When You’re Worried

By Mike Fabarez on July 3, 2016

Luke 12:22-34

AUDIO

When You’re Worried

By Mike Fabarez on July 3, 2016

Luke 12:22-34

This is a rush transcript.

[00:00:00] Good morning. It is good to be here, certainly bring you greetings from the brothers and sisters that you have at CompassHB Bible Church in Aliso Viejo. So they are excited that they are fraternal, that they are your brothers and sisters. They pray for you. I can attest to that. And they are excited. And as Bobby was recounting how exciting it is to think about the planning of this church, you need to maybe jot this date down September 18th. That's when the next brand new baby. CompassHB Bible Church is being planted in Tustin, California, on September the 18th.

[00:00:34] So that's going to be an exciting time.

[00:00:37] And then I wonder where you'll plant your first compass Bible Church.

[00:00:41] Where will that be in Torrance or maybe in Downey or Arcadia? Maybe in Palm Desert. Maybe in Carlsbad.

[00:00:51] I mean, there are there's a need and almost I mean, you throw a dart at the map and know that there needs to be a solid, vibrant, exciting, enthusiastic Bible teaching church. And I hope that you take that eighth distinctive seriously, because the more CompassHB Bible churches we can plant that hold the distinctives that we have and the doctrine that has changed generations type. Speaking of Whitfield and all the rest. And Jonathan Edwards, I mean, we need this in our country now more than ever. And Southern California is a strategic place to get started with this. Now, this has nothing do with my sermon, but you got me on a rant here about our need for new churches. So I want you to be praying for the next one for us, which is September 18th, Tustin. And you need to be praying for what you're going to do in multiplying this congregation somewhere. And many of you will be the core group that'll go out and plant that new church. And I don't want to get ahead of your pastor because I'm sure he's praying and thinking about that. But be praying and thinking about it yourself, cause one day you're gonna hear it from this platform, new church starting at this place in this city. And as I tell our people, you need to be willing to at least consider that God may be calling you to be a part of that core team.

[00:02:01] And for the core team that left a to come here, you can attest that's an exciting thing to be a part of a core team that God is using to plant new churches. And I'm excited about this one and I'm excited to be a part of the Great Awakening Week. Wow. That's a high calling. We're Great Awakening, and it's already started out in Temecula there. I saw your Great Awakening. I saw it on the Internet, on Facebook. And it's exciting to see God doing new things in lives, as he's been doing in past generations. And it is exciting to be a part of Great Awakenings. And I should say you should know this about Great Awakenings. When God brings a great awakening, it not only will bring to life things in your life that were dead, that will come alive. I mean, a hunger for his word. A love for the true and living God. Not a desire to share your faith. Those things that were dead and dormant and didn't exist. They will they will spring into existence. That's true. But Gelson, you know the flipside of that, there's a lot of things that are alive in your life that need to die. And there's a lot of things with a great awakening when God gets a hold of your life that need to be killed off and God is going to work to make that happen.

[00:03:05] I mean, I guess the most obvious are our sinful behaviors. There are things that we do that need to stop, that God begins to work at putting to death in our lives. And then there's a series of words that are so much easier to take to engage in that need to stop words that would spill out of our mouths that now begin to become true tailed and and they begin to pass away.

[00:03:29] And then the most subtle of all, there's a lot of things that go on in the privacy and secrecy of our own hearts that do not please God, that need to start dying and those things need to go away. Now, many of the behaviors are very obvious, you know, cheating, stealing, those kinds of things.

[00:03:43] They need to stop. And soon as you are tempted to do those, you'll recognize that you'll throw a flag. You'll say these are not things in keeping with God and what he wants. And you'll you'll go to war against those things. Lot of words, too, that may come out of your mouth. And even as God begins to work in your life, you'll say, well, this is wrong. I shouldn't be gossiping, I shouldn't be lying and I shouldn't be cursing. And those things need to stop. And you'll see those will be evident and obvious. And even in the things I said were subtle and the secrecy of your life would be a lot of emotions that you'll have and feelings that you'll have to go. I know these don't please God, no. They'll be lust. There'll be hatred. There'll be things. There you go. Oh, that's not right. God doesn't want those. But I'm here today to address a subtle attitude within the depths and secrecy of your heart that if God is getting a hold of your life and producing this great awakening that we're celebrating this week, you need to make sure you declare war on this and you've already seen it. I hope if you've seen the outline or the title this week, and that is something very culturally acceptable and it's simply worry, worry, anxiety, fear, fretting.

