Services | Countering Anxiety

Bulletin

FBCWest
July 28, 2019

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and truth.”

“Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow”
PRAISE AND WORSHIP
SCRIPTURE READING – Psalm 7:17
“Signature of the Devine”
“Mended”
“Wonder”
“At the Cross”


GIVING OF SELVES AND OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER

SPECIAL MUSIC –
By Pru Hungate


PROCLAMATION OF THE WORD

MESSAGE Pastor Joe

“THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JESUS THE MESSIAH”
“The Sermon on the Mount, Part 6: Countering Anxiety”

Time of Reflection


PRAYER TIME –
“Seek Ye First”
“Build My Life”



ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Benediction “Only Jesus”

SERMON NOTES

Matthew 6: 25 Do not worry



Matthew 6:26 – 30 Reasons to counter anxiety



Philippians 4:4 – 9


Matthew 6:33 What to seek first



Matthew 6:34 Deal with today

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Scritpures

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Transcript of Service

Which becomes a problem for those who might think I would have another?

Issues.

Alright, hopefully will get that taken care of.

We have been looking at the past several times we've been here.

The sermon on the Mount.

And this particular messages part 5 of that sermon as I told you number one, it's very lengthy sermon.

Jesus.

Certainly has the authority and the ability to communicate.

All at one time.

I don't have that same.

Dynamic plus I also understand that.

It's kind of like the?

The guest speaker who came to preach and ask the pastor well. How long do. I have to preach. He goes you can preach as long as you want. We're all even at noon and so I could comment on the entire sermon on the mountain and one time man I'd be commenting to myself, so I understand it.

And so I've broken it down at the end of the sermon.

The people who are hearing it are both amazed and comment that he spoke as 1 having authority not is like describes in the Pharisees.

Well, that makes sense because everything that Jesus did.

He had authority.

He had authority to heal.

Had authority to cast out demons.

He had authority to make those who are disabled.

Whole again whether it be.

Unable to speak or unable to hear unable to walk.

He also had the authority to forgive sins.

And we will see later in his ministry had the authority to lay down his life and pick it up again.

And so we look at this sermoneta sieging.

Not because it agrees with what us.

But because of the one who said it.

You hear those who don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah the son of God will frequently say, well, he was a good teacher.

Either they never read his teachings are there lying?

Well, that's pretty bold to say.

Well, they probably like some of his teachings like the Good Samaritan that's a nice little story.

About helping people who aren't able to help themselves and we all hope that we have that type of ability. However, the people. He was giving that story, too didn't like the story.



And in our culture, we tend to be very much relativistic.

There are no absolutes.

Your truth is your truth and my truth is my truth. An we'll just have to agree to disagree because everything is relative.

Jesus did not speak in relativistic terms.

Things were absolute.

Do this don't do that.

Do this don't do that.

If you want rewards and do this don't do that as we looked last time he said.

When you

Give to the poor do it secretly 'cause If you do it publicly you've received your reward.

If you pray and you pray publicly an art to be notified people, you've received your reward if you.

Give if if you fast and you make it so that everybody knows you're fasting. You've received your reward. Jesus says it is better to receive your reward from the father by doing? What is in secret he sees that and reward you?

Jesus is going to follow up on this type of do this don't do that.

And so we come.

To Matthew.

Chapter 6 verse 19.

And it says this.

Do not store up for yourself, treasure on Earth, where moth and Rust Destroy.

And where these break in and steal. I'm going to stop there. Because immediately everybody when you read this want to say that Jesus isn't talking about acquiring wealth in the sense of to provide for yourself and your family and they go and they spend lots of time talking about Jesus isn't opposed to that and I agree with them. Jesus is it opposed to it as a matter of fact he condemns the Pharisees for declaring their property corban, which means dedicated to the Lord.

Which means I can help out family members of the poor Jesus contends that?

But the problem is, we spend so much time, saying what Jesus doesn't say.

Though we don't spend the time to say what Jesus says.

And Jesus says do not store up for yourselves treasures on Earth.

Well my view of what he's saying treasures storing up is kind of like when I think about when I have things in storage.

They're not things that I'm using presently there things that I don't want to give up and so I put them in storage because they have some value to me.

And as a matter of fact there's apparently a lot of people who have things in storage that are valuable to them because all you have to do is drive for a couple miles and you'll see all of the places where you could pay lots of money for storage.

And I suspect by the time you spent all the money that you pay in rent to hold those things in storage, you could probably buy new stuff.

