WEBVTT 00:00:00.490 --> 00:00:04.809 Friends, let's pray. Father, please teach 00:00:04.809 --> 00:00:08.810 us by your Holy Spirit not to be concerned about 00:00:08.810 --> 00:00:11.089 the things that you don't want us to be concerned 00:00:11.089 --> 00:00:15.650 about. And may we instead focus on what pleases 00:00:15.650 --> 00:00:22.190 you. In Jesus' name, amen. Three -pointers in 00:00:22.190 --> 00:00:26.449 a basketball game, especially, are very popular 00:00:26.449 --> 00:00:29.589 with the crowd. They seem to really get the crowd 00:00:29.589 --> 00:00:32.750 going. there's something really exciting about 00:00:32.750 --> 00:00:35.969 a three -pointer. And it's more than just worth 00:00:35.969 --> 00:00:39.750 an extra point. And three -pointers for Jesus 00:00:39.750 --> 00:00:43.710 also seemed quite popular. And I don't mean in 00:00:43.710 --> 00:00:46.750 the context of basketball. I mean in the context 00:00:46.750 --> 00:00:50.549 of his preaching. Some weeks back, I said tongue 00:00:50.549 --> 00:00:53.710 -in -cheek that a three -point sermon is very 00:00:53.710 --> 00:00:59.549 biblical because Jesus used three points. And 00:00:59.549 --> 00:01:05.010 he does here in this next section of his teaching, 00:01:05.109 --> 00:01:07.989 just like he did in the previous part of his 00:01:07.989 --> 00:01:10.609 teaching. Yes, in Matthew 6 and 7, you could 00:01:10.609 --> 00:01:14.390 say there are two three -point sermons that Jesus 00:01:14.390 --> 00:01:16.689 gives us. We looked at the first three -pointer, 00:01:16.810 --> 00:01:18.730 and now we're in the middle of the next three 00:01:18.730 --> 00:01:22.569 -pointer. Now, each of his points in his first 00:01:22.569 --> 00:01:24.829 three -pointer basically started with the word 00:01:24.829 --> 00:01:29.959 when. Firstly, when you give. This is what you 00:01:29.959 --> 00:01:31.900 shouldn't do, and this is what you should do. 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:36.180 Secondly, when you pray, this is what you shouldn't 00:01:36.180 --> 00:01:39.079 do, and this is what you should do. And thirdly, 00:01:39.120 --> 00:01:42.480 when you fast, this is what you shouldn't do, 00:01:42.560 --> 00:01:46.500 and this is what you should do. And now each 00:01:46.500 --> 00:01:50.760 of his points in his second three -pointer basically 00:01:50.760 --> 00:01:56.260 start with the words, do not. Firstly, do not 00:01:56.260 --> 00:02:02.810 stall. Do not worry. And thirdly, do not judge. 00:02:04.269 --> 00:02:08.169 Last week we looked at do not store. That is, 00:02:08.229 --> 00:02:10.889 do not store up for yourselves treasures here 00:02:10.889 --> 00:02:14.169 on earth. Instead, store up for yourselves treasures 00:02:14.169 --> 00:02:18.789 in heaven. Next week we'll be looking at do not 00:02:18.789 --> 00:02:22.229 judge. But today we're looking at his second 00:02:22.229 --> 00:02:26.810 point in his second three -pointer. Do not worry. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:31.719 And in each of these points, including his first 00:02:31.719 --> 00:02:34.080 three -pointer, Jesus tells us what not to do 00:02:34.080 --> 00:02:38.159 as well as what to do. Obviously, in today's 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:43.039 sermon, what not to do is, well, obvious. Jesus 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:48.000 says not to worry. But as we look at that and 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:50.460 as we conclude, we'll also be looking at what 00:02:50.460 --> 00:02:55.340 he says to do instead of worrying. Let's make 00:02:55.340 --> 00:02:58.680 a start by opening up our Bibles to this second 00:02:58.680 --> 00:03:03.139 point in Jesus' second three -pointer, Do Not 00:03:03.139 --> 00:03:06.900 Worry, in Matthew 6. If you're using one of our 00:03:06.900 --> 00:03:09.960 church -provided Bibles, we're on page 1475, 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:16.139 or just use your bulletin. Please look again 00:03:16.139 --> 00:03:19.300 at verses 25 to 26 and keep your Bibles opened 00:03:19.300 --> 00:03:21.759 here, as we will be coming back to this passage 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:28.250 a couple of times. Verse 25. Therefore I tell 00:03:28.250 --> 00:03:33.310 you, do not worry about your life, what you will 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:36.789 eat or drink, or about your body, what you will 00:03:36.789 --> 00:03:40.629 wear. Is not life more than food and the body 00:03:40.629 --> 00:03:43.289 more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. 