The Gospel of Luke (56):Earthly Provision & Heavenly Treasures 02/25/2024

First Baptist Church Leominster

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All right, Pastor Jason will come and read for us Acts chapter 6.

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It's commonly understood that in Acts 6 we read of the first deacons selected because of a problem that arose there in the church at Jerusalem.

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There was a daily distribution for the care of widows. There were widows, however, of the group that were

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Palestinian Hebrews, Hebrew as their native tongue or Aramaic, they were very connected with the promised land and the

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Jewish culture there. And then there were widows from the Hellenistic Jews, they tended to be more

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Roman cultured as it were. They were really distinct groups and here they were all

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Christians. And the Greek widows thought that they were being neglected in the distribution.

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And so the apostles, they didn't want to be diverted from the word and from prayer so they had the church select these men, appointed them as deacons.

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The first one mentioned is Stephen and after they're described and the word of God increased greatly as a result of their service, we read about Stephen's testimony and how he spoke of Christ boldly and it resulted in persecution of him and of course his trial and we'll read of his defense next week,

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Lord willing, from Acts chapter 7, maybe in two weeks. Pastor Jason, please.

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Acts chapter 6, now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the

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Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

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And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, it is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

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Therefore brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the spirit and of wisdom whom we will appoint to this duty.

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But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word. And what they said pleased the whole gathering and they chose

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Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselytite of Antioch.

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These they set before the apostles and they prayed and laid their hands on them. And the word of God continued to increase and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of priests became obedient to the faith.

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And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the freedmen, as it was called, and of the

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Syrians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.

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But they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he was speaking. Then they secretly instigated men who said, we have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.

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And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council.

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And they set up false witnesses who said, this man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law.

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For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.

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And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw his face like the face of an angel.

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Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for this time where we can gather together to worship you, to exalt you, and to praise you, and to hear your word being proclaimed.

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And Lord, as we just read, we thank you for church organization. We thank you that the scriptures are clear and how it should be organized.

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And Lord, we thank you for our deacons at this church, the men who faithfully serve and do so much behind the scenes.

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We just thank you, Lord, for their faithfulness. And we pray that you would raise up more men, raise up men in this church who love you first and foremost, and who want to serve your body.

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Lord, we pray that you would be with us now as we continue to worship you through the preaching of the word.

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We pray that things would be clear. We pray that we would understand you, that we would understand the gospel, that we would understand ourselves in light of the gospel.

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We pray, Lord, that you would help us to be focused, be with Pastor Lars, give him clarity of thought and clarity of voice as he proclaims your truth.

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Thank you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen. Well, let's turn in our

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Bibles again to Luke chapter 12. And today is, what, the 56th

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Sunday that we've addressed this? We've been hearing Luke's gospel over a year. And I suspect another year lies before us,

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I imagine. Actually, we're almost halfway through.

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We're not quite there, but almost there. One of the glorious promises that our

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Lord Jesus gave to his people is recorded in John 836. Jesus said, respecting himself, therefore, if the

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Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. And so,

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Jesus Christ, of course, is the great liberator of his people. He frees them from tyranny, from tyranny in all its forms.

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And when we were converted to faith in Christ, he effectively freed us from the devil, of course, to whom the human race had sold itself.

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He did so through his incarnation, his death on behalf of his people, as Hebrews 2, 14 and 15 read, and as much then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he,

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Christ himself, likewise shared in the same, that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

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And it was when we were converted to Christ that he also set us free from sin to which we had been enslaved.

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The devil had been our master, and we were enslaved to sin, Paul wrote to the

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Christians in the church at Rome, but now having been set free from sin, his condemnation, we've been set free entirely, and from its power, if we would use the means of grace, having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness in the end, the outcome of that everlasting life.

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But our Lord has purposed to set us free from all the troubles of our souls, and one aspect of life that binds and troubles the souls of many is the fear of how to provide for the needful things of life.

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And so we're going to address practical matters today. Money fears plague many of God's people, sadly, and the

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Lord desires to set his people free from this very troubling aspect of life. He wants you to serve him, not serve mammon, money.

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And so in the passage before us, our Lord taught his people to release them from this fear, and so may he also set us free from fear, from all degrees of anxiety about worldly matters as we learn and believe his words to us.

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And this is an acquired knowledge, I might interject, Paul commented,

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I have learned that in whatever state I am to be content, whether to abound or be in poverty.

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And it's through the course of time the Lord Jesus teaches us and trains us that we don't have to worry about anything, he's got it taken care of and he'll provide.

