WEBVTT 00:00:00.170 --> 00:00:02.089 Close your eyes with me for a little bit. Close 00:00:02.089 --> 00:00:05.129 your eyes. It's time to use our imagination skills 00:00:05.129 --> 00:00:09.410 for a moment. I want you to imagine you are walking 00:00:09.410 --> 00:00:12.970 into a restaurant. You have one goal, as everyone 00:00:12.970 --> 00:00:14.869 does when they walk into a restaurant, and that 00:00:14.869 --> 00:00:18.829 is to enjoy good food and a good time. And as 00:00:18.829 --> 00:00:20.850 you walk in, you notice it's not a really crowded 00:00:20.850 --> 00:00:23.809 restaurant. It's actually kind of empty. It's 00:00:23.809 --> 00:00:25.969 not super busy. There's not a lot going on. There's 00:00:25.969 --> 00:00:28.550 waitresses that are just hanging around. There's 00:00:28.550 --> 00:00:32.149 a hostess who's not doing anything, open tables, 00:00:32.270 --> 00:00:37.090 but you also notice that everyone working is 00:00:37.090 --> 00:00:40.810 just kind of hanging out. You observe this for 00:00:40.810 --> 00:00:43.530 a few minutes until finally the hostess comes 00:00:43.530 --> 00:00:47.310 to get you seated. So you take your seat. The 00:00:47.310 --> 00:00:49.969 hostess says, someone will be with you shortly 00:00:49.969 --> 00:00:53.460 to take your order. Similar to your lengthier 00:00:53.460 --> 00:00:56.039 than explainable wait to get seated, you wait 00:00:56.039 --> 00:00:58.539 a while before the server ever gets to you to 00:00:58.539 --> 00:01:02.399 take your drink order. The same annoying wait 00:01:02.399 --> 00:01:05.400 you had to get seated becomes the same wait you 00:01:05.400 --> 00:01:09.099 have to get drinks. And the same wait to get 00:01:09.099 --> 00:01:11.379 drinks becomes the same wait to get your food. 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:14.739 In fact, by the time the food gets to you, it's 00:01:14.739 --> 00:01:18.700 cold. Naturally, you're very frustrated by this 00:01:18.700 --> 00:01:21.959 horrible service. And you can't give them the 00:01:21.959 --> 00:01:24.700 grace of being busy because they're not busy. 00:01:25.420 --> 00:01:27.620 If you're like me, you might look to the person 00:01:27.620 --> 00:01:29.500 you're eating with and say something like, oh 00:01:29.500 --> 00:01:35.099 my goodness, where's the urgency? Open your eyes. 00:01:36.319 --> 00:01:38.920 I took you through that little imagination exercise 00:01:38.920 --> 00:01:42.000 to get you in the right headspace to chew on 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:45.359 this question. Where's the urgency? By the way, 00:01:45.400 --> 00:01:47.560 if you have a bulletin this morning, you'll notice 00:01:47.560 --> 00:01:49.560 on the back of the bulletin, there are some fill 00:01:49.560 --> 00:01:52.040 in the blank notes. We're just trying that out 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:55.079 to see if that maybe helps you, one, hold on 00:01:55.079 --> 00:01:57.459 to your bulletin, but also engage with the lesson 00:01:57.459 --> 00:02:00.579 and have some notes to look back on. So we ask 00:02:00.579 --> 00:02:02.920 this question, where is the urgency? We ask it 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:05.579 whenever we have a coworker who's supposed to 00:02:05.579 --> 00:02:08.099 be helping us on a project, but they're actually 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:10.439 not really helping us on the project. They're 00:02:10.439 --> 00:02:13.060 just letting us do all the work. We ask this 00:02:13.060 --> 00:02:14.979 question when we have a contractor that's supposed 00:02:14.979 --> 00:02:17.400 to be building a house for us or doing a project 00:02:17.400 --> 00:02:20.120 for us, but it's taking them a lot longer to 00:02:20.120 --> 00:02:22.639 finish this project than they were supposed to. 00:02:22.939 --> 00:02:25.479 We ask the question, where's the urgency when 00:02:25.479 --> 00:02:28.319 we're in the ER or we're waiting on an ambulance 00:02:28.319 --> 00:02:31.620 and somebody is really struggling and their life 00:02:31.620 --> 00:02:34.419 is in danger, but it seems like nobody cares 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:36.419 how long you've been sitting in the waiting room. 00:02:36.479 --> 00:02:41.770 We ask the question, where's the urgency? It's 00:02:41.770 --> 00:02:43.930 a question that we're quick to ask someone else. 00:02:44.270 --> 00:02:46.650 We're quick to ask this question concerning other 00:02:46.650 --> 00:02:49.169 people. We even ask this question concerning 00:02:49.169 --> 00:02:52.150 God. God, I've been praying to you to heal my 00:02:52.150 --> 00:02:54.770 loved one. I've been praying for you to fix this 00:02:54.770 --> 00:02:57.229 situation with my spouse. I've been praying for 00:02:57.229 --> 00:02:59.490 you to fix this situation with my job. But it 00:02:59.490 --> 00:03:01.610 seems like you're taking longer than you should 00:03:01.610 --> 00:03:06.849 be. Where's the urgency? But do you ever ask 00:03:06.849 --> 00:03:12.379 yourself, where's... The urgency. Do you ever 00:03:12.379 --> 00:03:16.520 ask where that urgency is in your life? Maybe 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:18.719 a better way to ask this question is not where's 00:03:18.719 --> 00:03:22.439 the urgency, but where's your priority? I want 00:03:22.439 --> 00:03:24.419 you to think about the people in that restaurant. 00:03:25.419 --> 00:03:28.539 Usually what's happening is they're not just 00:03:28.539 --> 00:03:31.800 sitting around not serving you. They're not serving 00:03:31.800 --> 00:03:33.740 you because they've got something else that they 00:03:33.740 --> 00:03:35.539 think is more important than getting you your 00:03:35.539 --> 00:03:38.379 food on time. or getting you your drinks on time 00:03:38.379 --> 00:03:41.840 or getting you seated. They are living, they're 00:03:41.840 --> 00:03:45.539 acting like there is something else that deserves 00:03:45.539 --> 00:03:49.979 their urgency. And the truth is we all live life 00:03:49.979 --> 00:03:53.819 with a sense of urgency toward something. And 00:03:53.819 --> 00:03:56.620 whatever that something is, that's our priority. 00:03:57.180 --> 00:04:01.080 And so I would say like this urgency is an indicator 00:04:01.080 --> 00:04:04.719 of what your priorities are, what you chase. 00:04:05.469 --> 00:04:08.990 tells me what you value. And I want you to notice 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:11.469 I'm saying priority in a singular sense, and 00:04:11.469 --> 00:04:13.789 that's on purpose because we can claim that we 00:04:13.789 --> 00:04:15.789 can have multiple priorities. You know, we say, 00:04:15.849 --> 00:04:18.769 I've got to get my priorities, plural, in order. 00:04:19.449 --> 00:04:22.689 I just need to, you know, this thing is my top 00:04:22.689 --> 00:04:26.490 priority. So we act like we can operate with 00:04:26.490 --> 00:04:29.009 multiple priorities, but the truth is you can 00:04:29.009 --> 00:04:31.990 only have one priority. At least you can only 00:04:31.990 --> 00:04:35.430 have one priority in a healthy sense. You know, 00:04:35.449 --> 00:04:38.089 I can say something is my top priority, but all 00:04:38.089 --> 00:04:40.329 that really means is I'm dividing my attention. 00:04:40.550 --> 00:04:43.009 I'm dividing my time. I'm dividing my resources 00:04:43.009 --> 00:04:45.569 to accommodate lesser things. But I want you 00:04:45.569 --> 00:04:48.589 to see what Jesus says in Matthew 6, verse 24. 00:04:48.730 --> 00:04:55.410 He says, no one can serve two masters. I want 00:04:55.410 --> 00:04:58.949 you to see that Jesus doesn't say no one can 00:04:58.949 --> 00:05:02.850 serve two masters well. He doesn't say... No 00:05:02.850 --> 00:05:06.269 one can serve one master, and he can kind of 00:05:06.269 --> 00:05:09.589 serve another. He says no one can serve two masters. 00:05:09.750 --> 00:05:12.089 And I bring up what Jesus says because this is 00:05:12.089 --> 00:05:14.709 a sermon, not a TED Talk, which means it doesn't 00:05:14.709 --> 00:05:16.550 matter what I say. It matters what God says. 00:05:16.629 --> 00:05:18.089 So we're going to look at Scripture this morning 00:05:18.089 --> 00:05:21.170 because I do believe Jesus has something to say 00:05:21.170 --> 00:05:24.730 regarding our urgency being a reflection of our 00:05:24.730 --> 00:05:27.449 priority. And so before we get into the Scripture, 00:05:27.569 --> 00:05:29.949 I want to ask another question, and that is where 00:05:29.949 --> 00:05:35.110 does God want us to aim? I frame the question 00:05:35.110 --> 00:05:37.529 that way because, as I stated earlier, we all 00:05:37.529 --> 00:05:39.910 have a sense of urgency in life towards something. 