WEBVTT 00:00:09.740 --> 00:00:13.300 Hello, and welcome to the Kalamazoo church of Christ podcast. 00:00:13.539 --> 00:00:14.839 Thank you so much for listening. 00:00:15.320 --> 00:00:16.199 We're startup church. 00:00:16.280 --> 00:00:23.460 We just planted in September, 2020 and at the Kalamazoo church, we believe that Christianity is done best when it is done together. 00:00:23.559 --> 00:00:32.299 And so if you live in the Kalamazoo area, we would love to connect be it coming to a Sunday service, one of our small groups, or even just grabbing coffee with a member to learn more. 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:36.439 You can visit kalamazoo.church in order to do that. 00:00:37.119 --> 00:00:40.399 We pray that you are inspired by what you hear today. 00:00:42.079 --> 00:00:47.340 I'd like to start by inviting the overflow crowd just to come on in, make your way. 00:00:47.380 --> 00:00:52.039 We've got a few seats at the front of the auditorium, a little standing room only on the side. 00:00:52.200 --> 00:00:53.740 So just, just come on in. 00:00:53.740 --> 00:00:55.880 There's room for you. 00:01:00.619 --> 00:01:01.799 Switch it to the first slide. 00:01:02.960 --> 00:01:03.479 One more. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:05.219 There we go. 00:01:05.299 --> 00:01:07.200 Boy, I don't know if you can see that or not. 00:01:08.540 --> 00:01:09.260 Something amazing. 00:01:09.359 --> 00:01:10.739 Yeah, we could turn off the lights here. 00:01:10.920 --> 00:01:12.260 No, no, no, don't, don't do that. 00:01:14.819 --> 00:01:18.099 Something amazing happened in 2015. 00:01:20.099 --> 00:01:25.019 Reena and I had purchased a 2000 Pontiac Firebird. 00:01:27.519 --> 00:01:29.019 And you thought I wasn't cool. 00:01:29.780 --> 00:01:30.900 I never said that. 00:01:31.019 --> 00:01:31.219 Right. 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:34.620 The words weren't necessary. 00:01:34.900 --> 00:01:36.739 I can, I can read your minds, okay. 00:01:38.959 --> 00:01:47.280 This was a picture that I took of my wife, my, my hot car, my beautiful wife, or was it a hot, no, no, whatever. 00:01:48.500 --> 00:01:54.459 We were about to head out for our first out of town trip in the, in the Pontiac Firebird. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:57.340 It was just, it was just going to go see a soccer game up in Grand Rapids. 00:01:57.819 --> 00:02:06.459 But it was one of those nights, you know, it was, it was the end of summer, but it was warm enough that we, as you could tell, we took the teatop glass off, put it in the back. 00:02:07.019 --> 00:02:08.419 We drove up 131. 00:02:08.919 --> 00:02:10.900 You know, we had our music jams playing. 00:02:11.139 --> 00:02:14.139 The car had a little equalizer, which I thought was just so cool. 00:02:14.139 --> 00:02:17.360 You know, we had a marvelous night. 00:02:17.520 --> 00:02:21.419 And then being fall, you know, how the temperatures dropped kind of like it was this morning. 00:02:21.900 --> 00:02:27.580 We had to put the, the, the tea, tea glass back in, you know, and it just had an enjoyable. 00:02:27.780 --> 00:02:36.000 And then, of course, just, you know, every, every stoplight that you come to, you're wanting, you know, kind of looking over at the other guy and just, you know, got that, that kind of vibe going on, you know. 00:02:36.740 --> 00:02:37.840 It was awesome. 00:02:37.840 --> 00:02:51.319 Then in 2016, we lost all of our, we completely lost any remaining coolness that we had, and we sold the Pontiac Firebird, and we bought a 2016 Chevy Trax. 00:02:51.439 --> 00:02:55.240 Yes, I said a Chevy, a 2016 Chevy Trax. 00:02:55.759 --> 00:02:59.120 Became 100% certified boring, all right. 00:03:00.680 --> 00:03:06.400 But it was a new car, and we had not owned a new car in probably our entire married life. 00:03:06.400 --> 00:03:15.560 And just every time we got in that car, you know, the new car smell, and it was just, it wasn't big, it wasn't fancy, but, you know, the air conditioning worked, which was a plus, you know. 00:03:16.379 --> 00:03:17.419 Been there, done that. 00:03:20.669 --> 00:03:23.349 The amazing thing about that little Trax was this. 00:03:23.469 --> 00:03:25.870 Shortly after we got it, we were driving around town. 00:03:26.009 --> 00:03:31.590 We were amazed at how many other people had bought Trax about the same time that we did, right? 