[00:04:48] Someone comes to your small group says, you know, I got a problem. I you know, I hate my next door neighbor. I'm not going to get some attention. You know, I, I, I'm tempted to cheat with a lady across the street. Well. Going to get attention because I well, you know what, I curse all afternoon on Thursday because I was I get people's attention. That's a jaw dropper. Oh, we need to deal with that. But if someone says I'm worried about the economy now, I'm a little fretful about the political season, the stability of our country. You know, I'm worried about my job. I'm not. I mean, it's like we yawn through those things because they're not only culturally acceptable. So people feel like your mom, your job is to worry about your kids. Right. If you're in this world and we have the news going on about, you know, al-Qaida and ISIS and all that, well, of course, I mean, it's natural and normal that we would worry and we'd be anxious about that. We send our family off somewhere, our kids off somewhere, and to worry if we think that's the right thing to do. We need to understand something about worry, somebody about anxiety, something about fear that was so offensive to a holy God that Jesus talked about it more than a lot of other sins you would ever think. I mean, it's the focus of his teaching time and time again. He really says it. It strikes at the heart of something that should be so resident and central in your life as a Christian, that if you don't start to to assault this sin in your life, you've really got a problem with your relationship with God. Madrak I can tell a lot about your relationship with God by how your heart trusts in God and vanquishes just by the nature of your trust in God. Things like anxiety, fear and worry. This is one of many passages that Jesus addresses this topic, and I'd like to look at it together with you this morning. Luke, Chapter 12 versus 22 through 33. So grab your Bible, pull out your eye, pad your phone, call up this text and look at it with your own eyeballs. As I read it for you and recognize how important this is, if you say, well, the Holy Spirit, if it's Holy Spirit, invades my life and it's all about the Great Awakening, well, this is God's work. Now, I understand that things are going to come to life in your life because of the power and presence of the spirit. And things are going to be that at least producing a kind of guilt in your life. And there will be a guarantee of the vanquishing of those things in your life because of the president, the spirit. But please don't forget that though these things may be assured by the presence of the spirit in your life. They are a daily battle. God expects us to fight. You cannot accomplish the death of these things that offend God, whether they be sinful actions, sinful words or sinful feelings, attitudes in our heart, unless we work at it every day. So let's not be passive in our sanctification thinking somehow this is going to happen on its own. Jesus gives us logic here. He gives us issues of trust and conviction here. He talks about priorities here. These are things we need to take to heart. So let's look as we. We see this passage all read it for you. You follow along and we will see the lesson that Jesus gives us about faith and priorities. That I trust will do something this morning to help you launch a counter assault against fear and worry in your life. Beginning in verse 22, Luke twelve. Are you with me on this? And he said to his disciples. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, but you will eat about your body, what you will put on for life is more than food in the body, more than clothing. Consider the Ravens. Here's a little of his logic. Now they neither. So they don't reap that. Neither have storehouses or barns. And yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? More logic verse twenty five in which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his to his lifespan. If then you are not able to do a small thing as that. Then why are you anxious about the rest? Another example, verse 27, consider the Lui's how they grow. They don't spend, they don't toil, they they don't do any of that work to try and look at yet. I tell you, even Solomon and all of his glory, all his royal regalia, he wasn't a raid like one of these. But if God so close to the grass, which is alive in the field today and tomorrow, is thrown into the oven. How much more will he clothes you owe you? Here's an indictment of little faith. Now, how did this start? Verse 22 disciples. You may sinners. I am a disciple of Christ. You may be a disciple of Christ. I have faith for Jesus to save me. Jesus says, do you have enough faith for you not to be worried this week? You have a faith in your life to not be fretting and fearful. Then he says, really, it's not just about attacking sinful attitudes. It's about replacing it with something. And so he does and versus twenty nine to 33 and do not seek what you are to eat and what you're to drink, nor be worried for all the nations would seek after these things. And your father knows that you need them. Verse 31 instead seek his kingdom. And these things will be added to you if you're not little flock for it is your father's good. Pleasure to give you the kingdom. Matter of fact, sell your possessions, give to the needy, provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old with a treasure in the heavens. That does not fail where a thief were. No thief approaches and no moth destroys for where your treasure is there will your heart be also. He's got a lot to say to us in a day and in a culture and in a world that seems to fuel and inflame our fears every single day. And the answer isn't to stick your head in a hole and say, well, I'm going to listen to the news. I'm not going to look at my four one, Kay. I'm not going to look at my bank statement anymore. No, not at all. These are realities. We live in a world we need to understand. You've got bills to pay. You've got to look at whether or not you're making enough money to pay those bills.

[00:10:45] You've got issues that really might be of a concern regarding the welfare of your life and your family. You've got to look at those things. The goal isn't to ignore these threats.

[00:10:55] It's to have the kind of faith that overcomes these threats so that your heart is not filled with worry and anxiety. And let's tear this apart and try and figure out some of the strategies for us in this text, you see, versus 22 through 28, as I read it to you.

[00:11:10] This is certainly something that is addressing our faith, our faith and what our faith in a God. There's three movements here in this versus twenty two through 24 versus 25, 26 and 27, 28. Three different movements of things that I'm supposed to understand. And all of them contain some promise. So let's put it this way, if you're taking notes. Number one, we need to not worry. That's what we're gonna attack in our lives because we are trusting God's promises. Let's start with that. Don't worry. Trust God's promises. Now, three things we need to look at. Promises that God makes in this passage that should vanquish an issue and dispel the worry and fear in my life as I look at all the real threats and issues and problems and fears that might grip the life of a non Christian. They're not going to grip my life. If I can understand these three things, is this about faith in these things, these promises of God?

[00:12:06] I had my second born son had a birthday yesterday. He's 18. I got an 18 year old, 19 year old, and they're both golfers. Last year, my son was the captain of his golf team. Year before that, his brother was the captain of the golf team. So they're really good golfers. And that's because we threw them on the golf course when they were like four and five years old. And we taught them to swing a club and it didn't take but a few years till they were beating us handily on the golf course. I understand how that works. My wife and I played golf for years, but they're much better golfers than us and they were even better golfers than us in junior high, which is kind of embarrassing to admit, but really good golfers. Well, sometimes we're out there golfing and, you know, there might be someone that's watching strictly on the first tee, if you know what that's like. Golfers, you know, you go out there and the first tee, sometimes near the clubhouse, near the coffee shop. And when I get up there, I'm very fearful. If there's an audience watching me swing the club, you golfers smile at me. If you know that fear of like, I don't want to, you know, I'll just skip the first tee and drop the ball in the fairway.

[00:13:00] We can't do that. So you got to take that first swing. And my heart is petrified to swing that because I'm not that good of a golfer. And a lot of times you'll shank it. You just don't want to miss. You don't want to win. That's what you're trying not to do. But, you know, I recognize my in my in my lack of ability in this game to be proficient. And so I'm I'm afraid. But when I'm done, you know, hooking the ball into houses or whatever. And my son step up, OK? My feelings change completely. Medevacked I stand out of the way so that the guy's watching. Can watch my sons hit the ball because I have confidence in the way that they're going to hit this golf ball, not only in the fairway, but like, you know, two hundred and eighty yards, three hundred yards down the fairway. It's like I want them to see it. I almost want to get their attention and say, All right, you ready, guys? Here go. My boys hitting a golf ball. Now, here's the thing about my sons. I step up to watch them hit a golf ball off the first tee with a great deal of confidence that they are going to hit the ball well, because they hit the ball well most of the time. But my wife will tell you they don't hit the ball well all of the time. Right. But they hit the ball well enough most of the time that I have confidence in my heart. It does not beat out of my chest as it does when I see my wife or myself step up to the tee box. Sorry to throw her under the bus, but she'll admit it like, oh, no. So I have a great confidence they're going to do well. Listen, if I can do that with my sons that hit the golf ball well about 80, 90 percent of the time. How confident should I be whenever God says I'm going to do this in the future based on his track record in the past? Let me ask you that. I mean, here's what the Bible says about God. And I'll just quote it for you in Hebrews, Chapter six, verse 18 says, It is impossible for God to lie. Now, I know we're filled with a world of people who lie to us. But if you're a Christian, I hope you can get outside of your experience for a second with people telling you things and think about the God of the universe.