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Now the passage which we will examine is Luke 12, 21 through 34, and it probably contains words familiar to us, we've seen them many times.

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In fact, that's a challenge to take familiar words and give them a fresh sense of their importance and validity.

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And so these words, although maybe familiar, are also profound and transformational if we understand them, embrace them, and truly believe them.

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As J .C. Ryle once wrote, we have in these verses a collection of striking arguments against over -anxiety about the things of the world.

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At first sight they may seem to some mind simple and commonplace, but the more they are pondered, the more weighty will they appear.

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An abiding recollection of them would save many Christians an immense amount of trouble.

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And the Lord Jesus wants to save you from having a troubled soul. These words of Jesus are applicable to his disciples, let's affirm that very strongly.

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That is, true believers and followers of Jesus Christ the Lord, these promises of Jesus are directed to them and them only.

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If you are not a Christian, these promises do not belong to you. They could be yours, but not while you live without Jesus Christ as your

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Lord and Savior. You're on your own. That's a scary prospect in today's world.

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And so please consider carefully these words, may your heart be drawn to embrace the

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Savior through his blessed promises to his people. And so here is

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Luke 12, 22 through 34. And then he said to his disciples, therefore,

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I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about the body, what you will put on. Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

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Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn and God feeds them.

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How much more value are you than birds? And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature, 18 inches?

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If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow.

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They neither toil nor spin, and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

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If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field, tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you,

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O you of little faith? And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind for all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your father knows that you need these things, but seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

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Do not fear, little flock, for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

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Sell what you have, give alms, provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail where no thief approaches nor moth destroys, for where your treasure is there, your heart will be also.

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And so we've entitled today's message as Earthly Provision and Heavenly Treasures. Jesus speaks of them both.

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Now again, these are familiar words, probably because they are recorded in the

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Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 through 7. I want to just read a few words from there, and you'll note the parallel to this passage.

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Jesus said, therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, worry about your body, what you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothing, look at the birds of the air.

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In Luke's account, we said, look at the ravens. In Matthew's account, 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 worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

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So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spend, yet I say to you, even

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Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now God so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you,

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O you of little faith? So these are very similar words, but they're not identical words.

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Actually, they were delivered on two different occasions, Matthew and then

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Luke 12. Jesus gave his Sermon on the Mount early in his Galilean ministry on the shores of the

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Sea of Galilee, Matthew 5 -7, the Sermon on the Mount. But these words, repeated for this occasion, were given by our

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Lord to his disciples at some point on their journey to Jerusalem, after they had departed from Galilee for the final time.

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And so perhaps these words of Luke 12 are three years after he gave the words in the

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Sermon on the Mount. They're nearly identical. And we should understand that Jesus repeated some of his teaching because of its importance, as he did here.

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Now the previous words of our Lord Jesus, which we considered last Lord's Day, Jesus warned his disciples about the false desire, the wrong desire, in regard for wealth.

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He told his disciples after a covetous man had approached him, take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.

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So in those words, Jesus told his disciples they're not to be characterized by greedy hearts. And now here in verse 22 -34, it should read,

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Jesus teaches his disciples not to be afraid of not having daily provision.

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And so let's consider our Lord's words. Be not afraid for your daily provisions.

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Now this is in verses 22 -31, and then a second section is verses 32 -34.

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Our Lord told his disciples in verse 22, then he said to his disciples, therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about the body, what you will put on.

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Now it seems appropriate that the Lord Jesus would address this matter at this point. For a sincere disciple, after hearing the words that we addressed last week, might say,

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Lord, I realize I shouldn't be covetous, I shouldn't be greedy, but really I don't want to amass wealth and things.

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I just want to put food on the table and clothing on my back. And Jesus responds, as my disciple, you're not to worry about even the basic and essential things of life.

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And then in this passage, he gave a number of reasons, actually six reasons, why this is needless and inappropriate for disciples of Jesus Christ.

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Again he's the great liberator. He wants to liberate you from fear and anxiety about your daily life.

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He wants you to serve him rather than those things with your soul, your heart, your emotions, your fears.

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Well the first reason that the disciples of Jesus Christ should not fear regarding the needful things for this life is because there's much more to life than food and clothing.

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He reads in verse 23, life is more than food and the body is more than clothing. True life is more than obtaining or possessing these things.

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To live primarily for these things is to miss out on the true purpose of life, what life is all about.

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I have some neighbors for whom

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I've been living next to them for 25 years, and you know, and I know them well, they know me well, and they're fine, fine men, father and a son.

