WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.000 All right, who remembers what I preached last week? I know it was a whole week ago, but who remembers? 00:00:05.000 --> 00:00:10.000 Don't shout out everybody all at the same time. But it was along the lines of be rich toward God, 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:17.000 don't be rich toward yourself. Don't be like a foolish farmer who provides for himself by growing bigger barns. 00:00:17.000 --> 00:00:23.000 And his very life was going to be demanded from him that evening. He wasn't going to get the chance to live out his dreams in a sense. 00:00:23.000 --> 00:00:28.000 Do you remember now? So Jesus says, rather, be rich toward God. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:36.000 Verse 21. Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth, but not have a rich relationship with God. 00:00:36.000 --> 00:00:44.000 Now, if you. Surely if you and I were there and we're listening to this, your immediate thoughts would be, 00:00:44.000 --> 00:00:52.000 okay, well, if I've got to be rich in my relationship to God, and if I am not going to store up bonds, then where am I going to get my provision from? 00:00:52.000 --> 00:01:02.000 Surely that must have been their thought. And so in the very next moment, if you read the very next verse on verse 22, 00:01:02.000 --> 00:01:08.000 then after immediately saying, yes, a person is a fool to stir up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God, 00:01:08.000 --> 00:01:14.000 then turning to his disciples, Jesus said, that's why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. 00:01:14.000 --> 00:01:20.000 Whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear. For life is more than food, the body more than clothing. 00:01:20.000 --> 00:01:27.000 Look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. 00:01:27.000 --> 00:01:34.000 And you are far more valuable to him than any birds. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 00:01:34.000 --> 00:01:40.000 And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, like adding time to your life, what's the use of worrying over bigger things? 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:48.000 Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory wasn't dressed as beautifully as they are. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:55.000 And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. 00:01:55.000 --> 00:02:03.000 Why? The question is asked, why do you have such little faith? And don't be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. 00:02:03.000 --> 00:02:10.000 Don't worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world. 00:02:10.000 --> 00:02:18.000 But your Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need. 00:02:18.000 --> 00:02:26.000 So don't be afraid, little flock, for it gives your Father great happiness to give you the kingdom. 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:31.000 Sell your possessions, give to those in need, store up treasures in heaven, etcetera 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:39.000 Can I pray for us, Lord, as we open our hearts to you this morning yet again, as we did in worship, we. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:44.000 We ask that you would speak to us. The Bible says that you are the lifter of our heads. 00:02:44.000 --> 00:02:50.000 And I pray, Lord, that today you would lift our heads. You would cause us to be a people who live in faith. 00:02:50.000 --> 00:02:56.000 And Jesus, will you tell us not to worry. But people have walked in here this morning with worries and with burdens. 00:02:56.000 --> 00:03:02.000 We pray that you, the burden bearer and the lifter of our heads, would do your miracles this morning. 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:08.000 And I ask that you would release every person in this auditorium, every person watching and every person listening. 00:03:08.000 --> 00:03:14.000 I pray, Lord, that you would release them from fear and worry this morning. Release them from those little demons of fear 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:20.000 and of worry that try to put their grips into God's people. We have a Father in heaven and we trust you with everything in us. 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:28.000 In Jesus name, amen. John 15, 9 says, I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. 00:03:28.000 --> 00:03:35.000 Remain in my love. When you obey My commandments, you remain in my love just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:42.000 I've told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow. 00:03:42.000 --> 00:03:49.000 So in John 15 you got Jesus saying, I want to give you a joy that overflows. In Luke 12 you've got Jesus saying, 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:56.000 it says, my Father's happiness to give you the kingdom. Do you see from these two texts that there is a sense of joy 00:03:56.000 --> 00:04:04.000 and a sense of happiness that God wants his people to live in? And immediately someone out there is going to say, 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:11.000 yeah, but Jesus didn't live in Johannesburg in 2025. The answer is, of course not. He lived in oppressed Palestine in AD 20, 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:17.000 which was a lot worse than this, probably a hundred times worse than what you and I face now. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:24.000 They were an oppressed people with no legal rights under the tyranny of the Roman Empire, paying exorbitant taxes of everything they own. 