[00:15:04] Can he lie? He can't lie. So when he says, I'm going to do this thing in the future, he is absolutely 100 percent. Every time he stepped into the tea box, he's hit it absolutely straight in the fairway. Every single time. So when he says something about the shot he's about to make. How do you feel about it? If your heart's beating out of your chest, I'm not sure he's going to do these three things that he promises here. Then something's really wrong with you, right? I don't think you understand the God of the Bible who promises some things in this passage that are in disputable and they are true about you. OK. So let's look at the first one.

[00:15:42] I tell you, don't be anxious about your life, but you're gonna eat what you can put on all of that. Your life's more than food, body more than clothing. We could preach on that principle. That's important. But the point is, he's got you taken care of. He's gonna take care of you. Consider the Ravens. Now, here's the logic. They don't. So they don't reap. They don't have storehouses or barns, refrigerators or pantries yet. God feeds them. Now, here's the question for us. How much more value are you. Than the birds? You're taking notes. Jot this down. This is worth writing down. Here comes number one. You need to believe that God values you. Let's just start with that simple concept. Let's believe today right here in the 21st century. In North Orange County, God values you. Now you've got the context. Disciples sitting around being told, listen, vanquish the secret sin of anxiety and fear. Do not do that. Don't let that sit there in the recesses of your heart. Do not worry. Do not fear. Do not fret.

[00:16:40] Don't be anxious. And he says, first thing is, believe me. Listen, I value you. That's a good place to start. I value you.

[00:16:54] Jot this down.

[00:16:57] Psalm eight, it's a great song. There are a lot of things in this world we look at and we are impressed by and painters paint them and astronomers take pictures of things in the cosmos. We have people today that'll be just overwhelmed. The beauty of Huntington Beach, they've never been here. They visit their on their inspired. They buy t shirt. They they they buy postcards. This world. It's amazing. It's great soulmate. Here's the logic of soul mate. Yeah, it's great. So this is a look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon, the stars that you've set in place. It's amazing. And I think to myself, what are we human beings? What Amen? What are people that you would take an interest in us? Now, I understand that may be how we naturally feel when we look at big and important things like this spinning six septillion ton rock called Earth with all these things on it that make us, you know, impressed with how great the world is. But the gods, as all of that world, really nothing compared to how I value you. Because the next thing in that song is this. Think of what he's done to these little human beings on this planet. He set them above the entire creation. It's completely contrary to what these radical environmentalists will say. Right. We are not a blight on the world. We're not a problem to this planet. The planet was made for us not to abuse it. Not not not to, you know, not take care of it. But you understand everything in this world is subject to us in terms of the fact that God values us far more than anything he's ever made. Now, think about that. And it says that you've given us dominion over those things. You crowned us with glory and honor the people of the planet. You don't need not to be a Christian to have this passage apply to you. You are more important than anything in this world to God. That's a good place to start. Oh, and then, by the way, it says that if you are a Christian, God looked at your state as a sinner and though they were sinning angels that are far more glorious. Objectively speaking, than any human being on the planet, he chose to redeem you guys and not even the angels. There's no hope for every fallen angel. They've made a decision. They're stuck in their plight. You and I have made a series of decisions, sinful decisions. And God says, I'm going to look to those people and I'm going to redeem them. So if you're sitting here as a Christian this morning, you put your faith in Christ. You've repentant of your sins. God says I have redeemed you. That makes you, even in God's economy, more important not only than creation, but more important than the angelic class of sinners. You're a human sinner that God has sent his son to redeem an angel, scratch their heads at that and think I don't even understand how God would take so much attention and give his attention and his concern and his redemptive sacrifice for people like us. You sit here today, you may feel small. In light of all the things that you that impress you, you are more impressive to gut just by being a human being. And then add to that the euro redeemed human being. God has said his focus on you so much so that to compare it to an illustration in the Old Testament, when God looked at his covenant people, the Old Testament, he says this in two passages. If you want to jot them down, Deuteronomy 32 versus nine and 10 and Zachariah to verse eight, Deuteronomy 32 to nine and 10 and Zacharie to eight. Here's the illustration. I know you've heard it, but you probably did know where it was found. He says you guys in a howling wasteland are to me the apple of my eye. Now, I grew up hearing that phrase. I don't even know what it meant. But the apple of one's eye means the lens of the eye in a howling wasteland.

[00:20:36] Right. When you're in a sandstorm in the desert, you have to protect your eyes. And you're always careful about your eyes because it's such a sensitive part of your body and your face may be pelted with sand. You're going to shut your eyes are gonna cover your eyes. Going to put something over your eyes. You're going to protect your eyes. And he says in a howling wasteland, he said, I've encircled my people. I've cared for them and I've kept them. Is the apple of my eye, Zacharias. Chapter two. Verse eight. He says, whoever touches you touches the apple of my eye.

[00:21:09] Now, there's a lot of you know, you meet me at the door, you can high five and you can knuckle me. You can even give me a hug if you'd like. All of that, whatever. But you go sticking your finger in my eye when you greet me at the door.

[00:21:21] I'm not going to handle that very well, right?

[00:21:24] Just like if I come up to you and poke your your eyeball, right. What if I did it? Hey, how you doing? You're not going to like that. You need to understand God values you so much. Not only as a human being. As a redeemed human being, you are like gods eyeball.

[00:21:43] And if you. Mess with the eyeball of God. You're going to get guy's attention. He's going to respond and react.

[00:21:52] You understand how much got values, you as a person, as a redeemed child of his. And you're sitting around worrying about whether or not you're gonna have enough money to make it this month. You're sorry, I'm worried about, you know, I don't know, the political state, the economy. You're worried about your health. You're worried about what the doctor is gonna say when you get the test results. Listen, you are more valuable to God than anything in the universe. And I mean that even as I compare it not only to the things that he's made in this world, but the creatures that he's made, this angelic class of being, that's a big deal.

[00:22:28] He says in Luke, Chapter 11, it's like a father caring for children.

[00:22:33] What father among you if his son asks for a fish, going to give him a serpent. And you're saying, I've asked for a better job. I've asked for a raise. I've asked for good health. God hasn't given me what I've asked for. And you think somehow it's like a dad giving his kid something bad when he asks for something good. Now, I know this would take an entire sermon series to explain to you. But when God doesn't give us what we want. Right. It's not because he doesn't care for us. It's not because he doesn't value us. Because he's got some other plan involved in this. Just like a father in this room who's got little children is not going to say, oh, I didn't feed them today. And when they say, Daddy, Daddy, can we go get lunch? And say, no, whatever. Just suck on your thumb, right? No. That's not going to do that. Even a dad knows what to take care of my children. I'm going to provide for my children. Now, maybe the kid's not going to get what he wants when he wants it. But Dad's going to make sure he's cared for because he cares for his children. He doesn't just leave him in the church and forget about him. And at 4:00 in the afternoon, I'm going to go back, get my kids. I forgot. Oh, they have been fed. That didn't happen. And the Bible says if sinful people know how to care for their kids, how much more does the father know how to care for you? He values you.

