The ABC’s of the Christian Life (7): Following Jesus Christ Rightly (3) – Seeking God's Kingdom

First Baptist Church Leominster

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Well, we've been asserting here in recent last few weeks the most important scriptural truths and principles for Christian living.

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And we've referred to this category of teaching as following Jesus Christ rightly. It's one thing to come to Jesus and then to follow

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Jesus, but now how do we follow Jesus Christ rightly? Now, we're not saying that knowing and doing these things that we're discussing is necessary or essential to salvation, to receive salvation.

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We, again, addressed those truths earlier, coming to Christ, following Christ. Well, we are saying these things are important.

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And I'm trying to identify and pick subjects that I think are very important for us as Christians in order for us to understand so that we can experience the blessing of God as we seek to do

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His will. Now, as we identify these topics in coming weeks,

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I don't know how long we're going to be in it. I'm really not addressing these matters in an order of priority.

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Maybe at some point I'll try and prioritize them, but I'm just taking a week by week and trying to identify a subject that I think is important.

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Today, we want to speak to a matter which every Christian should understand and practice in life. This is so very important, and that our

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Christian life should be characterized by seeking first the kingdom of God. Now, I can make a case by saying that every true

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Christian seeks first the kingdom of God, but we're not going to do that at this time.

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But this is an important matter. You and I ought to be seeking first the kingdom of God, and if we did so, a lot of other areas in our lives would fall into place.

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We would experience a blessing of the Lord if we truly were seeking the kingdom of God first.

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And so, to begin to understand this important matter, we want to look at the Sermon on the Mount, and we're going to give particular attention to verses 19 -34 of Matthew 6.

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But first, we want to establish a foundation before we arrive there and read that passage. The Sermon on the

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Mount, of course, is a body of teaching that our Lord gave to His disciples who gathered at Mount Him.

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In fact, Matthew's Gospel can actually be structured around five major discourses that our

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Lord Jesus gave to His disciples, and this Sermon on the Mount would be the first major discourse.

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We can read just a few words that speak of the occasion of this sermon in Matthew 5, verse 1 and 2.

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And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated, His disciples came to Him.

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This sermon is principally to true Christians, to disciples, or ones who are committed to following Him.

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And then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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Our Lord was addressing His disciples. He opened His teaching session, assuring them that if certain qualities were true of them, they could conclude, rightly, truthfully, that they were citizens of the kingdom of heaven.

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Now, it's important for us to understand this expression, what it means, the kingdom of heaven, in Matthew's Gospel.

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Luke used it, too, but Matthew used it principally. In his Gospel, he was writing principally to Jewish people.

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But when we see the expression, kingdom of heaven in Matthew, we should understand he's talking about the kingdom of God. The fact is, is that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of heaven are one and the same.

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And that's critically important to understand because some teach that the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are distinct, or different from one another.

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They argue the kingdom of God describes the spiritual reality of the reign of Christ in this current age, but the kingdom of heaven speaks about a future thousand -year

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Jewish millennium. It does not. The kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of God, are one and the same.

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And so, our Lord set forth in the opening words of His sermon, the Beatitudes, of course.

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There are eight of them. And in these Beatitudes, He described certain qualities of kingdom citizens.

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And so, if these qualities are true of you, you may be assured that you are a citizen of the kingdom of God.

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In other words, Jesus is your king. And He's granted you salvation from sin and entrance into the kingdom of God.

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And so, Jesus said, "'Blessed are the poor in spirit, "'for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

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"'Blessed are those who mourn, "'for they shall be comforted.'" And by the way, these qualities, as these disciples heard them, they would have probably, before hearing this, thought just the opposite of what

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Jesus was saying to them. People described by these things, they would have thought were not members of the kingdom of heaven.

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But He's saying just the opposite. No, this characterizes kingdom citizens. They're poor in spirit, they mourn.

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"'Blessed are the meek, "'for they will inherit the earth. "'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, "'for they shall be filled.

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"'Blessed are the merciful, "'for they shall obtain mercy. "'Blessed are the pure in heart, "'for they shall see God. "'Blessed are the peacemakers, "'for they shall be called sons of God.

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"'Blessed are those who are persecuted "'for righteousness' sake, "'for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.'" This describes true

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Christianists, who are kingdom citizens. And so, true disciples of Jesus Christ are characterized by these beatitudes.