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:30.000 Can't even worship their God without permission from the Roman Emperor. And so when Jesus says to them, don't worry, 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:36.000 he knows what he's talking about and he knows who he's talking to. And the Father, if you just get what I'm saying this morning, 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:43.000 the Father wants to bring us, all of us, into a concept of his joy and his happiness. 00:04:43.000 --> 00:04:50.000 Did you know that God is the happiest of all beings? Do you think he sits in heaven miserable? 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:57.000 Do you think for a moment the Father, Son and Holy Spirit looked at each other one day and said, we are so bored. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:05:04.000 We need some entertainment. Let's make humans because admit it, we're a funny lot. No, he created us for joy and for happiness 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:11.000 and he wants us to partake in his happiness. He wants us to enjoy the the best of what he enjoys. 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:18.000 This includes the fruit of the things that God takes pleasure in. God takes pleasure primarily in fellowship. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:24.000 Jesus says, the Father loves me and I love the Father and I love you and the Holy Spirit's going to live inside you. 00:05:24.000 --> 00:05:30.000 He's going to show you the glory of the Father and we're going to make ourselves known to you. Jesus is all about fellowship and relationship. 00:05:30.000 --> 00:05:37.000 He wants to bring you into a place where of increased fellowship, justice, where he looks after you. 00:05:37.000 --> 00:05:44.000 The beauty of his creation in nature Every little part of earth has been so beautifully put together by our Father in heaven. 00:05:44.000 --> 00:05:50.000 People spend money to go all around the world to look at this creation God gave us. And we know that in the new heavens 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:57.000 and the new earth we get a whole new creation. Beautiful. God loves it when we love creation. He loves it when we love nature. 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:04.000 Some of us need to take our shoes off again. Not right now, please. But some of us need to take our shoes off, 00:06:04.000 --> 00:06:11.000 forget and go walk on the grass. Go and experience nature, the beauty of the people he made in his image. 00:06:11.000 --> 00:06:18.000 You know, every single one of you are made in his image. And the Bible says you're made beautifully. 00:06:18.000 --> 00:06:25.000 You may not think so, and magazines and advertising agencies may say that you're not beautiful, particularly if you're a been in Edenburg a long time. 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:32.000 You know what I mean? There's people who've helped reshape the way you look. But the reality is that you are beautiful in the eyes of God. 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:39.000 You're made in his image. You're precious according to the one who sees you. And you know, we're told that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:46.000 He looks at you and he loves you. Hope, providence, forgiveness, redemption, etc. And we even get to rest later. 00:06:46.000 --> 00:06:53.000 So we're a people with a God who's crazy in love with us in a world he made for us where he wants to give us his joy and his happiness. 00:06:53.000 --> 00:07:01.000 Yet if you are not engaging the Lord, Worry creeps in. Anxiety creeps in according to panic.anxiety.com 00:07:01.000 --> 00:07:08.000 there are three major components to anxiety. Physiological components, physical symptoms like muscle tension, sweating, palpitations of the heart. 00:07:08.000 --> 00:07:15.000 There are psychological components to worry and anxiety charactered by emotional symptoms like restlessness, sleeplessness 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:22.000 Irritability, failure to concentrate, and feelings of fear. And there are social components. People suffering anxiety tend to cling to other people 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:29.000 for reassurance. Helping that other people can help him or her feel safe. And according to the same website, 00:07:29.000 --> 00:07:36.000 there are many causes of anxiety, fears about the future, feelings of inadequacy, financial pressure, work related stress, 00:07:36.000 --> 00:07:43.000 loneliness, family conflict, grief, and the fear of death. But thankfully, the Internet offers us a lot of remedies. 00:07:43.000 --> 00:07:50.000 I looked some of them up. Stress relieving pharmaceuticals. None of us know what we're talking about here. 00:07:50.000 --> 00:07:57.000 Stress relieving pharmaceuticals, cats, herbal pills, aromatherapies, breathing techniques, self help programs, 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:04.000 lifestyle changes, regular exercise, stress management, sleep prioritization, the avoidance of stimulants, healthy diet, 00:08:04.000 --> 00:08:11.000 mindfulness meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga and tai chi, spending time in nature therapy, medication, 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:18.000 support groups, journaling, spending time with loved ones, engaging in hobbies and using essential oils. 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:25.000 There. You can go home now. And I'm sure some of these remedies are useful in certain ways. 00:08:25.000 --> 00:08:32.000 They just weren't very vogue in the time of Jesus and of Paul. So Jesus, when speaking about worry, goes to his disciples. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:39.000 And instead of that long sentence of stuff that the Internet tells us will deal with worry, this is what Jesus says about worry. 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:46.000 Don't. From the greatest being in the universe. He comes to you after all your story. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:53.000 Have you ever gone to a therapist? I would love to be a therapist. I'd love to charge 100 bucks an hour to hear you pour out your grief. 00:08:53.000 --> 00:09:00.000 Then I'll take that tissue box back, I'll look sympathetically at you, offer you a tissue and a coffee, Nescafe, nothing more than that, 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:07.000 let you tell me all your stuff. And afterwards, all I'm gonna say is, don't pay at the door. Don't worry about everyday life. 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:14.000 Your father already knows your needs. Point number one is don't worry. Jesus says this in the context of teaching his disciples 00:09:14.000 --> 00:09:21.000 to have a rich relationship toward God. And he says, give it all away, etc. And in Luke 12:22, that's why I tell you not to worry 00:09:21.000 --> 00:09:28.000 about everyday life. Whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothing to wear. When Jesus says, don't worry, 00:09:28.000 --> 00:09:35.000 do you know that Greek word is the imperative tense? It is an instruction. If it's winter night and we're sitting in our bedroom 00:09:35.000 --> 00:09:42.000 and one of the boys walk outside and open the door and the wind gushes in and I say, hey, close the door, it is an imperative. 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:49.000 It's not to be discussed. There's no negotiation. You don't sit down and say, dad, should the door be open this far or this far, 00:09:49.000 --> 00:09:56.000 you close the door, do what I just told you. It's an imperative tense. And actually Jesus uses a double imperative in the Greek. 00:09:56.000 --> 00:10:03.000 Do not worry about what you eat and do not worry about what you wear. It is literally instruction to Christians. Do not worry. 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:10.000 And interestingly, he's telling us not to worry about the essentials of life. I hope you're going to see where this is going this morning. 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:17.000 Because the same God who's telling me not to worry about what I'm going to eat or what I'm going to wear is the same God who tells me, 00:10:17.000 --> 00:10:24.000 don't worry about my sin or my eternal destiny or my identity, because he's already wrapped all that up for me. 00:10:24.000 --> 00:10:31.000 So how do I trust him for my salvation, my rescue from the wrath of God, if I can't trust him to provide for my everyday needs? 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:38.000 And even when it's going to come, which I'm not going to talk about, but even when it comes to tithing, does not in the book of Malachi say, 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:45.000 test me in this, because if I can't trust you with money that I see, how do I trust you with my eternity that I am not there yet? 00:10:45.000 --> 00:10:52.000 He has to be trusted here. Why don't we worry? Why shouldn't we worry? Jesus gives us an answer. He says, do not worry, for life is more than food. 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:59.000 Your body is more than clothing. There's more to life, and life matters to God. Paul echoes this to Timothy later in 1 Timothy 6, 8. 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:06.000 If you have enough food, enough clothing, be content. There's a lot of more important things to life than waiting around for your next meal 00:11:06.000 --> 00:11:13.000 or being a mannequin that people dress. There's a lot more to you. And so Jesus gives two examples, one for food and one for clothing. 00:11:13.000 --> 00:11:20.000 And the first example he picks, he says, look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them, 00:11:20.000 --> 00:11:27.000 and you are more valuable than any birds. Ravens are not particularly attractive birds. They're like crows. They're just bigger and uglier ravens. 00:11:27.000 --> 00:11:34.000 Under Old Testament law, ravens were ceremonially unclean. They were detestable birds. Yet Psalm 147:9 He God gives food to the wild animals. 00:11:34.000 --> 00:11:41.000 Listen. And he feeds the young ravens when they cry. Job 38:41 who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God 00:11:41.000 --> 00:11:48.000 and wander about in hunger. And Jesus is pointing out that these birds don't sow reap they don't store in barns. They're not farmers. 00:11:48.000 --> 00:11:55.000 They're scavengers. They're ugly looking birds. They come to peck you when you're dead. They are detestable animals. 00:11:55.000 --> 00:12:02.000 They are ceremonially unclean. If there's a bird ranking, they're below Hardy Daz. They're there. 00:12:02.000 --> 00:12:09.000 And the point Jesus is making is if you get the worst of the birds and God hears when a little raven is crying out and God feeds a little raven, 00:12:09.000 --> 00:12:16.000 how much more is he going to feed you? How much more is he going to look after you? Of course you got to work hard, plan for the future, 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:23.000 give attention to the things God's placed in your care. But you do not have to worry about your daily needs because you have a Father in heaven. 00:12:23.000 --> 00:12:30.000 Jesus is saying it is unnecessary to worry or be anxious about the very things that your Father is has promised to provide you. 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:37.000 Worry gains you nothing. Jesus says can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, 00:12:37.000 --> 00:12:44.000 what's the use of worrying over big things? Do you see? Jesus says worry doesn't add a single moment to your life. 00:12:44.000 --> 00:12:51.000 Let me ask you how many people who worry and are concerned don't sleep enough because they're trying to add time to their life? 00:12:51.000 --> 00:12:58.000 They're trying to add hours. I can't get to sleep at 10, there's too much to do. I'm worried I've got to add to. It's actually a lack of faith. 