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As they're making their way down, the kids are being dismissed. If you have a copy of the scriptures, I would invite you to turn to Matthew chapter 6.

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Matthew chapter 6, we'll be looking at verses 25 through 34 this morning as our text.

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Jesus said, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you're going to eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.

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Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns.

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Yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to his span of life?

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So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

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Now if God so clothed the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

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Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek.

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For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

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Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Let's pray.

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Father, thank you for this precious, precious word. Thank you for the gift of the word of God that we can hold in our hands and we can hear and read the very precious promises that you have given to your people.

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Lord, would you rid us of worry by seeing that we have a Father in heaven who takes care of his own. God, help us by your spirit. Come, Lord, be in our midst, Lord, as we worship you, Lord, through Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.

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Today as we're continuing in our study in the Gospel of Matthew, we come to a very familiar and perhaps maybe the most comforting portion of scripture in Matthew's Gospel.

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It's in this passage today that we read the command, the well-known command that the Lord gave to his people to not worry.

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It's not just an exhortation. God's people are commanded not to worry about their life, what they're going to put on or wear, what they're going to eat.

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And then he says at the very end, don't even worry about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

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But instead, he said, there is one thing, you are to seek, seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness.

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But as we begin to study this, we need to ask ourselves a question in verse 25, why would our Lord suddenly tell his followers right here to not worry?

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I mean, why introduce the topic of worry right here? I mean, look at verse 25. It says, Therefore I say to you.

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Well, he's using therefore. So that means what he is about to say is connected to what he has just said.

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Well, what did he just say? We looked at this two weeks ago.

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He told them they are not to lay up treasures on the earth and said they are to lay up treasures in heaven.

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In essence, he's telling them you need to stop living for this life, stop living for this age and look at the one to come.

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He ended it. He says it is impossible that you try to serve two gods. You cannot serve both God and money.

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There has to be a choice. So basically, he said, who are you going to serve? You want to serve God or money?

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God or comfort? God or prestige? In other words, where does your security lie?

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Does your security lie in the fact that you know God or that you have many possessions and the Lord is demanding unreserved devotion to his kingdom?

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He allows no rivals to his rule. But now think about those people there who gathered.

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What would happen if they give complete devotion to Christ?

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If they are not allowed to serve the God of money and they can't lay up treasures on the earth, I mean, how are they going to live?

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If they can't amass treasures here, how will they provide for their families? How are they going to survive?

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And this is the whole point of this passage. The key is that they are commanded to not worry because they are to trust that the King takes care of those in his kingdom.

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As God's people commit themselves to his kingdom and to his rule, by the way, his righteousness, so the King commits himself to taking care of them.

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Now, the disciples of Christ, what they're finding is a total commitment to him. Then they have no reason to fear, no reason to worry.

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Chris Miller in his commentary says, the one who pursues God will discover not only him, not only God, but also his provision.

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Now, Matthew 6 has largely been a rebuke to the Pharisees. So now we're going to see a shift in the tone.

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It's no longer polemical, but rather pastoral. It goes from a message of rebuke, he's rebuke the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, to now one of comfort.

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So if he's no longer rebuke those hypocrites, instead he wants to exhort, he's going to comfort his disciples and he's going to lead them to trust him more.

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Now, you understand there's a massive crowd there that day. And if you've ever been to Israel, they have the Mount of Beatitudes.

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It's a big hillside there. So there's a massive crowd gathered around our Lord and they're listening really with bated breath to every word that he is speaking.

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And in that crowd there were some who were rich, but there were many who were poor.

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The temptation is that the rich would have been tempted to trust in their riches and laying up earthly treasures.

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They're going to stockpile possessions assuming all is safe because they have so much. They don't have to worry about a foul day that may come.

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They have no need to worry about the future, at least so they assume.

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But also in that crowd there were many who were poor and they had nothing except the shirt on their back.

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They had no possibility of storing up earthly treasures. They wanted food.

