WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.320 Our scripture reading tonight, the passage that David's really very shortly going to come and preach from is Luke chapter 12 verses 22 to 34. 00:00:09.320 --> 00:00:19.719 The passage is in the bulletin if you got one on the way in. It'll be on the screens. There's also some Bibles at the back if you'd like to have a Bible to look at while David works through it with us in a little moment. 00:00:20.740 --> 00:00:25.320 This is Luke 12, 22 verses 22 to 34. 00:00:25.320 --> 00:00:55.299 And he said to his disciples, 00:00:55.320 --> 00:01:25.319 00:01:25.319 --> 00:01:55.319 00:01:55.319 --> 00:02:01.559 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Amen. This is God's holy word. 00:02:01.919 --> 00:02:11.680 Well, we come to Luke chapter 12 and the verses 22 through 34 that Chris read for us just a little while ago. 00:02:11.939 --> 00:02:18.379 This I think is our 12th sermon on our call to discipleship series. 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:29.840 It was the 1994 animated film, The Lion King, that made famous the phrase Hakuna Matata. 00:02:30.719 --> 00:02:33.840 Swahili, I believe, for no worries. 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:34.840 Hakuna Matata. 00:02:34.840 --> 00:02:44.699 That was the problem-free philosophy of Timon, the wise-cracking meerkat, and his sidekick Pumbaa, the warthog. 00:02:45.480 --> 00:02:46.439 Hakuna Matata. 00:02:46.819 --> 00:02:50.120 What a wonderful phrase. You'll be glad I'm not going to sing this. 00:02:50.580 --> 00:02:53.060 Hakuna Matata ain't no passing craze. 00:02:53.740 --> 00:02:56.439 It means no worries for the rest of your days. 00:02:56.439 --> 00:03:02.099 It's our problem-free philosophy, Hakuna Matata. 00:03:03.099 --> 00:03:12.939 Well, in this next section of Luke's gospel, Jesus is introducing us, I suppose, to his own kind of problem-free philosophy. 00:03:12.939 --> 00:03:20.979 Because in these verses, you'll notice Jesus is speaking very directly about fear, anxiety, and worry. 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:27.219 And specifically, he's addressing the whole idea of worrying over material things. 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:37.919 The verses here follow on directly from the parable that has gone on before the story of the rich fool that we looked at briefly last week. 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:43.039 He begins his teaching here with the words, therefore. 00:03:44.879 --> 00:03:47.379 Links back to what he's been speaking about. 00:03:48.119 --> 00:03:58.839 And that story itself was a warning about the dangers of greed, the way in which money and wealth and material things can blind us to what is really important in life. 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:02.560 Take care, he says in verse 15, 00:04:02.560 --> 00:04:20.620 The way of Christian discipleship is not a path where we prioritize accumulating wealth for ourselves. 00:04:21.019 --> 00:04:28.500 Instead, it means traveling a road where our focus instead is on being rich towards God. 00:04:28.500 --> 00:04:33.779 Rich towards God rather than being rich towards ourselves. 00:04:34.959 --> 00:04:44.339 Jesus wants us to understand that human life is ultimately about having our treasure in heaven, not on earth. 00:04:45.199 --> 00:04:52.980 One of the great dangers of materialistic outlook is not just in the way that it blinds us to eternal realities, 00:04:52.980 --> 00:05:00.800 but also the way in which it can propel our hearts into a storm of anxiety and worry. 00:05:01.660 --> 00:05:07.020 Worries attach themselves to the things that we value most. 00:05:08.180 --> 00:05:19.560 And so the way in which we view our money and possessions reveals often something important about where our heart loyalties really lie. 00:05:19.560 --> 00:05:24.439 Of course, in Jesus' day, many people were not rich. 00:05:25.180 --> 00:05:31.780 Life was often a very hand-to-mouth kind of existence, as it is for many people in different parts of the world today. 00:05:33.040 --> 00:05:39.740 Make no mistake, worries over food and clothing were not unusual. 00:05:40.939 --> 00:05:45.120 But materialism is not a condition that affects only the super wealthy. 00:05:45.120 --> 00:05:52.180 The way of a Christian disciple is not the way of a materialist. 00:05:52.980 --> 00:06:00.199 And so what happens here in these verses is Jesus kind of outlines a different set of priorities for Christian disciples. 00:06:00.439 --> 00:06:05.480 And in these verses, I want to suggest that Jesus encourages us to do three things. 00:06:05.579 --> 00:06:13.759 Three things that will help us be set free, really, from worry and anxiety. 00:06:13.759 --> 00:06:18.860 And the first of them is this in verses 22 through 28. 00:06:19.659 --> 00:06:26.199 The Christian disciple, says Jesus, must trust God's care above all else. 00:06:27.159 --> 00:06:28.360 He said to his disciples, 00:06:28.560 --> 00:06:35.439 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. 00:06:35.740 --> 00:06:40.560 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. 00:06:40.560 --> 00:06:47.759 Jesus here underscores this point, that life is more than food, the body more than clothing. 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:49.959 There's more to life than meets the eye. 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:53.939 Yes, of course, as human beings, we need food, and we need clothing. 00:06:54.340 --> 00:06:57.480 They are basic requirements for life in this world. 00:06:58.459 --> 00:07:05.800 But, says Jesus, we should realize that our Heavenly Father knows well what we need to survive and live in this world. 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:12.160 Our attitude to food and clothing should therefore be different to those around us. 00:07:12.860 --> 00:07:16.740 Why? Because we don't have to pursue such things as others do. 00:07:17.220 --> 00:07:24.340 Because we know that we have a Father in heaven who cares for us and will provide for us. 00:07:25.540 --> 00:07:31.180 Because of that, we will look at these things differently. 