What me worry?

Matthew 5:25–34 CSB

25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;

Matthew 5:25-

You guys are better than me but I found myself getting angry and frustrated this week. Filled with fury at the future. ...

The Lord brought to mind this scripture

Matthew 6:25–34 CSB

25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 5:23–34 CSB

23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny. 27 “You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery. 28 But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. 31 “It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce. 32 But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery. 33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors, You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord. 34 But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;

- What Jesus calls on is faith

- Faith in God is a big old concept, that most just agree to, or say in passing.

- That's not faith, that just words

Hebrews 11:1 CSB

1 Now faith is the reality of what is hoped for, the proof of what is not seen.

Faith is the proof of what is not seen, it is reliance, it is depending on what is not seen

Faith is dependence

Faith is dependence on something

- Right now some are displaying their faith by relying on following the government measures to reduce the rate of infection so we can cope with an unseen threat of a virus and threat on hospitals

- Right now some are not looking for work because they have faith that their bosses will rehire them and unemployment/savings will carry them through this crisis.

-Faith is when an addict turns away from their addiction to take away their issue and relies on their God-given tools, community, and God's strength to carry them through the issue

- Faith is refusing to hold a relationship together with sexual immorality but instead relying on God that He will provide what we need including sex in his time so you live God’s way.

Faith is faith when it is something unseen that is acted on.

What we are doing in these darkest of days is revealing our faith

Right now, we sort of have faith in our government but if we don't have faith, and we do the things we aren't supposed to do we risk being punished. So their faith is combined with punishment

Wait, that's how I am with God too! You might say. I don't want to be punished by God.

If you’re worried about punishment from God so you behave better well that is the spiritual equivalent of washing your body in bleach and snorting cocaine to get rid of the cornovirus

If your worried about punishment from God so you behave better, is the spiritual equivalent of washing your body in bleach and snorting cocaine to get rid of the cornovirus

Your behavior doesn’t change God

It's not gonna work!!

But doesn't God send us to hell if we are bad?

you can't handle God's presence because you are bad.

Romans 3:23 CSB

23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

:

We are all bad.

Have you ever seen someone at a funeral say, “good guy” but that is an ever shifting standarad. Man did he have a huge problem with his ex, but he was a good guy. Yes he was no angel but overall a good guy.

God is not like us. God is just.

In one of the many netflix things I watched a show called 100 humans. Where they just showed people a picture of a person, told of crimes they had committed and then asked the people to give them a sentence to jail.

The only thing that changed was how attractive the person looked.

The uglier person always went to jail for a longer time period even in a case of child abuse!

We focus on the outside, what is common to us, what makes us feel good.

God is not full of lies to make other people feel good.

God is Holy. He is different. He is mighty. He is just. He doesn’t give preference to people who are more attractive, rich or of a certain race. Male or Female are both beautiful and equal in his sight

Galatians 3:28 CSB

28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.

We are all equal. We are all sinful. Rather your fat and ugly like me or beautiful like my wife and all the people helping me film today, God loves us all!

John 3:16–17 CSB

16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

God has faith that we will sin and so He came through and saved us by dying on the cross for our sins.

I ha

Everyone who has faith in Him. Who relies on Him. Who follows Him will have eternal life.

Its not levels of punishment.

God’s house is like our homes on quartine. If you are part of this family, no matter what is going on inside, you live in God’s house because you are God’s family. Their is a huge blanket of lysol protection around God’s house.

Ephesians 1:5 The Message

5 Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!)

Followers of Jesus Christ are part of God’s family! We quarantine in God’s house!

Therefore (always a big word in the Bible) Therefore means everything I said before led up to this.

If I know, that Jesus died for my sins, I know that Jesus lives and when I die I will rise again.

I can also know, I can rely on that He will make a way for us to pay our rent or mortgage, feed our families, give a way to educate our kids, but there will still be an act of faith involved.

God will make a way, Have faith to take it!

Some of you are going to have to do what’s reasonable, what God gave you that brain to do, If you have kids open up those teacher packets you get and make sure they do them. Don’t just say God has my kids in His hands and let them play on cell phones, right?

In the same way - look for a job.

In the same way - use this new technology, as awkward and different as it might be, to reach out to your friends, neighbors, and church.

We are working to have a small group every day! Because most of us are home all day! So download that zoom app on your phone or log in on your computer and see and hear your friends and neighbors.

When reaching out to your friends on the phone tell them we are here.

Faith in Christ means adapting to the provision that God made for us.

God asked Noah to build an ark. God asked Joshua to lead a people to walk around a wall. God invited Peter to walk with him on water.

God is asking us to have faith that He will provide and to use his provision during this time.

Today is all about that provision. Let’s worship Him in this new way!!

Prayer