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But boy they have all the toys for every season of the year, and this is what they live for. And you know, our purpose for life in this world, you know, is far beyond our daily needs, what life is all about.

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To live or worry about these things is to live a misdirected, misguided existence. If life is more important than food, the disciples should be concerned about life as a whole and not merely about the material aspects of maintaining it.

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But it's generally the case that people live in this world with the primary desire and motivation to get through life in a comfortable manner.

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To obtain and retain what is needful and perhaps to acquire things and do things to make life more secure and enjoyable.

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The fact is they're living for this life only. But God has created us and intended for us to enjoy life with a much greater purpose, one for our enrichment and for his glory.

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Jesus declared, I've come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly. And by life,

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Jesus was speaking of eternal life, both now in this world and in the world to come. He declared it in prayer to his father,

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Father, the hour has come, glorify your son that your son also may glorify you as you've given him authority over all flesh,

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Jesus is Lord, that he should give eternal life to as many as you have given him, referring to the elect.

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And this is eternal life. This is the definition of eternal life, that they may know you, the only true

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God in Jesus Christ whom you have sent. This is what life is. According to God, this is why he created you.

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And so God intends and desires that people experience true life and fullness of life. And this is experienced and enjoyed by coming to know

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God and to live before him in faith and fellowship with him. Life is more than food and clothing and toys and fun and games passing through this life with no thought about eternity, no thought about God, about his son,

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Jesus Christ, about sin, about salvation. As Matthew Henry wrote rightly, he came to give life to particular believers.

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Life is inclusive of all good and stands in opposition to the death that threatened, that we might have life as a criminal, as when he is pardoned, as a sick man when he's cured, a dead man when he is raised, that we might be justified, sanctified, and at last glorified, that they might have it more abundantly.

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And as we read it, it is comparative that they might have a life more abundant than that which was lost and forfeited by sin, more abundant than that which was promised by the law of Moses, length of days in Canaan, more abundant than could have been expected or than we were able to ask or think.

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But it may be construed without a note of comparison that they might have abundance or might have it abundantly.

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Christ came to give life and something more, something better. Life with advantage, that in Christ we might not only live but live comfortably, live plentifully, live and rejoice.

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Life in abundance is eternal life. Life without death or fear of death, life and much more.

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You shouldn't be consumed by your day -to -day acquiring of the things necessary for life.

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Life is more than that. And that will misdirect you when you get focused on just, you know, today and how am

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I going to get through it, how am I going to get through tomorrow. You know, you're looking too narrow. Life is much more than that.

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The second reason that disciples of Jesus Christ should not fear regarding the needful things for this life is because you may be confident that God will provide for you.

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Again, if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, this isn't a promise for non -Christians.

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Jesus taught his disciples in verse 24, consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them.

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How much more value are you than birds? So he mentions ravens and then the broader category of birds.

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When our Lord said, consider the ravens, he was teaching us that we should be observant of God's works in creation about us.

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Everything should point us to God and his ways, everything. The creation is a display and a revelation of God, who he is, what he's like.

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We're to glory in his works. We've quoted before the words of Thomas Watson regarding the revelation of God.

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He said, not only does the Bible reveal God to us, but the creation does. In fact, the creation is like another book and it's got three pages.

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The creation is glorious to behold and it's pleasant and profitable study. Some think that when

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Isaac went about into the fields to meditate, it was in the book of the creatures. The creation is the plowman's primer and the traveler's perspective glass, telescope, through which he receives a representation of the infinite excellencies which are in God.

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The creation is a large volume, a large book in which God's works are bound up and this volume has three great leaves in it, three great pages, heaven, earth, and sea.

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What a wonderful statement. And here Jesus said, consider the ravens.

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Now interestingly, again, we read in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, consider the birds. Why ravens here and not simply birds?

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Well, it's difficult to know for certain. Ravens are mentioned in several places of the scriptures.

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They were regarded under the Mosaic covenant as unclean birds, not permitted to be eaten.

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In fact, they were an abomination, ravens, because they were associated with eating dead things like eagles and vultures and owls and that kind of thing.

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Ravens are mentioned in Psalm 147 .9. God gives to the beast its food and to the young ravens that cry.

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And God challenged Job with these words, who provides food for the raven when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food?

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Well, God does. And of course, God even used ravens to feed Elijah.

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The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Perhaps our

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Lord was drawing a contrast. If God feeds unclean birds that are an abomination to him and his people, he'll most certainly take care of you.

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And I think there is that rhetorical contrast. How silly of you to doubt it.

