it's good to see you all again this<\/p>\n
afternoon<\/p>\n
today<\/p>\n
hope your weeks have been going well<\/p>\n
over the past couple weeks we've been<\/p>\n
exploring what it means for the gospel<\/p>\n
to impact the way we do work<\/p>\n
[Music]<\/p>\n
as we finish our series today we're<\/p>\n
looking more deeply at a subject that<\/p>\n
undergirds all we've talked about<\/p>\n
that god is our provider it's too long<\/p>\n
sorry so so as as we finish our series<\/p>\n
we're going to be looking more deeply at<\/p>\n
a subject that undergirds everything<\/p>\n
we've talked about<\/p>\n
that's the foundation<\/p>\n
that topic being that god is our<\/p>\n
provider<\/p>\n
so this passage has a couple of things<\/p>\n
to say to us about god's provisions<\/p>\n
so there's a lot of passages in<\/p>\n
scripture that if you read them it might<\/p>\n
make you go oh shoot what's god saying<\/p>\n
over here<\/p>\n
can you say it again<\/p>\n
sorry there's a lot of passages in<\/p>\n
scripture<\/p>\n
that when we read them might make us<\/p>\n
a little uncomfortable<\/p>\n
and<\/p>\n
it's tough as a preacher to preach on<\/p>\n
these texts you all have seen me preach<\/p>\n
on this before<\/p>\n
and thankfully this is not one of those<\/p>\n
texts<\/p>\n
thankfully this is not one of those<\/p>\n
i think it's safe to say that this is a<\/p>\n
text that everybody loves<\/p>\n
so let me just say i'm blessed to be<\/p>\n
able to share god's word with us today<\/p>\n
over this text<\/p>\n
and so one of the repeated themes of the<\/p>\n
bible is that of god's provisions<\/p>\n
he says do not worry about your life<\/p>\n
what you will eat or drink or about your<\/p>\n
body<\/p>\n
and three times he says do not be<\/p>\n
anxious<\/p>\n
now the question comes up<\/p>\n
who on earth would have the audacity to<\/p>\n
command someone to not be anxious<\/p>\n
think about it<\/p>\n
if you're worried or depressed<\/p>\n
one of the least helpful things for<\/p>\n
someone to do<\/p>\n
is to come up to you and say oh snap out<\/p>\n
of it<\/p>\n
back up stop being so depressed get on<\/p>\n
with your life<\/p>\n
that's not really helpful<\/p>\n
and when we read this text more closely<\/p>\n
we see that this is not what jesus is<\/p>\n
in this passage jesus is not telling his<\/p>\n
disciples oh get over it don't be<\/p>\n
he's showing them why they don't have to<\/p>\n
be anxious<\/p>\n
and we'll see that it's directly<\/p>\n
connected to god's provision<\/p>\n
so three questions<\/p>\n
two where does it come from<\/p>\n
and three what do we do about it<\/p>\n
so<\/p>\n
but according to the world health<\/p>\n
organization anxiety has become one of<\/p>\n
the most common prevailing qualities of<\/p>\n
our time today<\/p>\n
psychological component is that<\/p>\n
anxiousness can be a focus on one<\/p>\n
specific danger<\/p>\n
at the moment<\/p>\n
but it can also be a<\/p>\n
debilitating general condition that<\/p>\n
isn't focused on one particular thing<\/p>\n
um<\/p>\n
always fearing that something will go<\/p>\n
wrong never being able to truly rest<\/p>\n
there's also a physiological component<\/p>\n
to anxiety and this is called stress<\/p>\n
so you know that when we perceive a<\/p>\n
threat our nervous our body's nervous<\/p>\n
systems kicks into fight-or-flight<\/p>\n
and our bodies release adrenaline and<\/p>\n
other hormones so that we're prepared to<\/p>\n
face this threat<\/p>\n
this is a good thing<\/p>\n
but if we find that our bodies are<\/p>\n
constantly in this mode<\/p>\n
that every day we're worried about<\/p>\n
perceived dangers<\/p>\n
if we find that our bodies are always in<\/p>\n
this state we develop physical illnesses<\/p>\n
we take our anxieties out on loved ones<\/p>\n
around us and we burn out<\/p>\n
next slide please<\/p>\n
and so jesus tells us here throughout<\/p>\n
this passage especially at the end<\/p>\n
that worry is a concern about things we<\/p>\n
can't control<\/p>\n
according to jesus the essence of<\/p>\n
anxiety is to control that which we<\/p>\n
and jesus shows us the futility of this<\/p>\n
when he says which of you by being<\/p>\n
anxious can add a single hour to your<\/p>\n
life<\/p>\n
so then the natural question is why do<\/p>\n
we try to control things that we can't<\/p>\n
control<\/p>\n
where does anxiety come from<\/p>\n
if we look at his words he gives us two<\/p>\n