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They didn't even know where their next meal was going to come from.

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So you have two groups. The rich are there and they're tempted to put their trust in material possessions and the poor are there and they're tempted to doubt God's ability to provide for them.

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Verse 25, Therefore.

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In light of what he just said, you can't serve God money, not in God's kingdom you can't.

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So he issues a new command to those who'd follow him and he says, Do not worry.

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Don't even be anxious about such things.

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Don't be anxious about what you're going to eat or what you're going to wear.

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Don't even be anxious about your life itself.

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Yet today we find our society is filled with people, even believers, who are overcome with anxiety,

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who are extremely anxious, anxious about everything, about finances, anxious about kids, about their health, about the state of our economy,

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about the direction of the country this week, about Russia and Ukraine, about Israel and Hamas with Palestine.

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And Jesus would tell his people today to stop.

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He's not just telling, he's commanding, stop doing this.

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You're to be anxious about nothing.

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Worry about nothing is what he's telling to his people.

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Now the English word worry that we use comes from an old German word that literally means to strangle.

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And I find this to be such a good word picture.

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Because if you're thinking about this, what does worry, what does anxiety actually do?

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It strangles.

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It strangles out peace.

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It strangles out faith.

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It strangles out hope.

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And it certainly strangles out joy.

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You cannot be filled with faith and filled with worry at the same time.

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You cannot be worried and joyful at the same time.

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You cannot be worried and enjoy peace at the same time.

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Worry in its very essence is a sin of unbelief.

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It's a doubting of God.

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It's a doubt, an unbelief in the very ability of God to provide.

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And God's people are to put to death this sin of anxiety, this sin of worry.

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So the million dollar question then is, well, how do you do that?

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That sounds nice.

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Anxious people want nothing more than peace.

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If I just suddenly tell you stop worrying, that doesn't help you.

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You're not going to say, wow, thank you.

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I've never thought about that.

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I'll just stop.

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That doesn't help.

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Now, the world, they do have tips for overcoming worry.

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They're not effective.

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I did a Google search just last week and I read an article from a Harvard

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happiness expert.

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His name is Arthur Brooks.

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And in this article, he gives four tips to overcoming worry.

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I'm going to give you, this is the world's advice.

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I'm going to give them to you real quickly.

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Number one, he says if you want to overcome worry and anxiety, he talks about

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overcoming anxiety and worry is a subset of it.

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Number one, write down your worries.

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And all these are quotes here at the bottom.

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Anxiety of which worry is a component is essentially just unfocused fear.

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Without a true focus, fear is a phantasm that you will struggle to deal with

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adequately.

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So write down what you're worried about.

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Two, focus on outcomes.

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So on your worry list, write down the best outcome for each problem, the

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worst outcome, and then write down the most likely outcome.

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Then add what you would do in each instance.

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This makes a source of worry specific and it gives you a management plan.

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So write it down and then you're going to write out the outcome that you would

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most likely expect.

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Thirdly, he says you need to fight superstition.

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Give up the magical thinking that if you torture yourself enough about some

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uncertainty, you will somehow improve the situation.

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So don't just think that your worry has any magical ability to actually correct

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the problem.

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And lastly, he says you need to have a morning mantra.

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Make this your morning mantra.

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So when you wake up in the morning, he said declare your intention to stop

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spending time this way and here's what I say.

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So here's what he wants to be your mantra.

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I don't know what this day will bring, but I am alive to experience it and will

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not waste it worrying about these things that I cannot control.

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The Ivy League happiness expert, he goes on to say in addition, there are some

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breathing techniques and some focusing techniques that you should also employ

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to help reduce worry.

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Now, friends, this is the best that an Ivy League trained happiness expert can

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come up with.

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These were things.

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The world who does not know God is left to its own resources in this battle.

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When we come to Matthew 6 and we see that the Christian is not.

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She's saying, well, how does a Christian control or combat the sin of worry?

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It's not by mantras.

