* God has called us all to be faithful in our work. Why?

* Because our work is our primary form of worship.

* Faithfulness in your WORK leads to promotion (Proverbs 22:29).

* But Jesus taught us that there’s something else that will happen when you’re faithful.

* He starts by talking about our place and posture in work.

* Here’s where you need to be and what you need to be like!

* He uses four animals to do it - sheep, wolf, snake, dove.

* Sheep are dumb - cannot provide or protect themselves (need a shepherd).

* Wolves devour - always hungry and attack in packs.

* Snakes bite - can’t see them until they’ve sunk their teeth into you.

* Doves are innocent - beautiful and graceful without any thought of harm.

* Vs 16a (place) - Here’s where you need to be! (Not sheep among sheep)

* God put us in the context of a fight (Revelation 12).

* Why sheep among wolves?

* So the wolf can see the lion in the sheep! (Daniel in lions’ den)

* Vs 16b (posture) - Here’s what you need to be like!

* Have the motive of a dove and the method of a snake.

* Don’t “be a snake,” but be “street smart” like one.

* Stay pure in your motives.

* Now, when you’re faithful in your work by being in the right place with the right posture, how does God reward you?

* Vs 17-18 - faithfulness in your walk leads to persecution.

* Your job is to simply be faithful - let God handle the promotion or persecution.

* When you are in the right place (sheep among wolves) with the right posture (motive of dove / method of snake) then you’re going to be promoted AND persecuted!

* Vs 19-20 - when you have the right motive (dove) the Spirit will speak through you.

* Spiritually speaking, storms don’t make you sink - focus does.

* There are two types of storms - the kind God sends and the kind Satan sends.

* Like what he did when God allowed him to test Job (lightning & tornado).

* God allowed him to do it, and Job came out on the other side clinging to his faith.

* He proved faithful in the test.

* Backstory - Jesus poured Himself into His disciples, so they would be prepared to weather any storm.

* He was teaching and healing, now it was time to cast out demons.

* But He needed to go to the “other side” of the lake for that.

* He could’ve walked around - but He was picking a fight.

* Vs 23-24a - “Suddenly” a storm came up - these professional fishermen never saw it coming.

* Storms don’t “suddenly happen in the natural - only the supernatural.

* I imagine the devil saying to God, “These dudes will never continue to follow Jesus after they see how hard life is when they stick with Him. Let me hit them with a storm and I’ll prove it.”

* God responds, “I’ll let you do it, but you know how powerless it will be when my Son wakes up!”

* Vs 24b - Jesus wasn’t concerned about the fight headed His way.

* He was restful after His work and peaceful heading into more work.

* Sometimes in our lives a storm “suddenly” happens with no warning and no build up.

* How do we respond?

* Vs 25 - these professional fishermen “freaked out!

* True faith doesn’t freak out - it controls the emotions.

* True faith involves more than just believing God can do something, it’s walking in authority as you believe it.

* Vs 26a - “Why are you afraid?” Get to the root of your fear.

* They should’ve known if Jesus was in the boat they wouldn’t sink - His time had not yet come.

* Vs 26b - they asked to get out of their situation and Jesus gave it to them.

* Imagine Christ’s response if He woke up on His own and found them shoveling buckets of water out of the boat while thanking God out loud that He was the master of the storm!

* Vs 27 - Jesus revealed more of Himself to them.

* He had healed the sick and cast out demons and multiplied food and wine, but had not yet did anything to control the weather.

* The beauty of a storm is that you will always see God in a new light - you’ll come to know Him better!

* When the storm comes, what do we do?

* Ask two questions:

* 1) Did I bring this on myself? (Self-inflicted storms come from God)

* 2) Is Jesus in my boat? (What’s His posture?)

* Anxiety is skyrocketing - covid, social media, isolation, etc.

* Anxiety robs us of our power (EX: Trae with free throws).

* We are called to be warriors for Christ, but we can’t fight if we have a heavy weight attached to us.

* Jesus has something to say about it - but He goes to the root and talks about WORRY.

* Worry is the precursor to anxiety.

* Anxiety has three stages - mind, emotions, body.

* Worry is what happens in the mind.

* Worry is feeling uneasy or overly concerned about something.

* Unchecked, worry morphs into anxiety as it moves to your emotions and ultimately your body.

* “Anxiety is your body's natural threat response system. When your brain believes you are in danger, it sends out a series of signals to your body, resulting in the fight-or-flight response." - Luana Marques, PhD

* Your body releases adrenaline and cortisol when this happens.

* Two hormones that tell your organs what to do.

* Adrenaline gives you an energy rush, often followed by a crash.

* Cortisol shuts down organs you don’t need in the moment of danger.

* Prolonged anxiety stresses you and damages your body.

* Anxiety in the heart weighs a man down - Proverbs 12:25.

*

* ** So Jesus gets to the heart of it by addressing worry **

* Fear is about a past or present threat.

* Anxiety is about a future potential threat.

* The threat of powerlessness.