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They are blessed, "'for theirs is the kingdom of God.'" Even though they may not realize it, it would seem the

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Lord had to assure them of the case, because they were struggling, having difficulty mourning with regard to their own spiritual condition.

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But they were looking to Christ, they gathered to Him, they wanted to hear from Him. And so, they are blessed, "'for theirs is the kingdom of God.'"

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Actually, one could argue that the major theme of the entire Gospel of Matthew is the good news of the kingdom of God.

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We've talked about this in the past, how I think much of evangelicalism has reduced the idea of the

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Gospel, so it hardly reflects what the Bible presents as a Gospel. For the most part, the

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Gospel set forth in the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and John, is the Gospel of the kingdom.

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It's not just the Gospel by which we can be forgiven of our sins, as important as that is.

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It's the good news that the long -promised kingdom of God has arrived in Jesus Christ, and salvation belongs to those that are within the kingdom.

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And so, we have an outline in your notes you have before you there on page two, an outline that reflects the first chapters, say, of Matthew's Gospel.

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And here you can see the theme of the kingdom of God that's pronounced throughout these early chapters.

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And so, in chapters one and two, we have the birth, the infancy narratives, birth, infancy narratives, in which we have the genealogy of the king set forth as the son of David, and then the birth of the king set forth in Matthew one and two.

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And then, beginning with Matthew chapter three, you have the grown Jesus coming, and we have the onset of the kingdom.

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The kingdom comes. And so, we have, initially, the initiating the kingdom in the coming of Jesus.

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He comes to John to be baptized. He goes into the wilderness, tested of the devil. He comes forth in power to Galilee.

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The kingdom and the coming of Jesus. We have Jesus announcing the arrival of the kingdom in Matthew chapter four.

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And then, we have this first discourse, again, first of five, the

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Sermon on the Mount. And basically, it's been shown that Jesus was like a new

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Moses. Instead of Moses standing and giving the Torah to Israel, Jesus is standing and giving the laws of the kingdom to his disciples.

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And so, the Sermon on the Mount, basically, is instruction on how citizens of the kingdom of God are to live within this world.

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As we break down the Sermon on the Mount, we, again, see the Beatitudes, the first 12 verses. These are characteristics of kingdom citizens.

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And then, secondly, we have Jesus interpreting the law of God for the kingdom, for kingdom citizens.

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And then, thirdly, Jesus describes the piety in the kingdom, which would characterize disciples,

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Christians, charity, prayer, and fasting. And then, in chapter six, in 19 through 34, and this is what we're gonna give attention to in a few moments, we have a heart for the kingdom.

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Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. We're to have a heart for the kingdom.

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And then, chapter seven may be described as standards of judgment in the kingdom. And so, we can see, throughout the

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Sermon on the Mount, the king of the kingdom of God gave forth both insight into the nature of the kingdom and instruction to his disciples on how they were to live as kingdom citizens.

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And so, beginning with Matthew 6, 19, our Lord began to emphasize one particular aspect of kingdom living, and the outline for Matthew's gospel in the

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New Reformation Study Bible, which is reflected above, by the way, describes this section as a heart for the kingdom.

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And it continues from verse 19 of Matthew 6 through 34. And so, in order for us to better understand this theme as a whole,

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I wanna read these verses for us. And hopefully, their familiarity to us does not obscure their true meaning and significance for us.

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Jesus told his disciples, verse 19, "'Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth "'where moth and rust destroy, "'where thieves break in and steal.

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"'But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven "'where neither moth nor rust destroys, "'where thieves do not break in and steal.

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"'For where your treasure is there, "'your heart will be also. "'The lamp of the body is the eye.

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"'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.

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"'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.

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"'You cannot serve God and mammon, or money. "'Therefore

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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.

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"'There is not life more than food "'and body more than clothing. "'Look at the birds of the air, "'for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, "'yet your heavenly

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Father feeds them. "'Are you not of more value than they? "'Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature, "'perhaps one hour to his life?'

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"'This is probably what should be translated. "'So why do you worry about clothing?

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"'Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. "'They neither toil nor spin. "'Yet I say to you that even Solomon, "'in all his glory, is not arrayed like one of these.

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"'And now if God so clothes the grass of the field, "'which today is and tomorrow is sown into the oven, "'will he not much more clothe you, "'O you of little faith?

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"'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

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Gentiles seek. "'For your heavenly Father knows "'that you need all these things.'"