[00:23:42] And that's, I suppose, the best we can get in terms of earthly relationships, the way that a parent cares for a child. Don't worry, trust God's promises promised, no one is God. Values you. God says I value you.

[00:23:55] Second installment of the logic here in versus twenty five and twenty six, we find it says which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his lifespan if then you are not able to do such a small thing. Is that why are you anxious about the rest? Now, here's the thing. The Bible says, why don't you try extending your life with worry? Doesn't work, doesn't work. You can't do anything with anxiety, worry and fear. It does not help you at all. Let's put it down this way. Here's the promise of God. You need to believe that anxiety is useless. If you're taking notes, this would be like letter B, OK? First of all, we need understand God cares for you. Let her be. You need to believe that anxiety is useless. Why would you spend your time doing useless things? Now, people to use these things all the time, useless things that they think will help them. People usually when they do useless things that they think will help them, we roll our eyeballs, raise our eyebrow, whatever, and we say, oh, that's so silly. Maybe it's a superstition that they have. Now, think about that. There are a lot of athletes that have superstitions, do they not? There a lot of baseball players. Have you seen the baseball players? They won't step on the chalk line when they go out onto the field. They don't to. Because that's a superstition. Not you. Tell me. Stepping on a line of chalk on a piece of dirt. Will that really matter how you play the game? No. But in their minds, I mean, that's just a little superstition. It's silly for some coach in the basketball arena that's going to bite on his towel. And he thinks he doesn't have his favorite lucky towel that he's biting on. Well, then the game won't go the way that he wants it to. Or a tennis player. Because all the tennis is going on right now. There are tennis players that say they don't change their socks through the entire series. And I can't imagine that. I don't know if these guys are married or not, but I don't see how that works. But they don't change their socks. And I'm thinking to myself, really? Do ratty old smelly socks help you play better tennis? And you'd say, no, it's their silly superstition. Now, that would be one thing for me to say to you, why are you worried? Why are you fearful? It does nothing for you. Nothing for you. It doesn't help you. There's nothing that's going to happen in your life that is positive because of anxiety. That'll be enough of a point to make. But let me make it this way. It is not only not helpful for you. It is counterproductive for you. Counterproductive no matter if you don't step on the chalk line. Doesn't matter if you chew a towel. If you're a coach, as long as you take it out of your mouth to talk to your players, it doesn't matter. You don't change your socks. I suppose it doesn't matter, right? You've still got socks on. You need socks and you'll have socks. But if I said, well, you know, I found a runner whose superstition is to wear a backpack full of books when he runs the race, well, that's a super stupid superstition. Now, you can have a superstition, I suppose, if if it's irrelevant. But that one is relevant because it's counterproductive for you. All the news that the swimmers now with the Olympics coming up, you think, well, you know, Phelps has got a new superstition and that is to wear a tuxedo when he swims. Right. That just feels like that's going to help him. Not going to help you or a dancer who says, well, you know, if I wear combat boots, I think it's going to help me dance better. It's not going to help you. And there are a lot of people here because society doesn't see it as a bad sin. Christians don't see it as all that bad of a sin. You think that worry can be a resonant part of your life and it's not a problem. And the Bible's very clear. It doesn't help you. And here's why. The word itself that translates anxiety in this passage, not be anxious. It comes from the Greek word that means division to be divided. Mayor Minato comes from the root word marriage. Zo Married's Zo is the Greek word to divide. And the point is here is the problem internally in your heart. When you worry your brain, your mind is divided. Let me I like this word for it. Here's what anxiety feels like. You're scatterbrained. You're a scatterbrain. Your brain cannot focus on what's in front of you as it would if you weren't worried. Worry is counterproductive. It's like wearing a tuxedo and trying to swim. It's like I'm in combat boots and trying to dance. It's like having a backpack full of books when you're trying to run. It doesn't help you. There's one thing Christians need to be, particularly Christians. Clear minded. We need to be clear minded and to be able to focus, neval, fix our focus on what's ahead and do it. Now, here's the problem. Anxiety doesn't let you do that. Married zill mind to be divided, married. So to split in half your brain.

[00:28:21] Becomes scatterbrained.

[00:28:24] Bible says, Don't be scatterbrain Philippians four, six and seven Great Passage says, listen, you need when you start feel scatterbrain, you need to pray. The faith building, exercise of prayer. Just would you start praying? So your mind can be clear minded again. And here's how it's put your basically instead of worrying, you're taking your prayer, which is a request and you're you're giving it to God, which, by the way, when you pray. Try not to use the word prayer when you pray. Are you following the logic of this? Try not to use the word prayer when you pray. It's like a lot of Bible words and Christian words we use when we don't think about what the word means. We say, I pray for this person. I pray for that. You know what prayer means? The word means to ask for something. I pray for this person. I pray for that person. You know what you're saying? I ask for this person. I ask for that person. What are you asking? You understand? Prayer is asking God for something. The Bible says be anxious for nothing but in everything. Right. You're supposed to with prayer and Thanksgiving. You're supposed to ask. You're giving God a request. Let your request be made known to God. See, when I start feeling scatterbrained and fearful about things, the uncertainties of the future, whether it's long term, whether it's corporate, whether it's national, whether it's local, whether it's ecclesiastical, whether it's personal in my own future. And I'm starting to be tempted to worry. The Bible says, just ask God. Ask God. That's a good verse. I hope you wrote it down, Philippians, Chapter four versus six and seven. Here's one to put right next to it. First, Peter, five, six and seven. There's a great coupling of two to two passages. Philippians four, six and seven. First. Peter five, six and seven. And here's the same idea in first Peter five, six and seven with a more vivid terminology that says this. He says those. And you should not be worried. You should humble yourself under God's mighty hand. He has power casting all your anxieties on him. When you're scatterbrain, say God. I'm thinking about these things. I'm worried about these things. Give it to you. The anxiety doesn't help. The only way you can turn anxiety into something positive is to say every time I feel anxiety, it's going to be a trigger to pray. And when I pray, I'm really going to try to turn this problem over to God. My family has a no problem with us when something breaks in the house.