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Whenever you see a dead squirrel on the road, I thought about this. Perhaps you'll see crows, but sometimes ravens, feeding upon that squirrel.

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Well, the Lord had just served up a meal for those birds, for God feeds them. And so what this suggests, of course, is

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God's sovereign control over all life, doesn't it? There are no accidents in God's kingdom.

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We should then consider God's provision for these birds, confirms, and we should confirm and thank

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God that he'll also provide for me and my family. That's what Jesus was saying to his disciples.

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God, as Matthew Henry wrote, God who provides for the inferior creatures may be dependent upon to provide for good

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Christians. So why worry about it if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ?

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It's needless. Life is more than focusing on that.

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Arthur Pink gave the true sense of this word when commenting on the parallel passage in Matthew 6.

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Top 10 books put on there Arthur Pink's Sermon on the Mount. He wrote, behold the fowls of the air, for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly

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Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? Pink wrote, these words contain

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Christ's second reason to dissuade us from distrustful care about things needful is taken from the consideration of God's providing for creatures inferior to us, his supply needful things for them.

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It was as though the Redeemer said, do you want further assurance that God will provide for all your temporal needs?

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Then lift up your eyes to the air, mark its feathered inhabitants as they flit to and fro, free from anxiety, filling the atmosphere with their cheerful songs.

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Oh, how they should show us who are often so distrustful and despondent, how much more cause have we to celebrate the goodness of our gracious God and show forth his praises.

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Yet it is much to be feared that he receives less acknowledgement from us, fewer expressions of gratitude than he does from those creatures upon whom he's bestowed the feeblest endowment.

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He's saying that sometimes, you know, birds praise God more than some people when he feeds them.

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I'm reminded of Spurgeon when he was using illustration of how delighted we should be in anticipating the coming of the

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Lord. He said, you should be like my two great Danes at home that wait for my return every afternoon and how they're so excited, you know, and jump all over at my return.

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They're excited to see me. And then he said, now you people may resent me comparing you to my two dogs, but when you've risen to their level,

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I'll find another metaphor more suitable. That was his, that was his way.

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He was clever. Well, when Jesus was comparing

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God, providing food for Raven, providing for his disciple, Jesus said, how much more value are you than birds?

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That's a profound statement in today's world. Our Lord's words fly the face of much of modern philosophy.

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Many in our world view all of life to be equal in value, whether animal or human. We heard that yesterday morning in men's group.

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You were there, know that. This is the fairly recent origin in the

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West. It really began in the 60s with the Beatles bringing Eastern religion into the

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West, frankly. But it's always been a common view in much of the

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East, there where Hinduism, Buddhism have been predominant, the philosophy of pantheism has shaped how people view living things.

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All life is believed to have a part in a divine or spirit, mind or force that permeates the entire universe and animates every living thing.

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And so pantheism is the false religion of Star Wars, the force. It's the philosophy or religion that declares that God exists in every living thing.

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Therefore, all living things have equal value, for all have the same life force.

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But the word of God repudiates pantheism, which equates

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God with things, with created things. God is a creator and he created things.

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The word of God repudiates pantheism. And so in parts of the world where pantheism predominates, there's no difference in perceived value between a rat and a man.

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And there they worship rats and bats and bugs and bulls because they perceive a common life force to all living things.

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Eastern religious ideas have influenced radical animal rights movement groups. They would object and reject our

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Lord's words. Are you not of more value than they? They would argue with Jesus, no.

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This philosophy often drives a practice of veganism. Vegans have argued that humans do not have the right to exploit or conflict or inflict suffering on animals, and that such exploitation is unethical.

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Beef prices are ready to, they've jumped up in the last year or two. They're supposed to take another big jump.

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We're at one of the lowest periods of history as far as the number of cattle in U .S.

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and that's by intent and purpose. How much of this philosophy is driving that? Followers of Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism promotes vegetarian or vegan lifestyle on the basis of ahisma, the ethical principle of not causing harm to any living being.

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But we accept these words of Jesus as the true way. We're to view and assess the world. Jesus said of how much more value are you than birds?

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A human being is a vastly more value than animals. God created men and women in his image.

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God feeds the birds. How much more will he feed you if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ? That's what

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Jesus is arguing. God regards people with great concern and he'll care for his own, sustaining them and providing for them.

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Our heavenly father feeds the ravens. And does he not care much more for you if you're a disciple of his son?

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He'll provide for you with what is needful for life. As Calvin wrote, but it is thoroughly fixed in our minds that the fowls are supplied with food by the hand of God.

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There will be no difficulty in expecting it for ourselves who are formed after his image and reckoned among his children.

