two masters, we went over this in one of the last pods. 94 00:05:53,880 --> 00:06:00,800 There is at least a fair portion of Jesus's audience that is 100% behind that. 95 00:06:00,800 --> 00:06:05,160 If you ask a Pharisee, can you serve two masters, they'll say, of course you cannot serve both 96 00:06:05,160 --> 00:06:07,680 God and the accumulation of wealth. 97 00:06:07,680 --> 00:06:09,200 Amen. 98 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:16,880 And then Jesus almost gives those a starting point to go, because that's true and because 99 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:20,360 you're with me here, don't worry. 100 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:21,720 Do not worry. 101 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:25,360 And then he goes into, and I'm not going to steal, I'm going to try to not steal as much 102 00:06:25,360 --> 00:06:29,680 of Matt's thunder as I can to keep going. 103 00:06:29,680 --> 00:06:36,360 But he gives them the arguments of why we cannot worry because if you've chosen to serve 104 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:41,320 God and if you're trying to serve God and if you're already doing that, you have made 105 00:06:41,320 --> 00:06:43,040 the right choice. 106 00:06:43,040 --> 00:06:49,600 And so that's sort of what I hear in this lead in, is that he's saying, you've chosen 107 00:06:49,600 --> 00:06:52,960 to serve God, you've made the right choice. 108 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,000 Let me show you some of the reasons you've made the right choice and why that's such 109 00:06:57,000 --> 00:07:04,840 a good choice and why God will provide the things you need even though it can be hard 110 00:07:04,840 --> 00:07:06,680 to see exactly where that goes. 111 00:07:06,680 --> 00:07:11,600 So it's pointing back to something about the nature of God and you've chosen to serve 112 00:07:11,600 --> 00:07:13,600 Him and now here's how that looks. 113 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:14,600 Yes, exactly. 114 00:07:14,600 --> 00:07:15,600 Cool. 115 00:07:15,600 --> 00:07:23,320 Yeah, when you have a master that master one of the, I don't know, agreements the right 116 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:28,800 word, but one of the understandings is that there's a provision that's going to be made. 117 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:34,840 You serve them and then they take care of you and that can go really well or really 118 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:38,280 poorly depending on who your master is. 119 00:07:38,280 --> 00:07:44,240 And I think the crux of this particular verse is Jesus saying, you don't need to worry because 120 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:45,240 God is your master. 121 00:07:45,240 --> 00:07:49,640 He's going to explain the reasons why God's character shows. 122 00:07:49,640 --> 00:07:52,440 That is great to point out. 123 00:07:52,440 --> 00:07:54,960 It reminds me of the Covenantal Agreement. 124 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:56,680 That was baked into it. 125 00:07:56,680 --> 00:08:02,840 I am now under your kingship and the king provides for those under his. 126 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:04,720 That is a wonderful point. 127 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:12,520 Yeah, I think it's also talking about what Jesus is talking about here is integrity, 128 00:08:12,520 --> 00:08:17,360 that perhaps a source of anxiety is a lack of integrity. 129 00:08:17,360 --> 00:08:25,320 And by that, I mean a lack of if you're trying to serve two masters, you're going to end 130 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:33,280 up, you're going to end up broken in two pieces in some way. 131 00:08:33,280 --> 00:08:43,720 And that is for me, that is a source of anxiety when you're trying to, you're trying to fulfill 132 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:49,280 two different things that seem to take all of your time or all of your effort or all 133 00:08:49,280 --> 00:08:52,200 of your emotional energy. 134 00:08:52,200 --> 00:09:01,560 And that he's saying, you know, because you have to serve one master and you're serving 135 00:09:01,560 --> 00:09:07,200 the correct one, as Tim was saying, and you're serving the one who's going to provide for 136 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:09,240 you. 137 00:09:09,240 --> 00:09:12,240 It's a, it's a, and that's what I mean by integrity. 138 00:09:12,240 --> 00:09:16,680 It's the, it's the one master who's the master over all things. 139 00:09:16,680 --> 00:09:17,680 Wow. 140 00:09:17,680 --> 00:09:20,720 That's, I love what you were just saying about integrity. 