Primary Concerns.

Steve Gentry

[0:00]

[0:06] Alright, go ahead and have a seat. Welcome to Village [0:08] Church. I’m gonna ask a couple of my friends, Ryan and Aubrey [0:14] Curry to come up here. I always have a moment where I don’t [0:18] know if they’re actually out there and so I was hoping you [0:20] were there. I was trusting you were there. Uh bringing them [0:23] up uh by way of announcement first, uh next Sunday, we’re

[0:27] gonna be celebrating 10 years as a church and so make sure [0:32] you come out and celebrate that with us. We’re also gonna be [0:35] commissioning uh KJ Washington. He’s that little fella but [0:38] we’re gonna be commissioning him next week to go plan a [0:41] church but what’s exciting about this week is that we’re [0:45] gonna commission Ryan and Aubrey uh to go with the

[0:48] International Mission Board to Mozambique small town in [0:53] Uh no uh Mozambique in South Africa uh with my genius of [1:00] uh geography. I made sure that that was right before I hit [1:03] the stage uh but Mozambique in South Africa and they’re gonna [1:06] be going uh to serve to preach the gospel of Jesus to make [1:11] disciples to by God’s grace plant churches and you’re going

[1:15] as career missionaries to that area and so I wanted to [1:20] uh commission them as a church for the past couple of years [1:24] uh before they got married, Aubrey was Aubrey Brown back [1:28] then and uh she served at the church but then Ryan and Aubrey [1:32] fell in love and if you don’t know them and you have an [1:35] opportunity, get them to tell you that story. I don’t have

[1:38] time but uh get them to tell you the story. I love hearing [1:41] the story of how they got together. It’s a wonderful God [1:43] ordained story uh and Ryan convinced her to marry him. Uh [1:48] it’s like all husbands have to to their wives and he convinced [1:52] her to marry him and they got married and they both have a [1:56] passion for international missions. It’s wonderful that

[1:58] God brought them together with the same calling and they’re [2:02] gonna follow that calling with the IMB whom we are so blessed [2:06] to be able to partner with as a church to go give their lives [2:10] to the people of Mozambique. I am so excited for everything [2:15] that God has in front of you and here’s what I need you guys [2:19] to do. Now, if you’ve never been part of a Southern Baptist

[2:22] Church before, what you need to understand is that you are [2:26] already giving to aid them as they go overseas so they don’t [2:30] have to worry about finances. We as a church give into what’s [2:33] called the cooperative program and a large portion of that goes [2:36] to the International Mission Board to ensure that they can [2:40] focus on making disciples while they’re there. Also, keep in

[2:44] mind that every Christmas we take up what’s called the Lottie [2:47] Moon Christmas offering. 100% of that offering goes to financing [2:52] people like the Curries going overseas to the gospel and so [2:57] one wonderful thing that you can believe is if you’ve given to [3:00] Village Church, you’ve already financially partnered with them [3:03] and that’s a wonderful blessing but I know that on top of that,

[3:08] they’re gonna want you to pray for them. This is a [3:10] supernatural effort that they are investing in for the people [3:15] of Mozambique and I know they covet your prayers and so I’m [3:19] gonna ask each and every one of you, even if you don’t call [3:21] Village home, I want you to remember Ryan and Aubrey Curry [3:23] and I want you to pray for them because they’re going to be in

[3:28] language school. They’re going to be getting used to not being [3:31] around me anymore, which is going to be such a struggle for [3:35] them and and they’re gonna be serving the people of Mozambique [3:38] and they need your prayers so please write their name, grab a [3:42] prayer card if you know them and partner with them in prayer and [3:47] we just need to support missionaries when they go

[3:50] overseas. We’ve got a great world to reach with the gospel and [3:53] what’s amazing about the International Mission Board is [3:56] that we know as a church, we already are present through our [4:01] prayers, through our offerings and many nations of the world that [4:04] we can’t even know people are there and I made sure beforehand [4:08] that I could say they’re actually going to Mozambique

[4:10] cuz I know in me, I’ll say a country that I’m not supposed [4:14] to say but I was there okay with that and what I wanna do [4:17] right now is I wanna commission them as a church and so for [4:21] about 20 seconds, I want you guys just right where you’re [4:24] sitting to pray for Ryan and Aubrey, pray for God’s comfort, [4:29] pray for God’s grace, pray for God’s direction

[4:32] and pray that God will make disciples through them for years to [4:38] come. Let’s pray.