00:12:58.000 --> 00:13:05.000 Because when you're given by God a certain amount of hours to rest and a certain amount of hours to sleep, use them. 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:12.000 And when you have your 8 or 10 or 12 daylight hours, use them well. But you don't go and try and add to your life. 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:19.000 If only I got one more hour, one more day in the week, one more week in the year. All your worrying can't add one more minute to your life. 00:13:19.000 --> 00:13:26.000 I tell you what worry will do, though. It will steal from you. Worry is a thief. Worry steals our time. 00:13:26.000 --> 00:13:33.000 Our thoughts turn to what troubles us. And rather than praying about it or getting out and doing what God's called us to do, we waste time just worrying. 00:13:33.000 --> 00:13:40.000 Worry steals our rest. We lie awake at night, anxious about tomorrow. Then we get up, too tired to work hard, and the story repeats. 00:13:40.000 --> 00:13:47.000 Worry steals our health. There are physical effects to worry and anxiety. Worry steals our obedience. It tempts us towards other sins 00:13:47.000 --> 00:13:54.000 like irritability, addiction, laziness, overwork. Worry steals our hope. We fear about the future. We Worry about the future. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:01.000 Difficulties arise in our minds. Do you understand? That worry will shrivel your soul. It will rob you of your joy. 00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:08.000 It will leave you ill equipped to deal with the spiritual and emotional challenges of every single new day. 00:14:08.000 --> 00:14:15.000 The anxious worries of a troubled spirit is discouraging and destructive. So Jesus goes to the question in Luke 12:26. 00:14:15.000 --> 00:14:22.000 He says, what's the use of worrying? Now imagine for a moment you're in a counseling session with Jesus and he sits with you 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:29.000 and he says to you, what's the use of worrying? Where's Jesus going with this conversation? He wants to go into your soul 00:14:29.000 --> 00:14:36.000 so that you can answer this question, because he's forcing you to confront. Where is your fear coming from? If you're worried and anxious, 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:43.000 what is the source of that anxiety? What is the source of that worry? Where is it originating? In which direction is your faith going? 00:14:43.000 --> 00:14:50.000 You see, faith is being sure of what you hope for, being certain of what you do not see. So if you are absolutely poop scared 00:14:50.000 --> 00:14:57.000 that tomorrow is going to be an absolute disaster, do you know you're putting your faith there? You are sure what you don't yet see. 00:14:57.000 --> 00:15:04.000 You are confident of what hasn't happened yet. And guess what you're getting tomorrow? Exactly what you just feared. 00:15:04.000 --> 00:15:11.000 Because you put your faith in that I'm sure tomorrow, how's your day tomorrow? I think it's going to be an absolute disaster. 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:18.000 Do you know that's the definition of faith? Being sure of what you hope for, being certain of what you don't see. So you think your way into. Exactly. 00:15:18.000 --> 00:15:25.000 So Jesus is saying, when I ask you that question, I want to know what are the origins of your doubts and your worry? Where is it coming from? 00:15:25.000 --> 00:15:32.000 Have you looked inside to ask, out of what soil are these emotions springing up? And then secondly, where are you aiming your faith? 00:15:32.000 --> 00:15:39.000 Which direction is it going in? Then the next thing Jesus does, Jesus says, we've now looked at these ravens, these horrible squawky birds. 00:15:39.000 --> 00:15:46.000 Now let's look at something a bit nicer. Let's look at lilies. And by the way, lilies, it's actually symbolic for it's a word for just flowers. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:53.000 So it's just flowers that grow everywhere. Look at the lilies. Look how they grow. They don't work, they don't make their clothing. 00:15:53.000 --> 00:16:00.000 Solomon, his glory wasn't dressed as beautifully as they are now. I've come off what you eat. Now I want to talk about what you wear. 00:16:00.000 --> 00:16:07.000 Flowers do less work than us. And all they live in is what God gave them. And even Solomon wasn't dressed as beautifully as them. 00:16:07.000 --> 00:16:14.000 Jesus is taking pleasure in the beauty of his creation. Look at those flowers. Look at the lily. Jesus is like an artist who's painted a picture 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:21.000 and invites you to his home to look at what he's just drawn to. He's inviting you in. And I want you to see something when you look at that flower. 00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:28.000 What's that? That's not lilies. Nor is that. That is. That's an arum lily. Am I correct? Maybe it's a flower. Keep him going. Mark that. 00:16:28.000 --> 00:16:35.000 Beautiful. And here's the point. Jesus is saying, I am the creator of all things. Nothing was made that was not made through me. 00:16:35.000 --> 00:16:42.000 Every flower I made, I've made beautifully. I've paid attention to it. I put it in its beauty. I delight in its beauty. 00:16:42.000 --> 00:16:49.000 Let me ask you, if I clothe that, how much more will I not clothe you? You made in my image. You as a human being are made in my image. 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:56.000 You are perfectly, beautifully, wonderfully formed in the womb. Do you not think I'm look after you? Firstly, the flower doesn't clothe itself. 