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It's not by breathing techniques.

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It is on knowing and meditating on the fact that you have a Father in Heaven who

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knows all things, sees all things, is in charge of all things, can do all things.

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And this God loves you.

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He is in covenant with you.

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He has adopted you into his family and you are not some helpless orphan.

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So what Jesus is saying to his people is you can stop worrying not because worry

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is going to be bad for your health or worry is going to rob you of peace or joy.

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That may be true, but you can stop worrying.

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Why?

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Because there's someone present in your life who is there to take care of you

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when anything happens.

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Stop worrying about all the things of life as if you don't have a God who can

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more than meet our needs.

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Verse 25, therefore I say to you, don't worry about your life.

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And he goes on to about any of those things.

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Worry there.

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It's the Greek word mernao and it literally means to be troubled with care.

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You're just overwhelmed with care.

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And I would suggest to you that worry is the most acceptable Christian sin that

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exists.

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And a Christian sin, by the way, is an oxymoron.

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But I think this is the most acceptable sin that exists within the Christian

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community.

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We excuse it all the time.

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We justify it as though it's just part of our natural makeup.

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You hear things like, well, I'm just a worrier.

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My mom was a worrier and I'm a worrier.

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Or I can't help it, I'm a parent.

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Worry is just a part of being a parent.

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And I've been told that so much and we battle with that as well.

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Or I worry because I care.

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If I'm not worried, it's because I don't care.

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I only worry because I care so much.

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And we spin it and we justify it.

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But the truth is, worry calls into question God's goodness, his grace, his

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provision, and it calls into question his power, as though he were helpless in

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the face of whatever we're enduring.

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Now, three times between Matthew 6, 25 and verse 34, three times our Lord

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issues his command to not worry.

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Verse 25, therefore I say to you, don't worry about your life.

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Verse 31, therefore do not worry.

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In the final verse, verse 34, therefore do not worry about tomorrow.

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Now, the very first command is you're not to worry about your life.

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He says don't even worry about what you'll eat, what you're going to drink,

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or what you're going to wear.

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Now, he's using here some examples, food and clothing.

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This is not an exhaustive list.

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It's representative because it teaches a broader principle.

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Food and clothing are legitimate concerns.

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If you don't have enough food, you're not well clothed, and you're going to have

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a tough time surviving.

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They're legitimate concerns, but they're not ultimate concerns.

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So there's a negative command, don't worry.

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A positive command, trust the God who provides.

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Now, you and I have very good reason to stop worrying and to start trusting.

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Do you remember back in the Old Testament, Abraham, when he was referring to

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Jehovah God, he referred to him as Jehovah Jireh, the Lord who provides.

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Paul in Philippians 419, the apostle writes, he says, and my God shall,

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he will supply all your need according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus.

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God is faithful, and he's faithful to meet the needs of his children.

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And Jesus is talking to his followers in that day, and he says, listen,

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isn't life, isn't it more than just food?

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And isn't the body more than just clothing?

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I mean, these are not ultimate things.

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Legitimate, yes, but when we factor God into the equation, we consider them

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not ultimate at all.

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Why?

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Because he's going to show us how God provides for us even in the face of want.

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He gives two examples, and he gives both of these from nature

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on how God's going to provide.

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He's also employing the argument from the lesser to the greater.

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If God takes care of birds, won't he much more take care of those who are

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created in his image?

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Now, let's look at the first example, verse 26 and 27.

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He said, look at the birds of the air.

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They're not sowing or reaping, gathering into barns, yet your heavenly father

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feeds them.

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Are you not of more value than they?

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Which of you by worrying cut out a single hour to span of life?

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Now, you can picture the scene.

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If you've been to Israel, you've probably been to the Mount of Beatitudes there.

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Jesus is talking.

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He's there on that Galilean hillside.

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He's probably at the bottom, standing perhaps by the sea.

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You've got all the people seated on the hillside there.