* Vs 25a - “For this reason” - what reason? You can’t serve two masters! It’s God or money.

* Vs 25b - do not “worry” about those things / doesn’t say don’t “work” for them.

* If you don’t work, you should worry.

* But if you do work, you should NOT worry.

* Two examples - birds and flowers.

* Vs 26 - God provides for birds, but they have to go out and get it.

* They don’t worry that food won’t be there - they trust God.

* Vs 27 - prolonged anxiety shortens your lifespan.

* Vs 28-29 - a flower doesn’t do anything but bloom where it’s planted.

* A flower can’t work like a bird.

* ** So what do we do? **

* 3 KEYS: Faith - Father - First (Warren Wiersbe)

* Vs 30 - FAITH is about projecting power into your past, present, and future.

* Stop anxiety at the level of worry - do not project powerlessness.

* Vs 31-32 - FATHER - God is a good father.

* Worrying slaps Him in the face.

* EX: Allie’s college

* Vs 33 FIRST - put God first in all you do and watch what happens.

* Align yourself under God’s authority and He will take responsibility for meeting your needs.

* If we have faith in our Father and put Him first, He will meet our needs.

* Vs 34 - Do Not Worry - it’s a command. Now obey the rule!

* Vs 1 - God is the judge - our job is not to judge but to simply agree with the judge.

* Vs 2 - You judge others in two ways:

* 1) Hold them to God’s standard with no desire for mercy.

* This is born out of pride.

* 2) Remove God from His seat and make your own rules.

* You’ll be measured by that same standard.

* But Jesus gives us the key:

* Vs 3-5 - We don't go sit in the seat of a judge like a judge in court - that's God's job.

* We stand at the surgeons table as a surgeon with a scalpel.

* Now that God has rendered His judgment, telling us what the rules are, we have a job to do.

* What’s that? To be surgeons for Christ!

* Our goal is to restore the person just like the doctor restores a patient.

* For that to happen, we need to make sure we can see clearly - we’ve got to have our own junk handled.

* Vs 6 - To have this ability to make proper judgments and to help others who have specks in their eye is a “pearl” of a gift. It’s very valuable. 

* But you can’t use that gift on those who don’t know the value of it.

* Proverbs 9:8 - “Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.”

* You have to make a judgment on who is worthy of your rebuke.

* If it’s a wise person, they’ll recognize the value of what you did for them - you’ve helped put them on the right track.

* When people are sick they need a doctor. When they are captive they need a warrior.

* Right now our culture needs courageous warriors who are willing to fight.

* But you won’t fight a battle if you don’t know you’re in one.

* ** David is considering the role of mankind in the earth.

* He gives us a glimpse into why we’re in this fight in the first place.

* Vs 3-4 - God the Father cares about us, His image bearers.

* Vs 5a - we are not as strong or strategic as angels!

* Vs 5b-8 - God gave us authority over creation.

* He’s put everything “under our feet.”

* What do you think Satan wanted in heaven? Power and authority.

* God threw Satan to earth, then made a being less powerful than Satan.

* This would be like a man wanting to fight me, then I offer up my 11 year old daughter.

* But I supernaturally give her my Spirit.

* He wouldn’t just be defeated - he’d be humiliated.

* Psalms 110:1 - “The Lord says to my lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

* This is a picture of ultimate humiliation.

* We are in the footstool making business.

* God put creation under our feet so we can be a part of putting Satan under Christ’s feet.

* A man’s word is his bond.

* What you say reveals your heart.

* What you do in regards to what you say reveals your character.

* Science - before matter, vibration existed!

* In the beginning was the “Word.” (EX: voice)

* “An interesting phenomenon occurs when different vibrating things come into proximity: they will often start, after a little time, to vibrate together at the same frequency. They “sync up,” sometimes in ways that can seem mysterious. This is described today as the phenomenon of spontaneous self-organization.”

* Caroline Leaf - worshipping together syncs our hearts.

* Our words should “sync up” with our lives.

* In the OT God laid down the basis for honoring your vows - to God and others.

* When you do that you have “civil” society - when you don’t it’s “uncivil.”

* A vow uses something / someone outside yourself to validify the seriousness of your vow - “so help me God” in court.

* Vs 33-37 - Jesus goes a step further and says, “You don’t need to swear by anything or anyone else - live your life so well that people know when you say it there’s no doubt about it.

*

* The Origin of Law and Liberty - Richard Maybury (Uncle Eric books).

* Liberty is created by two things - Common Law and the Free market.

* “When people live by common law and are free then society advances. If they don't and are forced/coerced by government then society moves backward.”

* Common Law is spelled out in two very simple, but fundamental laws:

* 1) Do all you have agreed to do (contract law).

* 2) Do not encroach on other persons or their property (criminal law).

* When you honor your word and you honor others’ boundaries, we can all live together in harmony.

* The result is FREEDOM!

- Relationship without Rules leads to Rejection.

- Backstory - Jesus comes in and redefines the law for the Jews.