[00:30:31] And I know I probably created the problem. They don't even try to fix it anymore. They just set it aside for dad. Here, Dad, fix this. This doesn't work. That doesn't work. I come home. All these things that don't work. Dad, you're the magic man. Fix it all now. That's really what God would have us do. Something's broken. He wants us to start with this. You know what? I know God can deal with this. Now, he may give it back to you, as I tried to do with my family. If you just do this, that and the other, it would work. Right. And he may have you do some things, but you start with this God. Here's my request. Here's my concern. You need to know this. God cares for you. That's a promise you have to start believing. You have to believe this. God says anxiety is useless. So stop with all that, if anything. Turn that into a trigger to pray. Thirdly, verse 27 still got the passage open. Luke Chapter twelve, verse 27 and 28. Third installment of this logical response about our faith. He says this. Think about the lilies of the field, how they grow. They don't. They don't toil. They don't spend. They don't make their clothing. Yet, I tell you, even Solomon, all his glory wasn't arrayed like one of these. And if God so close the grass, which is alive in the field today and tomorrow, started there. How much more will he clothe you? Oh, you have little faith. We've shifted now from God cares about you. Anxiety is useless. And now he says this God will take care of you. Now that's even a stronger promise. God values you. And that's a good place to start. Anxiety is stupid, it's foolish, it's useless. OK. OK. All right. You're right. I need to stop. I need to pray. Now he says I'll take care of you. I'll put it this way. It's easy to believe that God will provide. Believe that God will provide. You have to believe that. Believe it. Here's what the Bible says. God will provide. He will provide. But I'm really where. God will provide. Here's what I want you to look at. Turn turn to Soms with me, if you would keep your finger here or bookmark our passage. Look twelve and look at this text with the Psalm thirty seven. You need to believe this on the testimony of people who've lived it and watched it all around them. God is a God who provides for his people. He will provide not everything we want, but all that we need. I should say that probably three or four times, because I know we talk about first world problems, right? First World people get that mixed up. They think that what they want is what they need. What you want is not necessarily what you need. There's only a few things probably that you want that you actually need. But God says I will provide what you need. Take a look at this text. Psalm 37 drop down to verse 25. Here's the testimony of the Psalms. David says, As I have been young and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous, forsaken or his children begging for bread. He is ever lending generously and his children become a blessing. Read it again. Verse one. I've been young. Now I'm old. I haven't seen the righteous forsaken or his children begging for bread. He's ever lending generously. And his children become a blessing. Now you're going to say, well, are you telling me Christian never lose his job? Didn't say that. You tell me a Christian is never going to open his refrigerator and have nothing. I didn't say that. I said God will provide. Let me be very practical. You don't shut the refrigerator when it's empty and you have nothing in your checking account. And you pray to God and you open it to see if he's filled it. No, not yet. OK. God, please. I need some food for my family. Oh no, not yet. God, please. I need some food for my baby. Here's what the Bible says God will provide. To be very specific. Christ will be a Christ who gives you all that you need. Now, here's what the Bible says. He is the head and his people are the. What is it? Body. He is the head of the church. His people are the body. See if your refrigerator is empty. You have a room full of people right here who have refrigerators. And I'll bet there's enough in the refrigerators of all the people in this room to make sure that if your refrigerator is empty, that we will all eat and we will probably have more calories than we need this week. Absolutely. God will provide if you say like me. I can't afford earthquake insurance. And I turn on the news and I learn about the San Andreas Fault again, and they tell me again, it's gonna be horrible and awful. My house is going to be, you know, completely shut down and I'll have nothing and it's going to burn to the ground. Okay. I better get earthquake insurance. And I look at a ten trillion dollars, you know, for earthquake insurance. I can't afford that. Oh, no worry. Fret, I'm afraid, what's going to happen to me. Here's the thing, if my house collapses, right? Am I going to now send my children out to beg for bread and I'm going to be living out in the middle of nowhere and going to be destitute? No, not at all. Well, you know, we all kind of live here near the San Andreas. Maybe we're all going to you know, it's all right, as I say, to my church. You think about the worst case scenario of you not having what you absolutely need to survive. I want you to think about that. Can't find it. You need the body of Christ. And I say this to my church. I don't care how bad it gets. I don't care if ISIS takes over Orange County.

[00:35:44] I don't care if we have the worst earthquake they've ever had. Just try to get to the church. Okay? Just try to get there. Because we're gonna meet here and we're going to provide for one another's needs. Like bring your slingshot, your B.B. gun if you have to. Now we're gone. We'll hunt for squirrels and we'll cook them in the parking lot. We will survive and we will make sure that we care for each other because our job is not like the world to say. I better get all the food saved up. I better get all the water saved up. I make sure that I can care for myself. You're in the passage, so I'm thirty seven. Look back up at verse 21. The wicked borrows, but it doesn't pay back the righteous though. Here's the characteristic of the people of God. We're generous and we give for those blessed by the Lord shall inherit the land. But those coerced by him will be cut off. The steps of a man are established by the Lord. Verse 23 says when he delights in his way, though, he fall and there will be problems for us. And you might lose your job and you might have issues. You might not be able to pay your medical bills. That may happen.

[00:36:47] He shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand. Now, how do you feel the hand of the Lord through the body of Christ to speak in New Testament terms? I've been young and now I'm old. Have not seen the righteous, forsaken or his children begging for bread. He's ever lending generously. And his children become a blessing. We will be cared for. When Peter was sitting there watching the rich young ruler with his bag of money walk away because he wasn't willing to give it up to follow Christ. And they said, wow, this is something here. This guy has all this stuff. He's afraid to give it up. Peter speaks up and says, the Jesus in Matthew, 19, we've left everything to follow you. And you know what Jesus says? Here's his response. He says, you know what?

[00:37:30] There's not a person that's left anything. Houses, brothers, sisters, fathers, lands, children, for my sake and the gospel who will not receive a hundredfold. Now, in this time, Howes's brothers, sisters, mothers, children in lands with persecution and in the age to come, eternal life. Don't miss that in this life. When I became a Christian, I made a decision to become a pastor, which really wasn't a career move to make a lot of money. I don't know if you realize that or not. Right. That was not.