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And I just imagined, I can't say this, this is me reading in the text, I would

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imagine some birds are flying overhead, and Jesus looks up and he calls those

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who are listening to him that day to observe them.

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Consider the birds.

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He said, look, they're not worried, they're not anxious right now about what

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they're going to eat.

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They don't sow in a field.

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They don't sow seed.

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And they don't come harvest time and try to reap anything.

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They don't build barns to store grain into it.

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And yet they're not worried.

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They're not anxious at all.

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Why?

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Because they trust that God is going to provide food for them.

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And he does.

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The psalmist wrote this in Psalm 147.

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God covers the heavens with clouds, who prepares rain for the earth, who makes

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grass to grow on the mountains.

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He gives to the beast its food and to the young ravens that cry.

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God provides for his creation.

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Now, we don't want to press this illustration too far, suggesting somehow

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that God's people don't need to work or that God's going to magically feed them

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even if they're lazy.

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After all, birds do hunt for food.

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But the reason they're able to hunt for food is because God has provided food

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for them.

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And what Jesus is saying is you don't have to worry because God ensures that

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they don't have to worry, excuse me, because God ensures they're going to be

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fed.

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But then he looks at his people and he says, listen, birds are not created in

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the image of God.

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If God takes care of simple, insignificant birds, will he not much more, much

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more take care of you who are created in his very image and are far more worth?

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You have no need to worry, he says.

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You're in his kingdom because he's talking to those in the kingdom.

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You have a father who takes care of you.

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Then he goes on, and I think this is great, he says, worry is really point...

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Look at verse 27, which of you by worrying could add a single hour to the span of

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life?

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Some of you are like, that's not what my Bible says.

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Some of you, if you're using the authorized version, King James, it says,

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who can add one cubit to his stature?

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Now, the Greek word is helekia, and it's a unit of measurement.

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It literally can mean a unit of time or it can mean a unit of measurement like

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height.

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It just depends on context.

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So it could read, which of you by worrying can add an hour to his life?

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Which of you by worrying can add one cubit, that is 18 inches, to his height?

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Now, to me, in most modern translations, it makes more sense to talk about age.

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He's talking about worry.

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Most people aren't worried that you're going to get 18 inches taller.

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So he's talking about who by worrying can add even a single hour, one helekia,

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to his life?

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Who is going to extend your life at all by worry?

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No one.

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Your time on earth has been appointed by God, says feudal worry.

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It's not what changed anything.

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Who determines the length of our life?

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God alone.

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So where is feudal?

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It is pointless because you and I do not possess the ability to change anything.

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But he goes on.

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He said, but look at the flowers.

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So why do you worry about clothing?

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Now, remember, there's poor people there who didn't have anything other than the

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very clothes on their backs.

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He said, but why are you worried about clothing?

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Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.

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They toil not, neither spin.

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But then he goes on to say, Solomon, Israel's richest king, in all his royal magnificence,

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was not arrayed like one of them.

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But here's the point, verse 30.

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If God is willing to clothe the grass of the field, just exists for a short time,

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today he is, tomorrow he's cast in the oven.

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Will he not much more clothe you?

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Oh, you of little faith.

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So again, they're on the hillside, Galilean hillside, and no doubt there were some

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flowers growing.

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Consider the birds, and he says, well, consider these lilies.

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And these lilies are actually wild flowers that grew in that region.

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Look how beautiful they are.

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But they didn't labor to be that beautiful.

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There's no toil involved.

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God was responsible for their beauty.

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Think about today, we're here in March, meteorological spring.

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I know it's a few more weeks until we get to actual spring.

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But spring's soon upon us, and the flowers are going to start to bloom,

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and the most vibrant colors will soon be here also.

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I don't know if you ever go over to Central Park and you see the tulip fields that

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bloom every year.

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I mean, they're beautiful tulips that just cover the park.

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But those gorgeous flowers, they don't labor to be beautiful.

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And that's Jesus' point.