00:03:31.870 --> 00:03:34.590 They were everywhere, you know, in front of us and back of us. 00:03:34.669 --> 00:03:37.250 Every time we went to a parking lot, we saw just a ton of them. 00:03:37.250 --> 00:03:39.430 Now, you've been there before, right? 00:03:40.110 --> 00:03:46.349 Nobody, you know, there wasn't any more Trax the day after we purchased ours than there was the day before, correct? 00:03:46.810 --> 00:03:49.729 But we were more attentive to them at that point. 00:03:50.490 --> 00:04:00.050 We became cognizant, not only of ourselves and our car, but everybody else's cars as well, because we had a new Chevy Trax, right? 00:04:00.770 --> 00:04:03.930 This is not unlike the kingdom of God. 00:04:05.289 --> 00:04:15.889 It's the, we really, when we join forces, when we unite with God and his purposes on planet Earth, we begin to see the kingdom all around us. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:27.970 We become aware, our eyes are open, and therefore, it's that conversation that you have with your neighbor across the fence in your backyard that somehow takes on greater significance. 00:04:28.730 --> 00:04:32.829 It's the 20-year-old marriage rescued from the ravages of divorce. 00:04:33.389 --> 00:04:37.990 It's the birth, the great news, the glad tidings of a newborn baby. 00:04:38.910 --> 00:04:42.009 It's the death of a lifelong servant of God. 00:04:42.569 --> 00:04:47.029 It's the teenage boy who helps the old lady, you know, across the street. 00:04:48.649 --> 00:04:52.189 It's the baptism of the 70-year-old skeptic. 00:04:54.209 --> 00:04:56.189 It's the cancer-free diagnosis. 00:05:00.560 --> 00:05:01.860 Think with me for a moment. 00:05:01.860 --> 00:05:17.350 How many of you have gone to a restaurant and just ordered a burger or a sandwich, and the waitress, after a few minutes, brings it out to your table, and that burger is thick? 00:05:17.769 --> 00:05:19.769 I mean, it's this big, right? 00:05:20.089 --> 00:05:22.529 Now, okay, my mouth, it's this big, right? 00:05:22.569 --> 00:05:24.629 But the burger is this big, all right? 00:05:24.689 --> 00:05:27.250 There's no possible way, this is going to be messy, right? 00:05:28.509 --> 00:05:32.230 It's impossible to eat in a dignified manner, okay? 00:05:33.550 --> 00:05:46.230 The only thing that we can do, the only thing that we can hope for is that we nibble around the sides, you know, we digest it slowly, we take a bite at a time. 00:05:46.649 --> 00:05:53.370 And again, this is not unlike Scripture, especially the portion that we're going to look in today in Matthew chapter 6, all right? 00:05:54.290 --> 00:05:57.389 If we take too big a swallow, we're going to choke, all right? 00:05:57.470 --> 00:05:59.509 And that's the way that Scripture works. 00:05:59.509 --> 00:06:05.810 I love what Tony said to me earlier before service, and even Alec and I had a brief conversation here earlier. 00:06:09.629 --> 00:06:12.970 Tony says, what you're studying, what you're preaching on today, and I said, Matthew 6. 00:06:13.009 --> 00:06:15.250 He said, that's good, because I've been reading it all week. 00:06:15.550 --> 00:06:17.889 And that's kind of what we need to do, right? 00:06:18.250 --> 00:06:22.930 We take these truths from God's Word, and we let them marinate within our soul. 00:06:23.110 --> 00:06:27.050 We let them soak into our bodies, into our thoughts. 00:06:27.550 --> 00:06:31.769 And then they become bigger and bigger and bigger, and they have deeper meaning. 00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:32.889 They have greater meaning. 00:06:33.029 --> 00:06:37.350 The stuff that we're talking about today is thick, is thick. 00:06:37.449 --> 00:06:40.490 So if you feel overwhelmed, I've done my job today, right? 00:06:40.949 --> 00:06:46.029 We need to take what we've heard, and just like those Bereans that we're all familiar with, right? 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:55.089 You take that Scripture home, you absorb it, you examine it with a great eagerness to see if what the message presented was true. 00:06:55.410 --> 00:07:01.730 But beyond that, even if it is true, there's greater depth, and there's greater understanding to be had. 00:07:05.379 --> 00:07:07.319 I have a question for you this morning. 