00:05:40.189 --> 00:05:44.569 Some urgently chase financial success. Some urgently 00:05:44.569 --> 00:05:48.649 pursue fame and acclaim. And some urgently work 00:05:48.649 --> 00:05:50.689 toward ensuring that their families are taken 00:05:50.689 --> 00:05:54.029 care of. We urgently work to secure our retirement 00:05:54.029 --> 00:05:57.250 or to secure an education, to secure a status 00:05:57.250 --> 00:06:00.730 position in a career. We pursue these things 00:06:00.730 --> 00:06:05.029 urgently. But what does God say we should pursue? 00:06:05.870 --> 00:06:09.689 Where does God want our urgency? So I want us 00:06:09.689 --> 00:06:12.149 to look at what Jesus says entirely in Matthew 00:06:12.149 --> 00:06:15.709 6 concerning that idea that no one can serve 00:06:15.709 --> 00:06:19.759 two masters. Matthew chapter 6, starting in verse 00:06:19.759 --> 00:06:21.959 19. If it's underlined, I would love for you 00:06:21.959 --> 00:06:24.360 to read along with me. Do not lay up for yourselves 00:06:24.360 --> 00:06:27.279 treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy 00:06:27.279 --> 00:06:30.300 and where thieves break in and steal, but lay 00:06:30.300 --> 00:06:33.100 up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither 00:06:33.100 --> 00:06:36.959 moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not 00:06:36.959 --> 00:06:39.199 break in and steal. For where your treasure is, 00:06:39.399 --> 00:06:42.899 there your heart will be also. The eye is the 00:06:42.899 --> 00:06:45.220 lamp of the body. So if your eye is healthy, 00:06:45.300 --> 00:06:47.579 your whole body will be full of light. But if 00:06:47.579 --> 00:06:50.120 your eye is bad, your whole body will be full 00:06:50.120 --> 00:06:53.300 of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, 00:06:53.600 --> 00:06:57.540 how great is the darkness. No one can serve two 00:06:57.540 --> 00:06:59.959 masters, for either he will hate the one and 00:06:59.959 --> 00:07:02.360 love the other, or he will be devoted to the 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:05.819 one and despise the other. You cannot serve God 00:07:05.819 --> 00:07:08.019 and money. Now I want to make it very clear right 00:07:08.019 --> 00:07:10.589 now, this is not a sermon about money. I could 00:07:10.589 --> 00:07:12.810 actually preach the rest of this lesson without 00:07:12.810 --> 00:07:15.029 saying the word money again. This is not about 00:07:15.029 --> 00:07:18.970 money. This is about principle. And the principle 00:07:18.970 --> 00:07:21.449 is simple. It's stated there in verse 21. Where 00:07:21.449 --> 00:07:24.829 your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:07:25.430 --> 00:07:28.870 You see, what Jesus begins by saying is, be mindful 00:07:28.870 --> 00:07:31.149 of where you're putting your treasure. Be mindful 00:07:31.149 --> 00:07:33.230 of where you're putting your devotion. Be mindful 00:07:33.230 --> 00:07:36.149 of what it is that you value above other things. 00:07:36.860 --> 00:07:40.540 Be mindful of where you are storing up, where 00:07:40.540 --> 00:07:43.579 you are working towards building your kingdom. 00:07:44.500 --> 00:07:46.879 In other words, be careful what it is you're 00:07:46.879 --> 00:07:50.459 working for. And so we have this idea that we 00:07:50.459 --> 00:07:52.600 have two places that we can work for, two places 00:07:52.600 --> 00:07:54.980 that we can store up our treasures. The first 00:07:54.980 --> 00:07:58.240 place is earth. That first place is this temporary 00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:00.959 place where moth and vermin, they can break in, 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:02.899 they can chew it up. It's like I used to love 00:08:02.899 --> 00:08:05.699 the show American Pickers. Anybody ever watch 00:08:05.699 --> 00:08:07.500 American Pickers? And you'd have these people 00:08:07.500 --> 00:08:11.439 that would have these barns full of junk. But 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:13.420 in the junk, there was always some really cool 00:08:13.420 --> 00:08:15.459 stuff. There would be like a really nice car. 00:08:15.620 --> 00:08:17.259 But you know what happened to the really nice 00:08:17.259 --> 00:08:19.600 car? Somebody parked it in this barn way back 00:08:19.600 --> 00:08:22.379 in the 60s. It hadn't moved since then. And guess 00:08:22.379 --> 00:08:25.040 what? It's rusted out. It's got rat nests in 00:08:25.040 --> 00:08:27.019 it. The wires are all chewed up. Because why? 00:08:27.240 --> 00:08:30.540 Because these things on this earth are... temporary. 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:32.960 They are subject to destruction. But do you know 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:35.460 what's not subject to destruction? What is not 00:08:35.460 --> 00:08:37.899 temporary? What is secure? There is no question 00:08:37.899 --> 00:08:40.419 about it. It is what is eternal. It's what is 00:08:40.419 --> 00:08:43.559 in heaven. And so Jesus knows this because why? 00:08:43.659 --> 00:08:46.460 He's lived in heaven and he knows exactly what 00:08:46.460 --> 00:08:49.039 heaven's like. He knows what goes on there. And 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:51.419 he's also lived on earth and he's seen loved 00:08:51.419 --> 00:08:54.940 ones die. He's seen houses cave in. He's seen 00:08:54.940 --> 00:08:57.240 possessions lost. He's seen businesses go out 00:08:57.240 --> 00:08:59.539 of business. order. He has seen what happens 00:08:59.539 --> 00:09:02.039 in heaven and he has seen what happens on earth 00:09:02.039 --> 00:09:04.320 and he knows what the better part of the deal 00:09:04.320 --> 00:09:09.000 is. And Jesus says, do not store up your treasures. 00:09:09.200 --> 00:09:12.080 Don't devote your life toward, don't pursue, 00:09:12.240 --> 00:09:15.080 don't work towards what is here, but work toward 00:09:15.080 --> 00:09:18.600 what is there. Because all of these things here 00:09:18.600 --> 00:09:21.620 are subject to destruction and being taken away. 00:09:22.220 --> 00:09:25.710 And we know that's true. The fact that everything 00:09:25.710 --> 00:09:29.789 on this planet only lasts, it's only ours for 00:09:29.789 --> 00:09:32.570 a little while. It's borrowed, it's temporary, 00:09:32.710 --> 00:09:36.549 no matter how important it is to you. As Solomon 00:09:36.549 --> 00:09:39.889 says, Solomon, by the way, the wisest man to 00:09:39.889 --> 00:09:43.149 ever live besides Jesus, Solomon says that this 00:09:43.149 --> 00:09:47.889 is vanity. Look at Ecclesiastes chapter 1, verses 00:09:47.889 --> 00:09:52.100 2 through 4. Vanity of vanities. says the preacher. 00:09:52.200 --> 00:09:54.299 By the way, vanities also could be translated 00:09:54.299 --> 00:09:58.139 to meaningless, also could be translated to foolishness, 00:09:58.159 --> 00:10:01.940 to rubbish. Vanity of vanities, says the preacher. 00:10:02.080 --> 00:10:06.100 Vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What does 00:10:06.100 --> 00:10:09.019 man gain by all the toil at which he toils under 00:10:09.019 --> 00:10:12.879 the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, 00:10:13.019 --> 00:10:16.820 but the earth remains forever. What he says there, 00:10:17.210 --> 00:10:20.169 As all of this stuff comes and goes, the people 00:10:20.169 --> 00:10:22.850 you love, the people you admire, the people you 00:10:22.850 --> 00:10:25.370 put in power, the people that you follow, they 00:10:25.370 --> 00:10:29.610 are temporary. They will cease to exist. All 00:10:29.610 --> 00:10:32.070 of the things you secure in this life, they will 00:10:32.070 --> 00:10:34.769 cease to exist. But the earth will keep on spinning 00:10:34.769 --> 00:10:39.230 without you. You keep working. You keep slaving 00:10:39.230 --> 00:10:44.230 away under the sun, beating your life away only 00:10:44.230 --> 00:10:49.110 for it to end one day. Jobs hire you and then 00:10:49.110 --> 00:10:53.309 they fire you. You have the money and then the 00:10:53.309 --> 00:10:56.809 market collapses. You're healthy and then a pandemic 00:10:56.809 --> 00:11:00.269 hits. Earthly kingdoms rise and then they fall. 00:11:01.049 --> 00:11:04.070 And so what we see in scripture is this idea 00:11:04.070 --> 00:11:07.490 that to chase these things, to devote our urgency, 00:11:07.750 --> 00:11:10.509 to give our priority towards these things is 00:11:10.509 --> 00:11:15.019 foolish, it's meaningless, it's vanity. I don't 00:11:15.019 --> 00:11:16.799 know about you, but I don't want to live my life 00:11:16.799 --> 00:11:19.980 in vain. And what Jesus is teaching there in 00:11:19.980 --> 00:11:23.340 Matthew 6 is that this doesn't happen by accident. 