[5:05] Father, I am so thankful for what you let me be a part of. [5:11] Lord, in pastoring this church, we have sent out multiple [5:14] missions, teams to different countries but by your grace, [5:17] we’ve also been privileged to send people for multiple years [5:23] to serve as missionaries. Lord, I thank you for sending Ryan [5:28] and Aubrey our way. Lord, I thank you for what they have

[5:32] done in our children’s ministry, what they have done in our [5:34] student ministry, what they have been a part of in our [5:38] community group ministry. Lord, they’ve blessed us. But Lord, [5:44] we know that you’ve given them a vision for reaching the [5:49] unreached even if it’s to go to the other side of the world. [5:53] Lord, I thank you that they put their yes on the table.

[5:58] I thank you for their willingness to heed your call, [6:03] to find joy in the mission of Jesus. And I pray that you [6:08] would give them even more joy as they go. I pray you would [6:14] embolden their faith. I pray that you would ease their [6:20] entry, help them to get used to a new culture, a new people, [6:25] help them to master the language, take down every barrier

[6:31] to them ministering to people in Mozambique. Lord, you’re already [6:35] on mission there. They’re joining you. Bless them. Lord, as a [6:50] nation, we commit to praying and we commit to supporting. [6:54] God bless these missionaries. Lord, bless them as they go. [6:58] And God, I pray that you would help us to learn from them. Help [7:02] us to have the advantage of viewing this and be discipled by

[7:07] it so that right here, right now, more people will catch a [7:11] vision for international missions and that we would also [7:13] catch a vision for living your mission right here in Virginia.

[7:19] Lord, bless them as they go. Strengthen them the whole way.

[7:25] And may dozens and dozens, hundreds and hundreds, thousands of thousands [7:31] come to faith in Jesus through their willingness to serve. [7:37] Make disciples who make disciples, Lord. In the name of Jesus, I pray. [7:40] Amen. Thanks, guys. Thank you so much. Thank you.

[7:48] Where were you?

[7:51] Well, now you can see behind my podium so you know what goes on [7:56] back here. Good night. That’s embarrassing. Thanks, Jake. [8:00] Hey, welcome, Jake, as our new student ministries director. [8:05] Man, wow. Yeah, him and his wife just moved here from Lux lane.

[8:15] We gave them a wonderful moving package of zero dollars and zero cents. [8:19] That’s my favorite hire. But pray for Jake. He’s going to start here [8:25] tomorrow. Everyone’s off but him. He hasn’t earned any vacation days [8:29] yet, so he has to come up here and work all by himself all day. [8:32] I’m just kidding. Now, pray for Jake, as he’s got to put up with me [8:37] every single day of his life. If you have a Bible, turn to Matthew,

[8:42] chapter six. We’re going to be in the same verses we were in last week, [8:47] starting in verse twenty four. Last week, we started talking about the issue [8:53] of anxiety that Jesus doesn’t want us to avoid these issues. [8:59] Rather, he wants us to go headlong into dealing with anything that would [9:05] limit our faith in him. And anxiety is this culturally relevant issue [9:08] because we’re at a period of time when I believe people are more anxious

[9:12] than they ever have been before. The most prescribed medication in the [9:18] nation is anti-anxiety medication. It’s something that people struggle with. [9:22] It’s something I told you last week that I don’t treat with a cavalier attitude [9:25] because it’s something that I personally struggle with. But it is [9:29] something that can be a medical issue with disability. It can be something that [9:34] requires medical attention. And it can be something that does require medication.

[9:39] And I qualify it with that to tell you that that changes absolutely nothing [9:44] with the way that Jesus deals with anxiety. Jesus deals with it as something [9:50] to have hope of overcoming. Jesus deals with it as something that following [9:56] him and faith in the gospel can be a great remedy for as you struggle in [10:02] repentance of this issue. But in that, one of the hardest issues that I deal [10:07] with people with is anxiety. Because people who are anxious, people who will

[10:13] lay awake at night worrying about this, that, or the other thing, are sometimes [10:16] you’re just anxious about your anxiety. Sometimes you’re anxious about being [10:20] anxious. And you just lay there sometimes at night, unable to sleep, unable to [10:24] pray yourself to sleep, unable to convince yourself that your anxiety needs [10:29] to go away. And you will want victory. But when somebody begins to deal with it [10:35] as something that you can achieve victory over, something that God does want to

[10:39] work with you through, you get defensive. And you begin to believe that your [10:45] anxiety is unique, your anxiety is special. Your personal anxieties are not [10:50] the type of anxieties that Jesus is actually dealing with. And even though [10:54] three times in this passage, Jesus tells us, do not be anxious. You find a way to [11:01] defend all the things that you are anxious for. And so I want to begin just by [11:07] simply reading through the passage. Verse 24. No one can serve two masters.