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He said, listen, you take Israel's richest king, the most opulent king that has

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ever existed in our history, Solomon, he wasn't even dressed as ornately as one

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of these simple flowers.

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Kings in their majesty do not match the beauty of flowers that God created for

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grass.

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Do you get the point?

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Kings, the people that we esteem the most, they can't even compare with how

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God closed the grass.

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And Jesus goes on, he said, however, in spite of a flower's beauty, they don't

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last long.

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They're here today, and tomorrow they're gone.

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And then he said, they're cast into the oven.

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What's that mean?

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Well, as you had flowers that would fade and the grass that would wilt, they

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would be used as a source for fuel in some of the wood baking ovens there for

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bread.

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What's the point?

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Flowers are transient, and they don't have inherent worth.

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They're beautiful, but they're not worthy.

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But God closed the grass with them.

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And then he says, but don't you think he's going to take care of you?

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I mean, if he's willing to adorn fields with these beautiful yet short-lived

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flowers, will he not much more, not just more, but much more take care of his

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very own children?

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So do you see how we're starting to defeat worry?

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In this passage, we see the care of the Father, but also I hope you do see the

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value and worth that he places on his children.

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Because we sometimes think, do I matter to God?

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Yes, you do.

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Look at verse 26.

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You have worth to God.

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Are you not of much more worth?

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You're a child of God.

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The one who closed the grass of the field will also clothe his children.

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Why?

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Because you're not an orphan.

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And then he says, oh, you of little faith.

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Now, another way this could be translated is, oh, you little faith ones.

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It can be a rebuke, but it can also be an exhortation.

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The Lord is exhorting his disciples to what?

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Don't be like the hypocrites.

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Don't be like these religious leaders.

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That's the first part of the chapter.

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But you do need to trust God.

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Will you trust your heavenly Father or not?

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He's worthy, right?

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He's worthy of our trust.

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He said, you don't believe me?

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Look at the sky and look at the birds flying.

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Look out at the fields and see the flowers.

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God, if he's anything, he's faithful.

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And this is the point.

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God is completely trustworthy.

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So you and I need to repent of our unbelief disguised as worry.

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I hope today that we start to see our worry dishonors God.

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Our worry brings shame.

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Having little faith shames the God who is completely faithful.

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You can go to him.

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You can put all your eggs in the one basket.

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You can bank on him.

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So what's the solution?

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Arthur Brooks says, hey, repeat this mantra every morning and breathe right.

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Jesus says no.

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Verse 31.

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Don't worry.

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Saying, what am I going to eat or drink or wear?

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The Gentiles, the nations that don't know God, that's what they're looking for.

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Your heavenly Father, your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.

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I'll tell you what you do do.

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Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all those things are going to be added to you.

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Don't worry about tomorrow.

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Why?

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Tomorrow is going to take care of itself sufficient for the day as its own evil or its own trouble.

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Now look, as God takes care of birds and as God takes care of the fields, he's also going to take care of his children.

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He doesn't renege on it.

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And therefore he says, don't worry.

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Now get this, people.

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This is for us. Don't worry about your life at all.

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At all.

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Why?

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Verse 32.

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Get this in your spiritual DNA.

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Get this in your memory bank here.

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Your heavenly Father knows what you need.

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He knows your situation, even if it be difficult.

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He can change it any time he wants.

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What is your job?

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You trust him.

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Friends, worry is pagan.

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Verse 32.

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All the unbelievers, all the Gentiles are worried.

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Those who do not know God, they worry almost as a default mechanism.

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They have to.

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They don't have God as Father.

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They don't have God as Father caring for them.

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So they worry.

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And how does their worry express itself?

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They try to amass as much as they possibly can for security against the future.

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So if I just have more and more and more, then I'm going to make sure by rainy day

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fund is so funded that I can't ever suffer loss.

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It's pagan.

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J.C. Ryle wrote this.