00:11:23.399 --> 00:11:25.879 You don't just accidentally end up giving your 00:11:25.879 --> 00:11:27.980 life, giving your urgency toward these earthly 00:11:27.980 --> 00:11:30.360 priorities. Jesus says it's where your heart 00:11:30.360 --> 00:11:33.779 is. And your heart fixes, it decides where it 00:11:33.779 --> 00:11:36.000 wants to be devoted, where your priority is. 00:11:36.179 --> 00:11:39.370 That's what you're going to pursue. And he speaks 00:11:39.370 --> 00:11:42.269 to this idea of priority in verses 22 and 23 00:11:42.269 --> 00:11:46.350 when he's talking about the eye as a lamp. It's 00:11:46.350 --> 00:11:49.490 this idea that the eye, what the eye sees is 00:11:49.490 --> 00:11:52.110 what's leading you. And if your eye is divided 00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:55.190 or if it's split, you won't be able to see clearly. 00:11:55.350 --> 00:11:57.330 I'll put it to you this way. Anybody ever just 00:11:57.330 --> 00:12:00.549 go cross -eyed sometimes? Sometimes your eyes 00:12:00.549 --> 00:12:03.690 just cross and it just gets blurry and you can't 00:12:03.690 --> 00:12:07.409 see. I had a test one time and like the question, 00:12:07.960 --> 00:12:11.080 was so perplexing. And it wasn't, I don't think 00:12:11.080 --> 00:12:12.740 the question was that hard. Like I'm not, I mean, 00:12:12.759 --> 00:12:15.179 I'm a dumb guy, but I'm not that dumb. But the 00:12:15.179 --> 00:12:17.799 question was written in a way that I should just 00:12:17.799 --> 00:12:20.200 stare at it for a minute to think, is the teacher 00:12:20.200 --> 00:12:22.840 really asking what I think he's asking? And so 00:12:22.840 --> 00:12:25.480 I'm staring at this question and my eyes start 00:12:25.480 --> 00:12:28.179 to cross. And next thing you know, my vision 00:12:28.179 --> 00:12:30.960 is as confused as my mind was. And that's what 00:12:30.960 --> 00:12:33.539 Jesus says. He says, when your eyes are divided, 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:35.639 when they're not healthy, when they're split, 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:39.919 you cannot see. You can't see where you're supposed 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:42.159 to be going. You can't see what you're supposed 00:12:42.159 --> 00:12:43.879 to be doing, what you're supposed to be chasing, 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:46.039 what you're supposed to be pursuing. This is 00:12:46.039 --> 00:12:49.460 the very reason horses wear blinders, so they 00:12:49.460 --> 00:12:52.000 can keep going in one direction until they cross 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:54.860 the finish line, which leads us to where we started 00:12:54.860 --> 00:12:58.980 in verse 24, where Jesus explicitly says you 00:12:58.980 --> 00:13:02.580 cannot serve two masters. Another way to put 00:13:02.580 --> 00:13:07.919 it is we cannot have a split focus. We can't. 00:13:08.320 --> 00:13:11.080 You can't have a split focus. Our priority has 00:13:11.080 --> 00:13:14.299 to be singularly focused. Otherwise, we won't 00:13:14.299 --> 00:13:16.539 be able to live with the urgency toward what 00:13:16.539 --> 00:13:19.419 actually matters. And I want you to hear this 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:21.039 because it's really important. The word there 00:13:21.039 --> 00:13:24.000 for serve doesn't just mean serve like I'm going 00:13:24.000 --> 00:13:27.399 to serve you dinner. It doesn't mean serve like 00:13:27.399 --> 00:13:31.039 I'm going to service you at the station. It means 00:13:31.039 --> 00:13:35.409 to be owned by. So when Jesus says you cannot 00:13:35.409 --> 00:13:38.330 serve two masters, he means you cannot be owned 00:13:38.330 --> 00:13:41.289 by two masters. You can't work for two bosses. 00:13:42.049 --> 00:13:44.389 There's no moonlighting in the kingdom of God. 00:13:44.610 --> 00:13:49.049 You have one job, one priority, one focus. So 00:13:49.049 --> 00:13:51.669 this isn't a time management equation. It is 00:13:51.669 --> 00:13:54.730 about ownership. Another word would be lordship. 00:13:54.750 --> 00:13:57.250 And so I would ask the question, who or what 00:13:57.250 --> 00:14:02.500 is lord of your life? That's the question. that 00:14:02.500 --> 00:14:04.480 we have to ask when we say, where's the urgency? 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:08.299 Where's my priority? It's who's my boss? Or as 00:14:08.299 --> 00:14:12.039 Will said, who's my king? Who is the Lord or 00:14:12.039 --> 00:14:14.240 what? Because sometimes it's not a person. In 00:14:14.240 --> 00:14:16.259 fact, I would say most of the time, it's not 00:14:16.259 --> 00:14:21.360 a person. It is a thing. Sometimes it's a place. 00:14:22.340 --> 00:14:25.279 Sometimes it's a goal. I don't know what it is 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:27.879 for you, but I know you have something. And I 00:14:27.879 --> 00:14:30.240 know for most of us, it is not the kingdom of 00:14:30.240 --> 00:14:32.159 God. Do you know why I know that? Because if 00:14:32.159 --> 00:14:34.779 it was, we would not be able to fit in this building, 00:14:34.860 --> 00:14:37.059 and this community wouldn't look like it looks. 00:14:37.159 --> 00:14:39.320 This world wouldn't look like it looks. Because 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:42.899 if our singular focus, if our Lord was singularly 00:14:42.899 --> 00:14:45.980 Jesus, we would have changed this world and flipped 00:14:45.980 --> 00:14:49.700 it upside down by now. And so I preach this as 00:14:49.700 --> 00:14:52.559 an indictment, but also as a challenge. We have 00:14:52.559 --> 00:14:59.809 to fix our focus on our king. Singularly. I feel 00:14:59.809 --> 00:15:03.649 a sense of urgency here in preaching this lesson 00:15:03.649 --> 00:15:06.889 because what I read in the next few verses sounds 00:15:06.889 --> 00:15:09.169 a lot like what many of us are struggling with, 00:15:09.250 --> 00:15:11.529 not just right now, but what we've been struggling 00:15:11.529 --> 00:15:15.629 with for centuries. Look with me at verses 25 00:15:15.629 --> 00:15:20.370 through 32. Therefore, I tell you, do not be 00:15:20.370 --> 00:15:22.980 anxious about your life. what you will eat or 00:15:22.980 --> 00:15:25.340 what you will drink, nor about your body, what 00:15:25.340 --> 00:15:28.480 you will put on? Is not life more than food and 00:15:28.480 --> 00:15:30.980 the body more than clothing? Look at the birds 00:15:30.980 --> 00:15:34.039 of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:37.039 into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds 00:15:37.039 --> 00:15:40.340 them. Are you not of more value than them? And 00:15:40.340 --> 00:15:42.779 which of you, by being anxious, can add a single 00:15:42.779 --> 00:15:45.720 hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious 00:15:45.720 --> 00:15:48.759 about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:51.960 how they grow. They neither toil nor spin, yet 00:15:51.960 --> 00:15:54.879 I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:57.759 not arrayed like one of these. But if God so 00:15:57.759 --> 00:16:00.820 clothes the grass of the field, which today is 00:16:00.820 --> 00:16:03.440 alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:06.879 he not much more clothe you, O you of little 00:16:06.879 --> 00:16:11.539 faith? Now that first word there in verse 25 00:16:11.539 --> 00:16:14.269 is, Therefore, which means everything we just 00:16:14.269 --> 00:16:16.470 read, everything we just talked about leads to 00:16:16.470 --> 00:16:19.210 this. And so we see that we're not to prioritize 00:16:19.210 --> 00:16:21.970 building up our kingdoms on earth, our treasures 00:16:21.970 --> 00:16:25.190 on earth, but instead we are to prioritize heaven 00:16:25.190 --> 00:16:28.029 because treasure here is temporary and disposable. 00:16:28.190 --> 00:16:31.870 And we read to not be divided in our focus or 00:16:31.870 --> 00:16:35.049 priority because we can only serve one master. 