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And here it is, verse 33. "'But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, "'and all these things shall be added to you.

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"'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, "'for tomorrow will worry about its own thing, "'sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'"

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Now, we may consider these verses we just read according to the principles our Lord gave to his disciples.

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And so let's consider the principles that we just read about that are reflected in these verses. First, in verses 19, 20, and 21, we see a disciple of Jesus Christ should have the focus of his heart upon spiritual, permanent, and eternal matters, not earthly, temporal, fleeting matters.

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And then in verses 22 and 23, the desires of the heart will affect how one will view life and its purpose for living.

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And this is not only true of disciples, but it's also true of all people everywhere. The desires of the heart will affect, will influence how you live, what you value, what you emphasize, what you focus, what you live for.

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And so in these words, our Lord instructs us of the importance of viewing all of life from a proper perspective as kingdom citizens.

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We're to have a proper aim in life. He uses a metaphor of the eye as the lamp of the body.

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The eye provides illumination like a lamp provides illumination for the soul to see and interpret, understand things rightly so as to live rightly.

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In other words, the eye is the gate through which we enter into the world and move about the world.

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And interpret the world every day of our lives. The analogy depicts really two kinds of people.

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The disciple of Jesus Christ has a healthy eye, but the non -disciple has a diseased eye.

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He doesn't see things rightly. The disciple does. The disciple of Jesus Christ has a healthy eye.

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The diseased eye, the non -disciple, he has that eye that's either blinded him or so limited in his ability to see clearly, see the world rightly, he's unable to function rightly in the world.

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To live in God's world rightly, you need to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. If the eye is healthy, then everything is seen and perceived correctly.

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If the eye is defective, everything is seen and perceived incorrectly. Distortion, lack of understanding and perception.

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And so our Lord was telling his disciples that they are to have a singular aim or goal in life. And we would argue that the healthy eye is the person who sees all life as an opportunity to glorify

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God, that puts everything in a right perspective, enables one to see everything that happens to him or to the world from God's perspective.

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And then thirdly, we read in verse 24 that as disciples of Jesus Christ, our resolve should be to serve

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God with all our heart. This is what kingdom citizens do. But then we read many verses here, the longer portion, verses 25 through 32 of our

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Lord's instruction to his disciples about the subject of undue anxiety or worry about many things.

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And some people, this is a real issue, a real problem.

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We live in a world in which every one of us encounters causes of anxiety with which we must address and manage.

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Life in this fallen world in some ways is dealing with issues that cause anxiety, right?

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And people through history have always had causes for anxiety with which they cope. They did in the day when

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Jesus was teaching these words and we are no different today. In fact, some argue that we're more prone to anxiety today than people ever have been.

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I doubt that, but it is argued by some today in the modern world.

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And one could say this perhaps by the attention and press given to the subject of fear and anxiety.

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You can read about it everywhere. But the manner in which the world tells us to deal with anxiety is quite different from what our

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Lord tells us that disciples should deal with issues that bring anxiety.

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Now, certainly the world recognizes that people experience or suffer from anxiety.

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It's a common malady of modern man, they say. And again, some have argued that the current level of anxiety is greatly aggravated due to economic difficulties they face.

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Now, some of these words actually were written back during the recession. And so they're somewhat out of time, but it reflects how the world views problems that produce fear or anxiety on the part of people.

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And so it was asserted that worries about finances have long been a leading cause of anxiety for Americans, which is an amazing thing when you consider the rest of the world in comparison and contrast to what we enjoy as Americans.

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When asked what stressed people the most in a recent ADAA online poll, we'll talk about ADAA and what that is in a few moments, 45 % responded personal finances.

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And according to this group, they have good reason to feel stressed. The U .S. Department of Labor reported in March 2009 that the number of people receiving unemployment benefits reached a record high.

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The following month, the Washington Post ABC News poll reported that more than six in 10 Americans say they're stressed out over the nation's troubled economy, one -third reporting serious stress.

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Even among those who feel the economy is improving, a majority still named it as a source of their stress.

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Another ADAA online poll confirms that sentiment. Nearly 77 % said the economic downturn has caused a moderate amount to a lot of stress.

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Financial problems. If so many people share such deep stress and worry about their bank balances than they did before this financial freefall, does that mean they all have an anxiety disorder?