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They neither sow nor reap, speaking of the animals. By these words, it's far from being our

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Lord's intention to encourage us to indolence or sluggishness. Doesn't mean we're to be lazy about these things.

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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 that they need.

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And he'll do much so, much more so for disciples of Jesus Christ, Christians, true

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Christians. Now, interestingly, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that your heavenly father would provide the necessities of life, but here in Luke 12, 24,

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Jesus said that God would do so. But the point is this, if you're a disciple of Jesus Christ, you may be assured that God, your heavenly father, will provide for the necessities of life.

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So you need not have anxiety about these matters. He wants to deliver you from the tyranny of a troubled heart.

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You may focus on your relationship with him and watch and enjoy the manifestation of his kindness and grace in caring for you and providing for your needs.

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And to doubt his glorious promise is unreasonable and needless. Jesus assures his disciples that God will provide for them.

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They need not worry about life's necessities. He wants you to be free if you're Christian.

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Let us also take note that our Lord Jesus said that God, our father, would provide for us. This is unique and special in the biblical record.

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The idea that God is the individual Christian's father is quite a new teaching that's set forth in the

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New Testament. In the Old Testament, God has set forth his father to the entire nation of Israel because it was a single entity,

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Israel. The nation of Israel was his son. But in the New Testament, every individual

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Christian may call God as his father, her father. Being born into this world does not make you a child of God.

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Just because you're born into this world does not make God your father. When you become born again, when you believe on Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, then

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God becomes your father through adoption. Ephesians 1, 4 and 5.

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Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy, blame us before him in love, he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will.

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A non -Christian, one who is not a disciple of Jesus Christ, cannot rightly, biblically, call upon God as his father.

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John wrote, but as many as received him, Jesus Christ, to them he gave the authority, the right to become children of God.

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See, only Christians have God as their father. Paul wrote, because you're sons,

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God has sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying out, Abba, Father. A non -Christian cannot call

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God in that familiar way. If you are a true Christian, God is your father.

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He'll provide and protect you better than any earthly father ever could do or want to do. If you're not a

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Christian, now God may provide for you. He often does. But it's not because he is your father, but because you are his creature.

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He feeds ravens, he feeds you too. He will feed and clothe you as he does the ravens, if he chooses to do so in his mercy.

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But for his people in Christ, he has promised, he's covenanted that he will care for every one of your needs in this life.

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So why worry about it? Why be fearful? You can be liberated from that which just dominates the hearts and minds of so many people in this world.

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Well, the third reason that disciples of Jesus Christ should not fear regarding the needful things in life is because it's ineffective to worry anyway.

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Verses 25 and 26, which of you by worrying can add one cubit to a stature? No one.

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If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Here we have stated several rhetorical questions that imply the answer, no one.

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First, Jesus asked, which of you by worrying can add one cubit to a stature? You're going to grow taller because you're worrying?

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Answer, of course, is no one can add an hour to his life or length to his height. The time of one's birth is ordained by God.

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The hour of one's death is also according to God's determination. And no one's going to change what

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God has ordained. The second rhetorical question

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Jesus posed, which if you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Perhaps ESV has a clear rendering.

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If then you're not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? It would be nonsensical to do so.

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The Lord is essentially saying or arguing, why are you anxious about matters for which you have no control?

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Your heavenly Father, who's sovereign over all things, will take care of you in this life. He's appointed the time of your death, so he'll see to it that you live until that time.

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He will provide for you. See how needless it is for a

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Christian to worry about these things? All you do is look to God your Father.

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He'll provide. Now, he's provided means. You're supposed to use the means that he's provided, but it'll be taken care of.

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You don't, you're worrying about it isn't going to bring it any, any clearer to you or more quickly to you.

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The fourth reason that the disciples of Jesus Christ should not fear regarding needful things for this life is because you should have faith in God who ultimately closed you.

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If you have fear about these things, that means you don't have faith in God to provide you these things. Consider the lilies, how they grow.

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They neither toil nor spin. Yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

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If then God so clothes the grass which today is thrown in the field, tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you?

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Oh, you a little faith. And so our Lord compared and contrasted lilies to the most glorious of worldly kings,

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King Solomon, to show the kindness of God, which is wonderfully displayed in adorning flowers.

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Jesus liked lilies apparently. Our Lord's disciples should be convinced that though all their means seem to fail, all their resources exhausted, they will lack no good thing as they continue to enjoy the blessing of God alone.

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Ultimately, our provision and well -being is contingent and dependent on God's kindness and his ability, not through our effort and ingenuity.