00:16:35.149 --> 00:16:37.429 We can only be owned. We can only follow and 00:16:37.429 --> 00:16:39.789 devote our lives to one Lord. And so after Jesus 00:16:39.789 --> 00:16:43.480 says all of that, he says, Therefore, don't be 00:16:43.480 --> 00:16:48.600 anxious about your life. Don't worry about what 00:16:48.600 --> 00:16:50.360 you're going to eat, what you're going to drink, 00:16:50.539 --> 00:16:52.159 where you're going to live, what you're going 00:16:52.159 --> 00:16:54.460 to wear, how you're going to survive. Stop worrying 00:16:54.460 --> 00:16:58.019 about that. Worrying doesn't help you. Don't 00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:01.679 worry about that. And again, I feel an urgency 00:17:01.679 --> 00:17:04.160 in preaching this because does anybody in this 00:17:04.160 --> 00:17:06.660 room feel a little anxious this morning? Or have 00:17:06.660 --> 00:17:09.480 you felt a little anxious lately? It's okay to 00:17:09.480 --> 00:17:12.009 say yeah. It's okay to nod your heads. That tells 00:17:12.009 --> 00:17:17.369 me you're awake. I felt anxious lately. I'm sure 00:17:17.369 --> 00:17:19.549 you have. You've worried what's going to happen 00:17:19.549 --> 00:17:22.369 to my job. How am I going to pay this bill? How 00:17:22.369 --> 00:17:24.769 are we going to face this diagnosis? How am I 00:17:24.769 --> 00:17:26.890 going to make it through to the next day? I can't 00:17:26.890 --> 00:17:29.470 even handle today. Maybe you're anxious about 00:17:29.470 --> 00:17:32.940 your anxiety. I don't know what you've been dealing 00:17:32.940 --> 00:17:34.579 with, what you've been worrying about, but I 00:17:34.579 --> 00:17:36.460 know you've been worrying about something because 00:17:36.460 --> 00:17:39.319 we're human. And again, we don't really do this 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:41.640 whole God is our singular priority thing too 00:17:41.640 --> 00:17:46.259 well. And so we're anxious. We live in a generation 00:17:46.259 --> 00:17:48.420 like this current generation is called the anxious 00:17:48.420 --> 00:17:51.200 generation. Everybody's worried about something. 00:17:51.460 --> 00:17:53.779 Everybody's medicated over something because 00:17:53.779 --> 00:17:56.619 we're just worried all the time and it's killing 00:17:56.619 --> 00:18:00.059 us. And Jesus knows this. Jesus came to give 00:18:00.059 --> 00:18:02.640 us abundant life and he knows that worrying and 00:18:02.640 --> 00:18:06.900 anxiety do not coincide with abundant life. And 00:18:06.900 --> 00:18:13.589 so he says, don't worry. But we do. Because our 00:18:13.589 --> 00:18:15.869 focus is divided. Our priorities are split. I 00:18:15.869 --> 00:18:17.349 want you to think about that restaurant again. 00:18:18.289 --> 00:18:21.710 What's usually the cause of bad service? If you're 00:18:21.710 --> 00:18:23.869 like me, you observe these things and you notice, 00:18:23.890 --> 00:18:25.829 well, the server, she's sitting there and she's 00:18:25.829 --> 00:18:28.869 just on her phone. She's just texting. Or maybe 00:18:28.869 --> 00:18:30.609 she's just hanging out and chatting it up with 00:18:30.609 --> 00:18:32.970 that table. Meanwhile, my drinks are empty and 00:18:32.970 --> 00:18:35.920 my food's not here. Or maybe you look and you're 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:37.539 like, what are the cooks doing? You know, you 00:18:37.539 --> 00:18:39.440 ever go to those restaurants where you can see 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:41.660 into the kitchen and you see the cooks are just, 00:18:41.680 --> 00:18:43.160 they're just hanging around and there doesn't 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:47.259 seem to be any urgency. Maybe the manager, you 00:18:47.259 --> 00:18:49.339 know, the manager notices that the cooks and 00:18:49.339 --> 00:18:51.579 the servers, they're pretty lousy. But the manager, 00:18:51.680 --> 00:18:53.839 he's too scared to fire the bad employees because, 00:18:53.880 --> 00:18:56.059 well, they'd struggle to find new ones. That's 00:18:56.059 --> 00:18:57.920 a true, that's a real thing. We had a member 00:18:57.920 --> 00:18:59.519 of our church at the last church we were at. 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:01.970 He owned a restaurant and he... He didn't hate 00:19:01.970 --> 00:19:04.490 his workers, but he struggled with his employees. 00:19:04.890 --> 00:19:07.569 But he was scared to fire them because he didn't 00:19:07.569 --> 00:19:09.930 know if he could hire new ones. He was worried. 00:19:09.970 --> 00:19:13.630 He was anxious about this. All of these things 00:19:13.630 --> 00:19:16.509 are just examples of people not being focused 00:19:16.509 --> 00:19:18.490 on the end goal, which in a restaurant, it's 00:19:18.490 --> 00:19:20.970 to make the customer happy, right? They're not 00:19:20.970 --> 00:19:23.650 focused on the end goal. They're not focused 00:19:23.650 --> 00:19:26.009 on making the customer happy, which leads to 00:19:26.009 --> 00:19:29.369 inadequate service. The same is true for our 00:19:29.369 --> 00:19:33.710 lives. When our priority isn't on the right thing, 00:19:33.890 --> 00:19:37.250 we lack the urgency required to make the right 00:19:37.250 --> 00:19:41.680 thing happen. Like I said... if the church's 00:19:41.680 --> 00:19:44.119 main focus, if our singular priority, if the 00:19:44.119 --> 00:19:46.619 Lord of our life was Jesus, we would make the 00:19:46.619 --> 00:19:48.720 right thing happen. And what Jesus says the right 00:19:48.720 --> 00:19:51.000 thing is, is to flip this world upside down and 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:53.079 make earth look like the kingdom of heaven. We 00:19:53.079 --> 00:19:54.960 just sang it. Father, let your kingdom come. 00:19:55.099 --> 00:19:57.380 Well, Jesus employed us to fulfill that mission. 00:19:58.700 --> 00:20:01.599 But we're too distracted. We're too anxious. 00:20:01.740 --> 00:20:04.220 We're too split -focused. We're double -minded. 00:20:04.460 --> 00:20:07.279 And so we are not fulfilling the mission. We're 00:20:07.279 --> 00:20:10.029 not making the right thing happen. We chase our 00:20:10.029 --> 00:20:13.410 own comfort. We try to provide for ourselves 00:20:13.410 --> 00:20:17.250 or do what we can to get someone of this world 00:20:17.250 --> 00:20:20.869 to take care of us, all while missing the most 00:20:20.869 --> 00:20:24.690 important thing, the true priority. But Jesus 00:20:24.690 --> 00:20:27.250 says if God takes care of birds, if he takes 00:20:27.250 --> 00:20:29.490 care of flowers, things that don't even know 00:20:29.490 --> 00:20:32.710 that they are being taken care of, you don't 00:20:32.710 --> 00:20:36.019 have to worry. He says he does this for them. 00:20:36.200 --> 00:20:38.259 He's like, look at the clothes that the birds 00:20:38.259 --> 00:20:40.099 wear. And you've seen some pretty birds. Look 00:20:40.099 --> 00:20:42.180 at how beautiful they are. God clothes them. 00:20:42.220 --> 00:20:44.460 You think he's going to just leave you out to 00:20:44.460 --> 00:20:47.420 dry? No, he's going to take care of you. And 00:20:47.420 --> 00:20:49.420 then pay attention to what he says in verse 27. 00:20:49.740 --> 00:20:52.859 Which of you, by being anxious, can add a single 00:20:52.859 --> 00:20:58.940 hour to his span of life? Just think about that. 00:21:00.440 --> 00:21:04.470 All that worry and anxiety. All the energy you 00:21:04.470 --> 00:21:06.950 poured into how you're going to survive in this 00:21:06.950 --> 00:21:08.849 world, how you're going to make it through the 00:21:08.849 --> 00:21:13.150 next week. Yet none of it can help you. None 00:21:13.150 --> 00:21:15.569 of it will make you live longer. None of it will 00:21:15.569 --> 00:21:18.750 make you happier. It only adds gray hairs and 00:21:18.750 --> 00:21:24.049 wrinkles. None of it helps you. It only deteriorates 00:21:24.049 --> 00:21:28.829 your life faster. But Jesus says, stop doing 00:21:28.829 --> 00:21:31.930 that. It doesn't help you. But you know what 00:21:31.930 --> 00:21:35.710 it did do? It stole hours of your life wasted 00:21:35.710 --> 00:21:38.990 thinking about that problem. It stole peace where 00:21:38.990 --> 00:21:41.690 you should have been enjoying these days because 00:21:41.690 --> 00:21:44.450 you were exhausted by the stress. It stole the 00:21:44.450 --> 00:21:47.329 ability to actually be present in the life, the 00:21:47.329 --> 00:21:49.789 good life that God has given you because you 00:21:49.789 --> 00:21:52.130 were too busy trying to secure a life that you 00:21:52.130 --> 00:21:56.789 may not ever see. And Christians in the room, 00:21:56.849 --> 00:21:59.710 Christ followers in the room, verse 32 is exactly 00:21:59.710 --> 00:22:03.289 for us. It tells us what the Gentiles do. It 00:22:03.289 --> 00:22:06.789 says they chase. They chase the things of this 00:22:06.789 --> 00:22:09.009 world. The people of this world, the pagans, 00:22:09.069 --> 00:22:12.869 they do that. And if you are a Christ follower, 00:22:13.029 --> 00:22:15.109 or as the people in the early century, first 00:22:15.109 --> 00:22:17.789 century called the little Christ, if you are 00:22:17.789 --> 00:22:20.980 this mirror image of Jesus, you don't... do that. 00:22:21.180 --> 00:22:23.759 You don't worry about the things of this world. 