00:03:43.370 --> 00:03:46.689 They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, 00:03:46.689 --> 00:03:50.469 and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are 00:03:50.469 --> 00:03:56.340 you not much more valuable than they? Now, I 00:03:56.340 --> 00:03:58.599 find what Jesus says here quite fascinating. 00:03:59.819 --> 00:04:02.680 You see, you would expect on this topic of not 00:04:02.680 --> 00:04:06.680 worrying for Jesus to say something like, you 00:04:06.680 --> 00:04:11.060 need to pray rather than worry. And especially 00:04:11.060 --> 00:04:13.699 pray with thanksgiving and you will experience 00:04:13.699 --> 00:04:18.079 God's peace. Compare Philippians 4. But no, he 00:04:18.079 --> 00:04:21.720 doesn't. Or you might expect him to say something 00:04:21.720 --> 00:04:24.930 like, Concerning the topic of worrying, you need 00:04:24.930 --> 00:04:29.009 to pray with fasting. After all, he's only just 00:04:29.009 --> 00:04:33.509 spoken about both praying and fasting. But no, 00:04:33.550 --> 00:04:37.129 he doesn't. He doesn't even say, relax, God is 00:04:37.129 --> 00:04:41.310 in control. Now, they're things that one would 00:04:41.310 --> 00:04:47.250 tend to quickly jump to, as I would, as an antidote 00:04:47.250 --> 00:04:49.769 to worry, but he doesn't even talk about them. 00:04:53.259 --> 00:04:55.959 Each day, morning and night, I usually look at 00:04:55.959 --> 00:04:59.819 news .com .au, well, more recently The Australian, 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:02.939 to keep abreast of what's going on and therefore 00:05:02.939 --> 00:05:05.939 what's affecting you and me. Or more to the point, 00:05:06.000 --> 00:05:09.399 what you and I are being told by the world as 00:05:09.399 --> 00:05:12.279 to how the world thinks we should live our lives. 00:05:13.180 --> 00:05:15.560 And there was an article on the remedy of being 00:05:15.560 --> 00:05:20.519 anxious, of being stressed and depressed. And 00:05:20.519 --> 00:05:23.660 it was basically an article on how not to worry. 00:05:24.579 --> 00:05:27.540 And the four remedies listed in the article were 00:05:27.540 --> 00:05:33.079 these. Look after your digestive system. Slow 00:05:33.079 --> 00:05:37.879 down. Turn to herbs. And number four, actively 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:42.399 improve your mood. Now, I'm not saying don't 00:05:42.399 --> 00:05:45.480 do these things, but all I'm saying is that once 00:05:45.480 --> 00:05:49.079 again, Jesus doesn't even mention such things 00:05:49.079 --> 00:05:54.079 here. And so what does Jesus say to do here? 00:05:54.519 --> 00:05:57.639 Did you notice what he says as to what is the 00:05:57.639 --> 00:06:01.459 remedy for not worrying? I'll give you a hint 00:06:01.459 --> 00:06:06.360 with a little puzzle. What does this puzzle say? 00:06:08.839 --> 00:06:19.100 Any takers? Yes, Jesus tells us, I think you've 00:06:19.100 --> 00:06:23.480 worked it out, Craig. Jesus tells us not to notice 00:06:23.480 --> 00:06:27.860 the birds. A, B, see the birds? M, no birds. 00:06:29.060 --> 00:06:37.000 S, A, R, O, S, I see them. He says, do not worry, 00:06:37.120 --> 00:06:43.620 look at your diet, your prayer life. No, look 00:06:43.620 --> 00:06:48.680 at the birds of the air. As I said, I find... 00:06:49.069 --> 00:06:51.970 What Jesus says here, quite fascinating, it is 00:06:51.970 --> 00:06:56.110 not what I expect. He says, look at the birds 00:06:56.110 --> 00:07:00.509 of the air. They do not sow or reap or store 00:07:00.509 --> 00:07:04.110 away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds 00:07:04.110 --> 00:07:10.250 them. And it's true, isn't it? You won't see 00:07:10.250 --> 00:07:15.269 a bird on a tractor playing in a field. You won't 00:07:15.269 --> 00:07:19.490 see a