Brother Gary Sunday Evening 9/7/14

Brother Gary Sunday Evening 9/7/14

Mat 6:24  No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mat 6:25  Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Mat 6:26  Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Mat 6:27  Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Mat 6:28  And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

Mat 6:29  And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Mat 6:30  Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Mat 6:31  Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

Mat 6:32  (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

Mat 6:33  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Mat 6:34  Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

This echoes what everyone has said tonight, to trust God.  There is no grace for anxious imaginations of what might be.  There is grace for this moment. 

I thought of the message on our heart this morning of Jesus being a witness, a leader, and a commander.  It was real to me that indeed we have a governor for our lives with a heart of a shepherd. 

We are blessed to have children with parents that know how to give them boundaries of what they need to be ready for and need to get done.  Then for them to turn around and be thankful is good.

No man can serve two masters.  What Jesus is teaching us here tonight is that for everything that is tangible through the commodity of wages and money, we cannot worship money or what money will buy.

The next nine verses totally destroy the argument of “We have to hold money in a high esteem.” 

Jesus said, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life what you shall eat and drink.  Is not life more than meat or body more than raiment?”

We understand finances to whatever degree.  Jesus wants us to get an understanding that none of these tangible things bring any happiness.  I don’t own any antique cars.  If I had one, it might be nice to have, but there would be no joy that would be deprived with all of those things.

Karen and I spent two nights in a chalet without water or electricity.  We came home thankful for those things.  We were comfortable but it takes more than electricity to make people happy. 

People may wear the real-estate agents out looking for the perfect piece of property.  It is not there.  You can shop until you drop but there is no joy.  The issue is that you can wear yourself out worrying about the tangible things of life.

Behold the fowls of the air:  how many times have you seen a deer packing hay, or a bird set up a station, “Bird houses for sale?”  God takes care of them.

Are ye not much better than they?  You children in this audience are blessed to have the opportunity to get an education.  We are blessed that children can basically have grade school and high school without charge.  It is important that you have the attitude, “I want this education so that I can be beneficial to my generation, my parent’s generation, and my grandparent’s generation.”

You will not be a foot taller by taking thought.  God takes care of short people and of tall.

Consider the lilies.  We are taught right, look like you represent the kingdom of God and dress like you represent the kingdom of God.  You are not more saved or less saved if you shop affordable raiment from wherever it might be. 

Wearing sloppy clothing doesn’t make you more humble.  What makes us humble is identifying where we came from and what we came to.  Realizing how much we need Him every day and every hour.  It brings humility realizing, “God I really need you.”

In everything that Solomon had, he didn’t outshine the lilies that God has planted.  I hope that you are taking time to look at the beautiful fall flowers.  The flowers are taking on a richer color, the leaves are starting to turn, various things are happening.  All the beauty that Solomon built and had done does not compare to what God has done and is doing.

Tonight we saw a life that sees beauty in someone else.  We thank God for those that helped us to get where we are.  Thank God for those that helped us to be saints of God today.  Thank God, I have utmost confidence that there will be people praying tomorrow morning. 

God takes care of water lilies.  If you buy a reservation permit you can go out on Rainbow Lake and see those beautiful water lilies.  God takes care of them.  God takes care of the lilies of the field.

I’m amazed at the beauty of a lily and I am amazed at what people see when they walk through the yard.  Some would say, “Oh those roses.”  The lilies have a beautiful leaf.  Those lilies outshine all that Solomon built. 

He wants our life beautiful with His grace, His love, and that kindness.

If God so clothe the grass of the field, shall He not much more clothe you?  Every spring, this country turns beautiful.  Those hills turn so green and are so beautiful.  You drive up that Hotsprings hill and over into that country you look at those hills and say, “They are so beautiful.”

Then as the months go by those hills change from being beautifully green to looking like indeed an oven has passed by.  The Bible says that it is God that causes the grasses to grow.  Then they dry out.  It is God that takes care of it all.

Shall He not much more take care of you?  We believe because the bible tells us, we are engraved on His hands.  He is going to take care of you.  There is no grace for worrying about what is going to happen.  But there is grace to believe that God will take care of us.

We live in a perilous age.  I think of parents, grandparents, and great grandparents in this audience.  I think of when Kathy started college and in the night I would wake with a start, “What if?”  Isn’t it wonderful that you can trust God?

Take no thought.  This will be a discipline.  Fill your mind with those things that God wants you to think on.  Do not worry about how you shall be clothed or what you shall eat.

Your heavenly father knows that you have need of those things.  He knows your needs.

Seek first the kingdom of God.  His kingdom is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.  Don’t seek those things that are of a tangible nature and all these things shall be added to you.

Isn’t it a marvel how God adds things?  We will have needs.  Isn’t it marvelous how God supplies those needs?

Take no thought for the morrow.  Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.  One day at a time, God will take care of His people.  That doesn’t mean that we are to be carless or not to be a good steward.  He doesn’t want us to worry or fret.  He has a way of taking care of His people.