00:22:23.940 --> 00:22:26.960 You don't chase. The same word that Solomon used 00:22:26.960 --> 00:22:30.059 in Ecclesiastes for pursuing things of this world, 00:22:30.160 --> 00:22:32.740 where he says, it's like chasing after a wind. 00:22:33.720 --> 00:22:36.480 Anybody ever catch wind? Well, I think that's 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:37.799 a saying, but like, you know what I mean? Like 00:22:37.799 --> 00:22:40.119 you can't catch wind and pull it out of the air. 00:22:40.750 --> 00:22:43.190 You try and you try and you try and you run after 00:22:43.190 --> 00:22:45.130 it. You pursue the next thing and the next thing 00:22:45.130 --> 00:22:46.849 and the next thing. And look, if you've done 00:22:46.849 --> 00:22:49.650 your Enneagram test, I've done mine. My Enneagram 00:22:49.650 --> 00:22:52.650 is the challenger and the trailblazer. I like 00:22:52.650 --> 00:22:55.269 to try. I like to push. I like to push people's 00:22:55.269 --> 00:22:57.309 limits. Ask my wife how much I rage bait her. 00:22:57.430 --> 00:22:59.650 It's my favorite thing to chase the next thing. 00:22:59.769 --> 00:23:02.690 But Jesus says, stop doing that. Sit where you 00:23:02.690 --> 00:23:05.329 are and work diligently and faithfully where 00:23:05.329 --> 00:23:11.549 you are. We don't chase. like the pagans do. 00:23:11.789 --> 00:23:14.470 It's not supposed to be us. Verse 33 actually 00:23:14.470 --> 00:23:16.529 says what's meant to be us, and this is what 00:23:16.529 --> 00:23:20.690 he says. Seek first the kingdom of God and his 00:23:20.690 --> 00:23:24.670 righteousness, and all these things will be added 00:23:24.670 --> 00:23:27.210 to you as well. The food that you worried about, 00:23:27.349 --> 00:23:29.930 the home you worried about, the clothes you worried 00:23:29.930 --> 00:23:31.950 about, the life you worried about, if you will 00:23:31.950 --> 00:23:36.869 just pursue God, if you'll seek God, all of that 00:23:36.869 --> 00:23:40.470 will be taken care of. And I found that to be 00:23:40.470 --> 00:23:43.349 true in my life. When I put God first, when I 00:23:43.349 --> 00:23:46.150 stop trying to make my own trails, when I stop 00:23:46.150 --> 00:23:48.710 trying to push the limits because I want to and 00:23:48.710 --> 00:23:51.289 I feel like I need to, when I just trust in God 00:23:51.289 --> 00:23:54.170 and seek him, everything works out so much better. 00:23:54.509 --> 00:23:57.069 Now, it doesn't always look good, but it works 00:23:57.069 --> 00:23:59.130 out the way it's supposed to. And I want to make 00:23:59.130 --> 00:24:01.849 a note here. Seek, that word that's in verse 00:24:01.849 --> 00:24:05.329 32 and now in verse 33, the Greek word there, 00:24:05.430 --> 00:24:07.849 and I'm not a Greek scholar, but I have a Google, 00:24:07.970 --> 00:24:11.769 so the Greek word there is zateo, which is used 00:24:11.769 --> 00:24:17.089 to describe an ongoing pursuit. Again, chase, 00:24:17.390 --> 00:24:23.170 run after. Go after, pursue. This is the same 00:24:23.170 --> 00:24:25.890 word as verse 32. But this time, instead of we're 00:24:25.890 --> 00:24:27.869 chasing the things of this world and we're chasing 00:24:27.869 --> 00:24:30.789 the ideals of this world, now we're aiming it 00:24:30.789 --> 00:24:33.369 at God and his kingdom. We are chasing first 00:24:33.369 --> 00:24:37.289 priority, the kingdom of God. See, the difference 00:24:37.289 --> 00:24:39.230 isn't whether you're seeking because we're all 00:24:39.230 --> 00:24:41.730 seeking. Everybody is seeking something. The 00:24:41.730 --> 00:24:45.990 difference is what you are seeking first. What's 00:24:45.990 --> 00:24:53.960 your priority? The urgency. It means always pursuing. 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:59.400 It's this constant pursuit. Always pursuing God 00:24:59.400 --> 00:25:02.400 before the career of success. Always pursuing 00:25:02.400 --> 00:25:04.980 the kingdom before figuring out the bills. Always 00:25:04.980 --> 00:25:07.700 pursuing God's will before you decide how you're 00:25:07.700 --> 00:25:10.339 going to ensure your security in this life. It's 00:25:10.339 --> 00:25:12.920 pursuing the kingdom before anything else on 00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:16.259 your list gets your urgency. The kingdom of God 00:25:16.259 --> 00:25:20.299 comes first. And I want you to notice something 00:25:20.299 --> 00:25:22.480 that Jesus is doing here. He's saying, you seek 00:25:22.480 --> 00:25:24.819 the kingdom of God first and the treasure you're 00:25:24.819 --> 00:25:28.039 storing up. Now it's safe because it's in an 00:25:28.039 --> 00:25:30.039 eternal place where moth and rust can't touch 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:34.279 it. The kingdom of God first in your life, in 00:25:34.279 --> 00:25:37.839 your eye. That leads to a single focus where 00:25:37.839 --> 00:25:39.519 you're not feeling like you're being pulled in 00:25:39.519 --> 00:25:42.519 two directions. Your mindset, your urgency isn't 00:25:42.519 --> 00:25:44.859 divided. It's not divided vision. You're not 00:25:44.859 --> 00:25:47.279 seeing confused. You're not blurred. You are 00:25:47.279 --> 00:25:49.819 seeing straight and clear. You seek the kingdom 00:25:49.819 --> 00:25:52.519 of God first and your master, your Lord. Now 00:25:52.519 --> 00:25:54.880 there's only one. You don't have two people fighting 00:25:54.880 --> 00:25:57.059 for your life, fighting for your attention. You're 00:25:57.059 --> 00:26:00.200 not trying to serve two. Or in some of our lives, 00:26:00.240 --> 00:26:03.299 we're trying to serve three or four or five because 00:26:03.299 --> 00:26:05.319 we've got to take care of our family. We've got 00:26:05.319 --> 00:26:07.140 to take care of our friends. We've got to take 00:26:07.140 --> 00:26:08.619 care of our social groups. We've got to take 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:10.380 care of our jobs. Oh, and don't forget, I got 00:26:10.380 --> 00:26:12.859 to have my hobbies. How many things do we have 00:26:12.859 --> 00:26:15.500 pulling us? I've only got two arms and two legs. 00:26:15.599 --> 00:26:18.319 I can only imagine how long I can go before I'm 00:26:18.319 --> 00:26:21.420 ripped apart. And what Jesus says, if you seek 00:26:21.420 --> 00:26:25.299 the kingdom of God first, you won't get ripped 00:26:25.299 --> 00:26:28.500 apart. Your life won't be stirred up all the 00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:31.660 time in a bad way. You won't be disillusioned. 00:26:31.660 --> 00:26:33.940 You won't be confused. You won't be blurred. 00:26:34.039 --> 00:26:36.980 If you will seek the kingdom of God first, all 00:26:36.980 --> 00:26:38.920 those things that make you anxious, guess what? 00:26:39.099 --> 00:26:43.079 They'll be added to you. They'll be given to 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:49.759 you. You will be taken care of. Jesus doesn't 00:26:49.759 --> 00:26:52.430 say figure it out yourself. He doesn't say pull 00:26:52.430 --> 00:26:54.829 yourself up by your bootstraps. He doesn't say 00:26:54.829 --> 00:26:56.990 go out and figure it out. He says it will be 00:26:56.990 --> 00:27:01.130 added to you. God will give it to you. And this 00:27:01.130 --> 00:27:03.369 isn't a health and wealth. It's not prosperity 00:27:03.369 --> 00:27:05.309 gospel, although I do love to say the gospel 00:27:05.309 --> 00:27:10.049 is prosperous. But what this is, is God saying, 00:27:10.230 --> 00:27:13.289 stop worrying about things you can't control. 