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He said, over-carefulness about the things of this world is most unworthy of a Christian.

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One great feature of paganism is living for the present.

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Let the pagan be anxious if he wants to.

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He knows nothing of a Father in heaven.

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But let the Christian who has clear light and knowledge give proof of it by his faith

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and contentment.

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Those who, by God's grace, through faith in his Son, have been brought into God's kingdom,

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can rest assured that the King will take care of those in his kingdom.

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Verse 33, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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Seek, secteo is the Greek word, and it literally means pursue in order to obtain.

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It's not just, I'm not just looking for it.

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I'm pursuing it, and I've got, I have to have it.

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But notice he said seek first in importance.

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This is to be the consuming passion and priority of every believer.

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So we seek his kingdom and his righteousness.

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Those are synonyms.

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They refer to the same thing.

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If you're seeking his kingdom, then you're seeking that his righteous will be done on

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earth and in your life as well.

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That's what he's saying.

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Now notice what the Lord did not say, and this is just as important.

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The Lord did not say seek for his kingdom.

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He would have said that if he were talking to unbelievers.

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He said seek first his kingdom.

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Why?

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He was speaking to those who were already in the kingdom.

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This is it.

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Kingdom citizens, the church, the people called out by God's grace must align their priorities

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to God's interest.

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Or in other words, we are to get our will to match God's will.

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That's what we do.

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So you don't be anxious about the things of the world, but there should be something that

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is consuming you, something that is motivating you.

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And friends, it has to be this, the kingdom of God.

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Nothing else matters more.

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That's why nothing else takes priority over what we do every day here, or every Lord's

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ass I should say.

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G. Campbell Morgan, he wrote, the kingdom of God should make every nerve tingle and

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throb and every artery flow with force.

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If you've seen God's glory at all, it has to do something to you.

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If you know anything about God being your father, it's I have to have him.

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Let us be done away with lesser things, following Christ, seeking his kingdom first.

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Realize where you came from.

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God has rescued you from a domain of darkness.

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He's placed you into the kingdom of light, and those who've been placed there should

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be ardent.

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They should be zealous for the things of God.

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They have to be.

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And friends, that's the problem.

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We are far too easily satisfied.

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People are like, well, get to church if I can, as long as my schedule allows it and

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these other things aren't taking place.

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You know nothing of seeking first the kingdom of God.

464
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:10,000
You're not going to stand before God and say, hey, God, you're first, but this is my priority.

465
00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,000
Then he's not first.

466
00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,000
Let us understand that.

467
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,000
But there's a promise attached.

468
00:30:17,000 --> 00:30:19,000
All these things will be added unto you.

469
00:30:19,000 --> 00:30:20,000
Seek God first.

470
00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:22,000
Seek his kingdom first.

471
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:23,000
Nothing else having priority.

472
00:30:23,000 --> 00:30:27,000
And he said, you will have what you need when you need it.

473
00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:32,000
Clothing, food, drink, whatever you need for your life, God's going to provide it.

474
00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:36,000
So be anxious about one thing, that you're seeking God above all else.

475
00:30:36,000 --> 00:30:39,000
That you're trusting him to take care of everything else.

476
00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,000
And lastly, look at that last verse there.

477
00:30:41,000 --> 00:30:44,000
Therefore, don't even worry about tomorrow.

478
00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,000
Because of the promise in verse 33 that all these things are going to be added to the

479
00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,000
one who seeks him.

480
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,000
He said, don't even worry about tomorrow.

481
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:57,000
Has God promised to provide all that you need as you seek his kingdom?

482
00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,000
Do you believe him?

483
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:02,000
And the message comes full circle.

484
00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:06,000
He began with don't worry about your life.

485
00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:11,000
And he ends it commanding you don't even worry about tomorrow.

486
00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,000
Why?

487
00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:17,000
Because God is your father.

488
00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:18,000
That's why.

489
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:20,000
You don't worry about tomorrow.