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God is our provider. Paul promised the Christians in the church at Philippi, my

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God shall supply all your need according to his riches, not according to your ability, your cleverness, but according to his riches and glory, and they're infinite, aren't they?

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There's no end to it. And so now to our God and Father be glory forever and ever, amen.

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And so God's care for you as a disciple of Jesus Christ is not according to your resources, but according to his riches, which are infinite in quantity.

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And Jesus reasoned in verse 28, if then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field, tomorrow thrown in the oven, how much more will he clothe you?

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Oh, you of little faith. So the Lord rebukes any of his disciples who would doubt him.

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Anxiety, respecting things we've identified that Jesus promised God would provide for his disciples reveals a disciple with little faith in his

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God. And this is a great insult to God. God himself has promised this to you if you're a

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Christian, to doubt it. Think about that. It's a great insult to God.

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Oh, you have little faith. And the fifth reason the disciples of Jesus Christ should not fear regarding the needful things for this life is because you'd be just like non -disciples who have no faith in God.

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You're no different than a non -Christian if you're consumed with anxiety and fear about these matters.

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So again, Jesus said, do not see what you should eat or what you should drink. Don't be fixated on that.

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Nor have an anxious mind. All these things the nations of the world seek after.

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Your father knows that you need these things. And so we're Christians. We're to be different than the nations of the world.

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And the parallel passage in the Sermon on the Mount says Gentiles instead of the nations of the world.

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But they're, of course, synonymous. I won't read

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John Gill's quote, but he speaks about the Gentiles and non -Christians. Believers in Christ are not to be like non -Christians.

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And that they are not to be unduly anxious. And why should they be? The true sovereign God who first created them, then created them anew is for them.

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Again, Calvin's words. Christ reminds us that there is the greatest inconsistency in men who are born to a better life being wholly employed about earthly objects.

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He who assigns the first rank to the kingdom of God will not carry beyond moderation his anxiety about food.

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Nothing is better adapted to restrain the wantonness of the flesh from breaking out in the course of the present life than meditation on the life of the heavens.

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God should be the focus of your thoughts. Not the things of this world, the things of this life.

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And then the sixth reason that disciples of Jesus Christ should not fear regarding the needful things for this life.

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If you seek first the kingdom of God, all these things will be provided by God. Seek the kingdom of God.

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All these things will be added to you. And so when we dedicate our interests, our concerns, our efforts for the kingdom of God, then the fears that plague ordinary men will have no power over us.

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They worry, but you need not. Why be miserable, full of worry like them when it's so unnecessary?

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Whenever we are anxious about food or clothing, the necessity of life, let us remember that God will take care of us throughout life that he's given us as we seek him first in his righteousness.

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And once again, Calvin was so good and practical. Christ reminds us that there is the greatest inconsistency in men who were born to a better life, being wholly employed about earthly objects.

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He who assigns the first rank to the kingdom of God will not carry beyond moderation his anxiety about food.

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Nothing is better adapted to restrain the wantonness of the flesh from breaking out in the course of the present life than meditation on the life of the heavens.

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That ought to be where our focus is on the kingdom of God. Well, we come to the second portion and we'll go through this quickly.

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All right. He tells us, seek first the kingdom of God. How do you do that? Jesus taught his disciples, do not fear, little flock.

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People of God, we just seem to be small in number and weak. Why not fear?

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It's your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell what you have, give alms, provide yourselves money bags, would you not grow old a treasure in the heavens that does not fail?

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Where no thief approaches nor moth destroys, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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And so Jesus assured his people, it was God's will to give you the kingdom.

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This probably speaks about the future full manifestation of the kingdom at the second coming of Christ. This requires a little explanation.

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In the Holy Scriptures, of course, salvation is viewed as being a citizen of the kingdom of God over which

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Jesus reigns as Lord and Savior. He is king, king of kings, Lord of lords.

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The kingdom of God is both a present reality and a future realization of the second coming. G .I.

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Packer wrote an excellent summary of this in his very good little book, Concise Theology.

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Here are Packer's words, theme of the kingdom of God runs through both testaments, focusing God's purposes for world history.

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In Old Testament times, God declared he'd exercise his kingship, that is his sovereignty, by setting up his kingdom, that is his rule or reign over people's lives and circumstances, under his chosen king, that would have been the

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Davidic Messiah promised to David. In a golden age of blessing, this kingdom came with Jesus the

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Messiah as a worldwide relational reality, existing wherever the lordship of Christ is acknowledged in repentance, faith, and new obedience.