00:07:31.180 --> 00:07:33.939 Consider the ravens. 00:07:34.500 --> 00:07:35.600 They neither sow nor reap. 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:37.980 They have neither storehouse nor barn. 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:39.519 Yet God feeds them. 00:07:39.920 --> 00:07:42.920 Of how much more value are you than the birds? 00:07:43.860 --> 00:07:48.899 And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to a span of life? 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:54.960 If then you are not able to do a smallest thing of that, why are you anxious about the rest? 00:07:54.959 --> 00:07:57.879 So, Jesus says, look at the birds. 00:07:57.939 --> 00:07:58.919 Look at the ravens. 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.500 Unlike the rich farmer in his story, they don't sow. 00:08:02.599 --> 00:08:03.279 They don't reap. 00:08:03.579 --> 00:08:04.819 They don't have storehouses. 00:08:05.000 --> 00:08:06.419 They don't have barns. 00:08:06.539 --> 00:08:08.159 And yet, they are fed every day. 00:08:09.039 --> 00:08:10.039 God cares for them. 00:08:10.399 --> 00:08:11.279 God feeds them. 00:08:12.339 --> 00:08:15.939 Now, I don't think Jesus is suggesting that we abolish farming. 00:08:16.620 --> 00:08:19.079 The point he's making is simply this. 00:08:19.519 --> 00:08:22.919 You're much more valuable to God than the ravens. 00:08:22.920 --> 00:08:25.600 So, what is your worrying? 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:27.920 What does your anxiety achieve? 00:08:28.100 --> 00:08:30.520 It's not as if it's going to add to your life. 00:08:30.660 --> 00:08:32.399 It's not going to extend your lifespan. 00:08:34.100 --> 00:08:37.340 And then there's a second illustration, again drawn from nature. 00:08:37.860 --> 00:08:39.940 This time from flowers rather than birds. 00:08:40.420 --> 00:08:42.200 Consider the lilies, how they grow. 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:43.759 They neither toil nor spin. 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:47.960 Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:54.639 If God so clothes as a grass, alive in the field today, tomorrow, thrown into the oven, 00:08:55.019 --> 00:08:59.639 how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 00:09:00.920 --> 00:09:04.200 Those flowers, they don't toil or spin, work for a living. 00:09:04.980 --> 00:09:07.120 They simply do what they are created to do. 00:09:07.960 --> 00:09:08.960 Their beauty is unsurpassed. 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:13.560 Even Solomon of old, with all his wealth, was not clothed like one. 00:09:13.559 --> 00:09:19.859 Even the grass of the field, which lives but for a short time and then is thrown into the fire, 00:09:20.359 --> 00:09:23.479 is cared for and clothed by God. 00:09:24.059 --> 00:09:25.519 The grass is ephemeral. 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:26.419 It's transitory. 00:09:26.819 --> 00:09:28.279 Here today is gone tomorrow. 00:09:28.699 --> 00:09:32.539 And if God cares for the flowers of the field and clothes them with much beauty, 00:09:32.699 --> 00:09:35.219 how much more will he care for his own people? 00:09:35.220 --> 00:09:41.500 There's words of an old hymn by Sarah Betts Rhodes. 00:09:41.820 --> 00:09:44.440 I remember singing in Sunday school. 00:09:45.440 --> 00:09:48.759 God who made the earth, the air, the sky, the sea, 00:09:49.240 --> 00:09:52.639 who gave the light its birth, careth for me. 00:09:53.060 --> 00:09:56.740 God who made the grass, the flower, the fruit, the tree, 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:00.300 the day and night to pass, careth for me. 00:10:00.299 --> 00:10:04.639 So, Jesus says, don't be anxious about clothing and food 00:10:04.639 --> 00:10:07.979 because your Father in heaven knows that you need these things. 00:10:08.539 --> 00:10:10.500 Don't be controlled by anxiety. 00:10:10.899 --> 00:10:14.919 Instead, put your trust and confidence in your heavenly Father. 00:10:15.939 --> 00:10:18.979 Trust God's care above all else. 00:10:20.819 --> 00:10:25.120 No point spending our lives worrying about what might happen. 00:10:25.120 --> 00:10:31.340 Remember, your life is in God's hands and he is in charge. 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:36.139 There's a famous little poem called Overheard in an Orchard, 00:10:36.220 --> 00:10:38.799 written by Elizabeth Cheney in 1859. 00:10:39.220 --> 00:10:40.060 It goes like this. 00:10:40.860 --> 00:10:44.340 Said the robin to the sparrow, I should really like to know 00:10:44.340 --> 00:10:48.980 why these anxious human beings rush about and worry so. 00:10:49.779 --> 00:10:51.360 Said the sparrow to the robin, 00:10:51.360 --> 00:10:56.539 Friend, I think that it must be that they have no heavenly Father 00:10:56.539 --> 00:10:59.899 such as cares for you and me. 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:05.800 Of course, at times, we all have worries and anxieties, 00:11:06.440 --> 00:11:07.539 many of them legitimate. 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:11.899 But we are not to allow those to paralyze us. 00:11:13.919 --> 00:11:15.980 We live, it strikes me today, 00:11:15.980 --> 00:11:21.620 the writer Jonathan Haidt has termed the anxious generation. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:25.500 In past times, it was, I think it still is, 00:11:25.580 --> 00:11:29.120 common for people to become more anxious as they age. 00:11:29.980 --> 00:11:32.259 Certainly, that would be my own experience. 00:11:33.440 --> 00:11:35.500 But in this modern world, 00:11:35.920 --> 00:11:39.180 what we're discovering is that many young people 00:11:39.179 --> 00:11:44.139 are more often than not plagued with huge anxieties, 00:11:45.099 --> 00:11:46.479 impact of social media, 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:49.179 rise of use of smartphones, 00:11:49.959 --> 00:11:53.439 the very systems designed to provide us with information 00:11:53.439 --> 00:11:54.879 and in connection, 00:11:55.379 --> 00:11:57.339 are instead fueling fear and division, 00:11:57.519 --> 00:11:58.539 emotional instability. 