arguments<\/p>\n
he says do not be anxious about your<\/p>\n
life look at the birds of the air they<\/p>\n
neither sow nor reap nor gather into<\/p>\n
barns yet your heavenly father feeds<\/p>\n
them<\/p>\n
ok<\/p>\n
so jesus is asking those who hear him to<\/p>\n
use their minds<\/p>\n
and as a side note do you see how<\/p>\n
important this is this is what faith is<\/p>\n
is faith an absence of thinking<\/p>\n
jesus is saying to look at the birds of<\/p>\n
the air and to consider how god feeds<\/p>\n
the birds jesus is calling us to think<\/p>\n
passing deeper yes<\/p>\n
so if we're anxious we aren't thinking<\/p>\n
and if we are thinking we aren't<\/p>\n
thinking the way jesus wants us to think<\/p>\n
we're lying in bed and we can't sleep<\/p>\n
because of all the what-ifs running<\/p>\n
through our heads<\/p>\n
or our obsession with work and overwork<\/p>\n
and when we do this we get anxious<\/p>\n
because we're listening to our hearts<\/p>\n
formula<\/p>\n
it's a posture of confidence towards the<\/p>\n
world based on what god's revealed<\/p>\n
and here jesus gives us two arguments<\/p>\n
so the birds of the air speaks of the<\/p>\n
fact that god is in charge<\/p>\n
look at the birds of the air they do not<\/p>\n
sow or reap or store away in barns and<\/p>\n
yet your heavenly father feeds them<\/p>\n
a cat<\/p>\n
jesus is reminding his disciples of<\/p>\n
god's providence<\/p>\n
prayer<\/p>\n
the doctrine of god's providence is such<\/p>\n
that god is in charge and everything<\/p>\n
that happens to us is not beyond his<\/p>\n
hands<\/p>\n
uh romans 8 28 for example says that god<\/p>\n
works all things for the good of those<\/p>\n
who love him who have been called<\/p>\n
according to his purpose<\/p>\n
foreign<\/p>\n
so this doesn't mean that every<\/p>\n
individual thing will work out for good<\/p>\n
me<\/p>\n
but rather in all the things that happen<\/p>\n
to us ultimately god works these things<\/p>\n
out together for our goodness<\/p>\n
so here's where someone might say oh<\/p>\n
this means i'm not responsible for my<\/p>\n
choices it doesn't matter what i do<\/p>\n
bangkok<\/p>\n
so in genesis 50 where joseph is sold<\/p>\n
into slavery by his brothers<\/p>\n
he's made governor of egypt and he's<\/p>\n
reunited with his brothers and what does<\/p>\n
he say<\/p>\n
he says you meant it for evil but god<\/p>\n
meant it for good<\/p>\n
no the brothers knew that they were<\/p>\n
responsible for their own actions and<\/p>\n
they wept and repented<\/p>\n
so on the one hand we are responsible<\/p>\n
for our own actions<\/p>\n
and somehow god works through our<\/p>\n
choices to bring about good<\/p>\n
love<\/p>\n
and jesus is saying<\/p>\n
if we don't believe in god's providence<\/p>\n
that god is ultimately working<\/p>\n
everything for our good we cannot deal<\/p>\n
with our anxiety<\/p>\n
when we realize ultimately how little<\/p>\n
control we have<\/p>\n
and when we realize who's in control<\/p>\n
so philippians 4 says don't be anxious<\/p>\n
about anything but by prayer and<\/p>\n
petition with thanksgiving present your<\/p>\n
request to god philip<\/p>\n
so tim keller he says what this means is<\/p>\n
when we pray we can thank god in advance<\/p>\n
for what he's going to send to us<\/p>\n
so parents you know that when you tell<\/p>\n
your kids don't put a fork in the<\/p>\n
electric socket<\/p>\n
you're two three-year-old kids not<\/p>\n
your kids think you're ruining the fun<\/p>\n
for them every day<\/p>\n
from county<\/p>\n
but you know in reality you're saving<\/p>\n
their lives<\/p>\n
and that's what our heavenly father does<\/p>\n
with us too<\/p>\n
if we know that god is in control<\/p>\n
and that of course he is a provider then<\/p>\n
why do we struggle<\/p>\n
why do<\/p>\n
why do we feel like we can't let go of<\/p>\n
certain things why does anxiousness<\/p>\n
touch every aspect of our life<\/p>\n
uh<\/p>\n
scholar he says that the reason we<\/p>\n
operate out of stress and anxiousness<\/p>\n
is because deep down we do not believe<\/p>\n
and trust in god's generosity<\/p>\n
and we don't have to look very hard to<\/p>\n
see that this is true it's evident in<\/p>\n
the way that we look at our money and<\/p>\n
our resources<\/p>\n
i'm including myself in that way by the<\/p>\n
way<\/p>\n
it's evident in the way that we make<\/p>\n
