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good morning everyone welcome to the house of the Lord on the Lord's Day special Lord's Day the last Lord's day of 2023 indeed the last day of the calendar year God has been good to us throughout this year we want to Rejoice together over his goodness uh a few announcements before we get started the evening service of course at 5:00 p.m. this evening there is no Wednesday night bible study this coming Wednesday January 3rd but it will resume the following Wednesday January 10th on January 7th Ryan Mal jars will be here preaching and we are going to move the Lord's Supper then to the following week so January 14th will be the Lord's supper and then we have another baptismal service coming up that will be January 24th for Charelle cherelle Neils and Becca Abby so we rejoice in God's goodness to us right away in the coming new year with this celebration for our call to worship please turn to Isaiah chap 11 Isaiah 11 we'll read from verse 1 through verse 10 there shall come forth a rod from the stem of Jesse and a branch shall grow out of his roots the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of counsel and might the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord his Delight is in the fear of the Lord and he shall not judge by the sight of his eyes nor decide by the hearing of his ears but with righteousness he shall judge the poor and decide with equity for the meek of the earth he shall strike the Earth with the rod of his mouth and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked righteousness shall be the belt of his loins and faithfulness the belt of his waist the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb the leopard shall lie down with the young goat the calf and the Young Lion and the fat together and a little child shall lead them the cow and the bear shall graze their young ones shall lie down together and the lion shall eat straw like the ox the nursing child shall play by the Cobra's hole and the wing child shall put his hand in the Viper's Den they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my Holy Mountain for the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea and in that day there shall be a root of Jesse who shall stand as a banner to the people for the Gentiles shall seek him and his resting place shall be glorious amen for our first hymn we're going to sing Psalm 46 c as in Charlie Psalm 46c please stand with me as we sing together H near we will not the word for God is to and Earth Foundation sh the angry and bring against the sh our Mighty God will bless with Living Waters all his the nation SE the Lord of H our [Music] father is our Eternal beh is my brings peace to every still GL is Lord by all the Earth Lord the of is our father our man you may be seated let us turn to the Lord in prayer our gracious Heavenly Father we thank you for this opportunity that we have to come before you on this very special day as we look back over the year past and we consider and contemplate the many blessings that you have poured out upon us blessings that we do not deserve but we thank you for them we thank you for for health and strength and provision we thank you for safety we thank you for peace in our land we thank you for the blessings in this church where you have saved souls and and added new members to the church and continue to build your people up in their Most Holy Faith we thank you oh Lord that you have knitted us together as a body and we know we know Lord that not all have experienced the same blessings or the same trials in this year past but when one member suffers we all suffer together and we pray for those that have gone through deep Waters and are still going through deep Waters we pray oh God that you'd be gracious to your people and that you would strengthen and sustain them at this time Lord I pray especially for Esther and for Charles that you'd be gracious to them and to their children Lord sustain Esther I pray that you would cause her to have the receive the best of care and that she would uh recover that she would gain strength and gain weight and and we pray that she would soon be able to be back in our midst and join us Lord we thank you for your grace upon them and sustaining them thus far others in our midst who are not able to be with us because of sickness or or or chronic illness we pray you'd be gracious to them this day as well bless those who are still traveling over the holiday season we pray that you'd bring them safely back to us as well we thank you for the good that you are doing here and have done throughout our our sister churches as well we pray oh God this day that you would bless them bless the congregation up in Armstrong we pray that you'd bless their the work there and cause them to be knit together cause them to to continue to grow in the faith may this New Year hold many blessings for them I pray the same for our brothers and sisters in sui bless them this morning as they gather encourage them and Lord may they look forward to a good year ahead bless the work in dren we pray oh Lord that there would be many Milestones pass in 2024 in that congregation you would do them good and and that they would be able to constitute as a a formal official body of local Believers in that place L we thank you for our sister churches all around the world we know there are many gathered this day to worship you and to give you praise and honor for your blessings of the Year P we think of the church there in Kenya and Elder we pray that you'd bless pastor ogallo and his fellow elders and their congregation we pray oh God that you would do good things in the coming year that they would see many advances in the Kingdom of God in that in that part of Africa Lord do the same throughout uh the Middle East we think of the countries where Christians are being persecuted not only in the Middle East but in in India in the South Pacific in China in North Korea Lord we pray that you would uphold your Saints where they are suffering under the hand of oppressive rulers in the government and oppressive religious systems that hate the truth Lord we pray that you'd be merciful to your flock all over the world and we pray that the gospel would continue to go forward Lord we look forward to this coming year knowing that you are in control we know nothing of what lies around the corner we do not know whether 2024 will be a year of peace and Tranquility or otherwise but we know who directs all things and we are grateful that we serve the true and living God we are grateful that you have called us out of Darkness into Marvelous Light and we know that everything that transpires is from your hand and works together for good for your people and for your church we thank you for this we pray oh God that you would continue with us this day we pray oh Lord that we would continue to experience peace in this land that you would bless the magistrates of this country in such a way that they would rule righteously and those who are opposed to you and continue to raise the fist against your rule we pray oh God that you would bring them down we ask these things in Jesus name amen amen amen for our next hymn we'll turn to number 459 in our Himel 459 my hope is built on nothing less and let us Stand Together As we [Music] sing holy Jesus [Music] Christ every highest in the the [Music] all [Applause] his all around my all my Christ oh ground s all [Music] s the Christ all may be SE please take your Bibles and turn with me to