00:11:59.839 --> 00:12:03.399 And some people live their whole lives fearful and anxious, 00:12:03.919 --> 00:12:06.819 fearful of the disease they dread most, 00:12:07.059 --> 00:12:08.699 fearful of losing someone they love, 00:12:08.700 --> 00:12:10.920 fearful of what others think about them, 00:12:11.320 --> 00:12:12.820 fearful of something going wrong. 00:12:15.540 --> 00:12:17.500 Friend, if you're a believer this evening, 00:12:17.680 --> 00:12:20.700 take courage that God knows you and loves you 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:22.000 and cares for you. 00:12:23.540 --> 00:12:24.820 Rest in Him. 00:12:25.940 --> 00:12:29.700 Remember Peter saying to his readers, 00:12:30.280 --> 00:12:32.759 cast all your anxieties on Him 00:12:32.759 --> 00:12:35.320 because He cares for you. 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:36.540 The psalmist, 00:12:36.780 --> 00:12:38.940 cast your burden on the Lord 00:12:38.940 --> 00:12:40.860 and He will sustain you. 00:12:42.160 --> 00:12:47.340 The world's algorithms thrive on creating fear and anxiety. 00:12:47.960 --> 00:12:50.600 But the call of Jesus Christ is very different. 00:12:51.520 --> 00:12:54.480 His call is one to exercise faith 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:56.940 and trust in God as our Heavenly Father. 00:12:56.940 --> 00:13:04.440 Faith focuses and thinks about God. 00:13:05.740 --> 00:13:07.460 Thinks about what He's like. 00:13:08.220 --> 00:13:11.300 Thinks about those many evidences of His care 00:13:11.300 --> 00:13:12.740 and His faithfulness 00:13:12.740 --> 00:13:15.920 and so is not paralyzed by anxiety. 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:19.679 There's a story from Spain. 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:21.099 I may have told this before. 00:13:21.199 --> 00:13:22.159 I can't remember actually. 00:13:22.299 --> 00:13:24.659 But it's an architect and a builder 00:13:24.659 --> 00:13:26.299 who created an archway 00:13:26.299 --> 00:13:28.439 in the king's palace. 00:13:29.719 --> 00:13:32.419 And this archway was unusually long. 00:13:32.539 --> 00:13:34.379 Indeed, the archway was so long 00:13:34.379 --> 00:13:35.740 that it looked as if 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:37.659 it was going to collapse. 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:40.500 And when the king inspected it, 00:13:40.600 --> 00:13:41.639 this was his conclusion. 00:13:41.839 --> 00:13:44.639 So he ordered a pillar to be built 00:13:44.639 --> 00:13:47.199 underneath the archway to help support it. 00:13:47.779 --> 00:13:49.459 The architect objected, 00:13:49.500 --> 00:13:51.399 saying that this pillar was unnecessary, 00:13:51.699 --> 00:13:53.000 but the king being the king, 00:13:53.120 --> 00:13:53.959 his wish prevailed. 00:13:55.500 --> 00:13:57.980 But when the architect had the pillar constructed, 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:00.980 he deliberately made it just 00:14:00.980 --> 00:14:03.720 a quarter of an inch short. 00:14:03.720 --> 00:14:05.860 The pillar stood, 00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:08.100 but it supported nothing. 00:14:09.420 --> 00:14:11.220 Now, I don't know where this is. 00:14:11.660 --> 00:14:13.060 I can't verify it. 00:14:13.860 --> 00:14:15.779 So apparently, 00:14:15.940 --> 00:14:17.320 you can still see the pillar today. 00:14:17.500 --> 00:14:20.540 Tour guides will arrange for a piece of card 00:14:20.540 --> 00:14:23.639 to be passed between the end of the pillar 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:25.139 and the archway. 00:14:27.080 --> 00:14:29.120 And sometimes we spend so much of our time 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:30.560 creating, constructing, 00:14:31.080 --> 00:14:32.940 useless pillars of anxiety 00:14:32.940 --> 00:14:35.160 that hold up nothing, 00:14:35.880 --> 00:14:36.700 utterly pointless. 00:14:38.420 --> 00:14:41.780 We need to trust our Father in heaven. 00:14:41.960 --> 00:14:43.660 We need to trust His faithfulness. 00:14:43.920 --> 00:14:45.000 He will bear us up. 00:14:45.460 --> 00:14:46.380 He will support us. 00:14:46.560 --> 00:14:47.860 He will care for us. 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:49.700 He will not let us go. 00:14:50.640 --> 00:14:54.080 The Christian disciple must trust God's care 00:14:54.080 --> 00:14:56.420 above all else. 00:14:57.780 --> 00:14:59.760 That brings me to the second thing here. 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:04.340 The Christian disciple must seek God's kingdom 00:15:04.340 --> 00:15:06.860 above all else. 00:15:08.139 --> 00:15:10.000 Do not seek, verse 29, 00:15:10.240 --> 00:15:12.319 what you are to eat and what you are to drink, 00:15:12.379 --> 00:15:13.139 nor be worried. 00:15:13.519 --> 00:15:14.899 For all the nations of the world 00:15:14.899 --> 00:15:16.179 seek after these things, 00:15:16.220 --> 00:15:17.759 and your Father knows that you need them. 00:15:18.360 --> 00:15:20.080 Instead, seek His kingdom, 00:15:20.639 --> 00:15:22.460 and these things will be added to you. 00:15:22.580 --> 00:15:23.700 Fear not, little flock, 00:15:24.139 --> 00:15:26.039 for it's your Father's good pleasure 00:15:26.039 --> 00:15:28.079 to give you the kingdom. 00:15:30.599 --> 00:15:33.599 To go back to another 1990s film, 00:15:35.059 --> 00:15:38.480 the film was a film called City Slickers. 00:15:39.759 --> 00:15:41.319 And in the film, there's a scene, 00:15:41.419 --> 00:15:42.980 I won't try and describe the film, 00:15:43.079 --> 00:15:45.240 but there's a scene in which the character, 00:15:45.419 --> 00:15:47.439 played by Billy Crystal, Mitch, 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:50.660 he's alone with an old, gnarled cowboy 00:15:50.660 --> 00:15:53.760 as they're on this cattle drive. 00:15:53.900 --> 00:15:54.780 He's called Curly. 00:15:54.920 --> 00:15:56.100 He was like, Jack Palant. 00:15:56.500 --> 00:15:57.180 Jack Palant. 00:15:57.460 --> 00:15:57.720 Oops. 00:15:58.580 --> 00:15:59.320 Are we disappearing? 