00:16:56.000 --> 00:17:03.000 Secondly, a flower is very temporary. It only lasts one season. It doesn't last very long. You are eternal. Will I not so much more take care of you? 00:17:03.000 --> 00:17:10.000 If I put this much effort into a flower, how much am I going to put into you? You need to get this into your spirit. Yes, I love it. 00:17:10.000 --> 00:17:17.000 What's he going to do for the people he made? Luke 12:28. He will certainly care for you. Can I ask you, from today, 00:17:17.000 --> 00:17:24.000 let every time you see a live flower, let it be a reminder of the providence of God in your life. Every single time you look at a live flower, 00:17:24.000 --> 00:17:31.000 look and say, if God can do that for that thing, I know what he's got for me. He will take care of me. But the problem where Jesus is going 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:38.000 is he says, if you have not yet learned not to worry about your basic needs, if you dig the soil of your heart, you'll actually discover what's living. 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:45.000 There is unbelief. It's unbelief. That's why Jesus goes straight to the roots of our anxiety. In Luke 12:28, he says, why do you have so little faith? 00:17:45.000 --> 00:17:52.000 By the way, in the original Greek, this is not a question, it's a statement. It you have little faith because worry is directly inversely proportional to your faith. 00:17:52.000 --> 00:17:59.000 The extent to which you worry is the extent to which you don't trust God. Jesus says, the extent to which you're worrying is the extent to which you're not trusting God. 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:06.000 And Romans 14:23 says, Everything that doesn't come from faith is sin. Now, some people think. But worry is not a big sin. 00:18:06.000 --> 00:18:13.000 In fact, I don't even think worry is a sin. It's just something I feel. It just influences my behavior and I'm sour my whole life. 00:18:13.000 --> 00:18:20.000 But it's just this little thing I carry. Can I say this? Actually, there is no greater sin than not trusting your Father in heaven. 00:18:20.000 --> 00:18:27.000 Because it goes down to the issue of what you really believe about Him. When people worry, they deny God's promise that he will give us what we truly need. 00:18:27.000 --> 00:18:34.000 We deny God's wisdom, not trusting that he fully appreciates the difficulty of our current situation. We deny his goodness, not believing he has our best interests at heart. 00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:41.000 And we deny his sovereignty. We're not waiting for God to provide what we need at exactly the right time. We're always pushing the envelope, trying to make it happen. 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:48.000 And what we're saying is, I'm not that sure that God has this. Can I say this? Our worry as Christians is a direct attack on the godness of God. 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:55.000 The godness of God, because we fear his ability to take care of us. And when we fear his ability to take care of us, we make other plans and our anxiety increases. 00:18:55.000 --> 00:19:02.000 The remedy for worry, Jesus said, is don't. And what he means by that is faith. A faithful God. How do we do that? 00:19:02.000 --> 00:19:09.000 Okay, I'm used to anxiety. I'm used to worry. I've lived my life like that. What do I do? So Jesus says, seek first the kingdom of God. 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:16.000 You see, there are only two ways a person can live. And the one is to live for yourself and the things of the world. And the other is to live for God and his kingdom. 00:19:16.000 --> 00:19:23.000 And everyone in this room. We live for God and his kingdom, don't we? The fact that the Springboks lost to a reasonably poor Australian team yesterday, 00:19:23.000 --> 00:19:30.000 it doesn't bother us. Am I right? Did not every person's room go to bed still singing the Hills Are Alive? Didn't you? 00:19:30.000 --> 00:19:37.000 When you woke up this morning and drickers got totally lessened in how to Wrestle, you didn't mind, isn't it? You sprung to the kettle and you made your tea and you troll a lot. 00:19:37.000 --> 00:19:44.000 I've done counseling sessions as I walked up here and said hello to a whole lot of guys. We did a whole lot of counseling and deep inner healing this morning. 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:51.000 Because sometimes our thoughts are not always on the things of God. But we either live our way or we live the way God wants us to live. 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:58.000 Jesus says, don't be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don't worry about such things. Imperative, these things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world. 00:19:58.000 --> 00:20:05.000 Your Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and he will give you what? In other words, where are you looking? 00:20:05.000 --> 00:20:12.000 Where's your focus going all the time? If you're looking at that worry, it's going to stay there. So Jesus says, seek first the kingdom of God. 