Matthew chapter 15 for our morning New Testament reading Matthew chapter 15 and we will pick up where we left off a couple weeks ago which is in verse 21 Matthew 15 verse 21 to the end of the chapter then Jesus went out from there and departed to the region of Ty and sidon and behold a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to him saying have mercy on me oh Lord son of David my daughter is severely demon-possessed but he answered her not a word and his his disciples came and urged him saying send her away for she cries out after us but he answered and said I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the House of Israel then she came and worshiped him saying Lord help me but he answered and said it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs and she he said yes Lord yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table then Jesus answered and said to her oh woman great is your faith let it be to you as you desire and her daughter was healed from that very hour Jesus departed from there scooted the Sea of Galilee and went up on the mountain and sat down there then great multitudes came to him having with them the lame blind mute maimed and many others and they laid them down at jesus' feet and he healed them so the multitude marveled when they saw the mute speaking the maimed made whole the lame walking and the blind seeing and they glorified the god of Israel now Jesus called his disciples to himself and said I have compassion on the multitude because they have now continued with me three days and have nothing to eat and I do not want to send them away hungry lest they faint on the way then his disciples said to him where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to feed such a great multitude Jesus said to them how many loaves do you have and they said seven and a few little fish and he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground and he took the seven Loaves and the fish and gave thanks broke them and gave them to his disciples and the disciples gave to the multitude so they all ate and were filled and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that that were left now those who ate were 4,000 men besides women and children and he sent away the multitude got into the boat and came to the region of magdala Amen let us pray gracious Father in heaven we thank you that Christ Our Redeemer was both man and God and the works that he did were proof one of the proofs that he was indeed the God man there was none who could do the things that he did say save God himself we thank you for what he did throughout his life that he obeyed fully the the law of God and carried out his father's will that he went to the cross on our behalf and was crucified that he died and was resurrected on the third day for us and we give you thanks and praise for that please continue with us in this hour of worship we pray in Jesus name amen for our final hymn we'll turn to Psalm 138a as in Alpha 138a and please stand with me again as we [Music] sing all my heart my I the your PR I sing I bow before your holy place and praise your name for Tru and graise for you all things so Lord your name and I you me my soul with all king of Earth shall the Lord for for wonderous and shall sing the prise of God for glor is the Lord the Lord is on high with of Andy heart he knows [Music] [Applause] them you will and streng me the and of my the for be the worldless be [Music] for for by [Music] your you can turn with me back to Mark uh Matthew's gospel we'll look at Matthew chapter 6 Matthew chap 6 our Focus will be on verses 24 to 30 or 25- 34 but I want to read beginning in verse one just so we can connect the dots in the larger context so Matthew chapter 6 beginning in verse one take heed that you do not do your charitable Deeds before men to be seen by them otherwise you have no reward from your father in Heaven therefore when you do it charitable deed do not sound a trumpet before you as the Hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may have Glory from men assuredly I say to you they have their reward but when you do a charitable deed do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your charitable deed may be in secret and your father who sees in secret will will himself reward you openly and when you pray you shall not be like the Hypocrites for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets that that they may be seen by men assuredly I say to you they have their reward but you when you pray go into your room and when you have shut your door pray to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly and when you pray do not use vain repetitions as the Heathen do for they think that they will be heard for their many words therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things you have need of before you ask him in this manner there therefore pray Our Father in heaven Hallowed Be Your Name Your Kingdom Come your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors and do not lead us into temptation but Deliver Us from the evil one for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen for if you forgive men their trespasses your heavenly father will also forgive you but if you do not forgive men their trespasses neither will your father forgive your trespasses moreover when you fast do not be like the Hypocrites with a sad countenance for they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting assuredly I say to you they have their reward but you when you fast anoint your head and wash your face so that you do not appear to men to be fasting but to your father who is in the secret place and your father who sees in secret will reward you openly do not lay up for yourselves Treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal but lay up for yourselves Treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there your heart will be also the lamp of the body is the eye if Therefore your eye is good your whole body will be full of light but if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of Darkness if therefore the light that is in you is Darkness how great is that darkness no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other you cannot serve God and Mammon therefore I say to you do not worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body what you will put on is not life more than food and the Bo and and the body more than clothing look at the birds of the air for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly father feeds them are you not of more value than they which of You by worrying can add one cubit to his stature so why do you worry about clothing consider the lies of the field how they grow they neither toil nor Spin and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not array like one of these now if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven will he not more much more clothe you oh you of little faith therefore do not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear for after all these things the Gentiles seek for your heavenly father knows that you need all these things but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you therefore do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about its own things sufficient for the day is its own trouble amen well let us pray Our God and Father we thank you for this Lord's day we thank you for the blessing of corporate worship for The Fellowship of the Saints for the Pres pres of Christ in the midst of the lampstand we pray that you