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:01.380 Am I disappearing? 00:16:03.020 --> 00:16:03.500 I'm okay? 00:16:03.800 --> 00:16:04.280 Yeah, okay. 00:16:05.400 --> 00:16:08.720 You get worried if they're going to switch you off. 00:16:08.860 --> 00:16:09.940 You know, things are going bad. 00:16:11.260 --> 00:16:12.500 It's happened once or twice, 00:16:12.620 --> 00:16:14.520 but anyway, we'll press on. 00:16:14.519 --> 00:16:16.819 Anyway, there's this scene, 00:16:17.199 --> 00:16:18.799 and in the scene, 00:16:19.000 --> 00:16:21.379 Curly gives Mitch some life advice. 00:16:22.019 --> 00:16:23.860 Curly asks Mitch, 00:16:23.960 --> 00:16:25.919 do you know what the secret of life is? 00:16:26.240 --> 00:16:28.100 And he holds up one finger like that. 00:16:28.879 --> 00:16:29.279 This. 00:16:30.519 --> 00:16:31.740 Mitch says, your finger? 00:16:32.759 --> 00:16:34.840 Curly says, one thing, just one thing. 00:16:35.199 --> 00:16:35.899 Stick to that. 00:16:36.340 --> 00:16:37.919 The rest don't mean squat. 00:16:39.179 --> 00:16:40.899 Mitch says, but what is the one thing? 00:16:42.079 --> 00:16:42.819 And Curly says, 00:16:42.820 --> 00:16:44.560 that's what you have to find out. 00:16:46.020 --> 00:16:49.000 Well, here Jesus is spelling it out for us, 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:51.080 just what that one thing is. 00:16:51.320 --> 00:16:53.560 And in a word, it's the king. 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:55.340 In a word, it's God himself. 00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:58.520 We're not to pursue the things of life as others do. 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:01.720 Instead, we are to seek first the kingdom of God. 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:04.940 This is to be the disciples' great priority. 00:17:05.700 --> 00:17:07.500 We're not to pursue the gifts. 00:17:07.759 --> 00:17:09.900 We are to pursue the giver of the gifts. 00:17:09.900 --> 00:17:12.300 We are to seek the rule of Christ, 00:17:12.960 --> 00:17:14.720 the king in our lives. 00:17:14.940 --> 00:17:17.140 We are to put his kingdom first. 00:17:17.400 --> 00:17:19.380 That's to be our number one concern. 00:17:20.340 --> 00:17:22.240 To seek first the kingdom means 00:17:22.240 --> 00:17:25.040 making the things of God our supreme business. 00:17:25.100 --> 00:17:26.880 Not as a hobby, you know, 00:17:27.019 --> 00:17:29.400 alongside our real interests, 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:33.080 but as the great priority of life. 00:17:33.079 --> 00:17:36.259 Not as an add-on when the pressures of life permit, 00:17:36.720 --> 00:17:39.119 but as a kind of controlling passion 00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:40.439 and focus of the heart. 00:17:41.699 --> 00:17:44.679 The world around us pursues all manner of things. 00:17:44.980 --> 00:17:47.399 Food, drink, clothing, power, position, 00:17:47.899 --> 00:17:49.079 status, pleasure, 00:17:49.879 --> 00:17:51.740 distraction, entertainment. 00:17:52.699 --> 00:17:54.199 And so often it's these things 00:17:54.199 --> 00:17:56.259 that come first in people's lives. 00:17:56.259 --> 00:18:00.799 These things have first call upon finances 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.440 and time and energies and resources. 00:18:03.980 --> 00:18:05.579 But as Christian disciples, you see, 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:06.420 we're to be different. 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:10.279 We're not to retreat from the world. 00:18:11.140 --> 00:18:14.400 We're to be Christ's agents of change in the world. 00:18:15.240 --> 00:18:16.559 We're to be distinctive. 00:18:16.759 --> 00:18:19.079 We're to be different from those around us 00:18:19.079 --> 00:18:21.980 because we live with a different set of priorities. 00:18:21.980 --> 00:18:26.839 Our concern must be to put Jesus Christ, 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:30.039 the King, first in all things. 00:18:30.620 --> 00:18:33.380 That's what it means to seek God's kingdom. 00:18:33.720 --> 00:18:35.599 It's Jesus first in our homes, 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:37.720 our families, our marriages. 00:18:38.740 --> 00:18:41.059 Jesus first in our work, in our finances, 00:18:42.099 --> 00:18:44.400 in our use of time, first in the church. 00:18:45.000 --> 00:18:46.640 Because this is the way of blessing 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.160 in the life of discipleship. 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:50.320 It's by putting Him first 00:18:50.320 --> 00:18:52.519 and seeking the kingdom of God 00:18:52.519 --> 00:18:55.380 that we experience God's gracious provision 00:18:55.380 --> 00:18:56.400 for our needs. 00:18:57.040 --> 00:18:59.160 We are to actively pursue 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:01.540 the reign and rule of Christ in our lives, 00:19:01.800 --> 00:19:03.480 something we need to do each day. 00:19:05.000 --> 00:19:08.019 And the point Jesus highlights here 00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:09.240 is one of trust. 00:19:10.080 --> 00:19:11.680 Because the world around us 00:19:11.680 --> 00:19:14.279 lives by calculation and worry. 00:19:14.400 --> 00:19:15.800 It has no Father in heaven. 00:19:15.799 --> 00:19:18.819 But we who have been brought near 00:19:18.819 --> 00:19:20.019 through the blood of Christ, 00:19:20.500 --> 00:19:22.399 we know a very different reality. 00:19:23.480 --> 00:19:25.460 To seek first the kingdom 00:19:25.460 --> 00:19:26.919 is to refuse to let 00:19:26.919 --> 00:19:29.819 tomorrow's troubles tyrannize today. 00:19:29.980 --> 00:19:32.099 It's to reject the idolatry 00:19:32.099 --> 00:19:33.339 of self-provision. 00:19:33.919 --> 00:19:35.339 It's to believe that the God 00:19:35.339 --> 00:19:36.680 who gave His Son for us 00:19:36.680 --> 00:19:38.720 will not withhold any good thing 00:19:38.720 --> 00:19:40.379 from those who are His children. 