bird operating a sugarcane harvester. And 00:07:19.490 --> 00:07:21.629 I've never seen a bird building a storage shed. 00:07:23.430 --> 00:07:27.290 And yet their creator, our Heavenly Father, feeds 00:07:27.290 --> 00:07:31.670 them. They don't have the abilities that mankind, 00:07:31.870 --> 00:07:34.350 that men and women have to sow, to harvest, to 00:07:34.350 --> 00:07:39.810 store, to refrigerate. And yet our Father provides 00:07:39.810 --> 00:07:44.410 for them. They just have to trust that the trees 00:07:45.149 --> 00:07:47.589 the shrubs, the grasses, produce the nuts, the 00:07:47.589 --> 00:07:50.509 fruits, the seeds, the blossom and the nectar, 00:07:50.589 --> 00:07:56.029 because that's how our Father feeds them. Now, 00:07:56.069 --> 00:07:57.949 they still have to go searching for their food. 00:07:58.029 --> 00:08:01.629 They have to get off their recliners, their perches, 00:08:01.709 --> 00:08:05.189 and flap their wings and do some work. But he 00:08:05.189 --> 00:08:11.310 provides for them. Have you ever stopped and 00:08:11.310 --> 00:08:14.639 taken the time to look at the birds? to notice 00:08:14.639 --> 00:08:20.680 them, watch them and consider not only how beautiful 00:08:20.680 --> 00:08:23.120 they are and all the different types that exist, 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:28.000 but also to consider how our Heavenly Father 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:34.019 provides for them, feeds them. Friends, it's 00:08:34.019 --> 00:08:36.240 not the whole purpose as to why I like to go 00:08:36.240 --> 00:08:40.820 bush rather than check out a city, but it's one 00:08:40.820 --> 00:08:43.940 of them. One of them is to look at the birds 00:08:43.940 --> 00:08:48.539 of the air. And with respect to the context here, 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:51.519 just marvel at how our father looks after them. 00:08:52.940 --> 00:08:57.580 Yes, how he looks after a bird which doesn't 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:02.940 sow or reap or stall. On one of our trips to 00:09:02.940 --> 00:09:06.659 the bush, I was really keen to see star finches. 00:09:07.579 --> 00:09:11.279 which get their name star from the petite white 00:09:11.279 --> 00:09:16.879 dots on the red of their face. They are the only 00:09:16.879 --> 00:09:19.860 types of finches in Australia that I hadn't seen 00:09:19.860 --> 00:09:24.480 in the wild. There are apparently some spots 00:09:24.480 --> 00:09:26.179 in the Tablelands where you can find them, but 00:09:26.179 --> 00:09:30.019 I haven't. And there are some spots in the Kimberley 00:09:30.019 --> 00:09:33.360 and the Pilbara regions of Western Australia. 00:09:35.179 --> 00:09:38.659 And so when Sue and I headed out that way, I 00:09:38.659 --> 00:09:42.419 hoped to spot some and watch them. So when we 00:09:42.419 --> 00:09:45.379 got to the Kimberley, we went to the area where 00:09:45.379 --> 00:09:49.759 one can usually find star finches. But guess 00:09:49.759 --> 00:09:53.379 what? Unfortunately, they had a massive fire 00:09:53.379 --> 00:09:55.899 go through the region and no one knew if they 00:09:55.899 --> 00:09:59.320 had survived or if they did where they went in 00:09:59.320 --> 00:10:05.820 search of food. When we were in the Pilbara region, 00:10:06.039 --> 00:10:09.600 would you believe that a whole lot of star finches 00:10:09.600 --> 00:10:13.919 came right up to where we were camping and did 00:10:13.919 --> 00:10:18.120 just about every morning and evening. Locals 00:10:18.120 --> 00:10:20.899 said there seems to be an influx of them lately. 00:10:22.440 --> 00:10:26.080 This is one of the photos we took. Besides the 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:27.799 fact that God was very good to me personally 00:10:27.799 --> 00:10:29.960 and basically brought them right to our front 00:10:29.960 --> 00:10:33.860 door, our tent. Looking back on things now, I 00:10:33.860 --> 00:10:36.340 wonder how much our Father's hand was on this, 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:41.580 taking many of them to this new location where 00:10:41.580 --> 00:10:46.940 he would feed them. Yes, look at the birds of 00:10:46.940 --> 00:10:50.679 the air. They do not sow or reap or store away 00:10:50.679 --> 00:10:54.159 in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. 