[11:13] Now, if you’re the type of person that writes in your Bible, go ahead and write, [11:19] you will try. You will try. You will try and be tempted every day of your life to [11:29] attempt to serve two masters. Even though Jesus tells us point blank in this [11:34] passage, don’t do it, it’s not going to work out, yet you’re going to continue to [11:38] run into the wall over and over and over because you’re trying to serve two [11:42] masters, even though you’re trying, going to try to convince yourself that that’s

[11:46] not actually what’s going on in your life. Whether you are chasing money, whether [11:52] you are chasing power, prestige, sex, fame, whether or not you’re trying to detach [12:00] from reality, whether or not you’re trying to live some sports fantasy, whether or [12:05] not you’re trying to live some career fantasy, whether or not it’s an academic [12:09] fantasy, no matter what it is that you are chasing after in your life, whether it [12:13] is something or someone, you are going to try to defend it as to say, this is not

[12:19] me trying to serve two masters. Now, here’s the piece of advice I give you. The [12:24] very thing that you’re defending yourself against, saying that’s not really me [12:28] trying to serve two masters, quite frankly, that’s the greatest piece of [12:31] evidence that that’s exactly what you’re trying to do. Your instinctive defense [12:37] mechanisms that you throw up can often show you what your temptations towards [12:43] following a false god actually is. Jesus continues, either he will hate the one

[12:50] and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You [12:54] cannot serve god and money. Because of this, I tell you, do not be anxious about [13:00] your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you [13:04] will put on. Is not life more than food, the body more than clothing? Look at the [13:10] birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your [13:14] heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And let’s just

[13:21] pause right there. Number one this morning, the opposite of anxiety is trusting [13:27] god. The opposite of anxiety is trusting god. And sometimes we don’t want to [13:33] say that simple, but there’s nothing simple about trusting god. It is one of [13:39] the most difficult things that you will ever face to do in your life is to [13:42] believe god more than you believe yourself. Is to trust what he says your life [13:47] is to be and be about, then you believe yourself and the messages that you give

[13:53] and the defenses that you put up and what you say life needs to be. So often I [13:59] talk to people and they believe that the opposite of anxiety is rest. The opposite [14:04] of anxiety is detachment from reality. And I’ll tell you, don’t hear what I’m not [14:10] saying. We are often called to rest and some of you, you’re working really hard [14:14] because of your anxiety. But everybody needs to understand that whenever Jesus [14:20] is calling you to move away from one thing, he is always calling you to move

[14:26] towards himself because he has something different for you. And I’ve known people [14:32] that have been towards burnout. Now have you ever dealt with burnout? It’s a [14:38] vicious monster from anxiety. And they have gone on multiple weeks of vacation. [14:43] Maybe they even went on one of these magic sabbaticals everybody’s trying right [14:46] now. But and they left work for three weeks and they went back to work and they [14:51] didn’t do anything for weeks. And I’ve heard this. They said I was more tired

[14:56] after my rest than I was before my rest. And that’s because rest wasn’t the [15:05] ultimate answer. Trusting God was the answer. Sometimes when you’re anxious, [15:12] people will give you just biblical advice because it’s a Bible verse and [15:18] you’ll hate them for it. You’ll be like, yeah, you think I haven’t thought about [15:21] that before? And people will say, oh, things work together for good. Or they’ll [15:25] come to you and they’ll say, hey, be still and know that he is God. My response

[15:31] is, are you serious? He is. I was unaware of that. But sometimes we even read the [15:37] words of Scripture or misunderstand them. When the Scripture says be still and know [15:41] that he is God. And really the first time in Scripture that you see that, it’s [15:44] about the nation of Israel. And so the reason that I know the answer to anxiety [15:49] is not just rest. And the reason that verse isn’t talking about rest at all is [15:55] the context within which the Bible uses the command to be still and know that he

[16:00] is God. What’s going on the first time it’s used is that the nation of Israel has [16:04] just been freed from Egypt and they’re going towards the Red Sea. And then God [16:09] hardens the heart of Pharaoh. And then the army of Egypt begins to chase them. [16:14] And Israel is basically pinned in against the Red Sea. They got nowhere to go. [16:19] And they look to Moses and they say, Moses, it would have been better if we had just [16:24] stayed in Egypt than to face the army of Pharaoh. And God speaks through Moses and