00:27:13.750 --> 00:27:15.869 Stop worrying about the things that this world 00:27:15.869 --> 00:27:20.359 is trying to sell you and just pursue God. And 00:27:20.359 --> 00:27:23.099 he'll take care of you. He's a good promise -keeping 00:27:23.099 --> 00:27:26.920 God. Now, Jesus isn't telling you to ignore your 00:27:26.920 --> 00:27:29.400 bills. He's not telling you to ignore your job 00:27:29.400 --> 00:27:32.039 or your family's needs. This is Jesus telling 00:27:32.039 --> 00:27:36.200 you what happens when you chase God. Those things 00:27:36.200 --> 00:27:38.019 that you're worried about, they go from things 00:27:38.019 --> 00:27:40.400 that you have anxiety over and that you're urgently 00:27:40.400 --> 00:27:43.240 pursuing to things that you trust the God of 00:27:43.240 --> 00:27:45.880 the universe to handle. And I've got to be honest 00:27:45.880 --> 00:27:50.099 with y 'all. I love the idea of a good... loving, 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:54.500 promise -keeping God, handling my stuff, my situations, 00:27:54.700 --> 00:27:57.299 my issues, because I've tried to handle my stuff. 00:27:57.539 --> 00:27:59.460 And if you've seen me, if you've been around 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:01.599 me long enough, you know I will mess something 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:05.579 up quick. I will tear something up. I will mess 00:28:05.579 --> 00:28:07.559 something up. I will kick something over that 00:28:07.559 --> 00:28:09.539 didn't need to get spilled. I will mess something 00:28:09.539 --> 00:28:13.759 up quick. But God does not mess up. And so I 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.720 will take God handling my issue long before I 00:28:16.720 --> 00:28:18.339 will handle it. It's like when you take your 00:28:18.339 --> 00:28:20.099 car to the mechanic because you know they are 00:28:20.099 --> 00:28:22.380 a lot more qualified than you are to fix that 00:28:22.380 --> 00:28:24.599 part. I think I've maybe shared this illustration 00:28:24.599 --> 00:28:26.039 with you before, but if not, you're going to 00:28:26.039 --> 00:28:27.160 hear it, or if I have, you're going to hear it 00:28:27.160 --> 00:28:30.240 again. When I was in college, my truck wouldn't 00:28:30.240 --> 00:28:34.119 start. And so I'm like on YouTube trying to diagnose 00:28:34.119 --> 00:28:36.119 the issue, trying to figure it out. I called 00:28:36.119 --> 00:28:37.940 someone. I'm like, hey, what do you think about 00:28:37.940 --> 00:28:39.460 this? Like, yeah, you know, it's the starter, 00:28:39.640 --> 00:28:41.700 blah, blah, blah. And so I found this YouTube 00:28:41.700 --> 00:28:44.880 video. So I've always said I can fix anything 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:47.279 with YouTube in a toolbox, but this was the first 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:50.019 illustration of that not being true. So I saw 00:28:50.019 --> 00:28:52.000 this YouTube video that said if you take a flathead 00:28:52.000 --> 00:28:54.960 screwdriver and you jam it in the starter or 00:28:54.960 --> 00:28:57.980 the ignition, you can turn it because it'll get 00:28:57.980 --> 00:29:01.569 past the little key thingies and it'll go. Don't 00:29:01.569 --> 00:29:05.170 ever jam a flathead screwdriver into the ignition 00:29:05.170 --> 00:29:07.869 of your car, which most cars are, you know, pushing 00:29:07.869 --> 00:29:10.630 start now or whatever. But this was a 05 Silverado. 00:29:10.930 --> 00:29:12.789 Don't do that. I ended up having to like replace 00:29:12.789 --> 00:29:16.490 the whole ignition, whatever column. And long 00:29:16.490 --> 00:29:18.210 story short, I brought it to a mechanic after 00:29:18.210 --> 00:29:21.230 that. Okay. Yeah. So that's how I feel about 00:29:21.230 --> 00:29:25.529 God handling my life. I want God fixing it because 00:29:25.529 --> 00:29:28.170 I know if I do it, I am bound to mess it up. 00:29:30.829 --> 00:29:33.170 Now, I want you to look at how Jesus closes this 00:29:33.170 --> 00:29:37.009 thought in verse 34. Therefore, do not be anxious 00:29:37.009 --> 00:29:40.069 about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious 00:29:40.069 --> 00:29:43.730 for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own 00:29:43.730 --> 00:29:46.829 trouble. You know what that tells me about urgency? 00:29:48.190 --> 00:29:51.880 That tells me that Christian urgency. isn't about 00:29:51.880 --> 00:29:54.480 tomorrow. It's not about what will this look 00:29:54.480 --> 00:29:56.380 like tomorrow. It's not about what can I have 00:29:56.380 --> 00:29:58.160 tomorrow. It's not about what can I set myself 00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:01.359 up for tomorrow. Christian urgency is about being 00:30:01.359 --> 00:30:05.700 faithful today. And can I just say this? Anxiety 00:30:05.700 --> 00:30:09.420 is just urgency aimed at a future you have no 00:30:09.420 --> 00:30:13.039 control over. That's all it is. But Christian 00:30:13.039 --> 00:30:17.440 urgency takes action in the present, trusting 00:30:17.440 --> 00:30:20.700 God with the future. It says, I'm going to work 00:30:20.700 --> 00:30:24.160 today. I'm going to work faithfully. I'm going 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:26.200 to do what I can today. I'm going to make what 00:30:26.200 --> 00:30:28.359 I can happen today. I'm going to take care of 00:30:28.359 --> 00:30:30.680 the things I need to today. And I'm not going 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:32.960 to worry about what it looks like tomorrow. I'm 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:35.960 going to be faithful today, trusting that God 00:30:35.960 --> 00:30:39.859 will handle tomorrow. And before I go any further, 00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:42.099 I need to stop and say something directly to 00:30:42.099 --> 00:30:44.319 somebody because I know somebody needs to hear 00:30:44.319 --> 00:30:46.259 this. Maybe you've been sitting here. You've 00:30:46.259 --> 00:30:47.839 been listening to all of this, this treasure, 00:30:48.000 --> 00:30:50.259 the idea of priority and urgency, and you know 00:30:50.259 --> 00:30:52.460 it doesn't apply to you the same way because 00:30:52.460 --> 00:30:55.579 you haven't made Jesus your master yet. You've 00:30:55.579 --> 00:30:57.779 never even hinted at making Jesus your master 00:30:57.779 --> 00:31:01.420 yet. Maybe you've been on the fence about following 00:31:01.420 --> 00:31:04.079 Jesus, thinking about it, meaning to. You've 00:31:04.079 --> 00:31:06.789 been saying, one of these days. I'm going to 00:31:06.789 --> 00:31:08.809 do it one of these. I'll give my life to Jesus 00:31:08.809 --> 00:31:11.029 one of these days. I'll get baptized one of these 00:31:11.029 --> 00:31:14.329 days. Here's what I want you to hear. Everything 00:31:14.329 --> 00:31:17.809 we just read about urgency applies to you too. 00:31:18.970 --> 00:31:21.900 When Jesus was preaching. the Sermon on the Mount 00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:23.900 that he's talking about, that he's preaching 00:31:23.900 --> 00:31:26.359 in Matthew 6, he was not just preaching to his 00:31:26.359 --> 00:31:29.079 followers. He was preaching to people that were 00:31:29.079 --> 00:31:31.859 curious about this Jesus guy that showed up because 00:31:31.859 --> 00:31:34.099 they wanted to know what the hoopla was about 00:31:34.099 --> 00:31:37.779 this Jesus guy. They were not yet Christ's followers. 00:31:38.180 --> 00:31:40.079 And so even if you're not a Christ follower, 00:31:40.299 --> 00:31:43.019 Jesus preaches the same message to you too because 00:31:43.019 --> 00:31:45.119 he loves you and cares about you too. It is, 00:31:45.140 --> 00:31:48.910 don't be anxious about tomorrow. Don't wait until 00:31:48.910 --> 00:31:51.109 tomorrow. Don't put it off till tomorrow. Worry 00:31:51.109 --> 00:31:54.509 about today. And when I say worry, I don't mean 00:31:54.509 --> 00:31:56.670 get anxious about it. I mean take care of today. 00:31:57.450 --> 00:32:00.009 Handle what you can handle today. Take care of 00:32:00.009 --> 00:32:04.069 what you can take care of today. So if you've 00:32:04.069 --> 00:32:06.589 been thinking, I don't know, this might not apply 00:32:06.589 --> 00:32:11.569 to me. It does. The truth is the same for you. 00:32:12.609 --> 00:32:20.019 Seek God. Seek first the kingdom. of God. He 00:32:20.019 --> 00:32:23.559 says this is an invitation for everybody. And 00:32:23.559 --> 00:32:26.279 verse 34 tells you, tomorrow isn't promised. 