1/8 Sermon on Matthew 6:24-33

At The Family Church here in far western Gainesville (2022 SW 122nd Street) for the last two weeks, we have had Sunday morning messages not necessarily connected to any series.  In the most recent sermon, titled First, Pastor Philip Griffin takes a passage from the New Testament opening book of Matthew...Chapter 6, Verses 24-33... and expands on it.  Here is that passage in the New International Version, with thanks to Bible Gateway:

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The above are the words of Jesus as he preached during his famous Sermon on the Mount...one of my favorite sections in the Bible.  His point is simple: We will make something first in our lives and will consequently worship it, regardless of our religious beliefs.  As Christians, we should place God above all else...including money...otherwise, as Pastor Philip emphasizes, we serve the wrong things and seek security and satisfaction from them, ultimately leading to worry.  Instead, by placing God in the deservedly preeminent place in our lives, there is no need for worry, for He will provide for all of our needs.  And how does making God first translate into our own lives? In everything we do we first consider the Lord and what He wants from us, whether it be the decisions we make or how we use the money we have been blessed with. 

Being a bit under the weather, I wasn't able to attend this sermon, but instead watched it later from my church's YouTube video website.  You can view it as well: here's a link to it: [link].  The Family Church has a variety of programs available for people of different ages and interests, with much emphasis placed on discipleship and family small groups.  Sunday morning services are at 9:30 and 11 and include great praise music, prayer, and the weekly message...as well as some really nice people.  Its mission statement is "We exist to help all people discover family in Christ by reaching those far from God and making disciples who build God’s kingdom."