141 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:26,720 I think you're right when you're, when I'm, when I have a focus on more than one thing, 142 00:09:26,720 --> 00:09:29,440 it's real hard to keep track of. 143 00:09:29,440 --> 00:09:30,640 My wife is amazing. 144 00:09:30,640 --> 00:09:33,720 She can, it seems like she can do a million things all at once. 145 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:39,200 And I'm like, I can do maybe one thing if I keep focused on that, or there was everything 146 00:09:39,200 --> 00:09:40,200 falls apart. 147 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:41,200 Right. 148 00:09:41,200 --> 00:09:43,800 I'll give, I'll give a, just a quick example of that. 149 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:46,760 I, I have every other Friday off because of my work schedule. 150 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:50,400 And so I get to play stay at home parent every other Friday. 151 00:09:50,400 --> 00:09:57,360 And I actually get more stressed out on my off Fridays because I have to get the kids 152 00:09:57,360 --> 00:10:04,600 around, get them ready, get them fed pretty much all by myself and complete tasks at home 153 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:12,800 that in a normal flow of life would be not a big deal, but because I have to do stay 154 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:18,760 at, play stay at home parent for one day, it just is, it can be overwhelming. 155 00:10:18,760 --> 00:10:23,240 And I get, I find myself getting more stressed off when I'm off on a Friday than when I'm 156 00:10:23,240 --> 00:10:24,680 working on a Friday. 157 00:10:24,680 --> 00:10:25,680 Yeah. 158 00:10:25,680 --> 00:10:28,040 No, it reminds me of COVID. 159 00:10:28,040 --> 00:10:31,440 Remember when we were all home and our kids were too. 160 00:10:31,440 --> 00:10:36,400 And we're, and that's when I realized, Oh my gosh, this is insane. 161 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:37,400 What's going on? 162 00:10:37,400 --> 00:10:38,400 I can't do anything. 163 00:10:38,400 --> 00:10:43,680 And I've got to get them, now they're doing PE in my, my living room. 164 00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:47,400 And they've got their, with their computers and they're dancing around and playing music. 165 00:10:47,400 --> 00:10:50,800 And I'm, there's no way I can, I can get my work done. 166 00:10:50,800 --> 00:10:56,560 And, you know, I, I, I feel like I gave up on a lot of things parenting wise. 167 00:10:56,560 --> 00:11:00,800 When it was the end of the school day, I was like, go ahead, watch your iPad. 168 00:11:00,800 --> 00:11:01,800 Be on the computer. 169 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,160 I got to focus now. 170 00:11:03,160 --> 00:11:04,160 Right. 171 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:05,160 Yeah. 172 00:11:05,160 --> 00:11:09,520 So when I was thinking about this, I really appreciated the conversations we've been 173 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:13,880 having about God and money. 174 00:11:13,880 --> 00:11:19,840 And I think one of the things that we pulled out of that is with respect to not being able 175 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:27,280 to serve two, two masters, if we pursue worldly things, I think it, we begin to love them more 176 00:11:27,280 --> 00:11:28,800 than God. 177 00:11:28,800 --> 00:11:33,680 And I think that's, so one of the things we talked about was what we fix our gaze upon, 178 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:42,760 our physical eyes in some way are training our hearts to desire what we behold. 179 00:11:42,760 --> 00:11:49,120 And I think this is where we can form almost like an addiction to things in the world. 180 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:51,680 I go, I need that, I need that. 181 00:11:51,680 --> 00:12:01,080 And, and, you know, anyone who's experienced or seen addiction knows that you, that high 182 00:12:01,080 --> 00:12:06,240 that you get is not going to sustain you and you're always going to be chasing that wonderful 183 00:12:06,240 --> 00:12:08,240 experience you had. 184 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:12,360 And, and it, and it doesn't even have to be like it could be anything you're addicted 185 00:12:12,360 --> 00:12:17,360 to shopping, you know, whatever it is. 186 00:12:17,360 --> 00:12:22,040 And this is, this is the dynamic that we see with the people in Romans one where they had 187 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:25,360 traded the glory of God for the glory of created things. 188 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:34,360 And so I think since it's impossible to serve both God and money, don't love money. 189 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:38,520 And I want to leave our audience with a test here. 190 00:12:38,520 --> 00:12:46,040 And this is for all of us, but think about what you're worried about. 