00:07:08.300 --> 00:07:09.459 Why do we ask questions? 00:07:11.019 --> 00:07:14.899 You probably already have done this a dozen, a couple dozen times this morning. 00:07:15.339 --> 00:07:22.300 You know, if you have a spouse, maybe the first thing that you did, you'd wake up in the morning, or him in the morning, however the case may be, hey, are you going to get up? 00:07:22.839 --> 00:07:24.180 Hey, would you like some coffee? 00:07:24.540 --> 00:07:25.680 What are you going to have for breakfast? 00:07:26.100 --> 00:07:28.139 What are you going to wear to church this morning? 00:07:28.560 --> 00:07:30.740 You see, all these questions, why do we do that? 00:07:31.160 --> 00:07:39.800 Perhaps if somebody knew that you met this morning, or perhaps not, but anyway, a new person that might come in, you might begin by asking a few questions. 00:07:39.980 --> 00:07:40.920 Hi, what is your name? 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:42.259 Where do you live? 00:07:42.699 --> 00:07:45.279 Tell me a little bit about yourself, those types of things. 00:07:45.620 --> 00:07:51.540 Or perhaps an old friend, we go another step further, we get a little more intimate and deeper with our conversation. 00:07:51.899 --> 00:07:52.779 How's the wife? 00:07:52.899 --> 00:07:53.600 How's the kids? 00:07:53.800 --> 00:07:55.139 Hey, what are you doing Tuesday night? 00:07:55.220 --> 00:07:57.959 We still planning on getting together, you know, those kind of things. 00:07:58.220 --> 00:07:59.240 Why do we do that? 00:07:59.639 --> 00:08:02.240 Is it not to gain greater understanding? 00:08:02.939 --> 00:08:08.620 Is it not that we're gathering information, that we're seeking knowledge of another individual? 00:08:09.040 --> 00:08:09.399 Sure. 00:08:09.779 --> 00:08:11.720 That's why we ask questions. 00:08:12.120 --> 00:08:21.000 Now, let's go to this next slide, Google one more, yes, John 13, 12 through 17. 00:08:21.540 --> 00:08:30.959 I have another question for you this morning, and based on our current study of Scripture with this theme, questions Jesus asked, I want to present another question. 00:08:31.538 --> 00:08:35.600 And that is, why did Jesus ask questions? 00:08:37.908 --> 00:08:49.570 You see, if it is true that we ask questions to gather information, seeking knowledge, why is it that Jesus asked questions? 00:08:50.330 --> 00:08:59.590 The Scripture says when he had finished washing their feet, and we're picking up kind of in a bad spot, he had just finished washing the disciples' feet, and so he has this to say. 00:09:00.250 --> 00:09:04.429 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on clothes and returned to the place. 00:09:05.029 --> 00:09:10.389 He asked them, you call me teacher, well, part of that's not showing up. 00:09:12.669 --> 00:09:13.230 Let's revert. 00:09:13.389 --> 00:09:14.129 I'm going to go to Scripture. 00:09:14.490 --> 00:09:14.830 All right. 00:09:16.809 --> 00:09:18.070 Forget the PowerPoint. 00:09:18.669 --> 00:09:20.009 Ah, goodness gracious. 00:09:20.649 --> 00:09:25.509 The picture of the wife was cool, but beyond that, I'm not sure we're going to, we're not going to get far here. 00:09:26.049 --> 00:09:27.289 Okay, good thing we got the Bible. 00:09:27.409 --> 00:09:27.850 That's right. 00:09:28.269 --> 00:09:40.820 John chapter three, beginning of verse 12, reading through 17, it says, when he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.899 Do you understand what I have done for you, he asked. 00:09:46.399 --> 00:09:50.840 Do you understand what I have done for you, Jesus asked his disciples. 00:09:51.100 --> 00:09:52.580 Why did Jesus ask that question? 00:09:54.950 --> 00:09:55.610 What was that? 00:09:57.549 --> 00:09:58.029 Right. 00:09:58.289 --> 00:10:01.029 It was essentially because they didn't understand. 00:10:01.269 --> 00:10:02.190 Jesus knew that. 00:10:02.490 --> 00:10:04.029 Jesus wasn't seeking information. 00:10:04.269 --> 00:10:05.710 He wasn't gathering knowledge. 00:10:05.830 --> 00:10:06.129 All right. 00:10:06.429 --> 00:10:09.230 What he was doing is trying to present knowledge to them. 00:10:09.429 --> 00:10:11.009 Do you understand what I am doing? 