[00:37:59] I had very wealthy people in the extended family of my life. That's it. That's a stupid decision. Dumb decision. And I felt bad about the fact that I'm choosing this weird way to go to college. No one knows to study the Bible that half the people don't believe in anymore. And then to be a pastor and who knows what that might pay. And I found out real soon. Early in my ministry, not much. And I recognize this is a hard road. If it's about money. But here's what I recognized the day I became a Christian and said, I'm going to follow Jesus Christ. You know what? I ended up having hundreds of houses, hundreds of cars. As a matter of fact, I can even as a guest preacher in this church, I know if I go out and they've ripped off my car, the car that I drove up from South County and it's gone. And I said, oh, man, I have no car. I guess I have to take the bus home. The bus line is down, I guess. Carlyn. We're walking. Do you think I'd have to walk home today? Well, I was expecting a little more reaction from you.

[00:38:56] Well, I know at my church I wouldn't be walking home. The church would be like, yeah, we'll give you a ride.

[00:39:02] As a matter of fact, I'll bet worst case scenario. If I said I need it, I need it for the whole week.

[00:39:11] Now, actually, I'm going to I'm going to preach I'm leaving this afternoon to go preach at our our camp, you know, our CompassHB camp. And if I said I need it for the whole we are back in this room. I could probably get more than one person to offer me their car. I could really look at the cars and rank them and pick a real nice car.

[00:39:28] So I'll take that. That car right there, please. I'll bet that you know why? Because I'm a follower of Christ and I'm part of the same body you are. And here's the thing. If you needed a car and you can ask the people that know I mean, here, here's my keys. If you need the car, take it. We are willing to share generous and ready to share giving. That's what the righteous do. And you know what that means. We really don't have a need among us. We really won't. I say you get everything you want. Was I clear about that? No. But you will get everything that you need. Can you just right now know that I don't care what insurance you don't have on your life. You have the ultimate assurance insurance that you had ever had.

[00:40:06] And that is that you are a part of the body of Christ. And if the worst takes place, as I like to say to my church. Meet me. Meet people here. Meet your church here. And we'll do the best we can. And we will survive. Davis, as I was young, normal, not seen the righteous forsaken you've got to believe that God will provide. There's three promises God values you. He promises that anxiety is stupid and useless.

[00:40:30] I'm using the word stupidly. He'd use the word, but it's of no value. It's not able to do anything. It's impotent. And God will provide great.

[00:40:41] I said this in the second half of this as though I had time to preach this part of the sermon verse twenty nine through 33. We've got to replace this with something. Don't seek that word. By the way, let's underline that word in verse twenty nine. Go back now, Luke. Twelve. I'd be a good place to get right now, Luke. Twelve. Twenty nine.

[00:40:58] And do not underline this word. Put a box around it or in your electronic device. Highlight this word. Sikh. When you get home. If you've got Bible software or whatever. That's a good word to look at. This is a strong word. This is a word you might have to pursue to chase. To strive after. Do not seek. Do not chase. Do not strive after what you're to eat, what you're to drink or to be worried. Now, that doesn't mean that you sit there and don't try to order food at lunch today. No, you better order some food.

[00:41:26] But you're not going to strive to give chase. You're not going to seek it. You're not going to go after it like some kind of person that has to have it. Don't seek after these things that everyone else is looking for. They want things that are going to be fun and that are going to provide for them and comfort and convenience, all of that. That's not what I'm seeking. The nations of the world, they seek after these things. And your father knows you need them. Now, we're talking about needs, not wants. He knows you need food. He knows your kids need an education. He knows you need tires on your car. He knows you need a job. He knows you need those things. But your job is not to seek to chase, to strive after those things. All the nations of the world are seeking to instead seek the kingdom. And these things we attitude, fear, not little flock. The father's good pleasure is to give you the kingdom. Therefore, you can be generous with what you've got. You can provide for yourself something in God's economy. That's like moneybags. It don't grow old. Treasure that doesn't fear thieves that can't break in and steal it. Mozza can't destroy it. Where your treasures, your heart is also. Let's look at this second half real quick and let's give it this title. Don't worry. That's our our sermon today. Don't worry. Believe God's promises. That's number one. Number two, don't worry. Pursue God's agenda. That's what I'm gonna do. I need to take my life and say I'm not going to be grubbing after all the things the world is about. I'm gonna have the treasure or the focus of my heart pursue and inflame my life to chase after. Pursue after God's agenda what God wants. All under the umbrella of the word kingdom.

[00:42:57] OK. Let me give you three sub points under this one when it comes to my work.

[00:43:01] It doesn't mean I don't work. I'm just gonna work differently. Because if I look at this past and say, oh, great, I guess I don't I don't need a job, I, I'm not going to seek after what I'm going to eat drinker or or close. So I guess I quit my job. No, didn't say that. The Bible's very clear. There is a Christian work ethic, but it's not a kind of work ethic that's driven by greed or worry. Let's put it this way. Let her. For taking notes. We need to work. Unlike there's the keyword. Let's work. Unlike are anxious and greedy world. That's a phrase. I know it's long. I like to have my points little shorter than that. But let's write it now. Art work unlike ah greedy. Ah anxious and greedy world. Our world is anxious and greedy. They want security. They want convenience. They want comfort. They want stuff. They want big bank accounts. That's what they want.

[00:43:49] I'm going to work but I'm going to work. Unlike they work. I'm not going to work out of a anxious or greedy motive. I'm going to work differently.

[00:43:59] The Bible says this. Proverbs, Chapter 10.

[00:44:03] Here's a here's a juxtaposition, a connection, a combination of two things you need to understand, and this is wisdom, Proverbs 10 three through five. The Lord does not let the righteous go hungry. Now there's the promise again. It's like the song we read. You're not gonna let me go hungry. Next verse. A slack hand causes poverty. But the hand of the diligent makes rich. Now think about that. The promise that God will provide. And then the command to be diligent. Now, that does something for me. Most people are diligent with their hand because they're afraid there's no one out there to provide for them. They've got to provide for themselves. The combination in the scripture is God promises to provide. And then he says, work diligently. That takes the pressure off of me. I'm not working for a paycheck. I'm not working for economic security. I'm not trying to do things in my life. So I can provide some layer of protection for myself because my protection is not my bank account, my protection, not my insurance policies. My my protection is not my alarm system on my house. My my protection is not the locks on my doors. I'm trusting that God is a God who values me anxieties, stupid and ridiculous and worthless. And he says he's going to provide. So now I'm going to work differently than the world.

