Scripture referenced 2 passages
The passage this message was preached from, in full, with every other passage it reached for.
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Luke 12:13-34 main passage read aloud and expounded throughout the sermon
13 One of the multitude said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or an arbitrator over you?”
15 He said to them, “Beware! Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance of the things which he possesses.”
16 He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man produced abundantly.
17 He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’
18 He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
19 I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’
20 “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’
21 So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
22 He said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, don’t be anxious for your life, what you will eat, nor yet for your body, what you will wear.
23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.
24 Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds!
25 Which of you by being anxious can add a cubit to his height?
26 If then you aren’t able to do even the least things, why are you anxious about the rest?
27 Consider the lilies, how they grow. They don’t toil, neither do they spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
28 But if this is how God clothes the grass in the field, which today exists, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith?
29 Don’t seek what you will eat or what you will drink; neither be anxious.
30 For the nations of the world seek after all of these things, but your Father knows that you need these things.
31 But seek God’s Kingdom, and all these things will be added to you.
32 Don’t be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.
33 Sell that which you have, and give gifts to the needy. Make for yourselves purses which don’t grow old, a treasure in the heavens that doesn’t fail, where no thief approaches, neither moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Keep this verse
Galatians 5:1
quoted as 'it is for freedom that Christ has set you free' to anchor the theme of freedom in Christ
1 Stand firm therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and don’t be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.
World English Bible · Read it in another translation
Recap
The message in order, in a few minutes of reading.
This message, preached from Luke 12:13-34, centered on one main idea: seek God's kingdom above all else. Rather than zeroing in on greed and worry as problems to fix, the sermon pointed to a rich relationship with God as the solution that naturally pushes those things aside. The invitation was to pursue genuine joy in God, not a begrudging, discipline-only kind of faith.
What was said
The sermon opened with a clip from Matt Chandler on sanctification. His point was that the greatest single asset in a growing relationship with Jesus is a serious pursuit of joy in Him, flooding your life with things that stir your affections for God and cutting away the things that rob you of them. The alternative, discipline without delight, eventually short-circuits. That framing set the tone for everything that followed.
When someone in the crowd asked Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute, Jesus did not take the bait. But He used the moment to get at something deeper: the tendency to measure life by what we own. The parable of the rich farmer showed where that thinking goes wrong. The man's plans were not evil on their face, but his horizon stopped at himself. God called him a fool not because he was prosperous, but because he had no rich relationship with God to show for it.
Greed and worry were described together as joy robbers and relationship busters. They shrink our field of vision down to the little kingdom we are building right here, and crowd out the peace and freedom that come from trusting God. The rhetorical question from verse 25 was put plainly to the room: has worrying ever added a single moment to anyone's life, or left anyone feeling refreshed in the morning?
What stood out in the text, though, was not the warning but the generosity behind it. God feeds the ravens. He clothes the lilies more beautifully than Solomon in all his glory. And you, the passage says, are far more valuable to Him than any of that. Verse 32 was underlined: it gives your Father great happiness to give you the kingdom. The kingdom is not earned or bought; it is received by grace through faith, and it comes loaded with freedom, joy, and peace.
The practical shape of seeking the kingdom came back to two basics that kept surfacing throughout the study of Luke: loving God with full trust and dependence, and loving the people around you as you love yourself. The image offered was living with an open hand rather than a closed fist. Stuff is not the enemy, but how we view it and what we use it for matters. Everything in creation was only ever meant to point us toward the Creator, not replace Him.
The sermon closed by noting that the congregation at First B is already generous in ways that are hard to count, and that generosity, when it flows from a heart that is genuinely delighting in God and seeking His kingdom first, is exactly the kind of eternal investment the passage is talking about. You cannot take your things with you, but what is stored up in God's kingdom goes with you. That is not a grim warning; it is, as the text itself says, good news from a Father who is happy to give.
Doing a Bible study?
Here is a guide we have prepared for you: the passages in order, questions for the group, and room to write.