191 00:12:46,040 --> 00:12:50,720 If we're worried about all the stuff we can buy with money. 192 00:12:50,720 --> 00:12:57,840 And I, and Jesus mentions food and clothing with sure feel like essentials for living. 193 00:12:57,840 --> 00:13:01,520 But I think in the U S we've got plenty of food and clothing. 194 00:13:01,520 --> 00:13:03,960 And so what do we end up worried about? 195 00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:05,680 Like a lot of, like, will I get that job? 196 00:13:05,680 --> 00:13:09,760 Will I, you know, be able to take that vacation? 197 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:11,040 Will it be where I want? 198 00:13:11,040 --> 00:13:14,800 You know, will I get the, go to that concert? 199 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:16,080 Will I get the good seats? 200 00:13:16,080 --> 00:13:17,080 I don't know. 201 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:18,320 Whatever it is. 202 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:24,280 If we're more worried about something money can buy, it's probably an indication that 203 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:32,640 we're trusting in money or the world some way and not treasuring God. 204 00:13:32,640 --> 00:13:38,320 I think one of the things that's very hard about that is that there is a reality that 205 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:43,680 money, and we talked about this in the last pod, but I do want to bring us back to that, 206 00:13:43,680 --> 00:13:51,600 but money, a lack of money causes all sorts of problems in our world. 207 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:54,680 It makes it very hard to exist in our world. 208 00:13:54,680 --> 00:14:01,120 I heard an explanation of poverty is if two people need work boots, one can only pay 10, 209 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:05,360 one can pay 100, but the guy who pays 10 has to buy a new pair every year. 210 00:14:05,360 --> 00:14:09,640 Well, over the course of, and the guy who pays 100, they last 10 years. 211 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:14,680 Over the course of 10 years, the guy who paid $10 a year paid the same amount of money, 212 00:14:14,680 --> 00:14:21,600 but he now he has wet feet for most of the year and how there is a very real need for 213 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:29,240 money and figuring out how to thread the needle of am I content with what I have versus am 214 00:14:29,240 --> 00:14:33,520 I just constantly wanting more? 215 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,360 What's the right amount to improve? 216 00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:41,640 I think I shared last time I'm getting an MBA in the fall in September. 217 00:14:41,640 --> 00:14:47,840 Not sure when this is coming out, but in September of 2023, I'm mark time stamp it. 218 00:14:47,840 --> 00:14:53,720 September of 2023, I'm starting my MBA partially so I can put my family in a better financial 219 00:14:53,720 --> 00:14:54,720 situation. 220 00:14:54,720 --> 00:15:01,360 And so I've had to work through is that wrong to put my family in a better financial situation? 221 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:03,040 Where does that fit in with this? 222 00:15:03,040 --> 00:15:10,240 And I don't think there is necessarily a clear, concise answer for it all. 223 00:15:10,240 --> 00:15:14,600 It's kind of a, it's a hard thing to, it's a hard needle to thread. 224 00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:21,600 Yeah, I think that, you know, I just came back from a trip. 225 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:25,360 I went to Little Rock, Arkansas to visit my mother who lives there now. 226 00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:29,080 We used to spend a lot of time there when we were children. 227 00:15:29,080 --> 00:15:35,200 And we were talking about a house that my grandmother lived in on Second Street in North 228 00:15:35,200 --> 00:15:36,920 Little Rock. 229 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:43,200 And my aunts and uncles were saying what a terrible, horrible, ramshackle kind of house 230 00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:44,200 it was. 231 00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:51,280 It was rat infested and it was falling apart and the plumbing didn't work. 232 00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:58,520 And I was flabbergasted by it because to me in my memory, that house was a palace. 233 00:15:58,520 --> 00:15:59,520 I loved it. 234 00:15:59,520 --> 00:16:01,800 I loved every moment there. 