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:19.000 In other words, get your focus entirely off what you have or you don't have or you wish you had. Every Christian on planet Earth, he says, 00:20:19.000 --> 00:20:26.000 get your focus off of that and put it straight onto the kingdom of God. Seek first the kingdom of God, and then it says, he will give you everything we need. 00:20:26.000 --> 00:20:33.000 And I want to tell you that applies equally well to the person who's in the situation they're in out of bad decisions. God can still redeem that. 00:20:33.000 --> 00:20:40.000 If you put your eyes on his kingdom and you say, I'm going to seek your kingdom, you're ruling. I'll get onto that now. But the key verb is to seek. 00:20:40.000 --> 00:20:47.000 Seek the kingdom of God. To seek means to set your heart on something, to make it your main objective. What you seek is what you're thinking about, 00:20:47.000 --> 00:20:54.000 what you pursue, what you live for. If you've got to go out and you've lost your keys and you've got to go to work, trust me, 00:20:54.000 --> 00:21:01.000 you are totally besotted on finding those keys. Just a word of advice. Get a keyring and put it up near the front door. That's where they are. 00:21:01.000 --> 00:21:08.000 But we look and we search and we can't find it. The effort you're putting in, that's what Jesus says was seeking. And you and I both know no one in this church, 00:21:08.000 --> 00:21:15.000 but we both met people in other churches where you sit with them. It doesn't take long that by the end of an hour with them, you want to cut your wrists, 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:22.000 your neighbor's wrists, kill the dogs, because there's no future for planet Earth. And not once did the kingdom of God get a mention. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:29.000 Not once did the exhilarating call of God, who wants to bring us into his happiness, the fulfillment of a kingdom that invades darkness 00:21:29.000 --> 00:21:36.000 and brings life and joy and encouragement and healing and praise and worship. Not once did I go there because it's, oh, no one here. 00:21:36.000 --> 00:21:43.000 I said, don't get offended, but I speak to pastors Who've got people in their churches who are not perfect, and they struggle. 00:21:43.000 --> 00:21:50.000 Apparently Jesus said, seek first the kingdom of God. What does that mean in English? It means, number one, pursue the establishing of God's royal rule 00:21:50.000 --> 00:21:57.000 in every part of society. Look for God's rule to be done, number one. Number two, the kingdom comes through the proclamation of the death and resurrection of Jesus. 00:21:57.000 --> 00:22:04.000 Be a witness, number one, Seek his kingdom. Seek his rule. Number two, talk about him. Number three, extend grace towards others. 00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:11.000 Because when you receive Jesus and the rule of God invades your life, the grace of God invades you. And as Jesus has let you off the hook of judgment 00:22:11.000 --> 00:22:18.000 and death and wrath, so go and do likewise. Go and release people. Go and bring the kingdom to bear upon their lives. 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:25.000 And number four, reflect it in your worship, your work, your play, your family, your neighborhoods. Be a light that shines. 00:22:25.000 --> 00:22:32.000 Make your goal at church, at work, at home, among my friends. I'm going to be a living reflection of the fact that God is in my life. 00:22:32.000 --> 00:22:39.000 Do you see what you're doing? You're seeking the kingdom. Not once in that conversation does worry or anxiety lift its head. 00:22:39.000 --> 00:22:46.000 Because worry and anxiety always puts a target on your back. The kingdom puts your eyes on the king, and he's what you see and he's what you want. 00:22:46.000 --> 00:22:53.000 We don't seek earthly possessions, we utilize them. Jesus says, don't mention them first. And by the way, at the end of verse 29, 00:22:53.000 --> 00:23:00.000 the word he uses for don't worry about these things is the Greek word meteorezeste. I don't know how to say it. 00:23:00.000 --> 00:23:07.000 Which refers to ships tossed about by the waves of a stormy sea. So when he says, do not worry, he's saying, be careful of the turmoil 00:23:07.000 --> 00:23:14.000 that comes when you abandon God's kingdom for other stuff. The moment your eyes are no longer on the king and what he wants, 00:23:14.000 --> 00:23:21.000 you're going to be brought into the soul. Turmoil of waves that will wash you everywhere. The issue is what you're striving for, what you're living for. 00:23:21.000 --> 00:23:28.000 And so what Jesus is basically saying is this. How do you not worry? How do you not have anxiety? How do you seek first the kingdom of God? 00:23:28.000 --> 00:23:35.000 And he uses these most beautiful words. He says, your Father in heaven knows what you need. Same as in the Lord's Prayer. 00:23:35.000 --> 00:23:42.000 He points you to a good, good Father, Our Father who is in heaven. Why don't we have to worry? Because Our Father already knows what we need. 00:23:42.000 --> 00:23:49.000 He knew what we needed for salvation, so he provided his son. He knows what you need for daily living, so he will provide for. For your needs. 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:56.000 The issue is not the needs. The issue is the nature of your father. And what delivers you and I from worldly pursuit or worry or anxiety 00:23:56.000 --> 00:24:03.000 is this deep knowing that we have a good father who knows exactly what we need and has the wisdom to provide it at exactly the right time 00:24:03.000 --> 00:24:10.000 in exactly the right, the right way. In other words, if you're going to have worry in your life, why don't you give that worry to God and say, 00:24:10.000 --> 00:24:17.000 lord, you know what, there's a lot of things I've got to worry about. Would you mind if I'm going to troll Allah and seek first the kingdom of God, 00:24:17.000 --> 00:24:24.000 can I ask you to worry about it for me? Can I just move it that way? Can you worry about it for me? And the Father says, absolutely, 00:24:24.000 --> 00:24:31.000 because he's got the whole world in his hands. He's got the. You know the rest. Close. And the best example of trusting in God's fatherly care was Jesus. 00:24:31.000 --> 00:24:38.000 So, and I'm going to close with this, the very one who said, do not worry because your Father has this, do not worry because of your Father in heaven, 00:24:38.000 --> 00:24:45.000 do not worry. That person doing the talking is the one who is about to face the cross. The one doing the talking is the one who said, 00:24:45.000 --> 00:24:52.000 I don't have a place to lay my head. Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but I have no place to lay my head. 00:24:52.000 --> 00:24:59.000 Jesus had an itinerant ministry where every day he trusted in the provision of his Father. And miraculously, whether it was food given by others, 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:06.000 whether it was a coin in a fish's mouth, whether it was 5,000 being fed by two fish and five loaves, whether it was water turning into wine, 00:25:06.000 --> 00:25:13.000 whether it was a person being healed because spit in their eyes healed them. Whatever it was, Jesus said, I only do what I see my Father in heaven doing. 00:25:13.000 --> 00:25:20.000 And whenever Jesus went, proclaiming the kingdom, announcing the kingdom, preaching the kingdom, his Father went before him 00:25:20.000 --> 00:25:27.000 and did what Jesus said the Father would do. So when Jesus says, do not worry, my Father's got it, he knows what he's talking about. 00:25:27.000 --> 00:25:34.000 And he himself went to the cross through the cross, resurrected on the other side because he said, my Father's got this. 00:25:34.000 --> 00:25:41.000 And as much as Jesus had a good, good Father, my Father, if it possible, take this cup from me. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:25:41.000 --> 00:25:48.000 John 17. My father, I did this to your glory. His Father is your Father. And you take what you're feeling and you give it to your father. 00:25:48.000 --> 00:25:55.000 And you say, father, I'm going to seek your kingdom and I'm going to put you first. And I'm choosing that you're in my tomorrow. 00:25:55.000 --> 00:26:02.000 And I'm going to believe the report of the Lord. I will not be dictated to by News24 or DSTV any longer. 00:26:02.000 --> 00:26:09.000 I will be dictated to by what the spirit of God says in my heart from the word of God. And this will be enough for me. 00:26:09.000 --> 00:26:16.000 And that will determine my thinking process and that will determine my verbal process. I choose to be free. So I'm going to have to close there. 00:26:16.000 --> 00:26:23.000 I had a picture I felt God gave me. It was the most interesting little picture. And I felt him say to me, there were little worry demons, like little monkeys. 00:26:23.000 --> 00:26:30.000 Have you seen those little monkeys that are cute, like on. Is it Pirates of Caribbean or that's that little. You know, those little monkeys that look so cute. 00:26:30.000 --> 00:26:37.000 I just ice. But they're not cute. They're flipping horrible, smelly, messy, destructive. Don't listen. Little horrible things. 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:44.000 And I sense that there are people who have been oppressed for too long by worry and anxiety, like little demons that cling. 00:26:44.000 --> 00:26:51.000 And here's the nasty part of this. Are you ready? The only food they eat are the worries you give them. So when you starve them, 00:26:51.000 --> 00:26:58.000 they die off and go somewhere else because there's nothing to eat here. And Jesus looks at you this morning and he gives you an impairment 00:26:58.000 --> 00:27:05.000 and he says, do not worry again, walk in. A revelation of the Father, trusting in the Father. And I can tell you we had seasons, 00:27:05.000 --> 00:27:12.000 years when I was growing up, when we lived on a doorbell ringing with a church, giving church food parcels because we didn't know where supper was coming from. 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:19.000 Day in, week in, month in and year in. I know what it's like to be so scared, lying in my bed wondering how am I getting to school tomorrow 00:27:19.000 --> 00:27:26.000 because my dad doesn't have petrol and someone coming by saying, can I give you a lift? And I know what it's like when Jesus introduces a good father 00:27:26.000 --> 00:27:33.000 who says, never will I leave you and never will I forsake you. Worry goes down to the issue deep in your soul of what do you really believe about God? 00:27:33.000 --> 00:27:40.000 And so we're going to do this right now. Would you stand? I want to pray to close this meeting for people who. That little demon of worry 00:27:40.000 --> 00:27:47.000 has gripped you with anxiety. And you're going to walk out of this place free today if that's you. I'm going to pray one general prayer. 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:54.000 But if you want to pray that God set you free from worry. Today. I want you to come out and stand here. Don't stay where you are. Come out. 00:27:54.000 --> 00:28:01.000 Just make a long line and we're gonna pray together. You can make two lines if you need to, but come on out, please. Come on out. 00:28:01.000 --> 00:28:08.000 I felt this was a big one God was going to deal with. Come forward, if you don't mind. There's lots of people still coming. 00:28:08.000 --> 00:28:15.000 Just come. Just come all the way forward, right to the front of the steps. Don't come up here, but come all the way to the end. 00:28:15.000 --> 00:28:22.000 Just keep those people still coming. Just keep coming. Okay? It's hundreds of people. Hundreds of people in front. 00:28:22.000 --> 00:28:29.000 And there is no way we could pray for people one by one. But we don't need to, because he confirms his word with signs that follow. 00:28:29.000 --> 00:28:36.000 So now imagine yourself in a room with Jesus, and you've just given him all your problems and all you worried about. 00:28:36.000 --> 00:28:43.000 What does he say? Don't. Don't. Because you have a Father in heaven. You have a Father in heaven. I want to remind you quickly. 00:28:43.000 --> 00:28:50.000 Jesus said this to all his disciples. It says, turning to his disciples, he said, this message wasn't for the world. It was for the church. 