Title: Don't Worry / Matthew 6:25-34
Of course, I'm still lacking in faith, but I'm honestly happy to hear that. Actually, that day, I heard from a younger pastor that it was the first gift of faith. But as I listened to those words, I came to recognize that faith is a gift and that it is a very important gift.
Because we have original sin, we instinctively reject God and disobey God's Word.
Ephesians 2:8 says, "It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God." God is saying here that faith is a gift from God, but in the saying that faith is a gift from God, we can find that faith is a gift of God.
The grace and gifts that God gives us are indescribable and diverse. If there is the most precious grace and blessing among the graces and blessings that God gives, I will confidently say that it is faith. I once said that if I was to officiate my child's wedding, I would say, 'Be a person who believes in Jesus' as the officiant, and that also goes hand in hand with the words of God's grace, gifts, and blessings, where faith is the most important thing.
I like the words of Psalm 119:5, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path," and Romans 1:17, which says, "The righteous will live by faith." Of course, I don't believe all of God's words because I lack faith, but there are times when I really do believe God's words through God's grace. If you believe in the Word of God and live by it, you can experience, in a small way, that truly amazing things happen. Indeed, the word of God has become a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
I really believe that if we can use God's word as our lamp and God's word as light and live by it, we can overcome it and live a victorious life no matter how rough and difficult the world may be, and no matter how evil and strong the world may be. I'm sure.
Pray for the gift of faith. So I hope that you will receive the gift of faith. I hope you will receive the gift of faith and use the word of God as a lamp and light in your life and live as the word leads. I believe that you will live a victorious life full of grace, joy, and blessings that the world cannot give.
The Bible tells us that sin is the reason we fail and perish in our lives. “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The Bible says that the root of sin that destroys us and makes us fail is greed.
“When lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15).
The cause of your death is sin, and the root of sin is greed. But do you know what the root of that greed is? It is a concern. Jesus tells us to live without worrying about what we will eat, what we will wear, or what we will drink. But we live day and night worrying about it. But we must know that worry breeds greed.
I grew up without brothers. Even if my father bought candy at night, I did not wake up. Because there were no worries. Because when I woke up the next morning, the candy was sure to be there. That's why I didn't have any greed for candy. Because the less anxiety, the less greed.
But my three brothers and sisters didn't do that when they were young. When I bought candy, I would risk drowsiness to get up and cut it into thirds. I had to do my part exactly. The children were concerned about their share. That greed strengthened his greed and obsession with candy, making him wake up and take his share even when he was sleepy.
Your worries are the root of greed. You cannot let go of greed while worrying. You cannot turn away from sin by being greedy. You cannot achieve true victory and success in life without avoiding sin. That is why Jesus is telling us today to live without worrying.
But, do you know what the root of that worry is? It is unbelief. Worry arises because you do not believe in God. If you really believe in God, you won't have to worry.
Now my kids aren't as greedy as they used to be. Of course, I am not very greedy and quarrelsome about candy, about clothes, and things that I am greedy for at my age.
Do you know where the reason is? Because the kids believe in me. Of course, the big reason is that children are thankfully living their lives with their own beliefs, but there is another reason. As a father, I don't really care about things like that because I believe that my three brothers can always provide what they need.
If we can trust in the Father of the world, which is not a big deal, our worries and greed decrease. How much less, if we can trust God, who created the heavens and the earth, as our Father, it is natural to not worry about what we will eat, what we will wear, or what we will drink. ?
It is because of sin that we fail and perish. The cause of that sin is greed. The root of that greed is anxiety. And the root of that worry is unbelief. But if we receive the gift of faith from God, so that we can trust God and His Word, we will not be concerned about the trivial things of the world. When you have no worries about the world, your greed will disappear. When greed is gone, sin will be removed. The removal of sin will brighten and broaden the path of our lives. Eventually, we will live a life in heaven on this earth as well. I hope that you will long for the gift of faith. I hope you will become a good believer in Jesus.
There are issues that are just as important as concerns. It's a matter of order. This is a saying that I liked and told several times during sermons, and in a book called University, “There are things that are fundamental and things that are leaves. There is a saying, "It is near (to the Way)."
The Chinese characters for root and jiyeop are fine, but our language is better. In our language, the fundamental is the best. In our language, it is called talim. Excellence is fundamental. The word supremacy already contains the meaning of doing something fundamental first. And the word “accompanied” has the meaning that if you do the basic first, the accessory will come automatically.
One of the most important things in life is order. Which one do you do first and which do you do last? If you do what you do first later and do what you do later first, you will make a mistake in your life.
If you do the root first, the leaves will follow. In that way, you can get both the root and the leaf. If you put the fundamentals first, you will not only get the fundamentals. The main thing is that you also get a leaf. But if you do the leaf first, you lose the root. Because the root does not follow the leaf. Jiyeop exists only when you do the fundamentals first. If you put the leaves first, you lose not only the root but also the leaves. So the order is important.
That's what Jesus said today, "Seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you also." It is saying that if you seek first the kingdom of God and righteousness, which are the basics, then food, clothing, and drink will follow.
But, do you know the reason why people do not follow that important order and make mistakes and fail? Because you don't have faith. Because we do not have faith, we value the basics more than the basics, and because we do not have faith, we become concerned that we will lose the basics by doing the basics first.
Only those who believe in God can value the fundamentals more than the tips. Only those who can believe in God can do the basics first. Those who do not believe in God can never live such a life. Those who do not believe in God will never be able to lead a successful life.
If you truly receive the gift of faith to believe in God and the Word of God, you can live a full life. You can live a prosperous life.
In today's text, Jesus tells us that God, who feeds the birds of the air and clothes the lilies of the field, will not much more feed and clothe you, saying, believe in you. He tells you to believe in God.
The God who created the heavens and the earth loves me and you. He loves you more than the birds of the air and more than the lilies of the field. I hope you can trust that God. And I hope that you will be free from unnecessary worries, worries and worries. I hope that you will become people who believe in Jesus well. Amen.