00:10:56.360 --> 00:10:59.500 Are you not much more valuable than they? Well, 00:10:59.580 --> 00:11:03.230 of course we are. We are made in the image of 00:11:03.230 --> 00:11:09.789 God. A bird isn't. And so don't worry. He will 00:11:09.789 --> 00:11:15.389 certainly feed you too. Elizabeth Chenney. Do 00:11:15.389 --> 00:11:19.929 you know her? Elizabeth Chenney, an English aristocrat 00:11:19.929 --> 00:11:23.029 who lived in the 15th century. That's why you 00:11:23.029 --> 00:11:25.830 probably don't know her. Who lived in the 15th 00:11:25.830 --> 00:11:28.950 century and who, by her two marriages, was also 00:11:28.950 --> 00:11:32.370 the great -grandmother. of three of King Henry 00:11:32.370 --> 00:11:37.710 VIII's wives, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour and Catherine 00:11:37.710 --> 00:11:43.309 Howard, wrote this most apt poem about how strange 00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:46.769 people can be from the perspective of the birds 00:11:46.769 --> 00:11:51.629 of the air. And what she writes is so spot on. 00:11:53.710 --> 00:11:57.559 Said the robin to the sparrow. I should really 00:11:57.559 --> 00:12:01.960 like to know why these anxious human beings rush 00:12:01.960 --> 00:12:06.259 about and worry so. Said the sparrow to the robin, 00:12:06.320 --> 00:12:10.539 friend, I think that it must be that they have 00:12:10.539 --> 00:12:14.419 no heavenly father such as cares for you and 00:12:14.419 --> 00:12:22.379 me. Spot on, isn't it? Spot on. Well, let's now 00:12:22.379 --> 00:12:25.019 take a look at the second example Jesus refers 00:12:25.019 --> 00:12:28.799 to, to help us not to worry. And once again, 00:12:29.100 --> 00:12:31.500 yes, once again, it surprises me because it's 00:12:31.500 --> 00:12:35.360 not what I would think. Please look at verses 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:40.379 28 to 30 with me. And why do you worry about 00:12:40.379 --> 00:12:44.039 clothes? See how the flowers of the fields grow? 00:12:44.179 --> 00:12:48.299 They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that 00:12:48.299 --> 00:12:51.299 not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed 00:12:51.299 --> 00:12:54.519 like one of these. If that is how God clothes 00:12:54.519 --> 00:12:57.519 the grass of the field, which is here today and 00:12:57.519 --> 00:13:00.659 tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not 00:13:00.659 --> 00:13:07.340 much more clothe you, you of little faith? So 00:13:07.340 --> 00:13:11.139 Jesus has just basically finished by saying, 00:13:11.179 --> 00:13:13.220 do not worry, look at the birds of the air. And 00:13:13.220 --> 00:13:16.360 now he basically says, do not worry. Look also 00:13:16.360 --> 00:13:20.919 at the flowers of the field. So the first bit 00:13:20.919 --> 00:13:23.279 was basically don't worry about food. Look at 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:26.200 the birds. And now Jesus says don't worry about 00:13:26.200 --> 00:13:31.440 clothing. Look at the flowers. Just don't worry 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.100 about what you will eat or drink. Look at the 00:13:33.100 --> 00:13:36.039 birds of the air. And don't worry about what 00:13:36.039 --> 00:13:38.940 you'll wear. Look at the flowers of the field. 00:13:41.549 --> 00:13:44.269 Have you ever taken a good look at how God clothes 00:13:44.269 --> 00:13:49.850 the grass of the field? That is, clothes or dresses 00:13:49.850 --> 00:13:52.250 the grass, the plants of the field with flowers, 00:13:52.389 --> 00:13:55.830 blossom and colour. And if such flowers of the 00:13:55.830 --> 00:13:57.950 field are here today and gone tomorrow, and they 00:13:57.950 --> 00:14:01.529 usually are, flowers don't last very long, especially 00:14:01.529 --> 00:14:05.509 up here in the tropics. We all live much longer 00:14:05.509 --> 00:14:10.049 than a flower. Will he not much more clothe you 00:14:10.049 --> 00:14:14.159 and me? And so just as I've said before that 00:14:14.159 --> 00:14:17.519 a three -point sermon is biblical, so too is 00:14:17.519 --> 00:14:22.399 going bush and camping. Because when you go bush, 00:14:22.399 --> 00:14:24.419 you get to look at the birds of the air and you 00:14:24.419 --> 00:14:27.000 get to look at the flowers of the field. And 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:29.580 when you then consider how our Father feeds the 00:14:29.580 --> 00:14:31.779 birds and clothes the grasses and plants with 00:14:31.779 --> 00:14:34.279 flowers, it should remind us of how much greater 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:39.659 worth we are than a bird or a flower. and therefore 00:14:39.659 --> 00:14:43.580 how much more he will care for us. And therefore, 00:14:43.679 --> 00:14:46.659 to worry about these things in your life shows 00:14:46.659 --> 00:14:53.539 a lack of faith in our Father. As Jesus says, 00:14:53.740 --> 00:15:01.100 you of little faith. Well, part of this holiday 00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:03.179 going to bush through the Kimberley and the Pilbara 00:15:03.179 --> 00:15:06.139 regions of Western Australia also involved coming 00:15:06.139 --> 00:15:11.179 back. And so rather than come back on the same 00:15:11.179 --> 00:15:14.360 road, I don't like doing that. So rather than 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:16.399 come back on the same road, we came back right 00:15:16.399 --> 00:15:19.120 across the centre of Australia through the Little 00:15:19.120 --> 00:15:22.299 Sandy Desert and the Gibson Desert on some very 00:15:22.299 --> 00:15:27.720 remote tracks. Now, normally the Little Sandy 00:15:27.720 --> 00:15:31.019 Desert and Gibson Desert pretty much look like 00:15:31.019 --> 00:15:38.000 how they sound. Desert. Lots of sand. Dry clay 00:15:38.000 --> 00:15:41.460 pans, salt deposits with the odd bit of scrub, 00:15:41.740 --> 00:15:44.340 some dead looking grass every now and again and 00:15:44.340 --> 00:15:49.600 clumps of spinifex. But this time, or I should 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:53.299 say in this particular year, the centre of Australia 00:15:53.299 --> 00:15:58.379 had a big dump of rain. So much so that we would 00:15:58.379 --> 00:16:01.399 have probably got stuck in a clay pan somewhere 00:16:01.399 --> 00:16:04.000 in the middle of nowhere had we gone a few weeks 00:16:04.000 --> 00:16:10.259 earlier. But do you know what happens in many 00:16:10.259 --> 00:16:15.080 deserts after a dump of rain? Do you know what 00:16:15.080 --> 00:16:17.500 happens to the dead -looking grasses and other 00:16:17.500 --> 00:16:21.220 dead -looking plants, let alone what grows seemingly 00:16:21.220 --> 00:16:28.679 from nothing? Well, I could show you the 1 ,341 00:16:28.679 --> 00:16:35.929 photos that Sue took of such, but I won't. but 00:16:35.929 --> 00:16:39.610 I'll show you a few. Have a look at these. It's 00:16:39.610 --> 00:16:42.769 amazing how, to use Jesus' very words, God clothes 00:16:42.769 --> 00:16:44.809 the grass of the field. Have a look at these 00:16:44.809 --> 00:16:48.570 verses that God dresses even the desert with. 00:16:49.830 --> 00:16:53.889 This is a Sturt's Desert Pea plant that literally 00:16:53.889 --> 00:16:56.970 was on either side of the track we were on. The 00:16:56.970 --> 00:16:59.990 next photo is a close -up to marvel at what God 00:16:59.990 --> 00:17:05.200 had created for us to enjoy. What a magnificent 00:17:05.200 --> 00:17:09.299 flower of the field. Flower of the desert. Sturt's 00:17:09.299 --> 00:17:13.400 Desert Pea. The next photo is a purple and white 00:17:13.400 --> 00:17:15.200 round thing. I don't know the names of these 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.519 things. And once again, they were everywhere 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:20.859 in the middle of the desert. The next is a close 00:17:20.859 --> 00:17:24.079 -up of this flower of the field. Amazing stuff. 