00:19:40.380 --> 00:19:45.740 Unfortunately, we all too often 00:19:45.740 --> 00:19:46.740 reverse the order. 00:19:48.060 --> 00:19:49.200 Seek first the job. 00:19:50.080 --> 00:19:51.080 Seek first the house. 00:19:51.320 --> 00:19:52.400 Seek first the security. 00:19:52.660 --> 00:19:54.140 Seek first the reputation. 00:19:54.980 --> 00:19:57.320 And then if there's time and energy left, 00:19:57.380 --> 00:19:59.240 we'll give what's left to the kingdom. 00:20:00.400 --> 00:20:02.280 And Jesus turns that upside down. 00:20:03.840 --> 00:20:05.180 Seek first the kingdom. 00:20:05.180 --> 00:20:08.660 And the necessities of life 00:20:08.660 --> 00:20:09.759 shall be added to you. 00:20:09.820 --> 00:20:10.820 Not as a reward 00:20:10.820 --> 00:20:12.440 for your spirituality. 00:20:12.820 --> 00:20:15.480 Not as some prosperity gospel bargain. 00:20:16.580 --> 00:20:18.259 But as the overflow of a life 00:20:18.259 --> 00:20:19.299 ordered under 00:20:19.299 --> 00:20:21.200 the gracious rule 00:20:21.200 --> 00:20:22.640 of the one who is the King of Kings. 00:20:25.000 --> 00:20:27.080 We face a daily decision 00:20:27.080 --> 00:20:29.799 to seek God's kingdom or ours. 00:20:30.920 --> 00:20:32.580 Submit to His lordship or not. 00:20:32.580 --> 00:20:34.440 Live for His glory or for our own. 00:20:35.180 --> 00:20:38.400 This is a very critical issue 00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:39.620 in discovering God's will 00:20:39.620 --> 00:20:41.060 and purpose for our lives. 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:42.600 Oftentimes, people get, 00:20:42.980 --> 00:20:44.660 Christians get in a real caundry 00:20:44.660 --> 00:20:45.740 about what they should do. 00:20:46.000 --> 00:20:47.340 What does God want me to do? 00:20:47.620 --> 00:20:48.400 Where is God leading? 00:20:48.600 --> 00:20:50.019 Where does He want me to go? 00:20:50.960 --> 00:20:52.140 It's not the big question. 00:20:53.600 --> 00:20:54.799 The big question is this. 00:20:54.860 --> 00:20:57.299 Are you actively seeking God's kingdom? 00:20:57.420 --> 00:20:59.000 Are you pursuing Jesus Christ? 00:20:59.180 --> 00:21:00.460 Are you putting Him first? 00:21:01.980 --> 00:21:03.440 The Christian disciple 00:21:03.440 --> 00:21:04.960 must trust God's care 00:21:04.960 --> 00:21:06.079 above all else. 00:21:06.140 --> 00:21:07.059 The Christian disciple 00:21:07.059 --> 00:21:08.600 must seek God's kingdom 00:21:08.600 --> 00:21:09.980 above all else. 00:21:10.700 --> 00:21:11.559 And then thirdly here, 00:21:11.620 --> 00:21:12.519 the Christian disciple 00:21:12.519 --> 00:21:15.019 must invest in heavenly treasure 00:21:15.019 --> 00:21:17.140 above all else. 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:19.980 Verses 33 and 34. 00:21:20.180 --> 00:21:21.100 Sell your possessions. 00:21:21.340 --> 00:21:22.180 Give to the needy. 00:21:22.460 --> 00:21:24.299 Provide yourself with money bags 00:21:24.299 --> 00:21:25.900 that do not grow old, 00:21:25.960 --> 00:21:27.140 but that treasure in the heavens 00:21:27.140 --> 00:21:28.400 that does not fail, 00:21:28.720 --> 00:21:30.019 where no thief approaches, 00:21:30.240 --> 00:21:31.340 no moth destroys. 00:21:31.339 --> 00:21:33.699 For where your treasure is, 00:21:34.159 --> 00:21:37.039 there your heart will be also. 00:21:38.279 --> 00:21:39.539 Christian disciples says, 00:21:39.599 --> 00:21:41.799 Jesus are called to be generous to others, 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:43.099 especially those in need. 00:21:43.639 --> 00:21:46.480 We're to be givers rather than takers, 00:21:46.480 --> 00:21:48.879 because our possessions are only 00:21:48.879 --> 00:21:51.179 on temporary loan from God. 00:21:51.180 --> 00:21:54.880 And you'll notice how in these verses, 00:21:55.080 --> 00:21:55.360 I think, 00:21:55.640 --> 00:21:56.420 three occasions, 00:21:56.600 --> 00:21:57.840 Jesus speaks about treasure. 00:21:58.120 --> 00:21:59.100 He does in verse 21, 00:21:59.240 --> 00:22:01.620 but also here in verse 33 and 34. 00:22:03.299 --> 00:22:04.660 Either we value, 00:22:04.799 --> 00:22:05.880 as most important, 00:22:06.620 --> 00:22:08.340 the things of this passing world, 00:22:08.560 --> 00:22:10.019 or we value God. 00:22:10.019 --> 00:22:14.019 The great problem with setting our hearts 00:22:14.019 --> 00:22:15.819 on the things of this earth 00:22:15.819 --> 00:22:18.319 is that these treasures do not last. 00:22:19.379 --> 00:22:21.759 Clothes, fashion can be eaten by moths, 00:22:22.139 --> 00:22:25.160 metal and material things destroyed by corrosion, 00:22:25.539 --> 00:22:26.740 eaten away by mice, 00:22:27.440 --> 00:22:31.319 homes and possessions susceptible to thieves and robbers. 00:22:32.059 --> 00:22:35.599 All earthbound treasures are destined to fail us. 00:22:35.599 --> 00:22:38.779 They do not provide lasting security or happiness. 00:22:40.019 --> 00:22:45.200 It was the Masters Golf, 00:22:45.480 --> 00:22:46.379 I think, last week. 00:22:46.579 --> 00:22:49.019 And I recall watching an interview 00:22:49.019 --> 00:22:50.039 with Bernard Langer, 00:22:50.839 --> 00:22:52.379 the famous German golfer. 00:22:52.879 --> 00:22:53.960 And in the conversation 00:22:53.960 --> 00:22:56.400 that he was having with the interviewer, 00:22:56.619 --> 00:22:59.500 he explained how he became a Christian 00:22:59.500 --> 00:23:00.859 way back in 1985. 00:23:01.720 --> 00:23:04.339 And it was just after he'd won the Masters. 00:23:05.139 --> 00:23:06.420 He won the Masters that year. 00:23:06.740 --> 00:23:07.400 He was young. 00:23:07.500 --> 00:23:08.500 He was recently married. 00:23:08.619 --> 00:23:09.299 He was wealthy. 00:23:09.299 --> 00:23:10.460 He was successful. 00:23:10.899 --> 00:23:13.019 He seemed as if he had everything. 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:16.039 And yet, strangely, at that moment, 00:23:16.099 --> 00:23:19.000 he says he felt absolutely empty inside. 00:23:19.899 --> 00:23:21.859 He should have been feeling on top of the world. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:25.859 Instead, he felt unfulfilled. 00:23:27.000 --> 00:23:28.519 He sensed there was something missing. 