would be glorified here that you would be worshiped and honored that your Holy Spirit would be at work in our hearts and in our minds that we would receive the teaching from our our blessed savior this prohibition against carnal anxiety or worry that so often paralyzes the the people of God we confess all sin and unrighteousness and pray for cleansing in his most precious blood and we pray that today all over this Earth including our gathering here this morning men women women boys and girls would seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness that that righteousness of Jesus Christ that that blessed Gospel of the Salvation of Sinners would be preached would be uh blessed by the spirit and that many would come out of Darkness into Marvelous Light we thank you for your power we thank you for your glory we thank you for your majesty and we pray now that you would guide us by the Holy Spirit forgiving us of all sin and all unrighteousness and we pray in jesus' name amen well it seemed appropriate as we enter into a new year as our brother prayed we don't really know what's around the corner but we're very thankful that we know that God is the one who is Sovereign over all things but with reference to chapter 6 at verses 25-34 it's connected to the larger context and basically Jesus starts off chapter 6 by emphasizing religious observance he deals with almsgiving and then he focuses on prayer and then he moves to the issue of fasting about the center of the chapter we see where our priority must be our Allegiance must be and then that comes to pass in a very practical and concrete way in the way that we conduct ourselves on a daily basis in verses 25 to 34 so basically if your treasure is in heaven according to verse 21 if your eye is focused upon Christ according to verses 22 and 23 and your slavery is to God Alone according to verse 24 then verses 25-34 uh uh encourage us how we're to function again in the day-to-day ordinary normal e and flow of life now sermons like this typically are associated with two problems the first is that the preacher assumes a posture of scolding I don't want to scold anybody today I don't like to be scolded so therefore I try not to scold others so if you feel scolded think encouraged but the second thing that often times attaches to sermons like these is that the one preaching it is somehow the guru he's going to be the guru today and teach us how not to worry Brethren I am not that kind of a guru in fact if you want a lesson on how to worry then I'm your Guru so I'm in the same boat with all of us I need the same reminders with reference to the to the individual with reference to the family with reference refer to society with reference to the economy with reference to politics with reference to ecclesiology all of those things can perplex the people of God all of those things can be a sort of a contest in our hearts in terms of primary Allegiance but I think the teaching not but I do know that the teaching of Jesus here is a wonderful corrective so we'll look at verses 25 to 34 under two considerations first the prohibition given by Jesus in verses 25-32 and then secondly the principle highlighted by Jesus in verses 33 and 34 so you've got a Prohibition several uh mentioned several times by our Lord and then you have a principle highlighted by him under prohibition I want to look first at the command in verses 25- 27 secondly a reproof in verses 28-30 and then finally a contrast in verses 31 and 32 but in essence what Jesus does here in this action is he tells us not to worry about our lives not to worry about our bodies and not to worry about our tomorrows that I think gets at the very Hub or or substance of what our blessed savior is trying to communicate and in terms of worry a simple definition is to give way to anxiety or unease allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles one thing I want to caution us is that Jesus is not here prohibiting the mindset of careful living walking circumspectly seeking to be a a faithful Steward of the resources entrusted to us working hard so that we can provide for our families we know there's other passages of scripture that we need to take into consideration with reference to this passage if the man does not provide for his own 1 Timothy 5'8 he's denied the faith he's worse than an Infidel so it's not the case that Jesus calls us to just lay on our couches don't worry be happy and wait till the escaton comes down and in velops us no that's not it at all he doesn't want us to be governed by worry he doesn't want us to be governed by anxiety he doesn't want to be want us to be paralyzed from Kingdom Pursuits so note first the command in verse 25A therefore I say to you do not worry do not worry easier said than to be done obviously but the the repetition of our Lord's words seems to indicate or presuppose that this is something that will plague the people of God in other words once you come to the Savior once you are uh clothed in his righteousness and you've been cleansed in his blood it doesn't mean now you can don't worry and be happy it doesn't mean that there's no more problem on the face of the Earth in fact verse 34 balances out the whole section telling us that tomorrow has enough troubles of its own so the passage doesn't mitigate the reality of the hardships associated with love life Jesus is not a health wealth and prosperity teacher but the fact that he commands this several times indicates that there is a su a susceptibility in the hearts of men to be given to carnal anxiety therefore I say to you do not worry that comes on the heels of what he says in verse 24 no one can serve two masters for either he will hate the one and love the other or else you will be loyal to the one and despise the other you cannot serve God in manit so what's the take message from verse uh 24 well I'm to serve God I'm to be faithful to God I am to use the language that he'll use in verse 33 seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness so notice that the therefore comes on the heels of that you are a slave of God you are a servant to God therefore I say to you do not worry and then the specific concerns are indicated there he says do not worry about your life what you will eat or what you will drink nor about your body what what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing look at the birds of the air for they neither sew nor reap nor gather into barns your your heavenly father feeds them are you not of more value than they which of You by worrying can add one cubit to his stature so he gives these concrete applications of what it is possibly that we may worry about Jesus is a connected preacher he doesn't just give this sort of exam uh admonition to not worry but he flashes it out he fills it out he underscores the difficulties associated in life of course we're concerned about our lives of course we're concerned about our bodies of course we're concerned with whether or not we're going to have another meal it has well been said we're only 9 meals away from Anarchy and I think that is becoming more obvious as this history Pro uh proceeds and so the fact that these things enter in upon us again Jesus doesn't say your dirty rotten Scoundrels I can't believe that you're concerned about your life I can't believe that you're concerned about your body he's saying I don't want you to be overcome by those concerns I don't want you to have divided Allegiance based on those concerns I don't want you to depart from the God that you