[16:32] says, be still. But then in the very next verse, he gives him the opposite seeming [16:38] piece of advice. He parts the Red Sea and says, move forward. What’s going on [16:44] there? So often we misunderstand what it is to live by faith. And we believe that [16:52] a faith is always going to be a chair to sit in rather than a path to walk forward [16:58] on. When God looks to Israel and he says, be still in that moment, he is not telling [17:03] them to sit down. He is telling them, don’t go backwards because they wanted to

[17:09] retreat. They wanted to go back to Egypt. And God is saying, do not do that. You [17:14] stand still, watch me work. Now get going. The answer to anxiety is not ultimately [17:22] going to be anything other than trusting God. And oftentimes when God calls us into [17:31] trusting him, he is calling us to move forward because oftentimes our anxieties [17:36] are things that we want to detach from reality on. And when we get by ourselves, [17:41] we give us all types of false messages and we begin worse than we started because

[17:47] we are not ultimately trusting God. Worry is always going to be about distrusting [17:55] the promises and providence of God. Providence is this interesting issue because it is [18:04] about the control of God. The providence of God is very simple, just about God’s [18:08] control. Daniel starting in Daniel 2.20 puts it this way. He says, Daniel answered [18:14] them and said, blessed be the name of God forever and ever to whom belong wisdom [18:18] and might. He changes times and seasons. He removes kings, sets up kings. He gives

[18:24] wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals [18:28] deep and hidden things. He knows what is in the darkness and the light dwells in [18:32] him. There’s two examples given that help us really understand the providence of [18:38] God. He uses the seasons and he uses kings. The false fall that we’ve been [18:44] experiencing this week, that’s the hand of God. God is the one who ultimately [18:49] changes seasons. He is the one that makes it cool. He is the one that makes it

[18:53] warm. But he goes beyond that and he says, providence is not just about the things [18:57] of natural creation. Providence is even going to extend to the kings that are in [19:02] authority. There has never been a king in authority in this world that has not [19:08] received his throne from the hand of God. We often underestimate the providence of [19:14] God. We do not overestimate it. God is in absolute control over everything all the [19:23] time. And sovereignty explains how God wields his providence. And so God’s control

[19:34] is wielded through his sovereignty. And sometimes when we talk about God’s control, [19:39] we aren’t necessarily saying that yes, everything that comes into your life is [19:46] from God. Everything. There’s no limit. And everything that goes out of your life is [19:53] from God. And so if you are worried about what God’s going to bring into your life, [19:57] that’s an issue of providence. And if you are worried you’re going to lose something [20:01] out of your life, that’s an issue of providence as well. But providence isn’t

[20:09] the only thing that’s going to be in your life. It’s the only thing that’s going to [20:09] [20:09] providence as a way to get to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because providence is only [20:13] a comfort to rely on if God is good and if God loves you. But the reason that we [20:22] find joy in trusting in the providence of God is because first, Jesus proves his [20:34] love for us in that if you are a follower of Jesus, his death is for your sin and his

[20:39] resurrection is to give you a new life. Therefore, I can trust that anything that God [20:47] brings into my life, even if I find it unpleasant, I can rest that it’s from God’s [20:54] providence because he’s in control, because he’s good, and because he loves me. And [20:59] anything that I am afraid to lose, I must ultimately realize that if I lose it, God [21:07] is in control of it, God is good, and God loves me. Therefore, what am I to be [21:13] filled with? I am to be filled with the trust in a providential good and loving God if I

[21:21] am a follower of Jesus Christ. Nothing can come or go from my life without his loving [21:29] hand. In verse 26, we see an interesting example given by Jesus as to why this is [21:37] such a wonderful thing to trust. He says, look at the birds in the air. Now, if you [21:44] do that, you need to understand very quickly, birds are worthless. I mean, has a bird [21:51] ever done anything of any value for you? Whatever. I’m talking about polymorphism. [21:59] I don’t want to crack her. That’s not helpful. But birds, they don’t really help me.

[22:04] They don’t build anything that I need. I just look at them, and I’ve never studied birds, [22:08] so I’m saying this as someone who’s never studied a bird. But I honestly cannot think [22:13] of one thing that birds help with anything other than to be looked at. I was, last week, [22:20] I was, hey, this isn’t question and answer, folks. I was trimming some bushes in my, if [22:29] you didn’t like that, you’re really not going to like this. But just going to warn you. [22:33] I can tell you, honestly, nothing I say up here, if this helps you at all, nothing I say up

[22:38] here ever offends my nine-year-old son. Okay? So that makes you feel any better. I was [22:43] trimming one of the bushes in my yard, and I was actually trying, there was this one bush I was [22:46] trying to get rid of, and there was a bird’s nest in it. And I saw the bird’s nest, and I [22:52] thought to myself for a moment, I said, man, it’s a home. It’s somebody’s home. [22:59] And it gave me a little bit of pause as to what I was about to do. And then I threw it away.