00:17:25.480 --> 00:17:29.079 The next is a purple triangular flower. That 00:17:29.079 --> 00:17:37.029 will do for a name. close up of it. And the next 00:17:37.029 --> 00:17:41.289 one is a photo of my wife. She's the most beautiful 00:17:41.289 --> 00:17:50.309 flower of them all. With long hair. And then 00:17:50.309 --> 00:17:52.650 we came across these little dainty white flowers 00:17:52.650 --> 00:17:55.089 everywhere and the next photo is a close up of 00:17:55.089 --> 00:18:01.569 it. A lot of the desert consists of just rocks 00:18:01.569 --> 00:18:05.069 and rocks and more rocks, but amongst the rocks 00:18:05.069 --> 00:18:06.690 were these little purple flowers everywhere. 00:18:07.009 --> 00:18:09.869 And here's a picture of a whole blanket of purple 00:18:09.869 --> 00:18:14.589 flowers, a field of flowers in the desert. We 00:18:14.589 --> 00:18:16.650 then came across a whole stretch of what looked 00:18:16.650 --> 00:18:21.170 like, from a distance, paper mache. Until we 00:18:21.170 --> 00:18:23.230 got up close. I nicknamed these clumps of white 00:18:23.230 --> 00:18:27.630 flowers Manor from Heaven. Because that's what 00:18:27.630 --> 00:18:31.410 it looked like. And finally, many of the sand 00:18:31.410 --> 00:18:33.430 dunes we drove over because of the dump of rain 00:18:33.430 --> 00:18:36.430 had transformed into a carpet of flowers and 00:18:36.430 --> 00:18:42.450 little colourful shrubs and grasses. Have you 00:18:42.450 --> 00:18:45.069 ever considered, have you ever looked at the 00:18:45.069 --> 00:18:50.049 flowers of the field? These dry grasses, dry 00:18:50.049 --> 00:18:52.750 scrubby things, many of them even look like a 00:18:52.750 --> 00:18:57.539 stick. They can't labour and spin and dress themselves 00:18:57.539 --> 00:19:05.099 with clothing, but with flowers, God does. And 00:19:05.099 --> 00:19:08.279 so if that is how God clothes the grass of the 00:19:08.279 --> 00:19:10.720 field, which is here today and tomorrow, is thrown 00:19:10.720 --> 00:19:13.839 into the fire, which triples up in the heat of 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:18.000 the desert, will he much more clothe you and 00:19:18.000 --> 00:19:24.660 me? You and me of little faith. And friends, 00:19:24.720 --> 00:19:26.799 after each of these examples that Jesus uses 00:19:26.799 --> 00:19:28.740 to help us to realise that we aren't to worry, 00:19:28.880 --> 00:19:31.220 he concludes with two statements that I want 00:19:31.220 --> 00:19:34.339 us to now look at and summarise in our sermon 00:19:34.339 --> 00:19:36.440 outlines before we look at something else that 00:19:36.440 --> 00:19:41.180 Jesus tells us to do rather than worry. And the 00:19:41.180 --> 00:19:43.500 first of these two statements of Jesus sums things 00:19:43.500 --> 00:19:46.380 up after he talks about looking at the birds 00:19:46.380 --> 00:19:52.759 of the air. He says in verse 27, Can any one 00:19:52.759 --> 00:19:56.500 of you by worrying add a single hour to your 00:19:56.500 --> 00:20:02.279 life? Well, obviously none of us can. It's common 00:20:02.279 --> 00:20:06.359 sense, isn't it? Is worrying going to help? Absolutely 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:10.680 not. If anything, worrying will probably subtract 00:20:10.680 --> 00:20:14.779 an hour or two, a year or two from your life. 00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:18.099 Rather than add to it, summing up Jesus' first 00:20:18.099 --> 00:20:21.670 example here, I'll put it like this. Worry. denies 00:20:21.670 --> 00:20:26.210 common sense. It really does. It won't help your 00:20:26.210 --> 00:20:28.869 life at all. And if our father feeds the birds 00:20:28.869 --> 00:20:31.190 of the air, he will certainly feed you and me. 00:20:32.509 --> 00:20:35.410 Are we much more valuable than they? Of course 00:20:35.410 --> 00:20:40.450 we are. And the second of these concluding statements 00:20:40.450 --> 00:20:43.829 sums up both of these examples. The need to look 00:20:43.829 --> 00:20:45.910 at the birds of the air and the need to see the 00:20:45.910 --> 00:20:48.680 flowers of the field. Have a look at what Jesus 00:20:48.680 --> 00:20:54.980 says in verses 31 and 32. So do not worry, verse 00:20:54.980 --> 00:20:59.680 32, saying what shall we eat or what shall we 00:20:59.680 --> 00:21:02.839 drink or what shall we wear? For the pagans run 00:21:02.839 --> 00:21:04.500 after all these things and your Heavenly Father 00:21:04.500 --> 00:21:08.539 knows that you need them. Now, a pagan refers 00:21:08.539 --> 00:21:13.000 to someone who's not a believer. Not yet a believer. 