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Does it mean anxiety disorders are on the rise? Well, they conclude no. And this is their assessment of anxiety.

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Anxiety is a normal reaction to stressful and uncertain situations. It's your body telling you to stay alert and protect yourself, in this case, to watch your spending, try to save for an emergency, work to keep a job or consult a trusted financial expert.

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And so they're saying that this is really healthy and good to have this degree of anxiety.

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And so the world tells us a certain amount of anxiety is good and helpful if kept to a manageable level.

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Our Lord tells his disciples, however, therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. Have no anxiety about this.

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What you will eat, what you will drink, or about your body, what you will put on. And of course, Paul later wrote, be anxious for nothing.

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The world says a measure of anxiety is healthy and good. And the word of God tells us, no, be anxious about nothing.

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But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God and the peace of God.

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This is something the world knows nothing about. The peace of God, which passes all understanding.

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That makes sense that I'm at peace, given my situation, we might conclude. Shall keep your hearts or guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

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And so disciples of Jesus Christ are not to be a fearful, anxious people. And so the

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Lord was addressing this matter. The world has provided a psychological disorder classification for anxiety.

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And so it's called generalized anxiety disorder, GAD. I talked about this about seven or eight years ago.

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And there's a national nonprofit organization dedicated to the problem, the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

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That's what ADAA is. And according to this organization, a person is diagnosed with this disorder if the following are characteristic of him or her.

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Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by persistent, excessive and unrealistic worry about everyday things.

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People with the disorder, which is also referred to as GAD, experience exaggerated worry and tension, often expecting the worst, even when there's no apparent reason for concern.

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They anticipate disaster and are overtly concerned about money, health, family, work or other issues.

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GAD is diagnosed when a person worries excessively about a variety of everyday problems for at least six months.

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And so they've defined, you know, when you have gone over the edge and now you've got this disorder.

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And so supposedly 6 .8 million Americans or 3 .1 % of the population may be classified as having this disorder.

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They say women are twice as likely to be affected. Interestingly, the

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Anxiety Disorders Association says this about the causes, although the exact cause of GAD is unknown.

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That's fascinating. They've just described who has it and what it is, but they say the cause they don't know.

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Exact cause. There's evidence that biological factors, family background and life experiences, particularly stressful ones, play a role.

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No kidding. I think any one of us could have told them that. Now they say that GAD is a disorder and should not be confused with regular anxiety, which is common to us all.

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But then they describe GAD symptoms as simply greater in degree than those who do not have GAD. You see how arbitrary their classification is?

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And this is how the world addresses things. They first describe the problem, oftentimes something that's common experience.

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Then they label you with a diagnosis that you've got GAD, G -A -D. And then they prescribe treatment, which is usually persistent ongoing counseling and or medication, anti -anxiety drugs.

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And so those who seek out the world's remedy either continue to suffer with their problem, they drug it, desensitize it with alcohol or illegal drugs, or they indulge in fun and games in order to divert themselves.

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That's how the world deals with matters. And so the professional suggests this is what you're to do to help somebody with anxiety.

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This is the world's way. Encourage, but don't force them to talk. Share feelings and fears that you or your loved one may be having.

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Listen carefully to each other's feelings. Offer support, but don't deny or discount feelings. Remember it's okay to feel sad and frustrated.

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Get help through counseling and or support groups. I get the question frequently, do you know a pastor of a support group?

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You know, someone with the same kind of miserable situation I have that, you know, as though that's gonna help.

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Use prayer or other types of spiritual support if it helps. Try deep breathing and relaxation exercises.

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Close your eyes, breathe deeply, focus on each body part and relax it. Start with your toes and work up to your head.

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And when relaxed, try to think of a pleasant place such as a beach in the morning or a sunny field on a spring day.

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Talk with a doctor about using anti -anxiety or antidepressant medicines. And that's big business today, isn't it?

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Big business. And then they tell you what you're not to do if you're gonna help somebody with this disorder.

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Keep feelings inside, don't tell them that. Force someone to talk if they are not ready to.

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Tell a person to cheer up if they, you don't tell them to cheer up if they seem to be depressed. You don't blame yourself or another person for feeling fearful, anxious or depressed.

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Now, there's no culpability involved here. And try to reason with a person. In other words, you don't try and reason with a person whose fear is anxiety, is depression or severe.

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Talk with the doctor about medicines and other kinds of help. That's how the world deals with this issue.