00:10:11.090 --> 00:10:14.789 He knew the answer to that question, just like he knows you and me today. 00:10:14.850 --> 00:10:16.110 We continue on. 00:10:16.309 --> 00:10:20.230 You call me teacher and Lord, and rightly so, for that is what I am. 00:10:20.710 --> 00:10:26.309 Now that I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you should also wash one another's feet. 00:10:26.730 --> 00:10:30.129 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 00:10:30.610 --> 00:10:36.610 Very truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 00:10:37.129 --> 00:10:42.769 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. 00:10:43.090 --> 00:10:44.649 When did they get to the now? 00:10:44.870 --> 00:10:47.590 They got to the now when he actually did it. 00:10:47.590 --> 00:10:53.049 He had provided them instruction, but now he was showing them exactly what needed to be done. 00:10:53.149 --> 00:10:55.750 Do you understand why I did this? 00:10:55.830 --> 00:10:57.769 Do you understand why I am telling you this? 00:10:58.570 --> 00:11:02.450 They probably, well, pretty sure that they did not. 00:11:02.529 --> 00:11:03.490 They didn't have any clue. 00:11:04.590 --> 00:11:15.330 Our text today is Matthew chapter 6, verse 27, but I hate just taking like one verse out of here, especially, and let the record show here today, okay? 00:11:15.850 --> 00:11:18.850 I did not choose this selection, okay? 00:11:18.929 --> 00:11:22.029 This selection was given to me, so I want to make that clear right off the bat. 00:11:22.830 --> 00:11:33.090 We are right smack dab in the middle of the Sermon of the Mount, and in the Sermon of the Mount, you know, I've been here many times, and it's where I've come to rest on many, many occasions. 00:11:34.049 --> 00:11:39.309 It's also known as the Kingdom Manifesto or the Kingdom Constitution, right? 00:11:39.490 --> 00:11:48.049 It gives instruction about how kingdom life is lived out in this human existence that we have on this earth, but I want context today. 00:11:48.169 --> 00:11:51.230 I don't want to read just Matthew chapter 6, verse 27. 00:11:51.509 --> 00:11:54.450 I want to read Matthew chapter 6 today. 00:11:54.809 --> 00:11:59.889 Let's begin in the first verse, Matthew chapter 6. 00:12:01.570 --> 00:12:11.659 All right, he starts off by saying, be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. 00:12:12.059 --> 00:12:16.279 If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. 00:12:17.399 --> 00:12:36.620 If we back up just in the same conversation, moments earlier, Jesus made this statement back in Matthew chapter 5, in verse 16, when he said, in the same way, let your light so shine before others that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. 00:12:38.120 --> 00:12:40.639 Oh my, what does he mean? 00:12:41.149 --> 00:12:43.519 Shine your light, don't shine your light. 00:12:44.259 --> 00:12:46.860 Let others see you, don't let others see you. 00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:47.779 What is he saying? 00:12:48.159 --> 00:12:49.940 I'm telling you, it's thick, okay? 00:12:50.080 --> 00:12:51.460 We need to think about this. 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:54.919 This requires wisdom as to what's going on. 00:12:55.340 --> 00:13:13.899 In Matthew 6 and verse 1 here, we find this instruction, but as we continue on, beginning of verse number 2, so when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. 00:13:14.840 --> 00:13:18.000 Truly, I tell you, they have received the reward in full. 00:13:19.220 --> 00:13:27.639 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. 00:13:28.139 --> 00:13:32.919 Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 00:13:33.139 --> 00:13:45.779 You see the difference here that he's talking about, at least briefly, at least on the surface we can gather, is that our deeds should not be done to honor ourselves, but to honor your Father that is in heaven. 00:13:46.940 --> 00:13:48.440 We need to take the whole. 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:50.139 There's extremes, right? 00:13:50.259 --> 00:13:53.320 We can go too far this way, and then we can go too far that way. 00:13:53.820 --> 00:13:56.620 Where we need to be is right here in the sweet spot. 00:13:56.879 --> 00:13:59.820 In the sweet spot of kingdom living, right? 