decisions and in our reluctance to love<\/p>\n
others sacrificially god can you say it<\/p>\n
again it's evident in the way we make<\/p>\n
our decisions<\/p>\n
we don't trust god to provide and so we<\/p>\n
try to become our own providers<\/p>\n
that's where someone someone might say<\/p>\n
or think of course i trust god i've<\/p>\n
trusted god for my salvation<\/p>\n
well do we trust god enough to obey his<\/p>\n
word and align our lives under his ruler<\/p>\n
in other words do we trust god enough to<\/p>\n
seek first his kingdom do we believe<\/p>\n
jesus's words here<\/p>\n
happened<\/p>\n
and the reason we don't trust god<\/p>\n
according to jesus is<\/p>\n
because deep down we don't believe he is<\/p>\n
good<\/p>\n
see how the flowers of the field grow<\/p>\n
they do not labor or spin yet i tell you<\/p>\n
that not even solomon in all his<\/p>\n
splendor was dressed like one of these<\/p>\n
if that is how god clothes the grass of<\/p>\n
the field which is here today and<\/p>\n
tomorrow is thrown into the fire<\/p>\n
will he not much more close you<\/p>\n
you have little faith<\/p>\n
in<\/p>\n
this here is the love of god argument<\/p>\n
can you say it again this here is the<\/p>\n
love of god arguments<\/p>\n
the reason we don't trust god is because<\/p>\n
we don't believe deep down that he is<\/p>\n
but jesus says your father knows what<\/p>\n
you need<\/p>\n
he says to look at the grass and if the<\/p>\n
grass that's here one day and the next<\/p>\n
day is thrown into the fire if the grass<\/p>\n
is closed how much more will god clothe<\/p>\n
you or me all of us<\/p>\n
from<\/p>\n
this language of how much more is<\/p>\n
actually written all over scripture to<\/p>\n
describe god's abundant love<\/p>\n
of<\/p>\n
so look at romans 5 since we have been<\/p>\n
justified by his blood how much more<\/p>\n
shall we be saved from god's wrath<\/p>\n
through him<\/p>\n
for if when we were god's enemies we<\/p>\n
were reconciled to him through the death<\/p>\n
of his son<\/p>\n
how much more having been reconciled<\/p>\n
shall we be saved through his life<\/p>\n
god who emptied heaven of its greatest<\/p>\n
treasure<\/p>\n
paul says in romans 8<\/p>\n
he who did not spare his own but gave<\/p>\n
him up for us all<\/p>\n
how will he not also with him graciously<\/p>\n
give us all things<\/p>\n
you know the refusal to trust god is<\/p>\n
what he said<\/p>\n
it's like telling god every day father<\/p>\n
you emptied heaven of your greatest<\/p>\n
treasure and i'm not sure you know how<\/p>\n
to organize my weekend<\/p>\n
it's like saying father i trust you with<\/p>\n
my eternity but i don't trust you with<\/p>\n
my life here on earth<\/p>\n
so we need to take this argument the<\/p>\n
love of god argument and speak it into<\/p>\n
our hearts<\/p>\n
we need to remind ourselves<\/p>\n
we need to remind ourselves you know he<\/p>\n
loves you you know he's working things<\/p>\n
out for your good<\/p>\n
we need to remind ourselves of the<\/p>\n
gospel<\/p>\n
look to jesus<\/p>\n
if god's given us the entire present how<\/p>\n
is he not going to give us the ribbon on<\/p>\n
it<\/p>\n
and when we do this when we let the<\/p>\n
gospel sink down into our hearts<\/p>\n
we're able to do what jesus says<\/p>\n
we can seek first his kingdom<\/p>\n
see jesus says that worry is a lack of<\/p>\n
proportion<\/p>\n
in other words if jesus is in the center<\/p>\n
there will be no anxiety<\/p>\n
if anything is more important than jesus<\/p>\n
we're going to be torn up with anxiety<\/p>\n
this means our prayer lives our<\/p>\n
fellowship with christians our mission<\/p>\n
our ministry our growth and grace<\/p>\n
is<\/p>\n
in our private lives in our families and<\/p>\n
our relationships<\/p>\n
with<\/p>\n
jesus says if my kingdom comes first<\/p>\n
remember the two arguments one he's in<\/p>\n
charge<\/p>\n
he knows what we need<\/p>\n
and bonus three he's good from sandy so<\/p>\n
how could we not trust him<\/p>\n
and so what does this mean for our work<\/p>\n
well it means that we can work with<\/p>\n
assurance knowing that god is for us<\/p>\n
means that we can work from a posture of<\/p>\n
trusting god to providence<\/p>\n
but also through the church and other<\/p>\n
believers<\/p>\n
it means that we can be generous with<\/p>\n
our time our money our emotional<\/p>\n
resources<\/p>\n
that if we trust god to provide we can<\/p>\n