00:23:29.740 --> 00:23:31.980 He felt there had to be more to life. 00:23:31.980 --> 00:23:34.579 As it turned out, 00:23:34.579 --> 00:23:36.140 he was invited to a Bible study. 00:23:36.940 --> 00:23:38.160 He and his wife went along. 00:23:38.279 --> 00:23:39.099 Within three months, 00:23:39.660 --> 00:23:41.980 they'd given their lives to Jesus Christ. 00:23:42.460 --> 00:23:43.759 He said to the interviewer, 00:23:44.660 --> 00:23:47.819 it was the best decision I ever made. 00:23:47.819 --> 00:23:51.700 And what he came to see was that the things of this world 00:23:51.700 --> 00:23:53.799 can never truly satisfy. 00:23:54.559 --> 00:23:58.099 Because we were made not to be satisfied with the things of this world. 00:23:58.439 --> 00:24:01.659 Anything less than a relationship with the living God 00:24:01.659 --> 00:24:04.539 will leave us impoverished and restless. 00:24:04.539 --> 00:24:09.819 I've quoted the writer David Foster Wallace before. 00:24:09.960 --> 00:24:10.779 This is what he says. 00:24:10.779 --> 00:24:13.220 If you worship money and things, 00:24:13.920 --> 00:24:16.720 if they are where you tap real meaning in life, 00:24:16.879 --> 00:24:18.059 you will never have enough. 00:24:19.359 --> 00:24:20.819 Worship your own body and beauty, 00:24:20.920 --> 00:24:21.740 a sexual allure, 00:24:21.940 --> 00:24:23.160 you will always feel ugly. 00:24:23.839 --> 00:24:24.519 Worship power, 00:24:24.639 --> 00:24:26.059 you will end up feeling weak. 00:24:26.879 --> 00:24:27.839 Worship your intellect, 00:24:27.940 --> 00:24:28.899 being seen as smart, 00:24:29.220 --> 00:24:30.639 you'll end up feeling stupid. 00:24:31.319 --> 00:24:31.839 A fraud, 00:24:31.980 --> 00:24:33.859 always on the verge of being found out. 00:24:35.920 --> 00:24:39.759 Jesus here calls us to live for the new heaven. 00:24:40.779 --> 00:24:42.019 Not for this earth. 00:24:43.099 --> 00:24:43.960 For God, 00:24:44.059 --> 00:24:45.599 not for the things of this world. 00:24:46.859 --> 00:24:48.119 And in order to do that, 00:24:48.200 --> 00:24:49.700 we need to see the value, 00:24:50.279 --> 00:24:52.720 the sheer beauty and preciousness 00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:54.579 of the gospel of God. 00:24:55.759 --> 00:24:57.839 What is it that really claims 00:24:57.839 --> 00:25:00.460 your heart and your affections? 00:25:02.180 --> 00:25:03.359 What is your treasure? 00:25:04.019 --> 00:25:05.680 What's really important in your life? 00:25:05.740 --> 00:25:06.700 What makes you tick? 00:25:08.319 --> 00:25:10.420 What occupies your mind and heart? 00:25:10.779 --> 00:25:11.720 Is it God? 00:25:11.839 --> 00:25:12.720 Is it Jesus Christ? 00:25:12.819 --> 00:25:13.480 Is it the kingdom? 00:25:15.660 --> 00:25:16.079 You see, 00:25:16.119 --> 00:25:17.359 you cannot be a Christian. 00:25:17.519 --> 00:25:20.299 You can't really be a disciple of Jesus. 00:25:20.819 --> 00:25:22.639 You can't enter the kingdom of God 00:25:22.639 --> 00:25:25.039 until you have seen its value. 00:25:25.559 --> 00:25:28.279 Until you've seen how important it is. 00:25:32.279 --> 00:25:34.019 Unless you've seen Christ 00:25:34.019 --> 00:25:35.619 as your treasure. 00:25:36.619 --> 00:25:38.379 That's why in the New Testament, 00:25:38.579 --> 00:25:39.420 becoming a Christian 00:25:39.420 --> 00:25:40.259 is often likened 00:25:40.259 --> 00:25:41.680 to having one's eyes opened. 00:25:44.079 --> 00:25:45.460 Opened by the Holy Spirit 00:25:45.460 --> 00:25:47.039 to see the value of the gospel, 00:25:47.160 --> 00:25:49.240 to see the beauty of Jesus Christ. 00:25:50.799 --> 00:25:52.220 Where your treasure is, 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:54.660 there your heart will be also. 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:55.619 Well, 00:25:55.859 --> 00:25:57.259 who or what is your treasure? 00:25:57.259 --> 00:25:59.400 What is it in life 00:25:59.400 --> 00:26:00.519 you've just got to have? 00:26:02.740 --> 00:26:03.700 In some of his writings, 00:26:03.819 --> 00:26:04.559 Jonathan Edwards 00:26:04.559 --> 00:26:06.539 has a phrase, 00:26:06.599 --> 00:26:07.180 he talks about 00:26:07.180 --> 00:26:09.980 Christ's divine loveliness. 00:26:11.039 --> 00:26:12.059 And the fact that 00:26:12.059 --> 00:26:13.879 this sense of divine beauty, 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:14.599 he says, 00:26:14.980 --> 00:26:16.160 is the first thing 00:26:16.160 --> 00:26:17.339 in the actual change 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:18.180 made in the soul 00:26:18.180 --> 00:26:19.339 in true conversion. 00:26:19.839 --> 00:26:21.000 It's the foundation 00:26:21.000 --> 00:26:21.980 of everything else 00:26:21.980 --> 00:26:23.779 belonging to that change. 00:26:23.779 --> 00:26:26.680 That's a very perceptive comment. 00:26:28.119 --> 00:26:29.200 Do you have any sense 00:26:29.200 --> 00:26:29.940 of the beauty 00:26:29.940 --> 00:26:30.960 and loveliness 00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:31.940 of Jesus Christ? 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:33.019 Do you consider him 00:26:33.019 --> 00:26:33.879 precious tonight? 00:26:34.099 --> 00:26:35.160 Do you delight in him? 00:26:35.240 --> 00:26:36.579 Do you desire him? 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:40.200 This is, of course, 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:41.500 what creates a sense 00:26:41.500 --> 00:26:42.180 of detachment 00:26:42.180 --> 00:26:43.019 from the world. 00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:45.119 Jesus speaks here 00:26:45.119 --> 00:26:45.940 about setting light 00:26:45.940 --> 00:26:46.859 to our possessions, 00:26:47.099 --> 00:26:47.539 our wealth, 00:26:47.639 --> 00:26:48.019 our money. 00:26:48.440 --> 00:26:48.879 He says, 00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:49.160 you know, 00:26:49.480 --> 00:26:50.619 talks about being prepared 00:26:50.619 --> 00:26:51.399 to give it away 00:26:51.399 --> 00:26:52.660 to help those in need. 00:26:52.859 --> 00:26:53.000 Now, 00:26:53.000 --> 00:26:54.140 that kind of attitude 00:26:54.140 --> 00:26:55.220 is only possible 00:26:55.220 --> 00:26:56.579 when we have the things 00:26:56.579 --> 00:26:57.200 of this world 00:26:57.200 --> 00:26:58.579 in proper perspective. 