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So the promised kingdom is present. Packer was all millennial. He wasn't premillennial, by the way.

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Jesus, the spirit anointed, spirit -filled ruler designated, died, rose, ascended, and is now enthroned in heaven as ruler over all things.

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He's king of kings, Lord of lords. The golden age of blessing in an era of present spiritual benefit, salvation from sin, fellowship with God, leading to a future state of unmixed joy in a reconstructed universe, new heavens, new earth.

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The kingdom is present in its beginnings, though future in its fullness. In one sense, it is here already, but in the richest sense, it is still to come.

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And the task of the church is to make the invisible kingdom visible through faithful Christian living and witness bearing.

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The gospel of Christ is still the gospel of the kingdom. That's a profound statement. The good news of righteousness, peace, and joy in the

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Holy Spirit through entering the disciple's relationship to the living Lord. The church must make its message credible by manifesting the reality of kingdom life.

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And we would say an application of the passage to make known the reality of kingdom life is not to worry about the things of this world, but to focus primarily on the kingdom of God and being assured that even in your time of need,

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God will provide in his way. I don't need to worry about this.

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And so the present reality of the kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom of which every true Christian is a present citizen.

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When we become true Christians, we become true citizens of the present kingdom of God.

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Paul wrote of this in Colossians to the Colossian church. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness.

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That's the kingdom of the devil. Transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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And so true Christians are citizens of the kingdom of God present life.

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But the word of God also speaks of the kingdom of God as a future inheritance, a future realization in fullness at the coming of Christ.

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Peter wrote of this. Therefore, brethren, be even be more diligent to make your call and election.

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Sure, that is certain to yourself. For if you do these things, you'll never stumble for. So an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our

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Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. That's a future prospect, isn't it? And at the final judgment of mankind,

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Jesus would declare to his sheep that is his elect these words and the king will say to those on his right hand, come, you blessed of my father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

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And so that's the future aspect of the kingdom. In its fullness, and our

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Lord gave parables to emphasize the present reality as well as the future prospect.

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We have the parables of the kingdom of God in Matthew 13. Primarily, they're elsewhere, too, but primarily in Matthew 13, all of these seven parables are speaking about the present reality of the kingdom.

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And so you have the parable of the sower, where the seed going into the good ground bears fruit.

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You have the parable of the wheat and tares going up in the world until the second coming, and then the wheat and tares are divided or separated at the judgment.

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The parable of the mustard seed, the people of God, little flock, it begins out small, but it expands and encompasses the whole world, and it has and it does.

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And then the parable of the leaven, most of the time, leaven is an illusion, a metaphor for sin, not here.

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Leaven is the kingdom of God that goes into a batch of dough and it permeates everything.

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And so the kingdom, again, goes worldwide. The parable of the hidden treasure, you do everything you can to find that treasure, and once you found it, you're set.

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Similarly, the parable of the pearl of great price, find Jesus Christ and you're a wealthy person.

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The parable of the dragnet, again, the idea that at the end of the age, the

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Lord is going to separate true Christians godly from the ungodly. And so these parables speak about the present mystery of the kingdom.

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You don't see it with the eyes, but it's there. We're in that kingdom and we're living it out.

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We're citizens of that kingdom and we believe it and practice it. But then there are parables of the future fullness of the kingdom on page nine, top of the page.

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And so we have the parable of the wise and foolish virgins, taken, of course, from the normal way that they had marriage ceremonies in the first centuries, where a man and woman would be engaged, betrothed to one another.

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But then the father of the groom would pick the day when he would go get his bride and he'd go through town and get his bride and bring her back to his father's house.

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And there was to be a big parade and escort. And Jesus speaks about 10 virgins that were to be prepared to gather into the procession.

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It would happen. Nobody knew when it would take place. And only five of them, however, were ready.

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Five were not. And it speaks about the need for us to prepare ourselves for the future revelation of Christ and his second coming and the fullness of the kingdom.

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You need to be prepared for that day. And then the parable of the talents, of course.

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It's like a master landowner going into a far country, suggesting this kingdom age would be of a certain longer duration.

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And he entrusts to his servants, you know, three of them, certain talents or amounts of money to one, five, one, two, one, one.

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And after he came back, the second coming, he calls these servants to him and they have to give an accounting.

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And of course, the first two with five and two brought about a return of five and two.

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And they were rewarded. But the third one didn't do anything at all in preparation of his

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Lord's return. He took the money and dug it and hit it in the ground. Jesus said you should have put it in the bank.

