Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
Good morning and welcome to Family Reunion Sunday!
If you would like, I’d invite you to start turning in your Bibles to .
In just a few moments we are going to be looking at .
Today we are going to begin a new sermon series.
And you all know that I don’t often
And the subject of the entire series is The Bible Doesn’t Say That.
And I actually came upon this series by accident.
I subscribe to different ministry newsletters and list-serves and it popped up in my Facebook feed of all places.
And typically I don’t pay a lot of attention to much of anything on Facebook, but the title seemed interesting and it was from Ministry Pass, which is pretty reputable, so I thought I would check it out.
And when I did and as I was reading the quotes of what the Bible doesn’t say and the concepts that the Bible actually does teach, the Holy Spirit began to show me that this is something that I need to share with the Church.
The reason being is that in our society and to a lesser extent (I hope) even in our Church, there are erroneous beliefs about God and Christianity that have snuck their way in.
These popular phrases or ways of thinking are in direct conflict with what scripture actually teaches.
So, for the next five weeks we are going to be looking at different phrases the Bible doesn’t actually say, comparing them to what the Bible actually does say.
And today’s phrase is God Helps Those Who Help Themselves.
Who has heard that one before, raise your hands?
Now you don’t have to raise your hands but who thought that was in the Bible?
Who believes that it’s true, even though the Bible doesn’t say it?
I wonder how many of us have used that phrase.
And the phrase in itself is not exactly a bad thing because people need to learn to do things.
Nobody needs to receive Jesus and then sit down on a pew and “wait on the Lord,” as they put it.
We are called to respond to the Holy Spirit and put God’s calling into action.
However, our society twists and turns this concept into meaning that we are to be totally independent of everything and everybody.
Our modern culture idolizes self-sufficiency.
Everyone needs to take care of themselves, first.
Look out for number one.
Focus on your needs before anyone else’s needs.
However, we will see in our passage that God’s plan for our lives is the exact opposite.
Focus on the kingdom first, and God will take care of the necessities.
God’s plan for our lives is the exact opposite.
Focus on the kingdom first, and God will take care of your necessities.
Following Jesus is about living a selfless life.
Following Jesus is about living a selfless life.
So, if you have found in your Bible, I’d invite you to stand with me if you are able, as we begin reading in verse 25.
Jesus tells us . . .
Scripture Focus
Worry, Worry, Worry
On the social media platform, Yahoo Answers, the question was asked: “Why are priorities Important?”
The top voted answer that was provided was simply: “A priority is something that IS important.”
We all have priorities in our life.
There are things we treat as most important.
The only question is, are you treating the most important thing with the most importance?
Now, in this passage Jesus is teaching the people some very valuable lessons.
It is actually right in the middle of the Sermon on the Mount.
In the beginning of the chapter, we actually find the Lord’s Prayer.
So it is packed with all sorts of information.
And it seems as if Jesus hits on every single aspect of life and here in our passage we find one of the things that afflict more people in this world than anything else.
I would even venture to say that at some point in life, every single person in the world is afflicted with this.
Some learn to deal with it and some are inflicted with it their entire life.
And that affliction is this thing we carry worry.
As a people we are worriers.
We worry about our money.
We worry about our houses.
We worry about our cars.
We worry about our kids.
We worry about our health.
We worry about our parents.
We worry about our church.
And sometimes this worrying becomes overwhelming and drags us down.
It can even have a physical effect on us as well.
We think that if we worry about things we can change them.
we think by worrying that we are helping ourselves in some way.
However, Jesus tells us something different here.
He says . . .
Matthew 6:
So, isn’t that a fine how do you do!
We are out here worrying about everything and Jesus just simply says don’t worry!
Now, we want to qualify what Jesus says here and tell ourselves, “Jesus didn’t really mean EVERYTHING.”
So, let’s break it down.
Jesus says not to worry about :
Our life
What we will eat
What we will drink
Our body
What we will wear
So, he covered food, clothing, shelter, our health (body), and our life itself.
So, that pretty much covers everything in my book.
And I know what we are thinking, “Jesus didn’t say anything about worrying about others.”
Well, what does our life encompass?
It is more than just our physical life (birth-death).
Our life encompasses every aspect and every person in our lives.
It is more than just the physical act of living, but also how we live and who we interact with in our lives.
That is why Jesus asks them the question, is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
In other words, he’s asking us isn’t there more important things in life than worrying about everything?
In fact, Jesus tells us that . . .
Satan wants you to worry about everything because he knows that it drags you down.
And the only way Satan can harm a Christian is when we are weakened to the point that he can influence us and catch us off guard.
However, Jesus offers us life, and so we can have it to the full or “more abundantly” as the KJVs puts it.
This abundant or full life Jesus is talking about is not just meant for when we get to heaven.
We are offered an abundant and full life right here and right now!
Part of putting our faith and trust in Jesus is trusting Jesus for all things, including ALL the things we worry about.
Jesus explains in our passage . . .
Matthew 6:
And . . .
Matthew
Are we not more valuable to God than the birds of the air?
Matthew 6
And finally . . .
And we read these words and hear them preached, but do we believe them?
Do we realize that we cannot add one single second to our lives by worrying?
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