[23:05] Because my next thought was, this is my land. How dare you trespass? [23:11] Because you’ve never helped me. You didn’t buy this. I did. And so I threw it away. [23:17] But when we look at a bird and we consider the ecosystem that is built around that bird, [23:26] because what Jesus is saying here is not for you to glory in the wonder of birds. [23:38] He’s actually meaning the opposite, because he begs rhetorical questions about the [23:44] worthlessness of a bird to receive everything that it has received.

[23:49] He says this bird does not reap or gather into barns. [23:55] This bird has done nothing to create the pine needles, the dead grass, the pieces of [24:04] cotton, this, that, or other discarded material. That that bird gathers together to form its nest. [24:11] It did absolutely nothing to create even an inkling of it. [24:15] That bird did nothing to create the worm that is in the dirt that it’s going to stick [24:26] its beak in to take back to feed its hatchlings that are sitting there just like this.

[24:36] And those hatchlings did nothing to learn how to sit there with their beaks tilted [24:45] upwards, opening its mouth and closing its mouth to receive the sustenance that the [24:50] bird’s mother is going to give it.

[24:55] God fashioned, formed, and created an entire ecosystem within which that bird exists [25:06] only ever knowing and receiving the common grace of God’s good creation to not just [25:19] survive, but also thrive in that habitat. [25:26] And so when we look at that, Jesus’s point is not, aren’t birds awesome? [25:37] Because I think that’s what we’re tempted to do with that passage. [25:41] Jesus’s point is, don’t you see that God has surrounded you with an even greater, more

[25:53] meticulous ecosystem within which you are cared for by the common grace of God?

[26:02] See, it’s fascinating when you worry about things because anxiety creates an attitude [26:11] in which you believe you deserve for God to act in a minute. [26:16] And that’s how we typically use prayer. [26:19] We have a need. [26:20] We want to meet now, not tomorrow, not next year, but right now. [26:25] And we have built oftentimes entire theologies of prayer around God being amazing because

[26:33] he can provide, and he can, in the instant, what I need right here and right now. [26:40] But Jesus is calling us to step back and take a larger view of God’s providence and look [26:47] not at what God can do in an instant, but what God has done over a century to create [26:55] the ecosystems within which we don’t just survive, but thrive. [27:01] I don’t know about you. [27:02] I’ve got three kids and I love them all equally.

[27:06] They do not love me equally.

[27:09] I tell you, my youngest, I’m trying, but I cannot earn his love. [27:14] He’s just mean.

[27:17] But I have never had to go into my backyard, stick a beak in the ground, grab a worm out [27:26] of the ground, go inside to Liam, Mia, and Owen sitting there, and drop worm into their [27:34] mouth. [27:34] And isn’t that a wonderful grace of God?

[27:37] No, God has given us a more developed and unique ecosystem in which he provides mother’s [27:46] milk for my children. [27:47] But here’s what’s amazing about human ingenuity that I believe comes from the image of God. [27:52] There are children who cannot take mother’s milk, and there are mothers who cannot produce [27:57] milk. [27:58] And God has put inside of us the creativity to subvert natural creation so that we can

[28:06] invent and create synthetic milk in formula to provide sustenance for our children. [28:15] More than that, our children don’t just always have to eat the same thing. [28:20] They will develop to the extent where we can sit side by side munching on some fruity pebbles. [28:26] We can create things like vinyl siding. [28:29] We can create things like hardy plank. [28:31] We can create cedar siding.

[28:33] And we can build houses that nobody trimming a bush can ever throw away. [28:39] And we can keep them completely safe from weather. [28:44] We can drive them in cars down the road. [28:46] God has given us in creation this unique ability that no other part of creation has, [28:55] because number two this morning, your life matters to God. [28:59] Your life matters to God.

[29:02] If you go back to the book of Genesis and consider the original created order, and you [29:08] look at the bird of the air in that order, you will see that God simply spoke. [29:14] This is an amazing ability. [29:17] God speaks ex nihilo out of nothing. [29:21] And birds are just flying through the air. [29:25] And that’s all that God did to make them.