00:28:50.000 --> 00:28:57.000 Because the world doesn't have a father. The church has a father. And we as children together are going to approach our Father. Now. 00:28:57.000 --> 00:29:04.000 You okay with that? So therefore, please just put your hand on the shoulder of the person next to you. All of you in the front. 00:29:04.000 --> 00:29:11.000 Why? Because you're not alone. We're in this together. We're a family. We're in this together. Okay? Your Father in heaven already knows what you need. 00:29:11.000 --> 00:29:18.000 We want to thank you this morning, Heavenly Father, that you are present. I want to thank you that you are God. 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:25.000 We want to thank you that when you made us your children, when you gave spiritual birth to us by the Holy Spirit, you assumed responsibility for our lives. 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:32.000 Like any parent who has a child, they assume responsibility for that child. You assume responsibility for us today. 00:29:32.000 --> 00:29:39.000 And so we turn our hearts right now. Our souls, that place where worry feeds. We turn that over to you now, in Jesus name. 00:29:39.000 --> 00:29:46.000 And we say to you, Lord, we shall not worry. We shall not worry. We shall trust our Father. We will seek the kingdom. 00:29:46.000 --> 00:29:53.000 We will look to our Father. We will read our Bibles. We will pray in the spirit. We will worship. We will obey. 00:29:53.000 --> 00:30:00.000 But we will look to our Father. If he can feed a raven and he can clothe a lily, what more will he do for me? 00:30:00.000 --> 00:30:07.000 Made in his image and I carry His Name I am a child of God. And so, Lord, in this prayer, I want to pray that those little demons of worry 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:14.000 are broken off every single person right now. Every bit of anxiety, what people call a panic attack, those little demonic attacks, 00:30:14.000 --> 00:30:21.000 we take authority over those in every life. Lack of sleep, physical ailments, we take it off of every one of your sons and daughters here this morning. 00:30:21.000 --> 00:30:28.000 And we declare together in the name of Jesus that we have a Father in heaven who meets our every need and more. 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:35.000 And we look to our Father and we repent of doubt, we depend, repent of worry, we repent of anxiety. 00:30:35.000 --> 00:30:42.000 And we hold on today to the imperative of Jesus our King, who says, do not worry. And we will leave this place full of faith 00:30:42.000 --> 00:30:49.000 in a Father who has already provided for the rest of today and tomorrow. We look to you and we declare that the reason the Son of God appeared 00:30:49.000 --> 00:30:56.000 was to destroy these lies of the enemy and that you came, Lord, that we may have life, that we may have life to the full, 00:30:56.000 --> 00:31:03.000 that you bring us into your happiness and into a fullness of joy. And I pray from our very souls we will trust you. 00:31:03.000 --> 00:31:10.000 From today, we will trust you. And we choose to walk in happiness and enjoy trusting a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. 00:31:10.000 --> 00:31:17.000 So we rebuke all strongholds, arguments and demonic influences and we say, be gone in Jesus name. 00:31:17.000 --> 00:31:24.000 And now I pray over each of you in the front. May the peace of God which transcends all understanding, guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus. 00:31:24.000 --> 00:31:31.000 And may your soul from this moment be a place of joy, a place of happiness, and a place where the word of God dwells. 00:31:31.000 --> 00:31:38.000 I speak this over you in Jesus name and all God's people shouted Amen and God bless you. Thank you so much for being a part of our meeting today. 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:45.000 Can I just ask two things? The first is if today the message has in any way been useful to you, would you mind just maybe liking it 00:31:45.000 --> 00:31:52.000 or putting perhaps a statement down or a comment down that we can know how the ministry has helped you. Maybe a thumbs up, 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:59.000 maybe you can subscribe to the channel, do whatever, just so we can know what impact this message may be having on you. 00:31:59.000 --> 00:32:06.000 And secondly, you may be someone who's saying, greg, I hear you and this hope that Jesus has for us can come into my heart and it can change me. 00:32:06.000 --> 00:32:13.000 But the reality is that I don't even know if I know Jesus. I want to say two things to you right away. The first is he's near you right now. 00:32:13.000 --> 00:32:20.000 The Bible says if you believe in your heart that he is the Lord and if you confess him with your mouth you will be saved. 00:32:20.000 --> 00:32:27.000 Which means you just need to where you are. Turn to the Lord Jesus Christ even now and just say lord, here I am. I recognize who you are. 00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:34.000 I confess my sin to you. I acknowledge you as Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, the Son of the living God and I want to follow you, 00:32:34.000 --> 00:32:41.000 I want to become a disciple of yours. I want to give my life to you Lord. And you can pray that prayer right now between you and the Lord. 00:32:41.000 --> 00:32:48.000 Secondly, you can get hold of us. We could either send you some material, we can put you in touch with a really good church near you. 00:32:48.000 --> 00:32:55.000 If you live in our area you can come to us, you can follow us on YouTube. But it is good to get connected into the family of God 00:32:55.000 --> 00:33:02.000 to get connected into a local church that your life changes being surrounded with the family of God. Please stay in touch. God bless you.