are enslaved to by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone I want you to be Kingdom oriented I want you to be focused I want you to be purposed and don't you love the example that he gives with reference to to bringing this to pass look at verse 26 look at the birds of the air for they neither seow nor reap nor gather into barns yet your heavenly father feeds them are you of not are you not of more value than they Jesus teaches us something very very important here man is more important than animals I'm not suggesting we go out and treat animals with with utter disdain and and contempt and kick every cat that we see but we are of more value you why because we're the Pinnacle of God's creation in the creation of all things in Genesis 1: 26 to 28 it's man that bears the image of God it's not the Baltimore orial it's not the the beluga whale it's not the shark it's not the dog in your garage or in your living room hopefully it's not in your garage today it's not those beasts it is rather man Jesus invokes the same sort of an analogy in chapter 10 of Matthew's gospel a sparrow doesn't fall apart from the will of your father are you not more valuable than the sparrow so Christ again is a connected preacher he knows the problems that affect mankind but he also knows the remedy is often times to be seen in the way that God governs and sustains the lower creation Luther makes the observation based on look at the birds of the air he says you see he is making the birds our school Masters and teachers it is a great and abiding disgrace to to us that in the gospel a helpless Sparrow should become a theologian and a preacher to the wisest of men whenever you listen to a night Andale therefore you are listening to an excellent preacher it is this it is as if he were saying I prefer to be in the Lord's Kitchen he is made Heaven and Earth and he himself is the cook and the host every day he feeds and nourishes innumerable little birds out of his hand Christ is doing that and then note the specific statement that he draws from this in verse 27 spoiler alert the answer is no one verse 27 which of You by worrying can add one cubit to his stature how can you possibly extend your life how can you possibly provide promise for the future based on your worrying again Brethren I'd probably be immortal by this stage if that was in fact the principle you can't you can't increase you can't make it better worry doesn't bring peace to the soul of a man and that's precisely our Lord's teaching now notice he gives them this reproof in verses 28 and 29 he continues so so why do you worry about clothing can he assumes something concerning his audience he can he assumes something that is typical of mankind he assumes the reality that there will be a concern for our lives for our bodies and for our tomorrows so he's offering to us the corrective such that our lives and bodies and tomorrows don't take our Focus off the kingdom of God and his righteousness so notice in verse 28 why do you worry about your clothing consider the lies of the field how they grow they neither toil nor spin again that doesn't mean lay on your couch hold out your hand and hopefully the checks start to roll in lay on your couch and keep your front door unlocked so that when the Brethren come along and say we got a chicken for you and we've got a bag of vegetables you can tell them well well just come on in and set it in the kitchen and go ahead and prepare it for me cuz I don't want to get up off of this couch because I'm like the lies they don't toil and they don't Spin and yet God clothes them that's not the point you're supposed to take away from this you're supposed to take away the god of absolute unrivaled sovereignty who governs all his creatures and all their actions takes care of the lies in the field and if he takes care of the lies in the field how will he not with us freely give us all things isn't this Paul's point in the Book of Romans chapter 8 the God the Father who did not spare his own son but delivered him up for us how shall he not give us all that we stand in need of and again Brethren we're not talking about the best cars we're not talking about the best foods we're not talking about the best clothing the Apostle Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 6 says if we have food if we have clothing with this we shall be content not with steak and lobster and everything else that that we might find desirable but if we're sustained by our God we give praise and glory to our God and notice he UPS the anti in verse 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not array like one of these remember that scene in First Kings chapter 10 the fame of Solomon had spread throughout the Nations and the Queen of Sheba gets wind of it and the queen of sh Sheba visits Solomon what happens there she's Blown Away she can't imagine that somebody has such riches somebody has such resources somebody has such wisdom somebody has such a kingdom like this it truly was mindblowing for the Queen of Sheba what's Jesus saying the lies of the field clothed by God these lies that neither toil nor spin are more glorious than even Solomon in his kingdom in other words you've got to trust in God you cannot let this anxiety or this carnality or this worry disrupt you from the main things now notice thirdly under the prohibition given by Jesus the contrast in verses 31 and 32 first he speaks of the conduct of the Gentiles in verse 32 and then he speaks of the knowledge of the father in verse 32b but look at verse 31 therefore again do not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we where just want to remind you that doesn't mean don't go to work tomorrow and lay on your couch don't worry about it don't be grief struck over it because you see that while we might think it's a legitimate concern for the preservation of life and for body and for our tomorrows we can slip into a position where it becomes obsessive where that's all we're governed by that's the only thing that matters uh CS Lewis in the uh uh I can't remember where I read it but he speaks about that statement in in Proverbs give me neither poverty nor riches and he makes the observation that many a man will say that he's making his way in the world and yet more realistically the world is making its way into his heart always thought that's a good caution for us yes the Bible enjoins hard work upon the people of God yes the Bible stipulates 6 days you shall work a labor and do all your work it definitely calls us to that but it also calls us to be mindful that we can't serve God and Mammoth we're to serve God and God alone and so the Lord Jesus issues once again this statement in verse 31 therefore do not worry saying what shall we eat what shall we drink or what shall we wear as I said the repetition indicates Obsession Spurgeon comments here the questions in this verse are taken out of the worldlings catechism of distrust they're taken out of the worldlings catechism of distrust this constant thought that that perhaps God will not be there for us go back to the begin or the middle of the chapter or the first third of the chapter specifically at verse 11 give us this day our daily bread Brethren if we pray that in faith to this this good God who clothes the lies of the field such that they exceed the glory of Solomon who feeds the very sparrows of the air if we are praying give us this day our daily bread then at some point we must leave it with him we mustn't be governed by the carnal spirit that says