[29:28] But when God got to the creation of man, he doesn’t just speak. [29:33] He could have. [29:35] But instead, God willfully chose to with his own hands reach into the dust of the ground, [29:41] form the human form, and then breathe his life into the nostrils of human beings. [29:50] And that is what is the image of God inside of man. [29:54] And that gives man a dignity that is unlike any other creature, any other part of creation

[30:02] in this world. [30:06] And when we are filled with a question as a follower of Jesus as to will God give? [30:17] Will God help? [30:18] Does God care? [30:21] And we look at this text. [30:23] We can only conclude one thing.

[30:26] Yes, God does care. [30:29] God cares about me. [30:31] God provides for me. [30:34] He provides food. [30:36] He provides shelter. [30:37] He provides this text is even going to get to the extent where it says God provides clothing for us to wear.

[30:44] God is always providing for you 24 hours a day. [30:52] But you must put yourself into a posture of receiving what he provides with joy rather than looking [31:01] and saying, but you should have provided this other thing. [31:06] But you did not provide exactly what I wanted. [31:09] But you did not move in the way that I expected. [31:13] But you did not give into my life what I did want.

[31:16] And you took out of my life what I didn’t want you to take out of my life. [31:22] Jesus wants us to consider all of the care that God has given for us and then realize the beauty of the question. [31:34] At the end of verse 26, are you not of more value than they? [31:39] Because here’s the key. [31:42] Your anxiety will tell you you are not of more value than they.

[31:51] Because it makes you question whether or not God is providing everything that you need through the lens of everything that you want. [32:02] In Philippians chapter four, the apostle Paul says this. [32:04] He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. [32:10] You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. [32:14] Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [32:19] I know how to be brought low. I know how to abound in any and every circumstance.

[32:24] I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. [32:29] Verse 13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me. [32:35] Paul formed such a trust in God’s provision that when he was comfortable, he praised God. [32:44] And when he was uncomfortable, he praised God. [32:48] Because of everything he faced, he faced with faith that was formed through the lens of the gospel of Jesus. [32:57] Therefore, nothing was out of reach of God’s teachings of how to trust him more.

[33:04] There is nothing that’s going to come into your life, no matter how good it is and how comfortable it is [33:11] and how much you enjoy it, that God does not mean for it to cause in you a turning to him and a realization of dependence. [33:21] And there is nothing that’s going to cause you discomfort that you would label as this is a bad thing that is entering into my life. [33:30] That is something that you would say, this is not a pleasant thing that is entering into my life. [33:34] That God does not mean to use to turn your focus to him in faith so that you realize that you are dependent on him. [33:48] Why, though, does God care for you is the problem that many of us turn to.

[33:55] In the throes of anxiety, there is a great temptation to believe that God has forsaken you. [34:02] Even if just for a moment, even if just for a specific issue that you are dealing with, [34:08] there is a temptation to believe that you are going through this because God is mad at you. [34:15] There is a temptation to believe that you are a disappointment to God because you did not measure up to his vision for your life [34:25] or you did not measure up to his requirement for obedience from your life. [34:32] I mean, have you ever been so silly or excuse me, so troubled that you looked at it and you said,

[34:38] is this because I didn’t read my Bible and pray this morning?

[34:45] See, the issue that we need to realize where anxiety is concerned is that there is no issue in my life that is not ultimately a gospel issue. [34:55] Here’s what I want you to understand. If you are a follower of Jesus, so if you have put your faith in Christ, [35:03] if he has forgiven you of your sin through your trust in his death, if he has given you the new life in Christ because you trusted in his resurrection, [35:13] God does not have any anger towards you ever. [35:23] If you have trusted the gospel, it is impossible for anything to come into your life or anything to go out of your life because God is mad at you. [35:42] It is impossible that anything is coming into your life or going out of your life because of God’s wrath towards you.

[35:53] It is impossible that you have not been obedient enough. [35:57] It is impossible that you have disappointed God to the extent where he is laying his judgment down on your life [36:08] because God exhausted all of his fury, all of his rage, all of his wrath, all of his condemning judgment on to his son, Jesus Christ. [36:24] And he has none left for you. None.

[36:34] He is good towards you. He is loving towards you. [36:43] If you’ve trusted in his son.

[36:47] In Deuteronomy eight, Moses is speaking to the people of Israel and God is speaking through him. [36:56] He says this. [36:58] This is the whole commandment that I command you today. [37:01] You shall be careful to do that you may live and multiply, go in and possess the land that the Lord swore to give to your fathers. [37:09] And you shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these 40 years in the wilderness that he might humble you, [37:17] testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandment or not.