490
00:31:20,000 --> 00:31:23,000
Tomorrow, if the Lord allows us to see it, it will take care of itself.

491
00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,000
And by the way, it will have its own unique problems.

492
00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,000
Every day does.

493
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,000
So don't borrow off them.

494
00:31:29,000 --> 00:31:32,000
I think most of us can say we have enough trouble each day.

495
00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:35,000
We don't need to borrow off tomorrow.

496
00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:36,000
Think back to the children of Israel.

497
00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:39,000
How did God provide for their food?

498
00:31:39,000 --> 00:31:42,000
How often did he give manna?

499
00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,000
Daily.

500
00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,000
Except on the Sabbath.

501
00:31:45,000 --> 00:31:48,000
So also, how does God give grace?

502
00:31:48,000 --> 00:31:49,000
Daily.

503
00:31:49,000 --> 00:31:52,000
And it's not hypothetical grace for what hypothetically may come.

504
00:31:52,000 --> 00:31:55,000
So many people have no peace because they're worried.

505
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,000
They're like, I don't know how I'm going to respond.

506
00:31:57,000 --> 00:31:59,000
I'm like, God hasn't given you the grace for that yet.

507
00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:03,000
God has only given you grace that is needed for today.

508
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,000
God is the God of the present.

509
00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:10,000
The grace that is needed today is given today.

510
00:32:10,000 --> 00:32:13,000
And the grace that is needed for tomorrow will not be given today.

511
00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:17,000
Whatever happens tomorrow, whatever.

512
00:32:17,000 --> 00:32:22,000
God will give you his grace and strength to face it if he has called you to it.

513
00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:26,000
Ray Pritchard says don't borrow trouble.

514
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,000
There's plenty to be thinking about right now.

515
00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:33,000
So many people are frozen with fear over what might happen two or three months down the road.

516
00:32:33,000 --> 00:32:35,000
Listen.

517
00:32:35,000 --> 00:32:40,000
If God could create the world in seven days, he can surely handle your problems in June or July.

518
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:43,000
Each day has enough trouble to keep you plenty busy.

519
00:32:43,000 --> 00:32:49,000
You take care of today and God will take care of tomorrow.

520
00:32:49,000 --> 00:32:52,000
God is the God who is.

521
00:32:52,000 --> 00:32:54,000
I am that I am.

522
00:32:54,000 --> 00:32:56,000
He's the God of the present.

523
00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:59,000
And so he's telling his people that's where we must live also.

524
00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:01,000
And friends, all of us have failed in this.

525
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,000
All of us have failed miserably at this at times.

526
00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:05,000
So we don't dwell in the past.

527
00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:10,000
We don't live in the future because grace is given today.

528
00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:18,000
Lamentations chapter three when Jeremiah wrote this, he says it is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.

529
00:33:18,000 --> 00:33:20,000
That's not a reason we're still here.

530
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:22,000
He's talking about Israel there.

531
00:33:22,000 --> 00:33:26,000
Because his, that is God's, compassion, they don't fail.

532
00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,000
Notice what verse 23 says.

533
00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:30,000
God's compassion is God's mercies.

534
00:33:30,000 --> 00:33:33,000
They are new every morning.

535
00:33:33,000 --> 00:33:36,000
Mercy never runs out.

536
00:33:36,000 --> 00:33:37,000
It's always there.

537
00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:38,000
New every morning.

538
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,000
Indeed, this is why we can stand and sing that beloved hymn.

539
00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:44,000
Great is thy faithfulness.

540
00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:45,000
God is faithful.

541
00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,000
Has he ever let you down?

542
00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:51,000
Has he ever one time reneged on a promise?

543
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:55,000
He's the only one that's completely trustworthy.

544
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:57,000
Everyone else will let you down.

545
00:33:57,000 --> 00:33:59,000
Not our father.

546
00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:03,000
Spurgeon says, cast foreboding cares away.

547
00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:06,000
God provided for today.