but but what about me what about this what about that this is what Jesus is trying to stifle among the professing people of God you're not supposed to be governed by these things because it reveals an allegiance problem relative to to God and his kingdom and his righteousness so notice the reasons there again in verse 32 he speaks of the conduct of the Gentiles and the knowledge of the father now the Gentiles here is used as those unbelieving people the ones outside of Christ we see Paul use it that way in Ephesians 4:17 no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk so their Paul is magnify in their conduct and and demonstrating that's something we're supposed to avoid Jesus is dealing now with the mindset of the philosophy of the Gentile he's sort of penetrating behind the scenes in terms of what governs people who live in a world where they don't have a sovereign God now I'm not suggesting that there is no Sovereign God over them but they don't have him experientially they haven't believed the gospel they are not saved so Jesus cautions his people from thinking like gentiles Jesus cautions his people from thinking like atheists Jesus cautions his people from thinking as if God or the gods aren't omnipotent aren't omnipresent aren't omniscient aren't The Sovereign being that is revealed in Isaiah the prophet chapter 57 and verse1 15 God the high and holy one he inhabits eternity but he also dwells with those who are of a contrite spirit so when you come to this particular statement the the Lord Jesus is condemning a particular line of thinking on the parts of his people on the part of his people so notice again verse 32 for for after all these things the Gentiles seek this is the reason why they're not supposed to worry because that's Gentile thought that's Gentile conduct that's Gentile practice again not making sure that you work hard and providing those things that your family needs for your lives for your bodies and for your tomorrows but when you're obsessed with that when you're consumed with that when that's all that activates you you have more in common with the Gentile than you do with the Covenant people of God the obsession is of those who do not know God for after all these things the Gentiles seek it reflects a pH a philosophy it reflects an atheistic thought process that we just governed by chance by by Fate by random happen stance we don't live in a theistic universe we don't have a sovereign God we don't have the god outlin in in Westminster Shorter Catechism wherein he governs all his creatures and all their actions which Shorter Catechism reflects the teaching of scripture Daniel chter 4 there is none who can stay as hand there is none who can say what doest thou there is that reality that among the people of God what we know about God should be fleshed out in how we live before God in other words theology matters right you could have impeccable Orthodoxy but if you're frantically don't look at my thumbs biting your thumbnails then it reveals that perhaps your Orthodoxy needs to be translated into orthopraxy or the practice of the Christian faith the the act of the Christian faith so Jesus says don't don't be like the Gentiles this is their thought process they are blind men wandering in a blind Universe with no allseeing God who provides for them according to his Mercy goodness and kindness as RI says He suggests to us that over carefulness about the things of this world is most Unworthy of a creature a Christian rather he says one great feature of heathenism is living for the present yeah I think we'd all agree with that let the Heathen if he will be anxious he knows nothing of a father in Heaven but let the Christian who has clearer light and knowledge give proof of it by his faith and contentment as well Brethren when Jesus cautions us about the thought process here of the Heathen again verse 32A for after all these things the Gentiles see remember that we're dealing in a context of temporal provision temporal spir uh physical provision isn't that the the illustration your life you can't add a cubit to it your your body food clothing uh your your tomorrows it it's temporal stuff it's not ever not amazed me figure that one out if you will that sometimes Calvinists or reformed believers who have a very astute doctrine of God in matter spiritual forget it when it comes to the Practical oh yeah God's absolutely positively Sovereign he chose us in him before the foundation of the world in love having predestined us unto adoption as Sons we affirm that we confess that we love that we we Delight in that and yet it may look like the cupboards are getting bare and we forget all about God's absolute sovereignty we forget all about God's Providence whereing and he governs all his creatures and all their actions see the Lord is taking this Doctrine and he's putting it right into your kitchen he's putting it right into your bedroom he's putting it right into your workplace he's putting it right into your car he's putting it right into your discussions concerning him and his world so yeah affirm the glory of God in the electing and plate in the morning as well the same God of Ephesians 1 blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ who blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places in Christ is the same God of Psalm 68 where the psalmist Praises God because he loads us daily with Benefits well the psalmist in Psalm 103 he certainly capitalizes upon and he celebrates the forgiveness of sin as that sort of crown jewel of God's goodness to his people but he also celebrates physical temporal Deliverance he Praises God that he's in the spiritual he Praises God that he's in the physical he Praises God that he's in the Eternal he Praises God that he's in the temporal and that's exactly what Jesus is reminding us here affirm God's absolute sovereignty but see it not only in election and predestination but see it in the provision of jobs see it in the provision of clothing see it in the provision of food see it in the bringing of Tomorrow such that while you may have some concerns about what these morons are going to usher in in 2024 nevertheless you know that they are God's morons at the end of the day they are under his power they are operating in a manner that is Tethered they are not free to go about doing whatever it is that they deem I find great comfort in that the reality that as bad as it may appear God is Not shaken God is not off his throne God has not been cast down God is over all things and may I suggest at the outset of a new year read your Old Testament you'll get a great big dose of that all throughout you'll get a great big dose of that reality when Israel the two tribes the northern and the southern are undergoing chastisement are undergoing difficulties when they're under the reign of a of a manasse or under the reign of an Ahab well did God take a holiday during the reign of manasse or of Ahab no God is Sovereign over them what about right now and presently Christ has exalted to the right hand of God most high he is the head over all things he does so specifically relative to his church but he has absolute comprehensive sovereignty all authority in heaven and on Earth has been given to me so for us understanding that we live like Gentiles when we deny it at the level of practicality when we start to fret when we start to cower and when we start to think that it's only going to ever be bad well it might be but God sustains God gives Grace and God will see you through it and