00:21:15.339 --> 00:21:20.690 Just like the poem said. It is expected that 00:21:20.690 --> 00:21:23.470 they will chase after these and many other things 00:21:23.470 --> 00:21:28.049 in life, worry about them, but not a Christian. 00:21:29.509 --> 00:21:34.769 A Christian knows God as our Father. And one 00:21:34.769 --> 00:21:39.869 knows exactly what his children need each day. 00:21:41.190 --> 00:21:45.529 And so will dress us and feed us. In summing 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:47.750 up, I'll put this second statement of Jesus as 00:21:47.750 --> 00:21:54.940 this. Worry therefore defines unbelievers. Believers 00:21:54.940 --> 00:22:00.019 therefore aren't to worry. We are much more important 00:22:00.019 --> 00:22:01.920 than a dried up piece of scrub in the desert. 00:22:03.019 --> 00:22:05.700 And if our father feeds it with rain when needed 00:22:05.700 --> 00:22:08.880 and clothes it with flowers when needed, he will 00:22:08.880 --> 00:22:13.000 certainly feed and clothe his children. So to 00:22:13.000 --> 00:22:15.700 worry about something like that is to simply 00:22:15.700 --> 00:22:22.559 act like an... Yes, Jesus concludes these two 00:22:22.559 --> 00:22:24.660 examples with these statements. In summing up, 00:22:24.740 --> 00:22:28.619 he says that worry actually defies common sense, 00:22:28.799 --> 00:22:33.240 and much more than that, worry defines an unbeliever, 00:22:33.299 --> 00:22:35.740 as a believer is meant to have faith in a heavenly 00:22:35.740 --> 00:22:42.400 Father providing for us. We've looked at do not 00:22:42.400 --> 00:22:44.720 worry, and that is the first thing that Jesus 00:22:44.720 --> 00:22:49.420 talks about. We have also spent a while looking 00:22:49.420 --> 00:22:53.940 at it as its most detailed part of the message 00:22:53.940 --> 00:22:59.579 here. But now to seek. Please look at verse 33 00:22:59.579 --> 00:23:03.119 with me. The second last of Jesus' teachings 00:23:03.119 --> 00:23:07.119 here. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness 00:23:07.119 --> 00:23:09.900 and all these things will be given to you as 00:23:09.900 --> 00:23:16.950 well. So basically, Verses 25 to 32 detail, do 00:23:16.950 --> 00:23:22.170 not worry. And here in verse 33, Jesus now tells 00:23:22.170 --> 00:23:27.410 us, but seek first his kingdom and righteousness 00:23:27.410 --> 00:23:31.930 and all these things, what you need to eat, what 00:23:31.930 --> 00:23:35.049 you need to drink, what you need to wear will 00:23:35.049 --> 00:23:41.369 be given you as well. I've summed it up like 00:23:41.369 --> 00:23:43.829 this. In trying to put it as simply as possible, 00:23:43.950 --> 00:23:47.690 we are to seek the things that concern our Heavenly 00:23:47.690 --> 00:23:51.769 Father. And he's concerned about his kingdom, 00:23:51.809 --> 00:23:55.509 his rightful rule over you and me, over all people. 00:23:56.730 --> 00:23:59.190 And so just as we should desire, therefore, to 00:23:59.190 --> 00:24:01.509 show his rightful rule in how we live our life, 00:24:01.690 --> 00:24:05.769 a righteous life, so too we should desire to 00:24:05.769 --> 00:24:09.250 see other people live under his rightful rule, 00:24:09.980 --> 00:24:13.480 and live righteous lives as well. And more than 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:16.900 that, as we see the world around us not living 00:24:16.900 --> 00:24:20.380 like that, we should desire for his kingdom to 00:24:20.380 --> 00:24:26.680 ultimately come, and therefore for Jesus to return. 00:24:28.460 --> 00:24:31.759 Yes, that is what seeking his kingdom and righteousness 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:38.099 is all about, and that is all that should really 00:24:38.099 --> 00:24:43.980 concern us. There is a little word here in this 00:24:43.980 --> 00:24:47.599 verse that's very important. Jesus doesn't just 00:24:47.599 --> 00:24:50.460 say, but seek his kingdom and righteousness. 00:24:52.079 --> 00:24:58.500 No, he says, seek first his kingdom and righteousness. 