548
00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:15,000
O my heart, he says, what rest there is for thee if you will give yourself up to the Lord and leave all your own concerns with him.

549
00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:21,000
Mind the Lord's business and he will see to thy business.

550
00:34:21,000 --> 00:34:24,000
Excellent.

551
00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:27,000
So let's just bring this to a close then.

552
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:33,000
To those gathered here at Christian, you are not pagans.

553
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:38,000
The name of God has been stamped upon you in baptism.

554
00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:40,000
You bear his name.

555
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:43,000
Do you realize that in baptism, God's name was placed upon you?

556
00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:48,000
You were baptized into the name of the Father and the Son and the blessed Holy Spirit.

557
00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:50,000
You bear his name.

558
00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:57,000
So you have the covenant sign that you're one of his and you're invited to the covenant meal.

559
00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:02,000
We're invited to fellowship with the Lord, to feast at his table.

560
00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:13,000
So that means every Lord's Day that the people of God gather here and around the world, every Lord's Day, we are reminded that we have a Father in heaven who can, a Father in heaven who takes care of his own.

561
00:35:13,000 --> 00:35:18,000
So the question I pose to you as we end this is will you trust him or not?

562
00:35:18,000 --> 00:35:30,000
He's the one who gave his son, the one who has adopted you into his family, and the one who has given you a shared inheritance with Christ.

563
00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:32,000
Will you trust him or not?

564
00:35:32,000 --> 00:35:35,000
And recall to trust him completely. Why?

565
00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:38,000
Because he is completely trustworthy.

566
00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:45,000
As we prepare for the table and we have this time of self-examination, may we repent of our sin before the Lord.

567
00:35:45,000 --> 00:35:52,000
May we ask him to forgive us, to cleanse us, to wash us from the sin, and to grow us in our faith so that we learn to trust him more.

568
00:35:52,000 --> 00:35:54,000
Oh, that we would learn to do so.

569
00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,000
That our eyes would get a glimpse of his glory and his faithfulness.

570
00:35:57,000 --> 00:36:01,000
I believe if we did that, we would never fear. We would never worry.

571
00:36:01,000 --> 00:36:10,000
I think it was Murray McShane who said, if I could hear Jesus praying for me in the other room, I doubt that I'd be afraid of 10,000 armies that would come against me.

572
00:36:10,000 --> 00:36:15,000
Jesus is praying for you, believer. He's for you. He's your Father.

573
00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:19,000
Are you going to trust him? Let's pray.

574
00:36:19,000 --> 00:36:22,000
Father, we thank you, Lord, for your word.

575
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:28,000
There are so many, many reasons to trust you more.

576
00:36:28,000 --> 00:36:33,000
God, I failed you. We have failed you as a people. I have failed you as a son.

577
00:36:33,000 --> 00:36:40,000
Lord, how often do we allow anxiety or worry to creep in until it consumes?

578
00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:45,000
God, have mercy upon your people. Forgive us of our unbelief.

579
00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:49,000
Forgive us for the ways that we have failed to trust you, Lord, or that you would come through.

580
00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,000
Father, we felt we had to take matters into our own hands.

581
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:55,000
Lord, we're not that different from Abraham when he went into Hagar.

582
00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:58,000
God, forgive us, Lord, of our sins.

583
00:36:58,000 --> 00:37:02,000
Lord, our sin of worry is great before you, but you are a forgiving God.

584
00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:06,000
You are compassionate. Lord, we bear the name of God.

585
00:37:06,000 --> 00:37:08,000
We're yours. Lord, you have redeemed us.

586
00:37:08,000 --> 00:37:13,000
And Lord, as we prepare to fellowship with you this morning, God, we ask that you would cleanse us now.

587
00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:20,000
Prepare us, Lord, to enter a time of communion with the risen Christ. And it's in his name we pray. Amen.

588
00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:47,000
I'm going to ask the deacons if you would come and prepare the table for communion, please.