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:04.460 Advance the slide to Ecclesiastes. 00:14:06.909 --> 00:14:07.529 Are we there? 00:14:08.370 --> 00:14:08.850 Okay. 00:14:08.850 --> 00:14:12.990 Okay, I think I can read this one. 00:14:14.710 --> 00:14:15.549 Let's see. 00:14:16.110 --> 00:14:17.870 Glasses on, trying to focus in. 00:14:17.950 --> 00:14:18.490 Here we go. 00:14:18.909 --> 00:14:27.009 In this meaningless life of mine, another translation describes that as this vain life of mine. 00:14:27.330 --> 00:14:29.009 It's this vain life of mine. 00:14:29.529 --> 00:14:31.190 I have seen both of these things. 00:14:31.309 --> 00:14:32.529 Maybe you have too today. 00:14:32.950 --> 00:14:40.690 Number one, the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living in their wickedness. 00:14:41.169 --> 00:14:41.330 Yeah? 00:14:41.610 --> 00:14:41.769 Yeah? 00:14:42.029 --> 00:14:42.190 Yeah. 00:14:42.549 --> 00:14:43.950 But here's something interesting. 00:14:44.110 --> 00:14:44.769 The next verse. 00:14:44.990 --> 00:14:49.230 Do not be over-righteous, neither be over-wise. 00:14:49.629 --> 00:14:51.049 Why destroy yourselves? 00:14:51.149 --> 00:14:56.610 I very distinctly remember an evening in my living room, Alex sitting across the living room from me. 00:14:56.750 --> 00:14:59.529 We read this verse, and we got real quiet, okay? 00:15:00.029 --> 00:15:03.570 We just stared there, looking at each other for the longest time. 00:15:03.710 --> 00:15:08.830 What in the world does he mean, do not be, have you ever considered yourself to be over-righteous? 00:15:09.110 --> 00:15:10.250 To be over-wise? 00:15:11.110 --> 00:15:16.889 And then he follows it by saying, this is the wisest man who wrote these words, inspired by God himself. 00:15:17.950 --> 00:15:19.370 Why destroy yourself? 00:15:20.230 --> 00:15:23.470 Do not be over-wicked, he continues, over-wicked. 00:15:24.049 --> 00:15:25.389 Don't be wicked. 00:15:25.590 --> 00:15:25.950 No, no, no. 00:15:25.950 --> 00:15:27.690 He says, don't be over-wicked. 00:15:30.470 --> 00:15:31.789 And do not be a fool. 00:15:35.190 --> 00:15:37.149 Why die before your time? 00:15:38.590 --> 00:15:42.830 It is good to grasp the one and not let go of the other. 00:15:42.909 --> 00:15:47.110 Whoever fears God will avoid all extremes, just what we said a moment ago, right? 00:15:49.409 --> 00:16:02.350 So I sense that this can happen, you know, when we study scripture, when we bite off that big chunk and we're trying to chew it, trying to digest it, that we can choose one extreme over the other. 00:16:02.490 --> 00:16:04.889 And that's not where we want to be by any stretch. 00:16:06.110 --> 00:16:08.710 Okay, back to Matthew. 00:16:09.129 --> 00:16:11.070 Let's pick it up in verse number four. 00:16:11.129 --> 00:16:15.070 I don't have these on the slide, so if you've got your Bibles with you, I'll follow along. 00:16:17.049 --> 00:16:27.529 Verse number five, and when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. 00:16:28.470 --> 00:16:31.610 Truly I tell you, they have received the reward in full. 00:16:33.450 --> 00:16:39.970 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, pray to your father who is unseen. 00:16:40.529 --> 00:16:44.590 Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 00:16:47.440 --> 00:16:54.120 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 00:16:55.600 --> 00:17:00.019 Do not be like them, for your father knows what you need before you ask him. 00:17:00.679 --> 00:17:03.059 This then is how you should pray. 00:17:04.700 --> 00:17:07.618 Our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:17:08.338 --> 00:17:13.220 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 00:17:14.098 --> 00:17:20.779 Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. 00:17:20.779 --> 00:17:25.299 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 00:17:26.980 --> 00:17:32.160 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly father will also forgive you. 00:17:32.440 --> 00:17:37.160 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your father will not forgive your sins. 00:17:38.059 --> 00:17:39.400 Are you letting it sink in? 00:17:39.559 --> 00:17:41.799 You're trying to chew what's going on, okay? 00:17:43.140 --> 00:17:44.180 Keep doing it. 