But their treasures to us and so we store them up.

And Jesus says don't start don't don't use things for yourself and store them up.

And then he gives a reason.

Because moth

An rust comes so there are things that fall apart whether it's clothing or other materials or their subject being stolen.

In today

That's even more easy.

Because we have all our monies in banks and we we pay our bills online and do it and all you gotta do is get the password and you ain't got nothing. 'cause somebody just sold everything in your bank accounts and use all your credit cards and do whatever and Jesus, saying no matter how much you may acquire for yourself.

It's subject to being Los through.

Unuse or wore out.

Or somebody steals.

You heard me say.

Then when it comes to a funeral.

You never see a U-Haul trailer.

Attach to a hearse.

Because you can't take it with you.

There is no difference between the richest men and women in the world and the poorest when it comes to burial. Now they may have a fancier coffin. They may have a more ornate service.

But there's a body.

And that's it.

But it seems that.

People throughout.

Our history have always wanted to take it with us.

You go back as far as the Egyptians.

They were mama fi the the Kings and Queens and do these things and then they would place objects of value in the tune everything from bolts an food and gold and they would even leave.

Servants there to serve them in the afterlife.

Because they wanted the same quality of life in the afterlife as they had here and so they thought they could take it with them.

Even the Romans.

Imperial would place 2 coins on the eyes of the deceased so that he could pay fair across the River Styx. Everybody was always trying to take it with us and there's even.

The the joke.

Where a man?

Is closest deathbed?

So he calls his pastor his doctor, his lawyer.

Together and he gave them each an envelope of $30,000 and he tells them.

When I pass away and when my funeral before they close the coffin put the envelope.

In my coffin.

So they all took it.

And when the time came that the man passed away and the funeral. They came by and each of them place. The the envelope into the casket. They closed it and they entered the body.

And during the

Celebration, an afterlife party.

The 3:00 got together and the pasture generally being honest, van felt very.

Bad about what he done any finally admits he goes you know? Our church is having a building campaign. So I kept $10,000 and put the $20,000 in the?

Casket.

The doctor goes.

Well, since you said that I I must admit I'm trying to build a clinic so I kept $10,000 back and put the rest.

In the coffin.

So lawyer looked at it, so damn disappointed in YouTube.

I wrote a check for the entire $30,000 in place it in the coffin.

OK, but the check is it good to him as the cash was you can't take it with you.

Jesus is in essence number one you can take it with you, but #2.

It's subject to being the greatest or stolen.

But.

Store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth norus destroys and where thieves do not break in or steel.

He tells them You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead.

In the same between being rich here or being rich in Heaven, which is better to be rich in heaven.

Why?

Because at best, you have 80 maybe 120 years.

You have an eternity.

In Heaven,

So where are our priorities ***** is it that we think of and so often we are so concerned and even anxious for our retirement or 401K was the stock market is doing or not doing or what we may hold on to.

What if we had that amount of concern?

For what we were sitting on ahead.

In Heaven,

Jesus says.

Instead of Thorn, it up here on Earth.

Store it in heaven.

And then he makes a statement not only is it better to store it in heaven than it is here.

Does it said for where your treasure is?

There your heart will be also.

You see when your treasures here on Earth and you're concerned about your 401K. You look at the 401K. You see what's happening and you get all concerned about up or down markets or how? Can I invest better.

Your hearts there.

As opposed to being.

My heart.

Is with God?

And his Kingdom.

That I might seek first his Kingdom.

And his righteousness my heart is with the aspect of what God is doing in what God is trying to accomplish and that is where my heart should be.

And so Jesus is saying.

Here's a test.

Are you more concerned about your balance sheet here on earth?

Or have you even considered?

Your balance sheet, it happen.

All too often, I hear people say, well, I just I just want to get to heaven on the skin of my teeth. When you ain't getting to heaven in the skin of your teeth. You only get to happen in base on the blood of Christ.

But I'm convinced, 'cause Jesus keep talking about rewards and keeps talking about treasure and put in a treasure in Heaven and not here on Earth, which means.

He saying something of value.

The reason that Jesus can speak with such authority is he's the son of God he's God.

He was there in heaven before he came to Earth, he knows how the economy of avid works.

And he's telling us.

Put your emphasis.

And you are a priority on that which is eternal.

The problem is.

We're very familiar with dollars and cents familiar with the value of $20. Bill is worth more than the than a penny and we're very aware of that.