00:32:26.940 --> 00:32:30.480 And you know this. You know people who felt really 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:32.799 good about their lives, and then the next thing 00:32:32.799 --> 00:32:36.779 you know, they're gone. You know people who felt 00:32:36.779 --> 00:32:39.000 really good about their career, and the next 00:32:39.000 --> 00:32:42.160 thing you know, it's gone. You know people who 00:32:42.160 --> 00:32:44.279 have lived. You may be a person who has lived 00:32:44.279 --> 00:32:50.819 this truth that tomorrow is not promised. But 00:32:50.819 --> 00:32:53.839 yet we continue to act like we've got all the 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:57.640 time in the world left. This is important for 00:32:57.640 --> 00:32:59.660 you to hear and for us to be reminded of because 00:32:59.660 --> 00:33:03.539 Jesus says in John 10 10 that Jesus came so that 00:33:03.539 --> 00:33:06.460 we could have abundant life. That is not a life 00:33:06.460 --> 00:33:08.940 of chasing things that you can't catch. That 00:33:08.940 --> 00:33:11.200 is not a life of anxiety over what you're going 00:33:11.200 --> 00:33:14.140 to eat, wear, sleep. It is not a life that is 00:33:14.140 --> 00:33:16.680 worried about everything that might or might 00:33:16.680 --> 00:33:19.720 not happen in the future. It is a life that Jesus 00:33:19.720 --> 00:33:23.519 has been describing as good, as a life with treasure 00:33:23.519 --> 00:33:26.660 that can't be stolen, a life with goodness that 00:33:26.660 --> 00:33:29.299 cannot be destroyed. It is a life where eyes 00:33:29.299 --> 00:33:32.339 can see clearly and have direction and know their 00:33:32.339 --> 00:33:35.119 purpose. It is a life where you serve one master 00:33:35.119 --> 00:33:38.180 instead of being pulled apart by two. It is a 00:33:38.180 --> 00:33:41.519 life where the good father, the God of the universe 00:33:41.519 --> 00:33:44.180 who created and handcrafted everything in this 00:33:44.180 --> 00:33:47.400 world, it is a life where that same father takes 00:33:47.400 --> 00:33:53.109 care of you. And I don't know. If you believe 00:33:53.109 --> 00:33:55.450 it, but I believe that that life is incompatible 00:33:55.450 --> 00:33:59.029 with anxiety. He's not asking you to figure it 00:33:59.029 --> 00:34:01.630 out first and then come find him. He is asking 00:34:01.630 --> 00:34:05.549 you to seek him now and forever and let him handle 00:34:05.549 --> 00:34:09.530 the rest. And so if that's you, if you've been 00:34:09.530 --> 00:34:11.829 on the fence, I don't want you to wait for a 00:34:11.829 --> 00:34:14.909 more convenient tomorrow because tomorrow may 00:34:14.909 --> 00:34:16.489 never come. I want you to think about the Garth 00:34:16.489 --> 00:34:21.079 Brooks song. If tomorrow never comes. Will everything 00:34:21.079 --> 00:34:23.860 that you meant to be handled today have been 00:34:23.860 --> 00:34:27.079 handled? Would God know that he was your top 00:34:27.079 --> 00:34:29.860 priority? Would the people around you know that 00:34:29.860 --> 00:34:32.300 you love them enough to tell them the good news? 00:34:32.500 --> 00:34:35.579 Would the people that you live and work and fellowship 00:34:35.579 --> 00:34:38.119 with know that you love God enough and you love 00:34:38.119 --> 00:34:41.480 them enough to be a light like Jesus to them? 00:34:43.460 --> 00:34:47.119 If tomorrow never comes, would your place in 00:34:47.119 --> 00:34:51.679 heaven be secure? Because I know the truth is 00:34:51.679 --> 00:34:53.340 that this morning there are people in this room 00:34:53.340 --> 00:34:55.940 who have not given their life to Jesus. Maybe 00:34:55.940 --> 00:34:58.420 they have said, yeah, I'm a Christian. Maybe 00:34:58.420 --> 00:35:00.420 you've said, yeah, I go to church every once 00:35:00.420 --> 00:35:02.960 in a while. Maybe you have said, I follow Jesus, 00:35:03.019 --> 00:35:05.019 but you haven't been following Jesus. And if 00:35:05.019 --> 00:35:09.079 that's you, it's okay. We can fix that. The thing 00:35:09.079 --> 00:35:11.539 that you have to do, though, is not put it off 00:35:11.539 --> 00:35:14.699 until tomorrow. You have to give Jesus your life. 00:35:14.780 --> 00:35:19.619 You have to give him your devotion today. Let 00:35:19.619 --> 00:35:23.440 me try to land the plane. If urgency is the evidence 00:35:23.440 --> 00:35:27.440 of priority, I believe it is, then the question 00:35:27.440 --> 00:35:30.960 isn't really where's the urgency. And it's not 00:35:30.960 --> 00:35:33.559 necessarily where's your priority. It's also, 00:35:33.639 --> 00:35:38.579 it's not what makes you anxious. The question 00:35:38.579 --> 00:35:41.659 of if urgency is the evidence of priority, then 00:35:41.659 --> 00:35:43.780 the question you have to ask yourself is who's 00:35:43.780 --> 00:35:48.579 your master? Who's the Lord of your life? A lot 00:35:48.579 --> 00:35:51.320 of people say, Jesus is my savior. Is he your 00:35:51.320 --> 00:35:56.800 Lord? Does he have sole custody of you? Is he 00:35:56.800 --> 00:36:01.619 the sole owner of your life? Who's your master? 00:36:03.079 --> 00:36:07.309 Because whatever has your urgency owns you. Whatever 00:36:07.309 --> 00:36:09.289 it is that you spend your life worried about, 00:36:09.409 --> 00:36:11.710 spend your life focused on, spend your life chasing, 00:36:11.849 --> 00:36:14.050 spend your life working toward, whatever that 00:36:14.050 --> 00:36:17.010 is, is who your master is. And if it is not Jesus, 00:36:17.150 --> 00:36:21.070 then we need to change it today. Because tomorrow 00:36:21.070 --> 00:36:25.269 may not come. But today has plenty that we can 00:36:25.269 --> 00:36:28.969 take care of. I want to push this just a little 00:36:28.969 --> 00:36:30.989 bit further because I don't think Jesus meant 00:36:30.989 --> 00:36:34.090 seek first the kingdom of God to just mean get 00:36:34.090 --> 00:36:37.389 your own life in order and stop there. I do believe 00:36:37.389 --> 00:36:40.269 a kingdom that you're the only one in. A party 00:36:40.269 --> 00:36:42.670 with just you is not a party at all, right? A 00:36:42.670 --> 00:36:45.349 kingdom that is just you in it is not a kingdom 00:36:45.349 --> 00:36:48.309 at all. If seeking God's kingdom first is really 00:36:48.309 --> 00:36:50.510 your priority, if that is what is the master 00:36:50.510 --> 00:36:52.929 of your life, if that is what has your urgency, 00:36:53.250 --> 00:36:56.150 then that urgency should not and cannot stay 00:36:56.150 --> 00:37:00.539 contained to just you. you. It has to look outward. 00:37:01.460 --> 00:37:04.360 Think about the people you love. If you love 00:37:04.360 --> 00:37:06.440 somebody, you'd be urgent about telling them 00:37:06.440 --> 00:37:08.980 when something might not be safe. If you love 00:37:08.980 --> 00:37:11.059 somebody, you'd be urgent about telling them 00:37:11.059 --> 00:37:13.639 when something just doesn't feel right or there's 00:37:13.639 --> 00:37:16.420 some danger present. If you love someone, you 00:37:16.420 --> 00:37:19.480 will tell them when they are in danger or when 00:37:19.480 --> 00:37:23.179 they need help. We don't hesitate. We don't wait 00:37:23.179 --> 00:37:25.659 for the right moment. When we see somebody suffering 00:37:25.659 --> 00:37:31.019 and they're hurt, we call 911 immediately. If 00:37:31.019 --> 00:37:33.199 they're in the middle of the road and you see 00:37:33.199 --> 00:37:36.119 a bus coming their way, you're going to yell, 00:37:36.139 --> 00:37:38.320 get their attention. You are going to run and 00:37:38.320 --> 00:37:40.360 knock them out of the way of the bus, even if 00:37:40.360 --> 00:37:44.000 it means you get hit yourself. What we don't 00:37:44.000 --> 00:37:48.639 do is go, maybe I'll mention it. We don't look 00:37:48.639 --> 00:37:51.280 at the bus coming head on at them and say, I 00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:54.780 sure hope they get it figured out. We don't go, 00:37:54.880 --> 00:37:57.260 hey, by the way, I don't know if you noticed, 00:37:57.420 --> 00:38:01.980 but over there, there's a bus coming, and it's 00:38:01.980 --> 00:38:04.300 about to hit you. We don't do that because there 00:38:04.300 --> 00:38:08.679 is a sense of urgency with the people we love. 00:38:08.760 --> 00:38:12.440 We have to act with a sense of what? Urgency, 00:38:12.579 --> 00:38:15.119 you're awake still. We act quickly because we 00:38:15.119 --> 00:38:17.820 love them and because we want to help save them 00:38:17.820 --> 00:38:20.199 from destruction. And so if we know tomorrow 00:38:20.199 --> 00:38:23.480 isn't promised for those we love, then why in 00:38:23.480 --> 00:38:26.039 the world are we waiting around to tell them 00:38:26.039 --> 00:38:30.820 the life -saving good news truth of Jesus? Why? 00:38:32.800 --> 00:38:36.340 You know, if we sit here and wait around and 00:38:36.340 --> 00:38:38.639 we don't tell the people we love about the good 00:38:38.639 --> 00:38:41.820 news of Jesus, I might look at you like I look 00:38:41.820 --> 00:38:46.179 at a lousy server, and I might say, where's the... 00:38:46.179 --> 00:38:50.400 Wow, man, y 'all are asleep. This was a real 00:38:50.400 --> 00:38:52.079 dud of a lesson, right? Let's try that again. 