February 24, 2019 Why Worry When You Can't Do It!

Why Worry When You Can't Do It!

Luke 12:22-34 

Many Christians are faced with challenges and uncertainties  that are beyond their control. Not having control can create anxiety. Not knowing the future can equally make us anxious. Pastor Donald uses Luke 12 22-34 to show what an anxious heart looks like, why Christians should not be anxious and how Christians can avoid anxiety.

1. 1. The Nature of an Anxious Heart 

1. Our emotions are natural and necessary for us to live. Worry and fear protect us, but anxiety is prolonged fear or worry that affects our wellbeing. So what does an anxious heart look like? A person with an anxious heart does not appreciate the blessings at hand. (Luke 12:22-23). We become blind to our endowment if we only focus on what we lack. Plus the things that we do have, we do not value. Someone who does not value what they have is marked by complaining and grumbling. finally, an anxious heart demonstrates unfaithfulness to God and lack of trust. 

1. 2. Believers Are not to Live with Anxiety 

1. Although some worry is necessary to motivate us to meet deadlines or prepare for the future, it is easy to fall into the trap of worrying excessively at what we do not have or what we cannot control. Believers must remember that they are of greater value to God than the rest of His creation. (Luke 12:24, 27-28)  If God watches over and provides for the lilies and ravens, then how much more will he do for us. In addition, worrying about what we do not have will never result in contentment. (Luke 12:15). Finally worrying about what is beyond our acquisition is futile and inflicts pain. (Luke 12:25-26) 

 3. How can believers avoid anxiety? We do this by seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. We need to acknowledge the Lordship of God by practicing a life of thanksgiving for what we have (Luke 12:22-23). Unlike the foolish rich man, we must commit to a pattern of living for God and allowing Him to rule everything in our  lives. (Luke 16-21) We need to practice seeking his kingdom by pursuing after his revealed righteousness (Matt 6:33) 

We still need to work and go though life with all its uncertainties. However, we need to do our work within our limitations. We can trust in God to meet our needs especially in those areas we cannot control.  Let's learn to live within our limits, and then we will see how blessed we are. 

January 27, 2019, Seek after the Right Gift and Get the Whole

Seek after the Right Gift and Get the Whole 

Luke 11:5-15 

From Luke 11:5-15 Jesus teaches us to pray without unceasing. Jesus gives a strange scenario for this parable. when one friend does not show respect and shamelessly asks his friend for bread. Even though the man will not give bread to save friendship, he will give  the bread just to shut the man up.  Jesus later tells us that as parents we will give good gifts and we are evil. God will give better gifts because He is Good. 

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in a way that will have our prayers answered. 

1. You need to be friendly with God. The man went to a friend. They were friends, and they knew who each other were. For your prayers to be answered, God needs to know you on friendly terms. How can God know us as friends. Look to Jesus.

  

No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 

John 15:15 ESV 

2. The answered prayers call for persistence in prayer. In fact there is another parable in Luke which talks about persistence. 

And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, 'Give me justice against my adversary.'  For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor respect man,  yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.'"  And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.  And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?  I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?" 

Luke 18:3‭-‬8 ESV 

Why does God not just give us what we need without asking? Many times we forget when people have helped us. Sometimes God makes us to suffer and seek for a long time to make it more meaningful, valuable and memorable.  Also,  it is worthy to go before the Lord as a child. Go before the Lord spiritual nakedness go boldly and go honestly. 

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

James 1:2‭-‬4 ESV 

3. The answered prayer requires seeking for the right gift.  Jesus goes right to the Holy Spirit for a reason. The Holy Spirit is all that you need.  

Paul also mentions that what we need is the Holy Spirit to live and to pray. 

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 

Romans 8:6‭-‬10 ESV 

And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 

Romans 8:27‭-‬29 ESV