- Matt Chandler talked about flooding your life with things that stir your affections for Jesus and cutting away things that rob you of those affections. What does that actually look like in a normal week for you?
- The sermon drew a contrast between discipline without delight and an ongoing loving relationship with God. Where do you find yourself landing most of the time, and what do you think drives that?
and 3 more questions in the guide
Read the full transcript 5,501 words
0:03
Good morning, church. Would you please stand up and let's worship God this morning? Amen? It's so good to be here. As you know already, we have worship services Sunday morning and also Monday nights.
0:15
But I can tell you something, Tuesday, I'm all I'm already looking for Sunday. I love to be here and worship God, to feel the Holy Spirit's presence in this place as a family, as a family of Christ. Amen? Would you please make this hour a special hour? Would you please make this hour a special hour where you can feel the Holy Spirit talking to your heart?
0:36
Amen? Let's sing and let's enjoy standing in front of God and worshiping him as a family. Amen.
0:55
Of Jesus.
1:08
Jesus.
1:10
I'm on the promises of God, my savior. Standing standing. I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises I now can see. Perfect present cleansing in the blood for me.
2:14
Amen. Standing in the liberty where Christ makes free. Standing on the promises of God. Hallelujah. Standing.
2:27
Standing on the promises of God, my savior. Standing. Standing. I'm standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises I
3:21
Amen.
3:24
Alright. You guys can have a seat. I wanna welcome you guys. My name is Mike Demetrius. I'm the youth director here at First Bee, and I wanna welcome you guys.
3:33
Thank you for coming to worship with us this morning. Couple of announcements. We've got Monday nights tomorrow night, And I will actually Monday nights is the name of it. Monday nights at first b. And I will be preaching tomorrow night.
3:46
We're gonna be talking from James five about prayer, the power of prayer, the importance of prayer, when, why, how, where. So come and join us for that. Also at the same time, that's gonna be coupled with Awana. That's 06:30 tomorrow night, 06:00. Scratch that.
4:03
We're not gonna have Awana tomorrow night. Okay? So keep the kids at home, but come on by for a message on prayer. Thank you, Dan. Tomorrow morning, there is no school for high schoolers, so come on by.
4:17
We're gonna have some breakfast. High schoolers are welcome to join us. We're gonna whip up a feast in the morning. Youth group is gonna change a little bit this week. We've got some high school basketball games on Tuesday night, which is normally when we have our youth group.
4:31
So we are going to, students are welcome to join me at the high school to, watch and support our students there. And that's gonna be on Tuesday night, so students are welcome to join me. We'll be sitting there. Me and JJ and some of the leaders will be there. And then on Wednesday night, we will have our normal youth group from 06:30 to eight.
4:51
So that's a slight change. Guatemala is coming up. You guys know I'm super excited about this. We've got a team of at least 35 already put together, and, we're headed down there. I couldn't be more excited about that.
5:04
In fact, today, we have got We have a class for Spanish down the hallway, during connect hour. So if you're coming to Guatemala and you wanna practice your Spanish or if you just wanna learn some Spanish, you come on by. We're gonna be talking Spanish in the the back of the fellowship hall. Another thing for Guatemala, our fundraiser this week is a yard sale fundraiser. We're asking people to bring by donations on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.
5:32
Bring them right in here to the sanctuary. We're gonna have all the chairs pushed out of the way. And so whether you're coming or not, but tell your friends, tell your family, go through your closets, go through your garage. Anything you're not using, bring it by, and we will we will sell it, turn it into funds, and go and bless the people of Guatemala. The yard sale itself, we're gonna have an early viewing, where people can pay and come by from five to eight on Friday night, for, like, a first dip shopping.
5:59
And then we're going to have Saturday morning is when but the the details for that are in the bulletin. We've got the baby bottle campaign from Turning Point. So be putting your change in those change in donations into those baby bottles and bring them back by, and we'll get them turned into Turning Point. Today is the third Thursday of the month, so we have discovery class. This is a chance for you, to come by and learn more about the church and, who we are and how to partner with us and become a member.