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Again, what does our Lord say? Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink or about your body, what you will put on.

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That's not to be the concern of kingdom citizens. God, your Father, will take care of all that.

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He's taken it out of your hands. He's your Father. He'll provide.

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You don't have to concern yourself with that anymore. Can you imagine a little child being worried about, you know, how am

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I gonna put food on the table tomorrow? That's not the child's worry, is it? That's the parent's concern.

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And Jesus is saying, God, the Father will provide and take care of you. You do not need to be fearful about this.

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But the fact is, the people of this world are fearful. But our Lord would have his people not fearful of the things that cause people of this world to fear.

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As Christians, we ought to be able to go through life and when people look at us, they see, you know, a rock of stability.

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Boy, that Christian, he is unflappable. Nothing unsettles him.

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And that's how we ought to be, if we're thinking rightly, right? As kingdom citizens. And Jesus says, that will characterize you if you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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That's where your priority ought to be. Not these other things that will only divert your attention, your emotions, your interests, your efforts.

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No, you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. All these other matters, God the

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Father will take care of for you. And so throughout this section, we read verses 19 through 34, the

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Lord Jesus basically repudiated, reproved the anxiety with which men torment themselves.

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Particularly, again, regarding providing for themselves food and clothing. And then at the same time, the

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Lord provides a remedy for this. Yes, our Lord is concerned about removing from us people undue and excessive care about matters or it's the nature of this life to give careful attention with much concern about a number of things.

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But that will prevent you from being the kind of kingdom citizen he would have you be. You seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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God your Father will take care of the rest. He wants you to not serve those things that consume your thoughts, your affections, your mind, your emotions.

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He wants you to give yourself over to the kingdom of God of which he's made you a citizen. John Calvin wrote, when he forbids them to be anxious, this is not to be taken literally as if he intended to take away from his people all care.

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We know that men are born on the condition of having some care. And indeed, this is not the least portion of the miseries which the

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Lord has laid upon us as a punishment in order to humble us. But in moderate care is condemned for two reasons, either because in doing so, men tease and vex themselves to no purpose by carrying their anxiety farther than is proper or their calling demands, or because they claim more for themselves than they have a right to and place such a reliance on their own industry that they neglect to call upon God.

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And I think Americans tend to be prone to that. You know, we're so -called supposedly self -made, independent.

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We can do it. Stand back, God. I got this one. And the Lord has to teach us we don't.

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We ought to remember this promise. Though unbelievers may rise up early, sit up late, eat the bread of sorrows, yet believers will obtain through the kindness of God, rest and sleep.

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Psalm 127, two. Though the children of God are not free from toil and anxiety, yet properly speaking, do not say that they are anxious about life because through their reliance on the providence of God, they enjoy calm repose.

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God wants his people to be at rest in the Lord Jesus. And if you're not encountering or experiencing that rest, you're not receiving all that God has provided for you as a kingdom citizen.

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Our Lord first commanded his disciples not to be anxious as we read in verse 25a. He gives them reasons to trust

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God. Is not life more than food, body more than clothing? He argues really from the greater to the less.

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The Lord has already given us life. He gave us bodies in which to live in his world. Since he's done this, is it not unreasonable to think that he will fail to give us what is necessary to sustain our life?

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Our Lord assumes, does he not, that our heavenly father is fully mindful of our needs? It's not even a matter of question.

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Our Lord next illustrated for his disciples that the world about them testifies of God's goodness and his providence and carried for his creature.

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Just open your eyes. If your eye is that lamp of the body full of light, look about you.

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There's evidence everywhere that God provides for his creatures. Look at the birds of the air.

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They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

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You talk about a politically incorrect statement in today's world, right? Are you not more valuable than they?

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Up until a generation ago, everybody in the West would have said, of course, human beings are more important than birds of the air.

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Not anymore. And it's because of the Eastern, you know, religion, false religion coming into the

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West. In the East where you had Hinduism, have Hinduism and Buddhism and that kind of philosophy, it really reflects a pantheistic worldview.

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They view, of course, a life force permeating the universe and that life force animates or gives life to everything that moves.

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And so that same life force that's in you is in a bird or in a snail or in a rat.

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And that's why in India, you know, they worship rats and cattle because this life force is perceived to be in them, the same life force that's in you.

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And so for Jesus to say this, are you not of more value than they, that'd get a reaction in today's world, but it's a truism.