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:45.359 Keep doing it. 00:17:45.640 --> 00:17:46.500 Don't lose it. 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:54.420 When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. 00:17:55.240 --> 00:17:57.980 Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 00:17:58.599 --> 00:18:08.839 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your father who is unseen. 00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:14.480 And your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:21.579 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 00:18:22.140 --> 00:18:29.880 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:34.880 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 00:18:36.380 --> 00:18:40.000 The eye is the lamp of the whole body. 00:18:40.460 --> 00:18:43.440 If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 00:18:43.799 --> 00:18:47.500 But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. 00:18:47.920 --> 00:18:52.299 If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness. 00:18:53.259 --> 00:18:55.539 And no one can serve two masters. 00:18:56.440 --> 00:19:02.319 Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to one and despise the other. 00:19:02.779 --> 00:19:05.839 You cannot serve both God and money. 00:19:07.220 --> 00:19:09.220 So therefore I tell you. 00:19:11.509 --> 00:19:21.589 Therefore I tell you, he says, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink or your body, what you will wear. 00:19:21.910 --> 00:19:25.930 Is not life more important than food and your body more important than clothes? 00:19:26.410 --> 00:19:27.930 Look at the birds of the air. 00:19:28.150 --> 00:19:31.289 They do not sow or reap or store away in barns. 00:19:33.640 --> 00:19:36.079 And your heavenly father feeds them. 00:19:36.460 --> 00:19:38.980 Are you not much more valuable than they? 00:19:39.700 --> 00:19:43.700 Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? 00:19:43.740 --> 00:19:45.460 There's our verse today, okay? 00:19:45.900 --> 00:19:47.019 There's our verse today. 00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:52.099 Can any of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life? 00:19:52.740 --> 00:19:54.440 And why do you worry about clothes? 00:19:55.079 --> 00:19:56.880 See how the flowers of the fields grow? 00:19:57.200 --> 00:19:58.839 They do not labor or spend. 00:19:59.299 --> 00:20:05.259 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these. 00:20:06.839 --> 00:20:16.380 If that's how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? 00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:19.519 So do not worry, saying, what shall we eat? 00:20:19.859 --> 00:20:21.200 What are we going to drink? 00:20:21.839 --> 00:20:23.519 Or what am I going to wear? 00:20:24.680 --> 00:20:26.960 For the pagans run after all these things. 00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:30.079 And your heavenly father knows that you need them. 00:20:30.079 --> 00:20:39.039 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 00:20:39.660 --> 00:20:49.039 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself each day as enough trouble of its own. 00:20:51.019 --> 00:20:52.539 So back to questions. 00:20:54.599 --> 00:21:02.460 And I want you to think, to imagine yourself meeting Jesus down at Water Street. 00:21:03.859 --> 00:21:10.480 You're sitting at a table, sipping on your coffee, just chit-chat, then all of a sudden he comes up with some questions. 00:21:11.339 --> 00:21:16.579 Question number one, and you must answer, you must present an answer. 00:21:17.000 --> 00:21:19.819 This is Jesus sitting at your table, right? 00:21:20.710 --> 00:21:30.640 Look at the birds of the air, he says, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father knows that you need them. 00:21:32.329 --> 00:21:35.039 Are you not more valuable than they? 00:21:36.809 --> 00:21:38.279 What are you going to say to that? 00:21:39.920 --> 00:21:47.240 Question number two, can you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life, Paul? 00:21:51.140 --> 00:21:56.240 He continues with another question, why do you worry about your clothes? 