6:28
So we've got that going on. For all other announcements, check the bulletin, and that discovery class is in Ray's office if I didn't say that. That's all I've got. The band will bring us back together some music. You guys can stand up and greet one another.
7:36
Come down fountain of every blessing to my heart to sing thy grace. Amen?
7:51
Come down fount of every blessing tune my heart to sing thy grace streams of mercy never ceasing call for psalms of louder
10:31
Amen to that. Let's pray. Heavenly father, thank you. Thank you for this privilege that we have as a church together in this place and to worship your name. It is so good to feel the Holy Spirit in this place.
10:42
Would you, God, speak to our hearts through the songs, through the sermon, and help us to to fill you and to to know that we are in in your hands. And because of that, we have eternal life in your name. Would you please help us to to be thankful and to be always ready to share the good news that we have in our hearts, not only here in this place, but also as soon as we leave these doors. Help us to to be the light, the light that comes from you, heavenly father. Would you please change our life in this process, in this beautiful journey, on this planet Earth?
11:15
Help us to always change our life. Help us to always spread the good news that comes from you. In Jesus' name, pray. Amen. Amen.
11:28
Jesus' name above all names. This is my favorite one right here. Let's worship God. Amen? You know that chorus was too good, isn't it?
14:08
We we gotta sing that one more time. Amen. What a beautiful song. I love the old songs. Thank you, miss Amy, for being here.
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You play beautiful.
14:50
Now
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once you know Jesus, this is what is coming. Change my heart, oh God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, oh God. May I be like you.
15:00
Amen? Amen. Let's play the intro again. It's very nice.
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Change my heart oh God
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make it ever true
15:51
change my heart oh God may I be like you hallelujah amen change my heart oh God.
16:05
Make it ever true.
16:10
Change my heart, oh God. May I be like this is what I bring change my heart oh God I like the gypsy flavor make it heaven change my heart oh God may I be like you change my heart oh God
17:01
make it heaven
17:06
change my heart oh God may I be like you are the
17:17
this you
17:30
is what I bring change my heart oh God
17:39
make it ever true
17:43
change my heart oh God May I be like you.
17:54
Amen.
18:00
Invite the, frontline team to come forward and y'all can have a seat. This is the the part of the service where we participate here in the worship through giving. And I know that some give electronically and some give with checks and things like that. But I was just considering as we were saying, have so much to be grateful for even in light of just heaviness. And I'm thinking this week of the heaviness in Florida and things that just go downright evil.
18:32
I consider the the light that Christ brings, and I consider the joy and the life and the freedom that Christ brings. And I think of this song that we will not be overtaken and we will not be overcome. And really just I'd like to give thanks because that's true of our faith. We will not be overtaken. We will not be overcome by the evil in this world because light has overcome the darkness.
19:01
And our God is strong and mighty. But remember this, he uses us. He uses the church to surround those who are hurting and pain and suffering. And and so I'd like to to pray just for that this morning as well. So let's let's turn to the Lord in prayer.
19:22
God, really, there are so many things to be thankful for. I look around the room and just think about just how much joy there is and how many wonderful things are happening in people's lives right now. And for that, we just lift up praise. We give you thanks for being so good and kind and generous and gracious. And God, even in the the difficult thing and the pain and the suffering, you still show your goodness and you still show your truth and your light.
19:53
But you also use us in the process. And I pray that you would use the Christians around that community in Florida to surround those folks, to love them well, to care for them, to show them your love and that your truth would prevail and that your goodness and your love would be known in that community. Light has overcome the darkness. Help us to show it. Use these gifts too, Lord, to help us to show it, but not just money gifts.
20:26
The gifts that you give us, like, some are just merciful and kind and good listeners, and others are great with their hands and and serve meals. And just the ways that you gift us, use those gifts to help us show love this community around the world, in Jesus' name. Amen.