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Calvin wrote about this principle, it's thoroughly fixed in our minds that the fowls are supplied with food by the hand of God.

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There'll be no difficulty in expecting it for ourselves who are formed after his image, reckoned among his children.

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They neither sow nor reap. By these words, it's far from being our Lord's intention to encourage us to indolence and sluggishness.

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All that he means is that though other means fail, the providence of God is alone sufficient for us for it supplies the animals abundantly with everything they need.

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And if your eye is a lamp full of light, you would see this in the world about us every day.

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It would affirm and confirm for us our God, our father will provide these things for us.

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I need not be distressed. I'm gonna seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness first.

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He'll take care of this. The Lord asked the rhetorical question, which of you being anxious can add a single hour to the span of his life?

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And the answer of course is no one. No one can add an hour to one's life.

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God is determined when we live, when we're born, when we die, and therefore don't be anxious about matters over which you have no control is what he's arguing.

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And then our Lord spoke about providing the basics of this life, verses 28 through 30.

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Why are you anxious about these matters? And so whenever we're anxious about food or clothing, in other words, the basics of life, housing, whatever it is,

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God will take care of us in the life that he's given to us.

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He referred to the most glorious of kings, King Solomon, and King Solomon was arrayed richly, gloriously, but nothing like the creation about us.

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And so anxiety respecting these things reveals a disciple of little faith in God.

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It's a great insult to God. The one is deserving of our Lord's rebuke.

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And then the final verses of this section present the same doctrine. Therefore, do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat?

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Or what should we drink? Or what should we wear? Gentiles see through that. Who are the Gentiles referring to? He's talking about non -disciples, those who are not citizens of the kingdom.

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Let them worry about those things. Don't you be like them. Your heavenly father knows that you need them.

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You seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, don't be anxious about tomorrow.

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Tomorrow we'll be anxious for ourselves, but what's sufficient for the day is its own trouble. And so we're Christians.

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We're to be different than the Gentiles. Again, a term used for non -citizens of the kingdom of God.

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We're strangers to God and his ways. I'm not gonna read a quote of Gil because of the time.

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But we're not to be like non -Christians, doing ourselves and the world about us as they do.

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We are kingdom citizens, and it should influence and affect the way we live. And so our

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Lord tells us, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Have first on your heart those matters which are important to God, and are consistent with what he's doing in the world and in history.

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Have your interest, your desires principally upon that. Matthew Henry did write, bottom of page seven, if we take care about our souls and for eternity, which are more than body and its life, we may leave it to God to provide for us food and raiment, which are less.

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Improve this as an encouragement to trust in God. We must reconcile ourselves to our worldly estate as we do to our stature.

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We cannot alter the disposals of providence, and therefore we must submit and resign ourselves to them. Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world.

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Seek first the kingdom of God and make religion your business. That is Christian life, your business.

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By the way, the very word religion, I know you hear it all the time. Christians say, we don't have religion, we have

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Christ, as though religion in itself is a wrong word. Religion is taken from a Latin word that carries the idea of bringing things back together, rebuilding, religamenting things.

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Religion, analyzing is separating, dividing in order to understand, but religion carries the idea of putting it all back together again.

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And that's how the Puritans, say, use the idea. Let the broader understanding of who we are and whom

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God is direct us in the way we should live. Just a few principle truths that we want to emphasize and then we'll close.

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First, recognize that Christians seek first the kingdom of God. In other words, that's to be our priority in life.

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Our heart should be centered upon this. This is how we're to think and act in contrast to those who are

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Gentiles, those who are not citizens of the kingdom. In contrast to non -disciples of Jesus who are not citizens of the kingdom, true

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Christians are to live with an entirely different aim for their lives. And that is seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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By the way, it's true that the Lord commonly uses trials and difficulties in order to initially draw people to Christ.

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Probably most of us could testify that's what the Lord did. He caused us to have problems in life that caused us to be humble and see our need for Jesus.

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And we were brought to him. Troubles humble us, shows our inability, our need for the

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Lord. But very soon after we come to him, these matters are to be set aside and we are to look for a higher and desire nobler ends.

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Having believed on the Lord Jesus for salvation, embracing him as king, we are then to seek first the kingdom and his righteousness.

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Anxiety for these other matters are no longer to characterize his people. God would have his people set free from serving these things so that you can serve freely and fully the kingdom of God.