[37:23] And he humbled you. Note this and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know that he might make you know. [37:36] And you’re going to recognize this next section if you’ve been with us throughout this series, because Jesus quotes it in Matthew four, four, [37:43] that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. [37:51] Your clothing did not wear out on you. Your foot did not swell these 40 years. [37:56] Know then that in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, the Lord your God disciplines you. [38:03] He’s telling Israel that there was nothing that they had endured that did not come from the hand of God,

[38:10] that God had let hunger come into their lives so that they would know their need, so that they could go to God with their need. [38:22] If you never need anything, you will never be put into a position where you desperately need to take your need to God. [38:33] Therefore, every need in your life is a revelation of your need for God.

[38:41] He wants us to know that when he says man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God, [38:48] that God’s word is not just a word of encouragement, but at the mouth and the word of God, you can be fed. [38:59] God can speak and bread comes into existence. God can speak and your words, excuse me, and your needs will be met by his word. [39:09] But you have misunderstood to believe that it needs to be according to your plan, and it is never to be according to your plan. [39:17] Why? Because every time something pleasant or unpleasant comes into your life, it is the discipline of God to turn you towards himself. [39:27] Now, the problem that some of you have with that reality is that maybe you did not have parents who disciplined you out of love.

[39:34] Or maybe you’re a parent that doesn’t discipline out of love. You had parents that maybe disciplined you out of a place of anger, [39:41] or maybe you are a parent that disciplines out of anger. Just a food for thought. Don’t discipline your children when you are mad at them. [39:48] Don’t do it. If you ever want to see what it looks like, join a pool for the summer, and you will watch parents do it all the time. [39:55] Wait until you know you can discipline them out of love. Because that is the revelation of God that children need. [40:04] Because it forms in them an ethic to where they don’t conflate it to where discipline equals negativity, but rather discipline equals love. [40:14] When God disciplines us with hunger, it is to turn us towards himself to receive more abundantly of his grace.

[40:22] Do not base God’s love for you on how you feel at any given moment.

[40:31] Because you cannot be trusted to define the love of God. Even feeling good about your situation can bring despair and the illusion of personal control. [40:46] So for their good, God removed any semblance of control from the people of Israel. And he did it for their good. [40:54] There are going to be issues in your life that crop up that you will not have control over. And you will be devastated. [41:02] And you will feel like you are entering into hell. But understand that if you are a follower of Jesus, Jesus himself says that is impossible. [41:11] Because Jesus has received all of the hell that you could ever get. And he did it for you. [41:22] God wants us to be in a position from which we can see and realize our ultimate dependence on him.

[41:32] Number three this morning. Pursuing God’s kingdom overcomes anxiety. Pursuing God’s kingdom overcomes anxiety. [41:45] The next thing that he says in the text is interesting because he talks about flowers. [41:49] Flowers are wonderful things. Not my thing. But they are wonderful. My wife loves them. She likes it when I buy them for her. [41:56] And the example that Jesus uses is he compares the lilies of the field to Solomon. [42:04] Now Solomon had the most extravagant kingdom that has ever existed in the world. He experienced more riches than anybody else has experienced. [42:12] His palace was wonderful. His temple that he built for the Lord was amazing.

[42:17] And he says that Solomon in all of his splendor did not compare to the lily of the field. [42:25] That’s fascinating because lilies don’t do anything to grow. Someone else does it. [42:31] If you’ve ever had a garden or if you’ve ever cared for plants you realize that plants don’t water themselves. [42:37] Plants don’t pull the weeds out from around them. Plants don’t make the sun to shine down on them. [42:44] No, that’s all from the hand of God. That’s all from the hand of someone who’s cultivating it. [42:50] But if you were to pull a flower out of the ground and drop it in the middle of a basketball court with no soil, no water, no sustenance, that flower will die.

[43:07] What happens in many of our lives is that we take great care and we love the fact that you say, yes, this is beautiful. [43:13] You say, my life matters to God. And you receive that as a grace and you should. [43:19] But there is another side of that when you’re actually living in this world. [43:23] You need to understand that your life matters to God also means that the decisions that you make in your life matter to God. [43:35] You see, some of us, we make decisions on a daily basis that invites worldly anxiety into our lives. [43:46] And we continue to make bad decision after bad decision after bad decision.

[43:50] And it’s not that we don’t know what the right decision is, it’s just that we don’t want to do the right things. [43:56] And then when we are filled with anxiety because everything’s falling apart around us, in that moment we say, God, how could you let this happen to me?