[00:45:18] I'm going to work heartedly to quote Colossians three twenty three, but I'm going to work heartedly for the Lord in my secular work. Now I'm a pastor, but if I were an accountant, an architect or whatever, doesn't matter what I'm doing, I'm going to do it for the Lord. Which should certainly be the case for pastors and missionaries and Bible transit. Do it for the Lord. You're going now to change to exchange your dollars for a paycheck. I'm just going to say don't do it for the paycheck. Do it for the Lord. Now, I'd say get an arrangement where you get paid for your work. That's important. But what I'm doing is, in my mind, I'm not working like the guy next to me in the office or the cube next to me. I'm working for the Lord. Which, by the way, will make you a better worker than those that work for their paycheck, which usually means that Christians, if they really do their jobs well, will end up doing something that becomes more lucrative. I've given these illustrations before. Well, not to this group, I suppose. But you take a company like Chick Fillet or what's the art one? What's the art one? Hobby Lobby. These that shut down their doors. Right. On Sunday. Now they're always in the news because of people that hate them, because they're Christian values and all that. If you compare the money that they make in six days over the largest competitor, you can pick whatever competitor you want for Chick fil A. KFC was the one I've done the study on. You take Kentucky Fried Chicken versus Chick Fillet and they, with seven days open, make a lower profit per franchise per place per store than chick fillet who says I'm willing to take a day off now. Think about that. Here's a company that says, I'm willing to send the same. By the way, if you compare Michael's the art supply store with with what's the story I just mentioned Hobby Lobby. It rhymes. I should remember it.

[00:47:01] But that's those two. You compare these.

[00:47:04] I mean, when you look at their budgets, they're about the same Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Chick fil A, KFC is in big right, I think. No, it's not bigger. But those two, as I recall, are similar in terms of their bottom line. But when you look at how they're making their money and what's more lucrative, I'm just saying this. And they're not doing it for the money. If they were, they'd be open seven days a week and at six. That's not a statement on the Sabbath or anything like that. This is a statement on a company, both of these companies trying to say where to do things because we're working for the Lord.

[00:47:34] We care about his opinion. And all I'm telling you is stop working for a paycheck, start working for the glory of God. And like Cloche in three, you'll do your work hardly under the Lord. Knowing that from the Lord, you receive an inheritance as your reward. You're serving the Lord Christ.

[00:47:48] That's a great passage. Colossians three, 23 and 24. And it reminds me how I'm supposed to work, which is much different than the greedy world. Well, let's get down to it. Verse 31, then. Luke Twelve. What am I supposed to seek? I'm not working like they are.

[00:48:02] What am I seeking saying I work for the Lord. Well, here's what I'm seeking. You want to know what to pursue. What to chase after. What to have your heart zealously pursuing. Well, it says this. Seek his kingdom, God's kingdom and all these other things you read about. Gotta take care of. They'll be added to you. Fear not. Little flock. It's the father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. You've got the kingdom. You've got entrance into his family. You've got forgiveness of sins. You've got a community of believers that is your family. The kingdom has been given to you and the future arrival of the kingdom. When these foretaste of the kingdom become the reality of the kingdom, when the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, when you see that kingdom.

[00:48:43] That's all that this is about. And as Christian, that's what we live for. And the Bible says this. When you think about your life. Now live for that thing. Let her be. I put it this way. We need to work to promote God's coming kingdom. Right now, we just have foretaste of it. Net. Then it's coming.

[00:49:03] So my life right now, I don't care if I'm a plumber or a welder, a framer, an architect, a lawyer. My job is to do my work as to the Lord. And my concern is ultimately the coming kingdom, which will make me be a good lawyer, a good welder, a good framer, a good manager, whatever I am. But the idea is I'm not worried about the money. Really, if I'm going to use the word worried at all, I'm worried about the coming kingdom. I'm anxious for the arrival of the kingdom.

[00:49:31] I'm thinking about and I'm pursuing and chasing the coming kingdom. Real quickly, this is Surman within a certainly a few ways we do that. Number one, you pray for it. Do you pray every day for the coming kingdom? You want to take worry and extract it from the private recesses of your life. Start praying every day. You can't wait for the coming kingdom. Jesus. This is Jesus's idea, not mine. He says this when he taught his disciples to pray. Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. What's the first thing that comes on the list? Thy kingdom come.

[00:50:01] Well, that's a good reminder. Did you pray for that this morning when you got it? How about yesterday? How many times did you pray for that? At least once. I hope so.

[00:50:08] This is so convicting when we think about so fundamental is the first thing on the list. After worshiping God in my prayer life, I should be praying for the coming kingdom. You want to work and provide and strive for the kingdom, if that's your goal.

[00:50:21] You've got to start praying for it. Pray for the arrival of the kingdom.

[00:50:25] Chapter three versus three and forces set your mind on it. Think about it throughout the day. Put a little sticky note, a 3M sticky note or whatever knockoff brand you use maybe on the bezzle of your computer screen. Right. Do something. Maybe put a little verse from from Revelation 21 or 22. Talk about the arrival of the other great verse. I always quote, you know, the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ. Put it down. Someone put it so that you remember. Set your mind on these things.

[00:50:51] Things above not on things of this are.

[00:50:54] And by the way, my favorite passage is just talking to my wife this morning about my favorite today, I don't know, maybe a different passage tomorrow, but Hebrews Chapter 11. And since I said it was my favorite this morning at least, is today my favorite passage? Let's turn to this real quickly if I can share one of my favorite passages with you. I said one of. But I said this morning it was my favorite passage.

[00:51:14] Psychotic Hebrews Eleven. Take a look at this. Love this. Love, love, love, love this passage. So helpful and really crystallizes what we're talking about here. Hebrews eleven verse 13 through 16. Hebrews 11, 13 through sixteen. All of these we've talked about all these patriarchs, all these important people. The Old Testament died in faith. They died trusting, trusting about God and his promises, not having received the things promised right. They didn't get these things in their lifetime. And we're talking about the big promises now of the kingdom.

[00:51:53] But having seen them and greeted them from afar, I love that seen them. Their mind was set and greeted them. They loved it. They thought about it. They prayed about it. They loved to think about the coming kingdom. And having acknowledged it, when it comes to this earth, strangers and exiles on Earth doesn't really meet you.

[00:52:12] Last time you rented a car. Did you trick it out? Did you buy some new floor mats for it? Did did you buy some cool. Put a new stereo in your last rental car. Why didn't you do that? Because you're going to turn it in a week. I don't really care. I rented a car recently. I was speaking out somewhere and they they they broke into it. Now, I walked out there feeling not all that bad about it because all that we had in it happened to be on the speaking Gauger's. He went on, bought some shoes. I wish they were cheaper shoes that she had bought and that's all they stole was a box of shoes. And I thought, well, unless it's a, you know, a size seven female that broke into our car, they're really disappointed with the take on this robbery because there was nothing on. But this pair of shoes, which I said, well, they probably weren't. You probably were going to like him anyway. How did I feel about that?