235 00:16:01,800 --> 00:16:06,440 I was devastated when we drove by there and it was gone. 236 00:16:06,440 --> 00:16:08,800 And they were saying there's no way. 237 00:16:08,800 --> 00:16:10,000 No one even tore it down. 238 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,560 It just kind of fell down. 239 00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:18,600 And it made me think of how they are looking at it from a different lens. 240 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:22,600 They're looking at it from a lens of what it lacked. 241 00:16:22,600 --> 00:16:25,800 And I was looking at it from a lens of what it had. 242 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:31,080 It had all the people I loved the most in the world, the people that I felt most secure 243 00:16:31,080 --> 00:16:39,000 with, the people who gave me life, the people who were my first heroes in my life, all lived 244 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,200 in that house. 245 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:51,840 And I think one of the dangers of money is the way that money mimics God. 246 00:16:51,840 --> 00:16:54,760 That God is the one who provides everything for us. 247 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:57,720 God is the one who's given us everything that we need. 248 00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,960 God is the one who takes care of us. 249 00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:09,460 And money is, when you know God, you realize how poor an imitation of God money is. 250 00:17:09,460 --> 00:17:12,840 But money is more, what's the word? 251 00:17:12,840 --> 00:17:14,600 Money is more imminent. 252 00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:15,600 Money is right here. 253 00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:16,600 It's right in front of you. 254 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:18,100 It's right in front of you. 255 00:17:18,100 --> 00:17:20,880 You're dealing with it all the time. 256 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:23,920 Society is in some ways driven by it. 257 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:30,000 And so money feels like the thing that can give me what I need right now. 258 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,080 God's going to give you what you need when you need it. 259 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:40,440 Money is the thing that can give me what I think I need today, this moment. 260 00:17:40,440 --> 00:17:47,240 And everything in our society is structured around that, from fast food to fast coffee 261 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:53,720 to overnight delivery from Amazon to everything that I want I can get right now. 262 00:17:53,720 --> 00:17:56,320 If I have money. 263 00:17:56,320 --> 00:18:01,080 There is a great tension here that we're hitting on. 264 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:11,640 Between what you have and what you need to survive with and then the deceptive qualities 265 00:18:11,640 --> 00:18:13,960 of money. 266 00:18:13,960 --> 00:18:15,400 I think it's really hard. 267 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:19,800 And we talked a lot about this, like where do we train our heart? 268 00:18:19,800 --> 00:18:21,080 What is our real focus? 269 00:18:21,080 --> 00:18:24,200 And so money is a means to an end. 270 00:18:24,200 --> 00:18:27,720 It's not the thing we should be trusting. 271 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:32,700 That's why I think there's the fun little in God we trust on the back of our money. 272 00:18:32,700 --> 00:18:33,700 We should remember that. 273 00:18:33,700 --> 00:18:41,920 I think that's good to remember, even though that seems like it's lost on a lot of people. 274 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:44,400 Pretty much. 275 00:18:44,400 --> 00:18:56,240 Well, so Jesus continues and let's get through maybe one more question here. 276 00:18:56,240 --> 00:19:01,880 Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? 277 00:19:01,880 --> 00:19:08,200 This is another argument that is sort of a sub-argument, I guess, to the previous assertion. 278 00:19:08,200 --> 00:19:14,960 What does Jesus mean by this statement and how does it help us not be anxious to think 279 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:21,280 that life is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? 280 00:19:21,280 --> 00:19:28,000 So I see the way I hear this is Jesus calling the people who are listening back to what 281 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:31,440 they learned in Torah. 282 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:36,680 One of the first stories a little Jewish kid would have learned is the story of the Exodus 283 00:19:36,680 --> 00:19:44,160 and how God fed his people with the manna and the bread or the manna and the quail. 