22:27
I think a couple of things immediately pop into my head. One one is how slow it actually is. I mean, I think everybody wants kind of the silver bullet to make sanctification, you know, move like a super highway rather than the dirt path it is. But I think probably by and large, the the greatest single kind of asset in ongoing sanctification is a serious pursuit of joy in the face of Jesus Christ. And so, for years, you know, I I tried to figure out, okay, how how what's the best way for me to flourish in my relationship with Christ?
23:00
And and and when all said and done, I I just learned if I'll fill my life with things that stir my affections for Jesus, then and if I'll pay attention and I'll kind of keep away from my heart the things that rob me of my affections, even if those things are morally neutral. Right? It's not I mean, I'm a pastor. I'm probably not gonna get jammed up with black tar heroin, but I can care about sports too much. And I'm not saying sports are evil.
23:24
Sports are awesome. But if I care too much, then that for me, man, that that'll rob me of affection. It'll take affection that I have for the Lord, a zeal I have for him, and it'll it'll it'll navigate it to a different place. And so really for me, wanna be very serious about the pursuit of my own joy in Jesus Christ. And and so I wanna flood my life with things that stir my affections for him, and then I wanna be very serious about cutting things out of my life that rob me of those affections.
23:52
And so I I think if you're not doing it that way, and this is pure it is the puritans, mortification, vivification. But if you're not doing it that way, then there's a lot of self, there's a lot of just discipline without delight, and and then you get into, you know, begrudging submission and and that doesn't honor God, you don't enjoy it, and the whole thing begins to short circuit, and I think you're no longer walking in what Christ came to set you free for, which is freedom. You know, it's for freedom that Christ has set you free. So you've been set free towards something, and that towards something is freedom. The the freedom to pursue your joy in him.
24:31
So well said. That clip is called Filling Life with Join Jesus. That's Matt Chandler. And the question he was kind of asking is how do I flourish in a relationship with Jesus? And I really like
24:44
When I think about sanctification. When I think about sanctification.
24:48
And we're gonna hear from them again. But the the question that was asked, how do I flourish in a relationship with Jesus? And I and I really think that Matt was spot on by saying that I I wanna flood my light with things that stir my affections toward God and and and cut away the things that don't and and and try to stay in arms length away from the things that don't. Otherwise, and I believe this is true. Otherwise, following God can just be discipline without delight and and a begrudging submission without that that loving relationship.
25:24
You know, think about what keeps your relationship going with your with your spouse. It's that ongoing, loving, caring relationship that does. Not like a begrudging submission to one another, but the loving relationship. And that makes sense. And I just want to be reminded of why Christ came in the first place.
25:48
It's for freedom. It's for freedom that Christ has set us free. And I want to remind us that on the front end here that Jesus came to truly bring us freedom. Freedom from sin, freedom from condemnation. And you know what?
26:05
Fortunately, for us, Jesus is very gracious to warn us of the things that would rob us of that freedom and and that joy. And two examples that we're going to see today are greed and worry. But you know what? Greed and worry, they're not even the focus of the text. They're mentioned in this text, but really, that would be like zeroing in on the problem, which I I don't have any interest in doing.
26:34
Rather, I want to focus in on the solution. And the solution of this text I believe is this right here. Seek God's kingdom above all else. That's what I believe this is this is where we're going. Because when we seek his kingdom above all else and we gain a rich relationship with him, joy robbers like greed and worry, those things begin to take a back seat.
27:03
Those things don't those those things don't have a place in our life when we have a rich relationship with Jesus. I wanna show you where this is coming from. So it's Luke twelve thirteen through 34. And I'll just read it through. It's up on the screen.
27:18
And then make some observations afterwards. Okay? So here it is. Luke twelve thirteen through 34. Here's what it says.
27:25
Someone called from the crowd, teacher, please tell my brother to divide our father's estate with me. Jesus replied, friend, who made me a judge over you to decide such things as that? And then he said, beware, guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own. Then he told them a story.