00:26:59.599 --> 00:27:00.279 Christian disciples 00:27:00.279 --> 00:27:01.720 should be generous givers 00:27:01.720 --> 00:27:03.559 because our God 00:27:03.559 --> 00:27:04.680 is a generous giver 00:27:04.680 --> 00:27:06.140 and we've been blessed 00:27:06.140 --> 00:27:07.680 to receive all that we have 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:09.099 from him as a gift. 00:27:09.640 --> 00:27:10.619 It's not ours, 00:27:10.700 --> 00:27:11.599 it's only on loan. 00:27:11.960 --> 00:27:12.619 One day we'll leave 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:13.319 it all behind. 00:27:16.859 --> 00:27:18.339 If we do not think 00:27:18.339 --> 00:27:19.980 on the glories 00:27:19.980 --> 00:27:21.339 of the renewed heavens 00:27:21.339 --> 00:27:21.960 and earth, 00:27:21.960 --> 00:27:24.420 and on the passing 00:27:24.420 --> 00:27:25.299 and fleeting nature 00:27:25.299 --> 00:27:26.059 of this world, 00:27:26.500 --> 00:27:28.299 we will become duped. 00:27:30.840 --> 00:27:32.059 There's so many voices 00:27:32.059 --> 00:27:33.220 that make this world 00:27:33.220 --> 00:27:34.120 appear to us 00:27:34.120 --> 00:27:35.340 so real and tangible 00:27:35.340 --> 00:27:36.980 and the world 00:27:36.980 --> 00:27:37.519 to come 00:27:37.519 --> 00:27:38.940 so distant. 00:27:40.039 --> 00:27:41.259 We view this world 00:27:41.259 --> 00:27:42.059 as being big. 00:27:42.600 --> 00:27:43.660 The world to come 00:27:43.660 --> 00:27:44.319 is small. 00:27:44.840 --> 00:27:45.240 Actually, 00:27:45.299 --> 00:27:45.840 in the scriptures, 00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:46.720 the very reverse 00:27:46.720 --> 00:27:47.240 is true. 00:27:47.240 --> 00:27:49.200 it is this world 00:27:49.200 --> 00:27:49.940 that is small. 00:27:50.579 --> 00:27:51.620 It is this world 00:27:51.620 --> 00:27:52.380 that is passing. 00:27:53.819 --> 00:27:54.579 It is the world 00:27:54.579 --> 00:27:55.079 to come 00:27:55.079 --> 00:27:55.920 that is great, 00:27:56.240 --> 00:27:57.519 that is substantial, 00:27:58.220 --> 00:27:59.019 that is eternal. 00:28:01.420 --> 00:28:02.120 Of course, 00:28:02.200 --> 00:28:03.380 let me qualify this. 00:28:03.380 --> 00:28:05.960 I do not mean to imply 00:28:05.960 --> 00:28:07.100 a low view 00:28:07.100 --> 00:28:08.240 of the wonder 00:28:08.240 --> 00:28:09.000 and glory 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:09.800 and richness 00:28:09.800 --> 00:28:11.360 that life 00:28:11.360 --> 00:28:12.420 in this world 00:28:12.420 --> 00:28:14.100 can and does have. 00:28:14.800 --> 00:28:16.200 We are not to deny 00:28:16.200 --> 00:28:17.340 the material world. 00:28:17.340 --> 00:28:18.740 It is God-given. 00:28:19.820 --> 00:28:20.880 The passing nature 00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:21.640 of this world 00:28:21.640 --> 00:28:22.760 does not mean 00:28:22.760 --> 00:28:23.760 we are to retreat 00:28:23.760 --> 00:28:24.420 from it, 00:28:24.920 --> 00:28:26.380 but it does mean 00:28:26.380 --> 00:28:28.080 that we will not 00:28:28.080 --> 00:28:29.300 wholly invest 00:28:29.300 --> 00:28:30.100 our lives 00:28:30.100 --> 00:28:30.840 in it. 00:28:30.839 --> 00:28:33.379 we will look 00:28:33.379 --> 00:28:34.379 at this world 00:28:34.379 --> 00:28:36.759 only in the light 00:28:36.759 --> 00:28:38.000 of that 00:28:38.000 --> 00:28:38.839 which is to come. 00:28:40.720 --> 00:28:41.899 So here is Jesus' 00:28:42.099 --> 00:28:43.480 problem-free philosophy. 00:28:44.259 --> 00:28:45.079 It is all about 00:28:45.079 --> 00:28:45.899 putting our faith 00:28:45.899 --> 00:28:46.899 and trust in God, 00:28:47.019 --> 00:28:48.079 not in ourselves. 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:50.419 Our worries 00:28:50.419 --> 00:28:51.519 and anxieties 00:28:51.519 --> 00:28:52.319 fade 00:28:52.319 --> 00:28:53.099 when we learn 00:28:53.099 --> 00:28:54.299 to trust God's care, 00:28:54.579 --> 00:28:55.839 to seek God's kingdom, 00:28:56.019 --> 00:28:56.819 to invest 00:28:56.819 --> 00:28:57.879 in heavenly treasure. 00:28:59.159 --> 00:29:00.159 We need to know 00:29:00.159 --> 00:29:00.819 and trust God 00:29:00.819 --> 00:29:01.480 as our Father 00:29:01.480 --> 00:29:01.939 in heaven 00:29:01.939 --> 00:29:02.799 and we come 00:29:02.799 --> 00:29:03.759 to know this God 00:29:03.759 --> 00:29:05.419 only through Jesus himself. 00:29:05.619 --> 00:29:07.000 It is in and through Jesus 00:29:07.000 --> 00:29:08.319 that we come to know 00:29:08.319 --> 00:29:09.179 and experience 00:29:09.179 --> 00:29:09.939 God's love 00:29:09.939 --> 00:29:10.639 and care. 00:29:12.419 --> 00:29:13.379 How can we know, 00:29:14.059 --> 00:29:15.099 how can we be certain 00:29:15.099 --> 00:29:17.019 that God cares for us? 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:19.299 How can we be really sure 00:29:19.299 --> 00:29:20.559 that he loves us? 00:29:21.980 --> 00:29:23.359 Is it when things 00:29:23.359 --> 00:29:23.819 are going well 00:29:23.819 --> 00:29:24.559 in our lives 00:29:24.559 --> 00:29:25.700 and when we are feeling good? 00:29:26.399 --> 00:29:27.279 When we are rich 00:29:27.279 --> 00:29:27.919 and wealthy? 00:29:27.920 --> 00:29:29.140 No. 00:29:29.140 --> 00:29:29.700 No. 00:29:30.980 --> 00:29:31.720 What about 00:29:31.720 --> 00:29:32.180 when things 00:29:32.180 --> 00:29:32.860 are not so good? 00:29:34.300 --> 00:29:34.800 What about 00:29:34.800 --> 00:29:35.880 times of ill health? 00:29:36.560 --> 00:29:37.519 Times of poverty? 00:29:39.019 --> 00:29:40.720 Times of emotional distress? 