00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:57.360 Where's the... Great. And so next Sunday is Friends 00:38:57.360 --> 00:39:00.920 and Family Day. Next Sunday is a day that we 00:39:00.920 --> 00:39:03.500 have set aside in the year where we're still 00:39:03.500 --> 00:39:05.579 going to worship God like we do every Sunday. 00:39:05.699 --> 00:39:08.940 But on this special Sunday, we're encouraging 00:39:08.940 --> 00:39:11.739 everyone to find the friends that they know that 00:39:11.739 --> 00:39:13.820 don't have a church home or that are struggling 00:39:13.820 --> 00:39:15.820 in their walk with Jesus, to think about the 00:39:15.820 --> 00:39:18.119 family members who haven't given their life to 00:39:18.119 --> 00:39:20.780 Jesus yet, that are still walking this life like 00:39:20.780 --> 00:39:23.199 the world does, and they haven't found the abundant 00:39:23.199 --> 00:39:25.980 life of Jesus. We think about those people and 00:39:25.980 --> 00:39:33.340 the destruction that their life... So right now, 00:39:33.340 --> 00:39:36.880 I want you to think of your one person. Somebody 00:39:36.880 --> 00:39:39.019 who needs to hear that their tomorrow is not 00:39:39.019 --> 00:39:41.159 promised either. Somebody that needs to hear 00:39:41.159 --> 00:39:43.300 that there is an eternal kingdom that is just 00:39:43.300 --> 00:39:46.280 waiting for them to make deposits into it. I 00:39:46.280 --> 00:39:47.920 need you to think of the person that needs to 00:39:47.920 --> 00:39:50.199 know that they're invited to God's family. And 00:39:50.199 --> 00:39:52.079 before you leave this room, I want you to commit 00:39:52.079 --> 00:39:55.099 to God that you're going to invite them. Like 00:39:55.099 --> 00:39:57.940 right now. In fact, I want us to stop right now. 00:39:58.019 --> 00:39:59.500 We're going to take a moment and we're going 00:39:59.500 --> 00:40:01.659 to pray for that person. So go ahead and have 00:40:01.659 --> 00:40:03.679 that person on your mind. Think about them. And 00:40:03.679 --> 00:40:07.460 as we pray, I want you to talk to God about that 00:40:07.460 --> 00:40:12.280 person and how they deserve your urgency. And 00:40:12.280 --> 00:40:14.219 then after we leave here this morning, because 00:40:14.219 --> 00:40:15.639 you're not on your phones during the sermon, 00:40:15.719 --> 00:40:17.639 right? After we leave here this morning, you 00:40:17.639 --> 00:40:19.679 are going to send them a text and say, hey, I 00:40:19.679 --> 00:40:22.699 would love for you to join me next Sunday at 00:40:22.699 --> 00:40:24.840 my church with my church family for Friends and 00:40:24.840 --> 00:40:28.150 Family Day. Let's pray for our one. Father God, 00:40:28.349 --> 00:40:32.329 we thank you for your goodness, for the promise 00:40:32.329 --> 00:40:34.789 that you will provide for us, for the promise 00:40:34.789 --> 00:40:37.030 that if we will live a life that pursues you, 00:40:37.150 --> 00:40:39.389 that seeks you, that isn't worried about this 00:40:39.389 --> 00:40:41.809 world and isn't worried about tomorrow, but will 00:40:41.809 --> 00:40:44.329 just focus on faithfully following you today. 00:40:44.590 --> 00:40:47.090 God, we thank you for the fact that if we will 00:40:47.090 --> 00:40:50.630 do that, you will secure, you have secured a 00:40:50.630 --> 00:40:53.260 place for us in heaven. But God, we're also mindful 00:40:53.260 --> 00:40:55.820 of our loved ones, the people that we want to 00:40:55.820 --> 00:40:57.719 know you, the people that we want to see in heaven, 00:40:57.800 --> 00:41:00.500 the people that we want to know for a fact that 00:41:00.500 --> 00:41:02.980 their life is secure in you, that we know they 00:41:02.980 --> 00:41:05.179 can have the abundant life that Jesus came to 00:41:05.179 --> 00:41:09.059 give. God, we pray for that person, for that 00:41:09.059 --> 00:41:12.059 coworker, for that neighbor, for that server 00:41:12.059 --> 00:41:15.090 at the restaurant that sees us every week. for 00:41:15.090 --> 00:41:16.989 that family member that's just been resistant, 00:41:17.170 --> 00:41:19.550 or maybe they just don't quite understand that 00:41:19.550 --> 00:41:21.849 their life is not yet secure in you because they 00:41:21.849 --> 00:41:23.909 haven't made you Lord of their life. God, we 00:41:23.909 --> 00:41:27.010 pray for that person. We pray not only that we 00:41:27.010 --> 00:41:29.250 would have a sense of urgency in our reaching 00:41:29.250 --> 00:41:31.550 out to them, in our inviting them, but God, that 00:41:31.550 --> 00:41:33.409 your spirit would be working on their hearts 00:41:33.409 --> 00:41:36.710 right now so that when we invite them, that there 00:41:36.710 --> 00:41:38.550 would be something in them that is stirred up, 00:41:38.570 --> 00:41:40.409 that they would say, yeah, I'm going to come. 00:41:40.469 --> 00:41:42.510 And that when they come, that they experience 00:41:42.510 --> 00:41:45.389 the community that Jesus came to. And God, my 00:41:45.389 --> 00:41:47.869 prayer is that something happens in this room 00:41:47.869 --> 00:41:50.090 that stirs their hearts, that they will give 00:41:50.090 --> 00:41:51.969 their lives to you, that they will commit to 00:41:51.969 --> 00:41:53.969 seeking your kingdom first. And God, that we 00:41:53.969 --> 00:41:55.909 would love them, that we would disciple them, 00:41:55.989 --> 00:41:58.429 so that they would know that Jesus wants them 00:41:58.429 --> 00:42:03.530 in his family. And that God, our lives... collectively 00:42:03.530 --> 00:42:07.550 would go into this world and change this nation, 00:42:07.750 --> 00:42:10.150 would change this earth. Because God, there are 00:42:10.150 --> 00:42:12.809 people in this world that need to know you. There 00:42:12.809 --> 00:42:14.690 are people in this world that need to come to 00:42:14.690 --> 00:42:17.469 know Jesus and live a life like Jesus and have 00:42:17.469 --> 00:42:19.909 a place in heaven with Jesus. God, my prayer 00:42:19.909 --> 00:42:23.010 is that your spirit would empower us, would stir 00:42:23.010 --> 00:42:26.230 us up to go faithfully into this week and live 00:42:26.230 --> 00:42:30.739 like that is our pursuit. And God, if anything 00:42:30.739 --> 00:42:33.199 is competing for our focus, if anything is competing 00:42:33.199 --> 00:42:36.760 for our urgency, if anything has tried to fake 00:42:36.760 --> 00:42:39.199 its way into being the Lord of our lives, my 00:42:39.199 --> 00:42:41.199 prayer is that you would strike it down, remove 00:42:41.199 --> 00:42:44.739 it from our lives, and make no question about 00:42:44.739 --> 00:42:49.460 who our God is. God, we pray for the people that 00:42:49.460 --> 00:42:51.780 we want to invite, and I pray that we would show 00:42:51.780 --> 00:42:55.980 boldness and urgency in inviting them. And God, 00:42:56.000 --> 00:42:59.809 when they get here, Would we love them like Jesus 00:42:59.809 --> 00:43:03.349 did so that they know that all the talk about 00:43:03.349 --> 00:43:05.409 abundant life and a kingdom and a family and 00:43:05.409 --> 00:43:07.309 a community and a good God, that they would know 00:43:07.309 --> 00:43:11.650 that that is not just lip service, but God, that 00:43:11.650 --> 00:43:15.349 that is real and that this is a family that is 00:43:15.349 --> 00:43:20.369 empowered and is filled with your spirit. God, 00:43:20.469 --> 00:43:22.449 we love you and we praise you. It's in Jesus' 00:43:22.530 --> 00:43:28.119 name we pray. Amen. Now, if you need... to lay 00:43:28.119 --> 00:43:31.739 your anxieties down at the feet of Jesus. We 00:43:31.739 --> 00:43:35.679 want to help. If you want help in pursuing Jesus, 00:43:36.000 --> 00:43:38.460 we want to help. Or if you're ready to get off 00:43:38.460 --> 00:43:40.860 the fence, to give your life to Jesus in baptism 00:43:40.860 --> 00:43:44.079 today, don't delay. Tomorrow is not promised. 00:43:44.300 --> 00:43:46.840 And you weren't made to live in worry today, 00:43:47.000 --> 00:43:49.840 so I'm asking you, I'm pleading with you to respond 00:43:49.840 --> 00:43:53.179 with urgency. We would love to help you trust 00:43:53.179 --> 00:43:55.559 and follow Jesus better today. So whatever you 00:43:55.559 --> 00:43:56.219 need, please come.