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Secondly, recognize that true Christians may regard God as a loving, caring, providing father.

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It's commonly perceived or granted by most that God the father is the father to everyone.

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He's not. He becomes the father to Christians.

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We become adopted children of God, sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus Christ. And then

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God who was our creator, God who was our judge, then becomes father to us.

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Our relationship with God is transformed. And it's a mistake for us to tell non -Christians,

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God, your father's gonna provide for you. No, you're on your own. Now see what you can have if you would come to Christ, God will manifest himself to you as a loving, kind, providing father.

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But until you come to Christ, until you seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, you're on your own in a dark and gruesome world.

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And hopefully that will cause them to wake up to the fact that they need Christ. Don't give the promises of the children to those who are not children of God.

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But Christians may regard God as their loving, caring father. And then thirdly, we mentioned this, but let's emphasize it.

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God would have his people set free from serving the things that are central concerns of non -Christians so they will seek first the kingdom of God.

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That should be our principal interest. And so everything that we do, our work, our play, our school, whatever it is, our relationships, our neighbors within our neighborhood should all be viewed in the light of the kingdom of God.

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Further in the cause of Christ, within all of our relationships, within all of our activities.

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And so these are avenues, these are ways in which we can seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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By the way, again, when the Lord's people are anxious about the things that once chiefly govern their concerns and efforts, they'll not be seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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They'll be seeking those things. But the Lord would have us free from these things that we might serve our

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Lord faithfully. Now I find it interesting, maybe my observation is errant,

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I don't know. But I find it interesting that much preaching and teaching of evangelical churches seem to focus, even concentrate on the matters the

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Lord told his disciples to set aside for which they're not to be anxious.

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People have problems. They have concerns as to how they're gonna get through to day -to -day existence.

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And these matters consume their existence. This is what the Gentiles think about, non -citizens of the kingdom of God.

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This is what consumes them. And I find that many churches and preachers knowing these are the desires and the drives of their people, present the

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Bible and God of the Bible almost exclusively as the one who will provide these things for you. God will feed you,

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God will clothe you. And it's almost like this is what they're seeking after.

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And so the message is given, this is what God will provide for you. The Lord Jesus is saying really just the opposite.

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Don't give attention to those matters. You seek first the kingdom of God. God will follow and take care of these other matters.

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And so I really think many times that the people of God are spiritually starved for what they should be hearing and what they should see.

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And they're settling for base things and worldly things rather than the things that the

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Lord Jesus said before his people. We're citizens of the kingdom of God and we were greatly privileged and were brought into the service of God and we have a purpose to make the kingdom of God known within the world in which he's placed us.

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And so we are to seek first the kingdom of God. And that means that every aspect of our lives should be brought into conformity to and submission to King Jesus.

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Every way of thinking is to be conformed to the scriptures. Every way of acting, every way of reacting.

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Our attitudes are to be conformed to the law of God as governed by King Jesus, as enabled by the

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Holy Spirit that he gives to his people. We're to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

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And the way he provides for us and helps us and assists us as God our

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Father demonstrates, not only affirms to us, but also is a witness to the world that these people know

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God. And they know Christ. And what seems to be true of them is what

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I desire to have. I wanna know the Lord that they know. And I hope that that is how our unbelieving family and neighbors perceive us.

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May the Lord help us to seek first his kingdom and righteousness. He'll take care of the rest.

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He'll take the anxiety from you and give you a peace that passes all understanding. And I think that this is just a foundational matter on following the

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Lord Jesus rightly. Don't you think? Why should we settle for anything different?

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Let's pray. Father, help us, we pray, to walk with you and help us, our

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Father, to trust you as our heavenly Father to provide for your people.

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We pray that you would enable us, our God, to seek first your kingdom and your righteousness.

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That is, Lord, your word that instructs us, guides us, informs us, directs us.

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That our lives, Lord, would be characterized by the righteousness that is so by our

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King Jesus. May you give us the Holy Spirit, a fresh Lord, empower us, enable us to live rightly, to think rightly, to walk rightly.

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Help us, Lord, to have eyes that are true lamps of the body by which we're able to see the world and assess it rightly so that we might order our lives in a manner that pleases you and in a manner that's a delight to us that would result in a sense of well -being and rest in our souls.

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We thank you, God, for these privileges that we have as citizens of the kingdom, for we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

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Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.