as we Muse on History past we see the very same lessons you know one of the most quoted you've heard this from me many times the most quoted or alluded to verse in the New Testament is Psalm 1101 the Lord said to my Lord sit at my right hand till I make your enemies a foot stol well what was going on in the Roman Empire at the time that they would rehearse this over and over again oh I don't know a Godless State a group of unbelieving Jews that were trying to target the people of God abortion infanticide homosexuality all the sorts of things that we say oh there's never been a day and age like ours well there has been we just have the luxury of being able to find out about it like that because information is always right there concerning the various situations affecting us so with reference to the Lord Jesus teaching he tells us to guard against the conduct of the Gentiles and then he speaks of the knowledge of the father notice in verse 32b he says for your heavenly father knows that you need all these things the four again highlights that this is a reason why Believers should not worry don't worry why because you'll be like the Gentiles why because your God your father already knows the things that you need in fact look back in Matthew chapter 6 specifically at verse 8 in the context here of praying Jesus mitigates against or militates against the motivation behind our prayer if your motivation is simply to be seen by men you're not praying all right but then he condemns the manner of our praying notice in verse S and when you pray do not use vain repetitions as the Heathen do for they think that they will be heard for their many words in other words the the the you're going to kill God with all of your words or not kill him but invoke him because of the the the manifold number of words so Jesus goes against that motivation and that manner and then he prescribes for them specific manner on how to pray content too in this manner verse uh nine I'm sorry verse 8 therefore do not be like them for your father knows the things you have need of before you ask him he uses the same argument here to discriminate against or to kill our worry verse 32b for your heavenly father knows that you need all these things he said says this casually he says this freely he says this without argument he understands who his father is he understands Divine omniscience he understands Divine benevolence he understands that God has got you carefully in his hand the knowledge of God or the doctrine of the knowledge of God is the basis for prayer in Matthew 689 and the doctrine of the knowledge of God is the basis for I don't even want to say this because it seems un unattainable but a WorryFree life again Brethren it's theology proper that stabilizes the soul it's what you know of God that affects how you live for God or contrary to what you should be living for in terms of God what a man thinks that's how he functions this is Paul in in Romans 12 therefore do not be conformed to this world but rather be transformed by what by the things that you do by the places that you go be transformed by the renewing of your mind Paul understands where the battle is fought and won get the Mind instructed get the Mind theologized get the Mind filled with an understanding of who God is and then the conduct will follow because that is the way we're made up that is why God uses preaching God uses reading God uses the the mind to get to us in terms of our understanding so that we'll live in a manner that is consistent with his will and his word for us in this present evil age and then in terms of God's goodness again that's assumed for your heavenly father knows that you need all these things right he knows that you have lives he knows that you have bodies and he knows that you have tomorrows consider the psalm Psalm 37:25 I have been young and now am old but or yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken nor his descendants begging bread and then Hebrews 135 Paul there I think Paul wrote it invokes a principle that we often times spiritualize I don't think there's anything wrong with spiritualizing but in the context of Hebrews 13 it's it's temporal it's physical it's real life it's lives bodies and tomorrows Hebrews 13:5 let your conduct be without covetousness be content with such things as you have for he himself has said I will never leave you nor forsake you again brethren we have that blessed reality that'll never leave us or forsake us in the spiritual realm but it's a promise attached to a Prohibition against covetousness why shouldn't you covet because God has purpose to never leave you nor forsake you Jesus assumes this in in verse 32b your heavenly Father Knows What You Need he's not going to hold you over the fire pit like a like a man with with with with a spider and watch you just vexed and and frustrated and anxious no God is good now that brings us then to the principle highlighted by Jesus in verses 33 and 34 there's first an exhortation second a promise and then a conclusion note the exhortation so we have been forbidden or prohibited from worrying about life body and tomorrows and now he says in 33a this is the point but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness again go back to the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6 you'll see a pattern here when it comes time to pray do we pray first for our food our forgiveness and our protection no there's a pecking order in the Lord's Prayer we pray first for God's name for God's kingdom and for God's will in other words we seek first his kingdom in his righteousness and then these things food forgiveness and protection will be added to us see what the Lord is doing here in verses 25-34 isn't brand new information I've got something all together no no he's simply reiterating what he's already said here in chapter 6 he's got got a hammer he's got nails and he keeps pounding away because this is a vital component in our Christian lives that we don't live like the Gentiles that we live in light of a good God that we are not governed by carnal anxiety or by worry but we're governed by Kingdom principles and so the the very emphasis of our savior here reiterates what we find there in the Lord's Prayer now notice the priority he says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness now the kingdom of God is his rule his Reign his presence his power typically in studies in the Lord's Prayer there's a two-fold component you have the kingdom of grace and the kingdom of Glory we're presently in that Kingdom of Grace the gospel is preached the spirit attends people get converted the converted get edified and strengthened and Sanctified and built up such that they can live in this present evil age will we pray for the kingdom of Glory as well that's how John ends the Revelation even so come Lord Jesus this is what should be symptomatic of the hearts of God's people we ought to long for the coming of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ we ought to have this desire for the the clouds to be rolled back for the the sky to be open and for our blessed savior to come in the glory of his father with all of his Holy Angels taking Vengeance on them who know not God and on those who do not obey the gospel to be marveled at or ad admired by those who by Grace have believed on him so we are to seek first God's kingdom Brethren not our kingdom we're to seek first God's Reign and Rule and righteousness and power not riches and and accolades and prestige again I I do not