27:52
A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops. He said to himself, what should I do? I don't have room for all my crops. Then he said, I know. I'll tear down my barns and I'll build bigger ones.
28:04
Then I'll have enough room to store all my wheat and other goods. And I'll sit back and I'll say to myself, friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy. Eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, you fool.
28:17
You will die this very night. Then who will get everything that you worked for? Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. Then turning his disciples, Jesus said, this is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life. Whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear, for life is more than food and your body more than clothing.
28:44
Look at the ravens. They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns for God feeds them And you are far more valuable to him than any birds. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? And if worry can't accomplish a little thing like that, what's the use of worrying over bigger things? Look at the lilies and how they grow.
29:11
They don't work or make their clothing. Yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown to the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? And don't be concerned about what to eat and what to drink.
29:34
Don't worry about such things. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your father already knows your needs. Here we go. Main point, seek the kingdom of God above all else, and he'll give you everything you need. So don't be afraid, little flock, for it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom.
29:59
Sell your possessions. Give to those in need. This will store up treasure for you in heaven, And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe. No thief can steal it nor moth can destroy it.
30:13
Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. Let's pray on that. Okay? God, you're gracious to give us this. Thank you.
30:27
You say it gives you great happiness to give us your kingdom. And the inner truly is a gift. And I pray that, we wouldn't forfeit all the benefits that come along with a rich relationship with you, Especially not, not the pursuit of of stuff just for selfish reasons and especially not worry because it just doesn't do any good. I pray that this text would really come alive this morning, and it would reach, in the depths of our our being. And we take seriously what you're saying here.
31:13
We take seriously the joy that we have in you. In Jesus name. Amen. So again, the the the message in a sentence here is seek his kingdom above all else. I'll tell you what, this this passage had been working on me for a while now.
31:28
I've been studying Luke for a long time in Monday night. And this was a few weeks ago. But the more that I read this passage, the more I see God's love and generosity just flood. Just flood the scripture. The the Bible I've just been considering this.
31:47
The Bible is so much more than a list of do's and don'ts. If we if we see it as a list of do's and don'ts and a relationship with God is a begrudging submission, I think we're missing the point. Because he really has a rich relationship to to offer us, and this is an invitation to enjoy a rich relationship with God. You know what I mean? Like, sometimes we can read the scripture, go, okay.
32:10
I should do this, shouldn't do that. Don't be greedy. Don't worry. Do give to those in needs was yes, it does say that. But like Matt said in that opening video, though, if it's all discipline without delight, that eventually short circuits.
32:27
Eventually that will short circuit. But an ongoing loving relationship, that will last. So I believe this text really is aiming us at delighting in God and pursuing his kingdom. Are you there? Are you with me?
32:42
Because it is richer. It is longer lasting than just the pursuit of stuff or worrying about that stuff that we've accumulated. So verse 15, here's the warning. Beware guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.
33:03
Isn't that so true? If I were to ask you this. Okay. When you look at that question right there, what is life about? In your own mind, what kind of things what kind of things pop to the surface?
33:19
I believe that most of us would not start naming off, well, my house, my car, my boat, my this, my that, not even skiing in Jackson. Right, Jackson? Right? Hockey would be an acceptable answer. I'm a Minnesota boy.
33:42
Come on. Hockey. But really life isn't about that stuff. Right? Or even those things.
33:48
Sure, we enjoy them, but they're not what life is about. And the more that we accumulate specifically for selfish gain, it seems the unhappier we become, and then the more we worry about what happens to those things. Backing up. So the reason that Jesus says this in the first place, someone comes to me and says, hey, tell my brother that he's got to divide our our our dad's estate. Go ahead Jesus.
34:20
You're the rabbi. Go tell him. Jesus doesn't bite that hook. That's that's not what he's after. But while it's on the table, he gets to the heart of it.