work from a posture of generosity<\/p>\n
tt<\/p>\n
knowing how generous god has been to us<\/p>\n
ultimately in jesus christ<\/p>\n
and it means that we can work from a<\/p>\n
place of rest and contentment<\/p>\n
knowing that god's for us<\/p>\n
like paul says in romans he who did not<\/p>\n
spare his own son but gave him up for us<\/p>\n
all how will he not also with him<\/p>\n
graciously give us all things<\/p>\n
songs<\/p>\n
those of us who have believed in jesus<\/p>\n
christ and received them by faith<\/p>\n
but but it's one thing to enter the<\/p>\n
kingdom by faith it's another thing to<\/p>\n
walk by faith<\/p>\n
it's one thing to believe in jesus<\/p>\n
it's another thing to believe jesus<\/p>\n
christ<\/p>\n
to believe what jesus says and in<\/p>\n
particular what he says here in this<\/p>\n
passage today<\/p>\n
and jesus is saying trust me don't just<\/p>\n
believe in me trust what i say<\/p>\n
seek first god's kingdom and<\/p>\n
righteousness<\/p>\n
do you trust him<\/p>\n
there are also those of us who might be<\/p>\n
saying oh i'm not sure if i can believe<\/p>\n
in jesus he sounds great but i'm not<\/p>\n
sure i can believe god<\/p>\n
god<\/p>\n
at the very basic level<\/p>\n
there's only two doctrines on which we<\/p>\n
can base our lives<\/p>\n
either we believe that we are competent<\/p>\n
smart and wise enough to run our own<\/p>\n
lives<\/p>\n
or god is<\/p>\n
so for those of us who have trouble<\/p>\n
believing<\/p>\n
the issue is not that we can't believe<\/p>\n
the issue is that we don't actually<\/p>\n
doubt ourselves<\/p>\n
it's a leap of faith to believe that we<\/p>\n
are capable of running our own lives<\/p>\n
there's actually more evidence to show<\/p>\n
that we<\/p>\n
even those who are extremely successful<\/p>\n
are making a total mess of some parts of<\/p>\n
so jesus invites us to come to him<\/p>\n
the devil came to him and said turn<\/p>\n
these stones into bread<\/p>\n
in other words take things into your own<\/p>\n
he refused to take matters into his own<\/p>\n
hands he wouldn't decide to disobey god<\/p>\n
to get in control from somebody<\/p>\n
wrong<\/p>\n
and he knew he knew that if he did his<\/p>\n
father's will he would be crushed<\/p>\n
well the message of the father to the<\/p>\n
son is<\/p>\n
if you hold on to your life they will<\/p>\n
lose theirs but if you let go of your<\/p>\n
life if you pay their debt<\/p>\n
then they will have theirs back<\/p>\n
up<\/p>\n
but he was utterly abandoned<\/p>\n
how hard is it to unconditionally trust<\/p>\n
just imagine how much greater is it to<\/p>\n
unconditionally trust knowing that that<\/p>\n
is what is in store<\/p>\n
when jesus looks at us and says<\/p>\n
follow me take your hands off your life<\/p>\n
give up your right to rule your own life<\/p>\n
let go of your life<\/p>\n
and when he says<\/p>\n
i let go of my life for you<\/p>\n
i gave up control and i was abandoned<\/p>\n
but if you give up control for me you'll<\/p>\n
only be embraced that's a deal<\/p>\n
if you believe not just in jesus but<\/p>\n
believe jesus<\/p>\n
can you say it again if you believe not<\/p>\n
just in jesus<\/p>\n
lord we thank you for the promises that<\/p>\n
you've made in your words<\/p>\n
we thank you that<\/p>\n
trust that we we can trust you with our<\/p>\n
whole lives<\/p>\n
that it's not futile to put our trust in<\/p>\n
you<\/p>\n
but that's where real life comes from<\/p>\n
lord we pray that you would meet us in<\/p>\n
the ways that we need to be met today<\/p>\n
individually and as a community<\/p>\n
continued<\/p>","english_search_text":"","":"","original_publish_date":"20211115","video_url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_rimBGLqhTc","video_id":"_rimBGLqhTc","video_duration":"45:35","channel_name":"Grace City Bangkok"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=901"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":902,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/901\/revisions\/902"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/900"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=901"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=901"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gracecity.machakosconsulting.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=901"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}