[00:53:01] Now I go out here and I have my car ripped off. Right. Though I shouldn't feel too bad about it, cause that's the whole point of this illustration. Right. I probably feel worse than when they broke into my rental car because I'm like, oh, whatever. Got insurance, find your car. I mean, I should feel worse, I suppose, because it's you know, it's it's ah, you know, enterprise or whatever. But I didn't it wasn't my car.

[00:53:23] See? And the problem is you need to realize you are you are an alien and a stranger in exile here. We're passing. Remember the old if you've been a longtime Christian, the 70s is OK. The world's not my home. I'm just passing through. Remember that old phrase, old timer, smile at me. Only two of you knew that phrase, right? The world is not my home. Right. We're just passing through.

[00:53:44] OK, I remember that phrase.

[00:53:48] And the Bible says that's how we should view this world. So you don't get the raise, so you don't get the big house. So you don't get the boat. So you don't get all these things. So you can't wear the weight at latest closely. You don't have all that cool jewelry.

[00:53:57] What does it matter? Right. Having seen and greeted these promises from afar, man, that that's great. And these people who speak, thus they have this value system, verse 14. They make it clear that they're seeking a home. It's not that they're just apathetic. They're not apathetic. They're zealous for something. It's just not this life. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. You could live like everyone else. You could've been grubbing for advancement and for riches and all this. You could have done that. But as it is love, as they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. It's like Abraham leaving Earth, the counties to go to the promised. And he never made it really never built a house in the promised land. He lived in tents as a stranger in a sojourner. But he left that old place. He could have gone back. He didn't go back. He kept looking for the kingdom.

[00:54:46] I left my old life at 18. Left it done. I had a career aspiration that a full scholarship to go to college had all these things I wanted to do. And God got a hold on my life as a God. Whatever you want me to do. Just as Shane got up here and said this morning, just whatever you want. Here's my life. God took me in a new direction. But the things of this world are not the things that God instills his desires in my heart. It's the kingdom. It's the coming kingdom and the coming kingdom. He says. If you would have that desire for the coming kingdom, you'd know that what we're looking for is a better country, a heavenly one. Now look at this face.

[00:55:18] Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God. Now, flip that over, by the way, if you want a little conviction. God can be ashamed to say I'm the God of that person. Why, if your values are you're so stuck on this earth, you're so worried about your advancement here, you're all worried about whether or not you're going to get raises and be rich and have that picket fence in the house. And I'm in a real buy a house. What does it matter? Seek first the kingdom. Therefore, because people have these values is not ashamed to call. And you know what? And he's smiling because he knows where you're headed for. He has prepared for them. A city you're going to have a home. Seek to promote this kingdom, pray for its arrival, set your mind on it, show the relative unimportance of this life and seek to promote it. I know this church is serious about promoting the kingdom. Get out there this week and promote it. That that parade doesn't matter. Right? It doesn't matter whether or not there's a really super cool parade. What matters is whether the people along that parade route understand what it is to get their sins forgiven and can join us in the kingdom one day because everything they care about in this life is going to burn. All that matters is whether or not they get saved. See, that's what we should be concerned about, promoting the king. Everybody in your office, that's all trying to be successful. All that really matters is whether or not their name is gonna be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, whether they're going to be in the kingdom with us. That's what matters. Seek first. The kingdom going to be a good worker. Yeah. Going to put a good float together. Sure. To do great things in this world. I suppose so. But not for the reasons everyone else's.

[00:56:54] Lastly, versus 33 and 34. Now, I can be generous.

[00:57:00] Because these possessions don't possess me, I really possess them, and I can let go of them when I want to sell your possessions, give to the needy, provide for yourselves, moneybags don't grow old. A treasure in the heavens loot. Twelve verse 33. That doesn't fail, we're no thief approaches, no moth destroys for where your treasure is there will your heart be also.

[00:57:22] Be generous. There may be things you think you can't afford to give away. I'm not asking to be stupid. I want to be prudent. But let's be generous.

[00:57:31] Does it really matter really matter that when there's an opportunity to promote the kingdom and you say, well, that's another night out this week? I don't know.

[00:57:40] Don't want to go out on a visit to give up another night to go promote the kingdom, to have to make friends by means of Mammon, as the Bible says, to use my money to pick up a check at a lunch date with a non Christian and say, yeah, I want to I'm going to pay for this, not because I can afford it. Because I have throw away money, but because I want to build bridges with my income, my home that I'm so concerned about keeping as my little private getaway in the place. Can I open up my home to people and recognize I'm willing to sacrifice that and utilize my stuff and pay for things and buy more food for a dinner?

[00:58:11] And the people might do it. Be generous. And you know what you're doing? You're building up your treasure in heaven. Kingdom values are to love people. You will be generous. The more you love them. The American Psychological Association said that one out of four people say that they are stressed about their money all the time. They say a vast majority. Far more than not are worried about their finances.

[00:58:41] And if all you would have yet another survey about the state of our politics, the state of our world, the state of our economy, look what's going on in the EU, what's going on with ISIS? People are worried and they're stressed out. That's the world we live in.

[00:58:54] God expects something different from his kids.

[00:58:57] We live in a greedy, frightened, scared, anxious culture. Don't ever let that sin harbor in your life. You want a great awakening. That is something that needs to die. What needs to be awakened is a sense of faith and confidence in the promises of God and a renewed desire to pursue his agenda. May that be the reality for this church? For my life, for yours. Let's pray God.

[00:59:18] Help us.

[00:59:20] In a day filled with scary news. Personally, I suppose for all of us, we can think about things that have frightened us, whether related to our health or our economy. But is someone hundred twelve or six says. The righteous will never be moved. The righteous are not afraid of bad news, their hearts are firm, trusting in the Lord, their hearts are steady. They will not be afraid.

[00:59:44] That help us to be those kinds of people who can walk out of here with a real sense of your provision, a God who's batting a thousand who, when he promises something, keeps his promise. Do that for us, God, and give us an assurance that you care for us. That our tendency in our fallen state to worry is useless. And he promised to take care of us. That'll free us up to pursue your kingdom. Let us do that this week with abandon, with sacrifice, being willing, as Paul said, to spend and be expended for the souls of people and for advancing the cause of Christ in this world. In Jesus name.

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