00:21:59.319 --> 00:22:04.119 It didn't take me a long time, but it took me a little while to decide what am I going to wear today, right? 00:22:05.799 --> 00:22:09.299 I should have just rolled out of bed with my flannels on and showed up. 00:22:09.380 --> 00:22:14.200 No, no, no, no, maybe not, maybe not, but we don't need to worry about that, do we? 00:22:14.599 --> 00:22:17.319 Question number four, what am I going to eat? 00:22:18.480 --> 00:22:25.960 It's been a long time since I missed a meal, a long time, what am I going to drink? 00:22:28.380 --> 00:22:40.559 These are the questions that Jesus has for you today, and what is his instruction, what is his teaching for us this morning when we find it in verse number 31? 00:22:41.960 --> 00:22:50.539 Don't do it, don't worry, he's telling you right there as he takes another sip of coffee, don't worry. 00:22:52.190 --> 00:23:06.180 Verse 32, man, even the pagans run after these things, your father knows what's going on here, he's been around the block a time or two, he created you, remember, right? 00:23:09.049 --> 00:23:20.039 Your father knows you need to eat and drink, he knows you need clothes to wear, he knows what's going to happen tomorrow, don't you worry. 00:23:21.359 --> 00:24:07.509 You know, it seems like that the first half of this chapter, you know, when we were talking about prayer and fasting and treasures in heaven and giving to the needy, and a lot of these were just outward signs, right, they're very visible, we could see, in fact, the instruction was don't do it to be seen, right, check your motivation, all right, check your ego in at the door and then go do these things, in fact, don't even let your left hand know what your right is doing, but this last section here, beginning in verse number 25 where he talks about do not worry, you know, I'm pretty good about hiding, I'm pretty good about tucking that inside and appearing pretty good on the outside, it's just as deadly. 00:24:08.509 --> 00:24:13.009 It's a cancer that's fatal to your soul. 00:24:14.490 --> 00:24:17.750 Worry, worry, and why is this? 00:24:18.210 --> 00:24:32.710 Because verse 33, he sums it up, he answers the questions, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. 00:24:35.170 --> 00:24:36.230 What do we have to worry about? 00:24:38.630 --> 00:24:44.910 What do we have to worry about as long as we're seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness first? 00:24:48.119 --> 00:25:01.619 I remember the verse back in Ecclesiastes, you know, talking about being over-righteous, you know, being over-wise, being over-wicked, I would really like to see a show of hands this morning. 00:25:02.039 --> 00:25:03.579 How many of you are righteous? 00:25:03.779 --> 00:25:12.009 Let's just stay with righteous, okay, how many of you are righteous, okay, how many of you are wicked? 00:25:12.730 --> 00:25:25.450 Oh, we got more wicked people here than righteous people, actually, if you take the full scope of your life, I would have loved to have seen a raise of hands both times. 00:25:25.710 --> 00:25:44.470 We are wicked, we're hopeless, we're hopelessly wicked, we may even be over-wicked at some point in time, right, but the same is true of our righteousness, our righteousness does not come from ourselves, it comes from ever-seeking God's kingdom, right, that's how we become righteous. 00:25:45.130 --> 00:25:48.809 Now, I want to speak to all believers here this morning. 00:25:49.210 --> 00:26:05.630 I think we got a slide on 1 Corinthians, if you can find that, 1 Corinthians chapter 8, this is one of those scriptures that I came across, oh, a month or two back or so, it won't leave me, it's become part of my consciousness. 00:26:08.809 --> 00:26:15.589 Now, about food, again, we're picking up in a discussion about, of all things, food's sacrifice to idols. 