284 00:19:44,160 --> 00:19:49,600 He would be calling them back to saying, God values you and will give you what you need. 285 00:19:49,600 --> 00:19:54,880 I forget exactly where it is, but he says, when you were with me in the desert, you lacked 286 00:19:54,880 --> 00:19:58,000 nothing. 287 00:19:58,000 --> 00:20:02,560 Even though you didn't know where your food and water was coming from, you didn't have 288 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:09,680 a food source for hundreds of thousands of people, but I gave you food, I provided food. 289 00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:14,720 I think he's trying to call the people back to this and to remind them that he values 290 00:20:14,720 --> 00:20:23,360 people, that God values human beings far more than he values anything else. 291 00:20:23,360 --> 00:20:29,320 He's trying to tell them, you know I will take care of you if you trust me and follow 292 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:30,320 me. 293 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:33,120 You read the stories, you understand that. 294 00:20:33,120 --> 00:20:37,000 That's been a fundamental tendon of your faith for a long time. 295 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,760 Come back to that, come back to trusting that. 296 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:47,360 I love what you're saying there about calling back to their wilderness journey and how Moses 297 00:20:47,360 --> 00:20:50,320 at the end is telling them, hey, your clothes didn't fall apart. 298 00:20:50,320 --> 00:20:53,280 It's almost like, wow, what a miracle. 299 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:56,520 We've been wandering all that time and we had what we needed. 300 00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:58,600 God took care of our clothing even. 301 00:20:58,600 --> 00:21:03,800 Yep, for 40 years, most clothing doesn't last 40 years. 302 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:04,800 Really? 303 00:21:04,800 --> 00:21:12,240 Yeah, there's a quote from Clemente Alexandria saying that some men live that they may eat, 304 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,720 but the instructor enjoys this to eat that we may live. 305 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:24,520 And I think when we are unnecessarily focused on the material things that are going to sustain 306 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:35,120 us or that we think will sustain us past even what we basically need, we forget the richness 307 00:21:35,120 --> 00:21:42,680 of life in the kingdom and in God that He wants us to experience. 308 00:21:42,680 --> 00:21:48,320 If I'm obsessed about, am I going to have enough? 309 00:21:48,320 --> 00:21:55,080 It's really hard for me to be filled with a life that's bringing love, joy, peace, patience, 310 00:21:55,080 --> 00:21:57,800 all the fruits of the spirit. 311 00:21:57,800 --> 00:22:08,640 And so I think that's, it's helpful for me, okay, these material things I need to eat to 312 00:22:08,640 --> 00:22:09,640 live. 313 00:22:09,640 --> 00:22:21,360 I need to be sustained, but they are subservient to my actual life in God. 314 00:22:21,360 --> 00:22:24,920 I can't order that. 315 00:22:24,920 --> 00:22:26,840 You mentioned Clemente of Alexandria. 316 00:22:26,840 --> 00:22:31,280 Is that from his one on the proper use of wealth? 317 00:22:31,280 --> 00:22:34,720 I don't think so. 318 00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:36,640 That's called how can the rich man be saved? 319 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:38,360 It's what it is called, the instructor. 320 00:22:38,360 --> 00:22:39,560 Oh, okay. 321 00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:41,680 He's got some good stuff in there. 322 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:43,360 This is great. 323 00:22:43,360 --> 00:22:49,600 I love what you're saying about, if you're focused on my needs, then you're not focused 324 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,000 on how can I be giving, right? 325 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,000 Yeah. 326 00:22:54,000 --> 00:23:00,960 And those connections with others of being able to offer yourself in love, to be able 327 00:23:00,960 --> 00:23:08,000 to actually receive things with joy instead of like, you know, striving and grabbing. 328 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:11,800 And I think when I look at my life, like that's what makes life worth living. 329 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:19,960 I think it's a picture of what life will look like, you know, in the new creation that 330 00:23:19,960 --> 00:23:21,800 we're trying to be a part of. 331 00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:22,800 Yeah. 332 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:25,880 It's, you know, life is the gift. 333 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:30,560 Life is the, life is the big deal here. 334 00:23:30,560 --> 00:23:39,600 And it reminds me so much of when Jesus was in, was led by the spirit into the desert. 