How much are we aware of spiritual matters?

And sending it on ahead.

So Jesus even in the midst of this message asking very cutting question.

Where is your heart?

Is your heart?

In the financial.

Or is your heart.

In the eternal.

The next couple of verses I will tell you.

I had to think about for a long time, there are times when when.

The Scriptures will have a verse or 2 and I'm not quite sure why it's there. It almost seems like it's out of context.

Until you think about it and think about it and I finally had come to the understanding I think.

Of the context of this and so Jesus immediately following up with don't Sawyer.

Treasures on Earth, but in Heaven said the eye is the lamp of the body. So then if your eye is clear your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness. How great is that darkness now, what does this have to do with money? What does this have to do with things?

Well let's do a little experiment, please.

Humor me.

I want you to do 2 things I want you to first close your eyes and then I want you to put your hands over Your Eyes Alright. We're all going to do it going to close their eyes are going to put our hands over our eyes and if you can remember where the lights are the chandelier above you. I want you to look up.

OK, thank you.

Did anybody see me like?

I don't think so.

Because there's darkness within us.



And when there's darkness within its we don't understand what Jesus is doing.

It is said that the eye.

Is the window to the soul?

And you'll hear people say, I've looked into their eyes and I know they have a good soul or a good heart.

But just as much is is that I in it is a window out.

Letting out like seeing what's there and Jesus is saying if you are in darkness. If you're not in light?

You can't see what's going on Jesus, saying if you don't understand what I'm talking about.

You're in darkness.

If you don't see the difference between temporary and eternal treasures on Earth and treasures in heaven. Then you're like a person who can't see.

You're so dark within that you don't know the direction.

And Jesus is saying.

When your lamp if your body is clear, you can see.

And you can see the value of Jesus's teachings.

And then Jesus is going to now say to something that's one of those either or's.

You can't do this, if you do that.

Verse 24, says this.

No one.

No one.

No one.

That means not even you.

There are no exceptions, no one can serve 2 Masters.

Didn't say most people can't serve 2 Masters. He didn't say everybody but you can serve 2. Masters he said. No one can serve 2 Masters for either. He will hate the one and love. The other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

We have a little more difficulty with this because we're used to being employees.

And if I don't like my boss.

I can quit now I may suffer the consequences 'cause I won't have a paycheck. But I can quit no one requires me to be there.

But when I am a slave.

I don't have an option.

My Masters my master.

In Jesus says.

You had a master or you have a master.

For you see.

We don't like to understand this.

But when we are sin, we are slaves to sin.

We serve sin.

Now we may have fun doing it. We may enjoy it. We may have a good time and let's face it, the world's that way. I mean, there are all kinds of advertisements. It says it grab all the gusto while you can enjoy life because now is the time to do it.

You can serve that appetite.

The problem with that appetite.

It never is satisfied.

Every single appetite you have.

Requires to be full and full in full.

Will start off with hunger?

You'll be hungry.

And you'll need a great meal.

Prime rib.

Baked potato.

Cream corn salad.

Big desert.

Stuffed.

And then you get home.

And he opened up the refrigerator?

Because you want some more because your tummy is hungry.

You want.

Fame.

People know who you are.

But are not enough people know who I am.

So I put on Facebook and I put on Twitter and I do all these things and try to get all these different friends.

That's not not good enough.

Any more friends.

Or money.

You look at some of the most wealthy people in the world.

And they don't stop with their wealth. They continue to accumulate it. Part of it because accumulated it's fun. It's feeding an appetite.

As I've said before we want things.

You buy a new car.

Shining great.

We're hoping for.

A Portia.

We get it.

Drive fast.

Looks good.

I look cool driving it.

And then there comes a time when I don't even want to wash it.

Because I'm looking for the next cool thing.

Appetite after appetite.

You are a slave to your appetites.

And if you are a slave to your appetites that you cannot serve God.

In Jesus makes it very clear in the next sentence is you cannot serve God and wealth.

He doesn't again say, Well, you can kind of serve wealth a little bit and you can you got one or the other?

You either serve God or you serve wealth.

But you can't blender.

If you are disciple of his you're his.

And you do what he says to do.

The way he says to do it.

I'll give you an analogy one which I'm not very good at because I am not.

An expert in martial arts.

With my current weight, I even have a difficult time, tumbling.