34:30
He wants more stuff. And let me be clear, Carl, this is not saying this morning, your stuff is bad. Don't have stuff. I am not saying that. What matters is how do we use it?
34:46
How do we view it? Do we find joy in the creator or only his creation? It can strengthen our relationship with God. Seriously, the the stuff around us, it really can strengthen our relationship with God or it can stand in the way of it. But real quick, I wanna encourage you, church family.
35:12
I want to encourage you because first b is a loving and generous church. And I mean that. I can't even begin to count the ways that you go above and beyond when it comes to generosity. It just blows my mind. There are always needs.
35:33
And it's like you race to be the first ones to meet needs. It just it is amazing. So I just I wanna encourage you in that to keep on because I know that it comes from a joyful, loving heart that's delighting in God. It comes from a seek the kingdom of God first attitude. So as I was preparing for the sermon, I thought, I don't even know why why am I even sharing this?
35:59
I feel like this is something that we're doing well. Nonetheless, it is good to be reminded of it. So back to this parable. It's it's like we can pinpoint where this rich farmers thinking starts to get off track. And it's in verse 19.
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I'll sit back and I'll say to myself, my friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Take it easy. Eat, drink, be merry. Again, joy isn't wrong. The pursuit of pleasure is not wrong.
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But who is it for? What is it for? I think a better question is who is it in? Who is it in? Verse 21 makes the point.
36:48
A person is a fool to store up earthly wealth, but not have a rich relationship with God. It's that rich relationship with God. The seeking of his kingdom. The caring about the people around us. That's God's design.
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Stuff is stuff. It comes and goes. Am I am I right? You know, we it it just does. What matters is how do we use it?
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How do we view it? There's good reason for Jesus to warn us against greed and worry. They're relationship busters. They're an enemy of our joy and our lifespan. Look at this.
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Verse 25. Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? How would you answer that? Come on. We all try this one.
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We all try this one. The bottom line is worrying never helps. It doesn't give you a better night's rest. It does not add to your years. Have you ever met one person who said, you know, I stayed up all night worrying last night.
38:12
This morning, I just feel refreshed. I feel good. I feel good about life. No. Because no one has ever said that.
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Ever. You know what I mean? Casting our cares on him just makes sense. What he's saying here just makes sense. Seeking his kingdom above worry and gathering things only for selfish gain, it just makes sense.
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Look at the rest of it. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and what? And he will give you everything that you need. He didn't say no. Didn't say, I'll give you everything you want.
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Everything. Go ahead. I'm the gumball machine. Put in a quarter. It wasn't that way, but he'll give us what we need.
39:09
We're not promised a problem free life, but at least we have peace in our problems. Consider this. Alright? You're sitting here right now because God has provided for you up to this point. Is he just gonna stop?
39:31
Why should we worry? What stood out to me in this in this passage is the generosity and the love of God. Look at this. Let's be reminded of this again. Look at the birds.
39:44
They don't plant. They don't harvest. They don't store food and barns. God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds.
39:56
Would you hear that once again this morning? You are far more valuable. Even these beautiful birds that you see flying around, far more valuable. Verse 28, and if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow. Listen to God say this to He will certainly care for you.
40:23
Another great verse here in this text. Verse 32. So don't be afraid little flock for it gives your father great happiness to give you the kingdom. I under underline the words great happiness. That has been speaking to me here.
40:43
But do you see it? Are you experiencing it? The love and the generosity of God over you. It gives him great happiness to give his kingdom. Give his king.
41:03
We don't buy it. We don't earn it. We receive it by the grace of God. That's unmerited favor just through faith. Faith in what God has done.
41:17
Faith in his son. And then what's added to it, everything that comes along with it. You know consider it. Freedom, Joy. Peace of heart.
41:31
Peace of mind. All those intangible things right that you can't always visibly see. You can visibly see them in a person's life when they have them. Right? But they're incredible, generous gifts of God.