335 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:50,000 And you know, all the things that Satan tempted him with are things that he, Jesus specifically 336 00:23:50,000 --> 00:23:51,100 needed. 337 00:23:51,100 --> 00:23:56,840 The first, very simply, he'd been fasting for 40 days and he was hungry. 338 00:23:56,840 --> 00:23:59,440 And so, yes, he needed food. 339 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:00,440 Absolutely. 340 00:24:00,440 --> 00:24:02,520 He needed the necessity. 341 00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:04,200 And the devil tempted him with it. 342 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:08,640 And of course, Jesus says, man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes 343 00:24:08,640 --> 00:24:09,640 from the mouth of God. 344 00:24:09,640 --> 00:24:17,080 And then he offers him sort of dominion over the whole world, which Jesus in some ways 345 00:24:17,080 --> 00:24:22,400 already had, although in that present form when he was in the flesh, it was something 346 00:24:22,400 --> 00:24:26,120 that he was going to need to get at some point. 347 00:24:26,120 --> 00:24:30,760 And it would have been very easy for him to focus on what he needed to get. 348 00:24:30,760 --> 00:24:34,720 And then he tells him, tells him, throw yourself off the temple. 349 00:24:34,720 --> 00:24:35,720 God will protect you. 350 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,600 Yes, he needed God's protection. 351 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:46,520 But anxiety comes in when you forget about what God has already given you, life, your 352 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:51,840 soul, your salvation, just what God has given you within yourself. 353 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:55,440 Forget about all the blessings for a moment, all the other blessings that you have of your 354 00:24:55,440 --> 00:25:00,840 relationships and your family, your marriage. 355 00:25:00,840 --> 00:25:06,200 When you forget about those things and you start to think about what I need, then we 356 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:10,520 get confused about what we need versus what we just want. 357 00:25:10,520 --> 00:25:16,160 And to me, that's the definition of me for my type of anxiety. 358 00:25:16,160 --> 00:25:21,880 I don't know what I need because I have it all mixed up with what I want. 359 00:25:21,880 --> 00:25:30,600 And so I'm always sort of chasing what I want, thinking it's what I need. 360 00:25:30,600 --> 00:25:31,880 And I'm just running in circles. 361 00:25:31,880 --> 00:25:33,960 I'm a rat on a wheel. 362 00:25:33,960 --> 00:25:34,960 Wow. 363 00:25:34,960 --> 00:25:41,800 Something you said in their van was how I was thinking about this too with respect to 364 00:25:41,800 --> 00:25:44,600 what do I really know? 365 00:25:44,600 --> 00:25:51,080 And when I'm focused on the things around me, I'm losing perspective of what's most 366 00:25:51,080 --> 00:25:52,080 important. 367 00:25:52,080 --> 00:25:56,880 And I think this is a little bit of what Jesus is getting at here too, is not your life, 368 00:25:56,880 --> 00:25:59,840 your soul. 369 00:25:59,840 --> 00:26:04,720 More important than even the stuff that would keep your body alive. 370 00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:14,280 And so in a sense, that's your life, which can be eternal with God, the more parts are 371 00:26:14,280 --> 00:26:17,960 so much more important. 372 00:26:17,960 --> 00:26:24,560 And to wrap it up here, I think that the stuff that I've really appreciated about this conversation 373 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:33,040 has been how we've all seen that this is getting us to focus back on God and God's character 374 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:37,360 and that we can trust Him as our Master who will provide for us. 375 00:26:37,360 --> 00:26:44,560 And so we shouldn't worry about the stuff around us because God is our Master, the Creator 376 00:26:44,560 --> 00:26:46,440 who will provide for us. 377 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:51,720 And so we can have confidence and we don't have to be insecure like when we're grasping 378 00:26:51,720 --> 00:26:54,240 for the things around us. 379 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,120 So this has been a wonderful discussion. 380 00:26:57,120 --> 00:26:59,080 Thank you so much. 381 00:26:59,080 --> 00:27:03,840 And we're going to pick this up next time too. 382 00:27:03,840 --> 00:27:04,840 Thank you. 383 00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:05,840 Thanks. 384 00:27:05,840 --> 00:27:23,840 Thank you.