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At least you'd have some interest. But he did not do so. And so the parable of the talents, again, speaks about the need to live with view to the fullness of the kingdom coming.

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And then, of course, lastly, the third parable in Matthew 25, the shepherd separating his flocks.

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At the end of the day, the shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats and they would go into separate pens.

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And Jesus said, he's the shepherd. And at the second coming, he will call his the people together, the sheep and the goat, and he will separate them.

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The sheep on his right side are Christians. Goats on his left side are everybody else, non -Christians.

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And the goats, the unbelievers, non -disciples will go off into everlasting punishment. But all his disciples, the sheep, inherit the kingdom that God prepared for you from eternity.

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And so there, again, you have a future prospect and aspect of the coming kingdom.

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And so we have to keep this in mind, a present reality of the kingdom. We are currently kingdom citizens and the future realization when we enjoy the fullness of that kingdom with the new heavens and the new earth and eternal life beyond us.

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The whole point of this passage we've considered today is our great responsibility to order our lives every day in the light of the full manifestation of the kingdom of God that will occur when

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Jesus comes again. And how is this done? Sell what you have and give alms.

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That doesn't mean impoverish yourself, but you need to be desirous to use everything you can in whatever way you can to further the kingdom of God.

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I tell you what, I'm thinking increasingly about all the things I have at home.

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When I check out, Mary's going to have some trouble and she's going to need some help clearing out the tools and the things that I have collected over the years.

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I got to liquidate, you know, and that money can be used for a lot of good things in the kingdom.

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And I don't want to stand before the Lord with them sitting in my garage or in the cellar, you know, and so there's a practicality here.

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Again, on what are you focusing on? What are you giving your attention to? And our principal concern should be for advancing the kingdom of God, and that's principally by helping the people of God and the furtherance of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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And so sell what you have and give on. Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow a treasure in the heavens that does not fail.

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Everything that you give to the kingdom, to the Lord, it's like you're putting in the bank in heaven, and it's going to be given back to you in an abundance that we can't even fathom.

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And if we're miserly through this life, you know, we're going to find ourselves with little, perhaps.

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It doesn't talk about the amount you give. Jesus said the widow who threw in two little tiny mites gave in more than everybody else because not how much you put in, it's how much you have that you can put in.

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And the Lord honors that and blesses that. And so may we be diligent and faithful in these matters.

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May our Lord find each of us as faithful followers doing his will. May we all enjoy full blessedness of the kingdom when

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Jesus comes again, and may we not be characterized by anxiety and worry needlessly.

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The Lord wants to deliver you from that and experience glorious liberty. You're taken care of, and he's promised that regardless of how this world comes down, we're going to be okay.

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He's going to see us through. Matthew, Henry will close. 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. Therefore, we must submit and resign ourselves to them.

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Thoughtfulness for our souls is the best cure of thoughtfulness for the world. Seek first the kingdom of God and make religion your business.

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Say not this is the way to starve. No, it's a way to be well provided for even in this world.

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The conclusion of the whole matter is that if it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus that by daily prayers, we may get strength to bear us up under daily troubles and to arm us against the temptations that attend them.

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Then let none of these things move us. Happy are those who take the Lord their God and make full proof of it by trusting themselves wholly to his wise disposal.

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Let thy spirit convince us of sin in the lack of this disposition and take away the worldliness of our hearts.

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And may that be true for each of us who know the Lord. And all these blessed promises and assurances for disciples of Christ.

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If you're not a Christian, this is what you're missing out on, but it can be yours. If you turn away from self and embrace

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Jesus, he is Lord and I believe on him and entrust my eternity to him because he's the son of God who lived a perfect life, who died upon the cross to atone for sinners.

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And he rose again and God the Father enthroned him and he is Lord and trust yourself to him fully in faith.

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Not because of anything you can bring to him. All you can bring to him is your sin and that's all he wants from you.

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He'll give you everything else. Thank God. Let's pray. Father, thank you for the blessed promises.

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And again, for many of us, these are just repeat of words we've heard many times before, but help us to take them to heart.

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Our God, may you alleviate us, Lord, of the concerns that maybe weigh some of us down and help us live as free citizens of the blessed kingdom in which you have placed us.

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And help us, our God, to be living witnesses in the fallen world about us as people are troubled, our

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God, and their hearts fail them for fear of these things as our world perhaps continues to collapse.

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May we be people of faith, confident in you with a sense of assurance and a sense of peace and well -being that you are our

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Lord and that you are directing this world to its appointed end. And you've promised us a glorious eternal life through Jesus Christ alone.