00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:01.339 And I don't think he means to compartmentalise 00:25:01.339 --> 00:25:04.619 our life so that after we focus on him first, 00:25:04.799 --> 00:25:08.480 we then do what second and then third and fourth 00:25:08.480 --> 00:25:12.970 on our list. No, it means that what he's concerned 00:25:12.970 --> 00:25:17.589 about takes priority over all concerns and therefore 00:25:17.589 --> 00:25:21.910 shapes all other concerns. And when it does, 00:25:22.049 --> 00:25:26.950 guess what? You won't worry. You will not worry. 00:25:31.049 --> 00:25:34.509 I put it to you, but I also put it to me. After 00:25:34.509 --> 00:25:39.049 all, in three weeks' time, that's not long. Soon 00:25:39.049 --> 00:25:44.089 I will be retiring. And we don't know what we 00:25:44.089 --> 00:25:50.069 will be doing. That if we are focused as we should 00:25:50.069 --> 00:25:53.710 on seeking the things of our Heavenly Father, 00:25:53.910 --> 00:25:58.410 just as we say in the Lord's Prayer, our Father 00:25:58.410 --> 00:26:01.750 in Heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom 00:26:01.750 --> 00:26:06.150 come, your will be done, what is there to really 00:26:06.150 --> 00:26:12.309 worry about? Well, that is the really big picture 00:26:12.309 --> 00:26:16.690 of what to seek. What I love also about God is 00:26:16.690 --> 00:26:18.869 that he seems to continue to give his children 00:26:18.869 --> 00:26:22.589 practical helps as well. And one of them is implied 00:26:22.589 --> 00:26:27.650 in the last verse in verse 34. Please look at 00:26:27.650 --> 00:26:30.049 it with me, please. In summing it all up, Jesus 00:26:30.049 --> 00:26:34.009 says, Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, 00:26:34.170 --> 00:26:39.519 like in three weeks' time. For tomorrow will 00:26:39.519 --> 00:26:43.519 worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble 00:26:43.519 --> 00:26:49.640 of its own. Once again, so, so true, isn't it? 00:26:51.039 --> 00:26:54.299 I'll put it like this. Seek to live one day at 00:26:54.299 --> 00:26:59.759 a time. So many of our worries concern tomorrow. 00:27:01.099 --> 00:27:04.900 They really do. And we are told here not to worry 00:27:04.900 --> 00:27:09.559 about tomorrow. What's implied here, I think, 00:27:09.599 --> 00:27:12.660 are actually two things. The first is that every 00:27:12.660 --> 00:27:16.579 day usually has enough trouble of its own, and 00:27:16.579 --> 00:27:19.079 so you won't be able to handle things if you 00:27:19.079 --> 00:27:22.480 look at all the tomorrows that lie ahead. It 00:27:22.480 --> 00:27:25.940 will stress you out, cause you to be anxious, 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:31.359 get depressed, worry. It's true, isn't it? And 00:27:31.359 --> 00:27:33.480 the second thing obviously implied here is to 00:27:33.480 --> 00:27:38.000 take one day at a time. That's what we, Sue and 00:27:38.000 --> 00:27:42.799 I, very soon to be Brendan and Laura, have to 00:27:42.799 --> 00:27:46.079 regularly remind ourselves to do. And especially 00:27:46.079 --> 00:27:48.960 when Sue and I have a huge week that lies ahead. 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:58.240 We, you, need to take one day at a time. Just 00:27:58.240 --> 00:28:02.079 as Jesus has taught us, give us today our daily 00:28:02.079 --> 00:28:08.980 bread. So we are to go about our lives in a daily 00:28:08.980 --> 00:28:12.900 manner, as each day usually has enough trouble 00:28:12.900 --> 00:28:16.680 of its own. And do you know what the amazing 00:28:16.680 --> 00:28:20.779 thing is? When we do seek to live one day at 00:28:20.779 --> 00:28:26.220 a time, I found so, so often that the trouble 00:28:26.220 --> 00:28:33.500 I was expecting tomorrow or later that week doesn't 00:28:33.500 --> 00:28:38.980 even arise. and is dealt with before I even get 00:28:38.980 --> 00:28:46.559 to it. Do you also find that? Dare I say, I think 00:28:46.559 --> 00:28:48.880 you will when you seek to live one day at a time 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:52.000 seeking the things of our Heavenly Father. He 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:54.579 is that good. Amen.