41:46
The problem is greed and worry can just choke them out. To where we're only looking at this little kingdom right here rather than God's eternal kingdom. And so I think this picture right here, this kind of nails it for me. Right? We cannot take our things with us when we die.
42:18
Right? Go ahead take a picture of it or something because that's ridiculous. And yet we can live with that mindset right there. It just makes sense doesn't it? To invest in something that goes beyond everything right here that we can see, touch, and smell.
42:40
That we would invest in what's eternal. How do we do that? How do we do that? How do we make that investment? We go right back to who we are.
42:50
The we go back to the basics. With all we are, we love God, and we love people. In practice, this is how we seek his kingdom. As I've been studying Luke, these themes, they just keep coming up over and over and over again. Trust.
43:08
I I I can't get it out of my head as I'm studying Luke. I just keep hearing Jesus say, do you trust me? Do you trust me? Do you depend on me? Do you rely on me?
43:19
Have you yielded your will to mine? That's how we love God. And then we love our neighbor. We care about the people around us like we care about ourselves. I really like the analogy.
43:36
For me, it's always struck me. The analogy of just living life with an open hand, you know, rather than a closed hand. That me my mindset, but to live life with an open hand. And honestly, just to enjoy God. That's probably one of my biggest takeaways in all this is the pursuit of our joy in God.
43:59
That it really is there. That it really does exist. That he's the source of our joy and freedom. He's not the enemy of it. And that a rich relationship with him far exceeds any material thing that we can have.
44:19
Again, stuff isn't bad, but how we view our stuff and how we use our stuff. Is it really for our creator? Are we finding joy in our creator or just his creation? Because this everything in that creation was only meant to point us to a deeper and a richer relationship with our creator. So I think this quote says it well right here.
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You weren't made to be satisfied with stuff, you were made for satisfaction with God. And so again, my simple encouragement here is seek God's kingdom above all else. Why? It's really in our best interest. It is for our joy.
45:06
It is for our freedom that that he said this, to seek his kingdom. And in the words of Florian, I'm gonna quote him here. He texted this one day. He said, if there's one thing that I wanna suggest to you, it's this. Please don't worry about anything.
45:21
It's not worth it. Seek God with all your heart, love people, and enjoy the good Christian music, which does good to the heart. Well said. So that being said, I'll pipe flooring back up. We'll lead us in one last song here.
45:36
And while while they're coming up, I'd I'd like to to just pray on what we heard. Okay? God, I do thank you again for life and life to the full measure. For freedom, for joy, for peace, for all those things that are not material things. Yet we can experience them just from the depth of who we are because of what you do, because of your spirit living inside of us.
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Thank you, God, for your warning. It really is in our best interest. Thank you for a warning against, against things that would rob us of our freedom and joy. Would you help us to to seek you? Not out of begrudging submission, but because our lives truly are richer for have doing doing so.
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And that we would look at the investments that we make as eternal investments. Not just things that that build up this little kingdom here. Because we can't take our stuff with us when we go. But things that we store up in heaven. In your eternal king.
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That's my prayer for us in Jesus name. Amen.
47:11
Will you please stand up and let's worship God with our last song. It's called your love is like radiant diamonds. Amen to that. God of mercy, sweet love of mine. I have surrendered to your design.
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Oh, I love that. Amen. And also would you please continue to pray for Jill as she's going on a mission trip? I love Jill. She's very sweet and kind.
47:30
Yes. Would you please allow me to pray in Romanian language? Thank you. Heavenly father, would you please bless Jill on the way to Africa? Please bless bless her so she can have a great time with you, but also she can be a blessing to the people over there.
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Please bless her and bless us. In Jesus name I pray, amen. Amen. Your love is like radiant diamonds.
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Your love is raining in diamonds bursting inside us we cannot surrender to your desire may desire stretch across
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Amen. May God bless you.
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So as we part here, let's just keep this on our radar throughout the weekend and stirring our hearts to seek the kingdom above all else, and he will give you everything that you need. Amen.
51:49
Have a great weekend. May God bless.
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