But I understand that there are different martial arts and different martial artists and they come from different regions in judo or jujitsu. You have Brazilian and you have Okinawan and you have Japanese and you have all kinds of different people who have the original person who started there.

Concept of the martial art.

And they will do simple things like a whole.

And they will tell you specifically how to do this hold.

Because that's the way.

The master many centuries ago, told you to do this whole because you are that.

The disciple of that master.

And people when they see you do that whole if they're familiar with the various forms of the jujitsu or whatever, so ha ha. You're a disciple of.

How many of us?

When we live our lives.

And we do what Jesus told us to do.

People will say haha.

Your disciple of Jesus.

'Cause that's how he taught to do that.

He taught to love your enemy.

He taught to put your treasures in Heaven, not here, he taught to pray in secret. He taught to give in secret. He taught to do all of these things and we follow what he does because he's our master.

And we are his disciples.

And no matter how much with you know, I can improve on that.

No, you can.

Oh.

But I want a new word.

Do the most he showed us to do.

And when you become an expert in those moves.

Then, try for something else.

But when

You and I love each other as the way Jesus loved.

And when

We are more concerned with the needs of others than ourselves.

When we love our neighbor as ourself when we love our enemy when we

Are not as concerned about all rights? But the needs of others?

Then we might be able to move on to a new belt.

No one can serve 2 Masters.

For either he will hate the one and love. The other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

All too often.

We think it's good enough.

To be a vigilant about both.

Well, I kind of love Jesus.

And I kind of love the world.

I kinda want to do what he says.

But I want to have all the dust. So I can I don't want to miss anything?

One of the advantages of getting old.

Is that you don't feel like you belong anymore?

I like to people watch.

But I like to watch people less and less.

Does it get more and more depressed?

And I'll tell you why.

Not that I'm better than them 'cause I'm not.

God knows I'm not.

But sometimes I feel when I.

Go out to Huntington Beach or Westminster or wherever else in Orange County or LA.

I feel like as if I were in Italy.

I'm in a different culture.

With people who have different values.

And I.

Put on I'm I'm thankful that I'm not as young.

You re tough to start all over.

I I guess that's where this world is not my home.

Now in case you think I'm ready to go. I'm not.

I enjoy being here, not because of the culture.

But I do have a treasure.

Here.

Call 5 grandchildren.

And I enjoy being a part of their lives for as long as I can.

Because I didn't have the opportunity to be apart as a grandchild to my grandparents.

Both my father's parents died long before I was ever even thought of.

My grand father died.

When I was three months old my grandmother.

We will go back to Virginia and I would spend some time with her.

But.

A lot of my.

Childhood was she had.

A form of dementia.

And so your grandmother's not really there and somebody else.

And so God is giving me the privilege of of having some part.

Of my grandchildren's lives.

But I also understand again about treasures.

That there will come a time in each of their lives.

Not.

Because they're like everybody else.

A girlfriend or a boyfriend or 2 weeks will be more important in Gran. Dad I get it.

At life's not that I'm bad it's not that they are. It's just life.

But I do enjoy the opportunity, but like I said other than that.

This world at home.

So it kind of tells me that my heart at least is starting to be more there than here.

But because of the one who teaches.

I get to spend eternity with him.

I get

To be in the presents.

Of a God who is holy and loving and kind and merciful.

And I get to be.

With people.

Who he is called?

To be like him.

And that while we may not be like him today.

We are his workmanship.

And that he will complete in us that we will be just like Jesus.

Now.

Can you imagine going someplace?

Where Jesus is?

Now Can you imagine that place for everybody like Jesus is like Jesus?

You're Harada be there.

'Cause I can tell you no matter how wonderful this life is.

It doesn't stand any comparison.

Do that.

So let us not be so concerned about what Jesus does it say.

Oh.

He's not saying not to provide for our families.

A little bit more time what he does say.

And what he does say is make sure your heart is where it ought to be.

If your treasures.

Are there your heart will be there if your treasures? Are here your heart's going to be here and you're not going to serve God. If your hearts here.

That's why I break this message up.

It seems like every few verses it's almost like an invitation. It's almost like a double checking. What is my life like where am I? How have I thus far gone?

And the wonderful thing is.

Whether 8 or 88.

You can move the direction of your heart.

So, like all manual 88, you screwed up.

It's not all.

To hear the word now now with the acceptable time now is the time to take the hands off the eyes to keep that ice.

Open.

And let the light of Jesus shine in.

And give us direction.

And give us.

The ability to see.

And all gods people said.