want to be misunderstood here I am all for hard work I'm all for guys getting recognized at work girls getting recognized at work getting promotions given more OB uh responsibility that none of what I say should should should affect that reality but it's a question of Allegiance it's a question of priority it's a question of the larger concerns of a man's life is it only about these things because if so we need the corrective of our savior so that we'll seek first the kingdom of God and then he goes on to say and his righteousness again that's the rightness of God the Perfection of his goodness but in The Sermon on the Mount I suspect there's a larger overarching concern I think that the Sermon on the Mount rightly interpreted serves as a pedagogue as well other words it serves to show us our sin our lawlessness our Rebel hearts and then it casts us to the foot of the cross seeking the righteousness of another in other words when God uh Jesus says seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness yeah the rightness of God the Perfection of his righteousness but also the person of the Savior look at chapter 5 specifically at verse 20 for I say to you that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven if you were an outsider you were not a Believer at that point you were hearing that how do you think you would respond to that you'd say wait a minute the Pharisees and the scribes these are the Righteous guys Among Us these are the the right guys among on us they're the religious teachers if if their righteousness isn't good enough then then what hope for a slob like me what hope for a like me what hope for a for a Wretch like Me So I think Ma is right I think Martin LY Jones Is Right One of the functions of The Sermon on the Mount is to show us our sin it's to show us our depravity it's to show us our lawlessness how do you know your sin and misery the law of God tells me so well Matthew 5-7 is a whole bunch of law law that's why I started off by saying I don't want to scold I'm certainly not a guru when it comes to lawke keeping but that law should make a man a Seeker after righteousness seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness our brother Steve read uh Jeremiah 23 at the outset of worship last week Jeremiah 236 now this is his name by which he will be called the Lord our righteousness 1 Corinthians 130 but of him you are in Christ Jesus who became for us wisdom from God that is righteousness and sanctification and Redemption what is Jesus doing here he's calming his people he is gently reproving his people he is exhorting his people to not be governed by worry to not be divided in their allegiance to make sure that the priority structure is in place but he's also calling out to Sinners he's addressing unbelievers he is telling people that the way of this kind of peace is through the Lord's righteousness it is through the Lord's righteousness provided in his son who is the Lord our righteousness that secures for you place in his kingdom so seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and then these things will be added to you and notice that promise based on what he says there in verse 33 but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added to you Brethren it's the things in context you've probably heard the the statement from Philippians 4 through him I I can do everything you know the Young basketball star figures because he's a Christian he'll be able to jump higher stuff harder and be better than all of his competitors no that's not what Paul means there the auto mechanic I'm going to be the best auto mechanic because in Christ Jesus I can do everything you still got to read you still got to work hard you got to have dexterity with tools there there's a lot of things involved there we got to make sure that we don't you know get rid of any limitations on context when he says and all these things what's he talking about your life your food your clothing and your tomorrows again not steak and lobster not I can jump higher and dunk harder than anybody on the face of the Earth not I'm going to be the best attorney in Vancouver because in Christ Jesus I I can do everything you can't fly to the moon unassisted does that not be covered by Philippians 4 we got to make sure that what Jesus is promising here is what Jesus is promising here Paul as I said in 1 Timothy 68 says and having food and clothing with these we shall be content right doesn't specify what food and what clothing doesn't specify how much food or how many clothes it it says you have it you have it Lewis says you can't get second things by putting them first you can get second things only by putting first things first I think that's an a perceptive statement here you can't get second things by putting them first in other words your life your body your tomorrow's shouldn't become your priority shouldn't become Your Allegiance no you don't get second things by putting them first you get second things only by putting first things first seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you and then the conclusion verse 34 notice he commands again do not worry do do not worry don't be governed by anxiety don't be fretful don't be the sort of person that is paralyzed by that kind of fear and trapid but here the object is a bit different therefore do not worry about tomorrow he's cautioned us about lives and bodies and now he cautions us about tomorrow and as I said earlier verse 34 balances out the entire section this isn't a Theology of be you know don't worry be happy this isn't Hakuna Matata I'm dating myself here when my kids were little this is not this kind of a concept where you know you've got God now and you just don't worry about it tomorrow he understands that each day has sufficient troubles if Jesus is trying to sell the kingdom only based on benefit he's doing a pretty bad job right you ever bought a used car you ever bought something from somebody that only saw it as gold and then it wasn't well how do they sell it well it's never broken down it will never break down it's only ever good until you drive off the lot Jesus says sufficient is the day for its own trouble Brethren the the Christian life is not the eradication of hardship do not worry about tomorrow and then as the reason he says for tomorrow will worry about its own things there is hardship there is difficulty there are challenges to be faced and then the S the reality that he states he says sufficient for the day is its own trouble the presence of trial and hardship and affliction and difficulty is not confined to verse 34 it's Illustrated and demonstrated throughout the scripture as I said earlier read the Old Testament read about your hero King David read about your hero the Apostle Paul in the New Testament read about your lord Jesus Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief no form no comeliness there was nothing about him that suggested that we Fawn all over him you you read about the apostles in Acts chapter 5 they they they rejoiced because they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name you about the the the the the history of the faithful and the the church and life of God there in Hebrews chap 11 at the very end there's no whiff of health wealth and prosperity there's every whiff of hardship and affliction and trial and difficulty and Jesus doesn't mitigate that but what he wants you to know is that don't worry about what tomorrow may bring because as you're worrying about tomorrow you're not seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness today and if you're not seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness today you're not going to be fit to deal with the Troubles of today in other words what Jesus impresses upon us is not the the idea that there's no hardship but he's telling us us that if we want to navigate through the hardship we need to have the priority structure that he's enjoined Upon Us riy says we are not to carry cares before they come maybe you're like me you've wasted a lot of time in your life worrying about things that never happened isn't that weird I I'm sorry I'm not trying to have some you know encountered group here but it's just bizarre behavior is it DNA is it parental upbringing is it the weirdnesses that happen to I I don't know what what shapes a person where they waste incessant amounts of time worrying about things that may or may not happen and if we're trusting the living and the true God if they do happen we have his promise that he'll see us see it see us through it y though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil why because thou art with me thy rod and thy staff they they comfort me Royal says we are to attend to today's business and leave tomorrow's anxieties till tomorrow Dawn we may die before tomorrow we know not what may happen on tomorrow this only we may be assured of that if tomorrow brings a cross he who sends it can and will s send Grace to Bear it amen RT France a modern commentator says God's care and provision are assured but that does not mean that the disciples life is to be one long picnic each day will still have its troubles the preceding verses simply provide the assurance that by the grace of God they can be survived so don't worry about tomorrow don't panic about tomorrow don't fret concerning tomorrow you got enough to deal with today to seek God and his kingdom and his righteousness and then Matthew Henry he he often times Nails things in a very beautiful way let us not pull that upon ourselves all together at once which Providence has wisely ordered to be born by Parcels the the conclusion of this whole matter then is that it is uh that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus that his disciples should not be their own tormentors nor make their Passage through this world more dark and unpleasant by their apprehension of troubles then God has made it by the troubles themselves by our daily prayers we may procure strength to Bear us up under our daily troubles and to arm Us Against The Temptations that attend them and then let none of these things move us that's a very valuable statement let's not become our own tormentors let's not work ourselves up over troubles when the troubles themselves aren't going to be that severe again it's nonsensical it's it's Folly it's weird it's it's it's a lack of wisdom and that's why Jesus teaches it here so that we won't worry about our lives we can't add cubits to our stature or about our our bodies what are we going to wear what are we going to eat or our tomorrows riy was right we could be dead by tomorrow I don't say that with a gleeful hope but I say that with a amusing smirk we could be dead by tomorrow doesn't James condemn this attitude oh we'll go to such and such a city tomorrow we'll traffic we'll sell we'll buy we'll deal you don't know that you're a vapor you're here for a time and then you're gone you're not the kingdom of God you don't have that lasting you know stability you're here today and and then gone tomorrow I think that's a good and helpful perspective for the people of God to sort of to to IDE again not for self-deprecation I'm just garbage no but to get a good dose of reality the Bible does that it Compares man with grass and in contrast to the stability of the word that endures forever those are good checks upon us in our pride good checks upon us in our temptation to worry and in conclusion if you had to summarize I would think you'd take home this point I shouldn't worry no you shouldn't you shouldn't worry you should work you should labor you shouldn't lay on your couch unless it's time to lay on the couch but you shouldn't be paralyzed you shouldn't be captivated you shouldn't be mesmerized by the concerns of this world to the detriment of your Never Dying soul we to seek God we to seek his right uh Kingdom we to seek his righteousness the man who prays as he ought will live as he ought I stole that from John Owen you see the connection between Matthew 6 in in the Lord's Prayer and Matthew 6 in this in uh uh injunction not to worry if you pray give us this day our daily bread provide for me my forgiveness provide for me my protection then go out and live as you ought don't just pray it emptily and then be be governed by worry trust God for your provision trust God for his concern trust God for his kindness and Providence and then live in light of that live in light of that reality and enjoy the things that he gives you pray continually for for what you need but rest assured that he has you and that he governs you and that he cares for you and if anyone's not a Believer I want to direct your thought again to verse 32 seek the king first the kingdom of God and his righteousness this is not an appeal to you to go out and be better stop worrying and you'll go to heaven stop obsessing about money stop obsessing about cars stop obsessing about all those worldly things and then you'll go to heaven that's not my appeal my appeal is Paul's appeal is Jesus appeal is Isaiah's appeal is Moses appeal is God's appeal look to the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved look to the Lord our righteousness for cleansing in his blood and clothing in that righteousness the glory of the Christian Gospel isn't try harder do more be better but it's rather believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved because in that gospel what God does is he takes that blood of Jesus and washes and cleanses you of all your sin but it doesn't stop there you need to be clothed in righteousness so that you can stand before him well Jesus fulfilled all righteousness such that when we believe in him by grace that righteousness is imputed to to us or given to us constituted ours and the way we receive it is by the empty hand of Faith look to Christ look to that righteousness and by Grace enter the kingdom of God well let us pray Our Father in heaven we thank you for your word we thank you for this exhortation of our Lord Jesus against worry and help us to internalize these things help us to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness and to realize that you are good in your providential dealings with your people we ask that you would bless this local body we pray for your blessing upon other churches in our community we pray that your gospel would go forth powerfully conquering and to conquer and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well you can stand with me and we'll close our service by singing the doxology it's number 568 in your hym book 568 we'll stand as we sing together to all bless Praise Him All Creatures here PR all the heav go PR God Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you the Lord G lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace thank you Father for these benedictions thank you for your goodness to us go with us now help us to glorify you in all that we think and do and say and we pray through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen well please be seated for a brief time of meditation