00:26:16.309 --> 00:31:26.619 Now, about food's sacrifice to idols, we know that we all possess knowledge, don't we all possess knowledge, forget about the idol thing, all right, maybe not so much there, but we possess an awful lot of knowledge in other areas, right, we feel pretty comfortable with a lot of scripture, we can talk, pretty good game when it comes to that, right, we think we know about God, right, we can tell you about the life of Jesus and some of his miracles and those kind of things, right, Paul continues by telling a church at Corinth, but knowledge puffs up, but what, but love builds up, I want you to think about this, how confident do we think when we actually learn something, wow, I never knew that before, when somebody asks you a question, you can give the right answer, wow, look what I did, I actually answered correctly, knowledge puffs up, it affects our pride in ways, it's insidious, we don't even understand how it does this, but thank God for the second part of that verse where he says, but love builds up, but love builds up, those who think they know something, knowledge, those who think they know something do not yet know as they ought to know, now there's one, there's a thick piece of meat you need to live with the rest of your life, right, those of us who think we know something do not know as we ought to, wow, you better learn some more, but not just that, we need to learn to love, right, because love is our trump card, we're not going to have all knowledge, we're not going to have it all figured out, even by the time that we die, even if we learn every day, even if we learn from all the mistakes that we've made in life, we're not going to get there, but love will get us there because love trumps knowledge, look at the last, look at the last thing that he writes here, but whoever loves God is known by God, whoever loves God is known by God, wow, I feel good because all I got to do is to focus on my love for God, he'll get me there, I know he'll get me there because I'm seeking first his kingdom, I love God, I love his kingdom, help me get there father, I know I'm going to screw up today, I know I've been a mess, I know I failed more than I've succeeded, but God, I love you, help your struggling servant, so really the question, the final question that the lesson comes down to today is this one I'm going to present to you, do you love God, do you love God, remember how Jesus asked one of his disciples that same question, Peter, do you love me, and Peter said, yeah, of course I love you, no, no, no, Peter, do you love me, well, of course I love you, Jesus, Peter, do you love me, I think Jesus is asking each one of us that same thing today, there's another question, and it's such an important question that you, he just can't ask us once, he has to ask us every day that we wake up, when that alarm goes off, Paul, do you love me, Paul, do you love me, let's go back and end in Matthew chapter 6 here before we wrap things up, Matthew 6 and right in the middle of that chapter, we find a prayer, right, it's like a lot of times Jesus, you know, leaves us on our own to figure things out a little bit, but in here he gets kind of specific with his disciples, and he says this then is how you should pray, we got a slide on that one, I think, so as we close today, I want us to pray as Jesus taught us to pray, and as we pray, this isn't something wrote, I want you to read this with fresh eyes, with new understanding, with greater knowledge, with greater purpose today. 00:31:27.240 --> 00:31:50.460 After we have this word of prayer, we're going to have a time of fellowship that happens only when we come together as we remember the body and the blood of our Lord, and the sacrifice, the love that he demonstrated to each one of us, that same love that he wants us to reflect and to give to others. 00:31:51.700 --> 00:31:53.039 Will you pray with me? 00:31:55.210 --> 00:32:04.730 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:32:05.529 --> 00:32:17.549 Give us today our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 00:32:18.089 --> 00:32:22.529 For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. 00:32:23.130 --> 00:32:23.349 Amen. 00:32:35.119 --> 00:32:39.559 Thank you so much for listening to the Kalamazoo Church of Christ podcast. 00:32:39.880 --> 00:32:43.240 If you're in the Kalamazoo area, we'd love to get connected. 00:32:43.480 --> 00:32:50.859 Please go to kalamazoo.church and fill in your information to come to a Sunday service or any other event that we have going on. 00:32:50.960 --> 00:32:53.480 In any case, you'll be hearing from us next week. 00:32:54.799 --> 00:33:07.740 He's saving souls.