[44:08] When Jesus gives us exactly what we need to do, starting in verse 31, he says, you’re worried about what you’re going to eat. [44:16] You’re worried about what you’re going to drink. You’re worried about the clothes that you’re going to wear. [44:20] And here’s a fascinating miracle from Deuteronomy, Chapter eight, is that he actually and this is why I think Jesus is reckoning them back to Deuteronomy eight, [44:28] because he says, for the 40 years that Israel was in the wilderness, their clothes didn’t wear out. [44:33] So they had one outfit for 40 years. That’s what I assume that that means. [44:39] But think about the miracle there. Number one, they weren’t worried about whether or not they should wear white after tomorrow.

[44:46] Right. And number two, that means that not only did the clothing not tear and become tattered, [44:55] but it also means that in 40 years of getting fat and skinny, fat and skinny, their clothes adjusted. [45:05] A fascinating miracle. And so Jesus looks to us and he says, Are you really worried about your clothing?

[45:14] He says in verse 32, he says the Gentiles and by Gentiles, he simply means people who aren’t following God, [45:20] people who don’t believe that Jesus is God in our age. He says they chase after the same thing. [45:28] Are you really not living your life any differently than people that don’t believe that Jesus is the Savior? [45:36] And in verse 32, excuse me, 33, he says this, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. [45:45] And all these things will be added to you. Think about the things that cause the most anxiety in your life. [45:54] And you have to ask yourself, am I serving the right master? If you are submitted to the one true God,

[46:02] then you will seek first his kingdom. And that will lead to a life of oftentimes defying the norm. [46:10] Because here’s the key. You have the choice of what you’re going to invest in with your life, [46:18] of what you are going to pour your time, your talent, your money, your energy into throughout this life. [46:26] And what Jesus is confronting us here with the issue of anxiety is he’s telling us that if you invest in your kingdom, [46:34] in this world, in just material possessions, in fame, in fortune, in just people and things,

[46:45] then you’re not going to learn what it is to depend on God. You’re only going to learn what it is to depend on yourself. [46:53] And it’s only going to get as good as you can be responsible for making it.

[47:02] But Jesus says, if investing all of that into the kingdom of God is what takes priority,

[47:13] then God will give you a holistic life. You will get everything that he ever means for you to have. [47:19] You will have his provision. You will have his life. [47:22] And you will live the mission that Jesus came to give us through his gospel. [47:31] Don’t forget that everything that’s said here is actually a commentary on Matthew 6, 19 through 21. [47:40] Jesus has already warned. He says, don’t lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, [47:47] where moth and rust destroy, where thieves break in and steal.

[47:51] In other words, if you invest all that you have in the things of this world, [47:57] in the temporary fleeting pleasures of things, expect some anxiety because it’s going to rust. [48:05] Your car is not going to stay new. Your roof is going to need to be replaced. [48:11] Your shoes are going to need to be replaced. [48:15] He says this, but instead lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, [48:21] where neither moth nor rust destroys, thieves can’t break in there and steal.

[48:25] Where your treasure is there, your heart will be also.

[48:31] Consider this. Where is your heart?

[48:36] What are you the most affectionate about in this world? What do you want the most? [48:42] What are you investing in? What is it that you treasure? [48:46] What is it that you’re terrified you won’t gain enough of? [48:49] What is it that you are afraid you’re going to lose?

[48:55] That is your treasure. That is your treasure.

[49:01] Jesus isn’t saying when you feel like it, move your treasure. [49:05] He’s saying move your treasure so that you’ll feel like it. [49:08] Invest in the Kingdom of God. [49:12] Preach the Gospel. Love other people. [49:15] Make disciples. Form relationships around the Gospel. [49:21] Give your life to seeking the Kingdom of God,

[49:26] and you will have everything that God ever intends you to have. [49:34] Which you can’t lose any of that. [49:37] But if you don’t, maybe you should expect anxiety, [49:43] because everything else is stuff you’re going to lose anyway.

[49:48] Every week we reflect on the Lord’s Supper. [49:52] The bread on the table plates around this room

[49:58] represents the broken body of Christ. [50:00] The cup represents His shed blood. [50:02] Here’s the key.

[50:05] When you come and you eat and you drink, [50:07] you bring nothing to offer to the Lord’s table.

[50:12] But He has given you an entire meal. [50:16] Because when you come to faith in Jesus, you bring only need. [50:20] And He provides everything that you need. [50:24] And so this morning, if you’re a follower of Jesus, [50:27] and only if you’re a follower of Jesus, [50:29] in the front and in the back,

[50:31] come, eat, drink, proclaim your faith to everyone in this room. [50:37] Receive what you need from Jesus. [50:40] And then go seek first the Kingdom.

[50:46] Maybe some of the other issues will take care of themselves. [50:50] When you’re ready, come.

[51:10] If you want to learn more about Jesus, [51:11]