00:29:41.460 --> 00:29:42.160 Times when we have 00:29:42.160 --> 00:29:43.080 lost a job? 00:29:43.460 --> 00:29:44.700 When someone we love 00:29:44.700 --> 00:29:45.340 dies? 00:29:45.860 --> 00:29:46.240 What about 00:29:46.240 --> 00:29:47.140 when we are struggling 00:29:47.140 --> 00:29:47.980 and we are all at sea? 00:29:48.120 --> 00:29:48.880 How do we know 00:29:48.880 --> 00:29:50.000 God's care 00:29:50.000 --> 00:29:50.660 and love 00:29:50.660 --> 00:29:51.279 then? 00:29:53.100 --> 00:29:53.620 And friends, 00:29:53.660 --> 00:29:54.259 it has absolutely 00:29:54.259 --> 00:29:55.080 nothing to do 00:29:55.079 --> 00:29:56.119 with our circumstances, 00:29:56.579 --> 00:29:57.259 good or bad. 00:29:58.119 --> 00:29:58.960 And it's everything 00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:00.319 to do with Jesus Christ 00:30:00.319 --> 00:30:00.899 and his death 00:30:00.899 --> 00:30:01.599 on the cross. 00:30:02.339 --> 00:30:03.460 Because that is how 00:30:03.460 --> 00:30:04.039 we know 00:30:04.039 --> 00:30:05.019 that he cares. 00:30:05.839 --> 00:30:07.000 He sent his son 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:08.299 to die 00:30:08.299 --> 00:30:09.199 for us. 00:30:10.199 --> 00:30:10.779 And that's what 00:30:10.779 --> 00:30:11.939 we have to hold on to 00:30:11.939 --> 00:30:13.000 in difficult times. 00:30:13.579 --> 00:30:14.659 God loves us 00:30:14.659 --> 00:30:16.079 and cares for us. 00:30:16.519 --> 00:30:17.159 The cross 00:30:17.159 --> 00:30:17.599 is 00:30:17.599 --> 00:30:20.159 unshakable evidence 00:30:20.159 --> 00:30:20.480 really 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:21.460 of that reality. 00:30:21.460 --> 00:30:23.420 His love 00:30:23.420 --> 00:30:24.160 and care 00:30:24.160 --> 00:30:24.940 are spelled 00:30:24.940 --> 00:30:26.100 out for us 00:30:26.100 --> 00:30:28.000 in the rich 00:30:28.000 --> 00:30:29.120 red 00:30:29.120 --> 00:30:30.700 human blood 00:30:30.700 --> 00:30:31.500 of the cross. 00:30:33.180 --> 00:30:34.860 Look to Jesus Christ 00:30:34.860 --> 00:30:35.960 and him crucified. 00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:38.180 Has he not 00:30:38.180 --> 00:30:38.740 given you 00:30:38.740 --> 00:30:40.140 every reason 00:30:40.140 --> 00:30:41.480 to trust him? 00:30:43.360 --> 00:30:43.779 Remember how 00:30:43.779 --> 00:30:44.480 Paul put it? 00:30:45.680 --> 00:30:46.940 If God is for us, 00:30:47.480 --> 00:30:47.960 who then 00:30:47.960 --> 00:30:49.079 can be against us? 00:30:49.079 --> 00:30:50.939 He who did not 00:30:50.939 --> 00:30:52.519 spare his own son 00:30:52.519 --> 00:30:54.240 but gave him up 00:30:54.240 --> 00:30:55.019 for us all, 00:30:55.980 --> 00:30:56.899 how will he not 00:30:56.899 --> 00:30:58.139 also with him 00:30:58.139 --> 00:30:59.079 graciously 00:30:59.079 --> 00:30:59.759 give us 00:30:59.759 --> 00:31:01.019 all things? 00:31:03.019 --> 00:31:04.039 And this table 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:05.779 with bread 00:31:05.779 --> 00:31:06.559 and wine 00:31:06.559 --> 00:31:09.220 speaks to us, 00:31:10.159 --> 00:31:11.439 proclaims to us 00:31:11.439 --> 00:31:12.740 God's love 00:31:12.740 --> 00:31:13.720 and care 00:31:13.720 --> 00:31:16.259 in an indifferent world. 00:31:16.259 --> 00:31:18.440 trust him 00:31:18.440 --> 00:31:19.480 with your life 00:31:19.480 --> 00:31:20.079 this evening 00:31:20.079 --> 00:31:22.599 and look to the future 00:31:22.599 --> 00:31:23.559 without fear 00:31:23.559 --> 00:31:24.619 and worry. 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:27.460 It is the cross, 00:31:28.680 --> 00:31:29.759 it's the blood 00:31:29.759 --> 00:31:30.839 of Jesus 00:31:30.839 --> 00:31:33.440 that reminds us 00:31:33.440 --> 00:31:35.200 that our lives 00:31:35.200 --> 00:31:36.599 are now 00:31:36.599 --> 00:31:38.519 in our Father's hands. 00:31:39.379 --> 00:31:40.319 Let's pray together. 00:31:40.319 --> 00:31:40.400 Amen. 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:40.400 --> 00:31:40.400 00:31:46.259 --> 00:31:49.539 God our Father 00:31:49.539 --> 00:31:50.720 you know us, 00:31:50.839 --> 00:31:51.299 you know our 00:31:51.299 --> 00:31:52.160 hearts 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:53.339 and our minds, 00:31:54.420 --> 00:31:54.980 you know 00:31:54.980 --> 00:31:56.200 the way 00:31:56.200 --> 00:31:57.180 that we think, 00:31:57.720 --> 00:31:58.619 the way 00:31:58.619 --> 00:31:59.539 that we act, 00:32:00.779 --> 00:32:01.140 you know 00:32:01.140 --> 00:32:01.599 the things 00:32:01.599 --> 00:32:02.579 that bother us, 00:32:02.680 --> 00:32:03.779 that concern us, 00:32:04.700 --> 00:32:05.759 that trouble us. 00:32:06.519 --> 00:32:07.720 Lord help us 00:32:07.720 --> 00:32:09.599 to look away 00:32:09.599 --> 00:32:10.660 from our troubles 00:32:10.660 --> 00:32:11.819 and anxieties 00:32:11.819 --> 00:32:13.279 to you 00:32:13.279 --> 00:32:14.039 the living God 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:15.379 to find our rest 00:32:15.380 --> 00:32:16.040 in you, 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:18.460 to trust 00:32:18.460 --> 00:32:19.160 your love 00:32:19.160 --> 00:32:19.880 for us, 00:32:20.680 --> 00:32:21.160 proved 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:22.340 and placarded 00:32:22.340 --> 00:32:23.940 indeed for all 00:32:23.940 --> 00:32:24.800 the world to see 00:32:24.800 --> 00:32:27.320 in a crucified 00:32:27.320 --> 00:32:28.380 and risen 00:32:28.380 --> 00:32:28.960 Saviour. 00:32:30.320 --> 00:32:31.040 Lord as we 00:32:31.040 --> 00:32:32.680 turn this evening 00:32:32.680 --> 00:32:34.080 to the Lord's table 00:32:34.080 --> 00:32:35.660 Lord we pray 00:32:35.660 --> 00:32:36.340 that you would 00:32:36.340 --> 00:32:37.460 meet with us 00:32:37.460 --> 00:32:39.040 and speak to us 00:32:39.040 --> 00:32:40.280 and deal with our hearts 00:32:40.280 --> 00:32:41.720 and help us 00:32:41.720 --> 00:32:42.520 to be a people 00:32:42.519 --> 00:32:44.519 who seek first 00:32:44.519 --> 00:32:46.180 your kingdom 00:32:46.180 --> 00:32:47.879 and indeed 00:32:47.879 --> 00:32:48.839 your righteousness. 00:32:50.059 --> 00:32:50.819 Lord bless us 00:32:50.819 --> 00:32:51.740 and encourage us 00:32:51.740 --> 00:32:53.220 and meet with us 00:32:53.220 --> 00:32:53.879 now 00:32:53.879 --> 00:32:54.579 as we pray 00:32:54.579 --> 00:32:55.139 these things 00:32:55.139 --> 00:32:56.440 in Jesus name. 00:32:57.000 --> 00:32:57.319 Amen.