NJ - God First
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LOVE GOD; LOVE PEOPLE & DO LIFE TOGETHER
Seek First The Kingdom
Good morning and welcome to Oasis and a happy new year. It is great to have you with us. If you are visiting today, we would love to catch you after our service for morning tea and get to know you.
As we begin this new year, let us focus on putting God first in all that we do. Our theme for the next few months will be: GOD FIRST.
We will look at what that means to us in our relationship with God and with others as we do life together. God is alway faithful, Psalm 136:1-25 His faithful love endures forever.
He was faithful to Israel to bring them out of Egypt and into the promise land, He was faithful to the disciples and the early church and He is faithful to us today and forever.
Gods faithful love endures forever.
Lets Pray
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
There are three things we can take from this schripture that will help us in our day to day as we LOVE GOD; LOVE PEOPLE & DO LIFE TOGETHER
Refuse to worry - We can refuse to take on worry, giving it to God
Meditate on God’s love - We can change our focus
Put God first - Seek first God and His kingdom in our lives
INTRO TO TOPIC: We are living in a world where people have taken their focus off God and placed it on everything that is happening around them. Thay are worrying about everything:
Will I have enough?
Do I look like I am successful?
The author-physician, A.J. Cronin quoted:
“Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, but only saps today of its strength.”
Things that never happen (40%)
Things in the past which can't be changed (30%)
Health issues (12%)
Miscellaneous / Petty problems (10%)
Real, legitimate troubles (8%).
1. REFUSE TO WORRY - LOVE GOD; LOVE PEOPLE & DO LIFE TOGETHER
The definition of WORRY is:
WORRY: Feel or cause to feel anxious or troubled about actual or potential problems; to torment oneself with disturbing thoughts; Tear at or pull about with the teeth
Worrying has physical consequences in our bodies: headaches, neck pains, ulcers, and even back pains.
25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?
25 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body.
Jesus tells us: “Do not worry.” So we know that worry is a choice.
People have become so focused stuff, do I look the part, have I got it all together?
Worship God, read your bible, get around people that will build up your faith and encourage you.
To decide “I will not worry” does not mean you don’t care. It doesn’t mean you don’t make dinner for the kids or that I stop putting clothes on.
What it does mean is: I am choosing to put my focus on God and not on things, I am choosing to do it Gods way and not my way.
6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
By worrying we cannot change anything, Refuse to worry, give it to God.
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
2. MEDITATE ON GOD’S LOVE - LOVE GOD; LOVE PEOPLE & DO LIFE TOGETHER
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (Matt. 6:26-30).
v. 26 - Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air, and the flowers of the field.” Why?
He is saying: “You are more valuable to God than the birds and flowers!”
Place value in yourself
We have worth
We are adopted into the Gods family
God loves you and cares for you. The more we know how much our Heavenly Father loves us, the more we will trust Him.
Faith trusts God, worry doubts God.
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
7 Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. 9 God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 10 This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;
Gods love is everlasting!
3. PUT GOD FIRST – SEEK GOD’S KINGDOM - LOVE GOD; LOVE PEOPLE & DO LIFE TOGETHER
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.
31 What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. 32 People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works.
Our God, He is Good, Our Loving Heavenly Father, knows what you need!
33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
The cure for worry is to seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness.
When we do this, we are trusting God, and as we trust Him, He meets our needs.
I love the way the message says it:
34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.
HOW DO WE SEEK GOD’S KINGDOM FIRST?
1. The Daily Disciplines: Prayer, Worship and Bible Reading. Use a reading plan!
2. Be connected: Commit to regular attendance on Sundays and Life Groups.
3. Serving: In the church and in your community (being salt and light).
BIBLE STORY:
38 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39 Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. 40 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.” 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”
CHALLENGE: Is Jesus first in your life? He is calling you to surrender to Him today!