- Many Jews focused solely on behavior, but Jesus focused on motivation.

- He then addresses six topics:

- Murder

- Adultery

- Divorce

- Vows

- Retaliation

- Love of Enemies

- He talked about murder first - the unlawful premeditated killing of another person.

- Murder is a person to person interaction born out of anger.

- It is the result of a relationship gone wrong (Cain and Abel).

- Jesus isn’t talking about killing - He’s talking about how to get along with people.

- Read from EO book intro about relationships.

- Then Jesus gives two types of relationships - with brothers & adversaries.

- A brother is someone who has your best interest at heart.

- An adversary does not.

- In order to be at peace with a brother you need EMOTION.

- In order to be at peace with an adversary you need a TRANSACTION.

- Romans 12:18 - “so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.”

- Vs 21-22 - growing anger (NASB)

- angry “without cause.”

- Raca - pride, putting yourself in a superior position.

- Fool - they’re not worthy of God’s grace or mercy.

- Vs 23-24 - God limits His relationship with you in proportion to your relationship with others.

- Your vertical relationship to God is only as strong as your horizontal relationships with people.

- We seek reconciliation w/ brothers - to be on the same page!

- “No regrets” (Romans 12:18).

- 4 Words - The more mature person will MAKE THE FIRST MOVE.

- Humility is the key to accessing the heart (own your part).

- Vs 25-26 - an adversary is a non-brother but you have a dispute.

- It’s not a person who simply doesn’t like you - there’s context to your relationship (work, etc).

- In this scenario you owe someone money (or a job, whatever).

- Christ tells us to “settle the matter” - “deal with the issue.”

- Turn the relationship into a transaction and get it resolved.

* The OT is the genealogy of the first Adam / the NT is the genealogy of the last Adam.

* the Bible is a book about RELATIONSHIPS.

* these genealogies aren’t about people, but payment.

* Row the Boat - to move forward, look at the past.

* look at those who went before you and those who come after you.

* Backstory - Matthew is trying to convince Jews that Jesus was the prophesied Messiah (lots of OT references).

* God chose Mary & Joseph to raise His Son (like choosing adoptive parents).

* What kind of guy was Joseph? How did he handle relationships?

* Notice the actions Joseph took when he discovered his soon-to-be wife was pregnant with a child not his own:

* 1) He covered (vs 19) - he was willing to bear the shame (he wouldn’t tell people what happened).

* To cover someone means you’ll take the blows headed their way.

* The foundation for intimacy (to be fully known and fully accepted) is an assurance that you are safe to reveal yourself (you’re covered).

* 2) He considered (vs 20) - he was “considerate.”

* Being considerate is about three words - YOU BEFORE ME!

* We’ll see later he considered God’s ideas over his own.

* 3) He obeyed (vs 24) - he obeyed God whatever the cost. Think about his options:

* If he divorced her, he’s seen as a man who didn’t honor his commitment.

* If he stayed with her, he’d be considered a fornicator.

* 4) He honored (vs 25a) - to honor means “to give regard.”

* He didn’t touch Mary before they got married.

* He honored God by obeying Him and not touching her.

* 5) He took authority (vs 25b) - naming rights signifies authority.

* He walked in authority because he was faithful in his responsibility.

* In the OT the king and priest were separate offices.

* In the NT God makes us both king and priest through Christ.

* Vs 11 - The wise men gave gifts, which likely helped this poor couple make the move to Egypt and then down to Nazareth.

* Notice what they were:

* Gold for a KING.

* Frankincense for a PRIEST.

* Myrrh for death (this oil kept dead bodies from stinking).

* Fast forward to Revelation 1:6 and we see that we are king/priests.

* Gold - The KING in us makes the gold so we can sustain ourselves.

* Frankinsence - The PRIEST side of us keeps us in right relationship with God.

* Frankincense was an oil who’s aromatic properties are said to promote feelings of relaxation, peace, and overall wellness.

* It's also thought that frankincense can help support cellular function.

* Myrrh - The foundation for our identity, however, is DEATH!

* We have to die to ourselves if we’re going to see the life that’s inside us manifest itself to the world (like a seed).

* Vs 12 - wise people pay attention to their dreams!

* Vs 13 - God took them the opposite way of where they were supposed to be.

* The king of the Jews doesn’t live in Egypt!!

* Vs 14-15 - Joseph obeyed without question.

* Vs 16 - When God plans for deliverance, Satan plans for destruction.

* Herod wanted to be king alone, but he was also not a full-blooded Jew.

* He was an Idumaean, which was a descendant of Esau.

* This points back to the age-old hostility between two seeds!

* KEY - Your obedience to God’s leading may cost other people.

* Babies died!

* If you’re going to honor God, you need to count the right cost.

* If you focus on what it will cost others in the moment God asks you to do something, you’ll become God to them.

* Vs 17-18 - Matthew reminded them this was all a part of God’s plan.

* When we treat our work as worship God gets involved in the process.

* BACKSTORY - Israel’s leader, Zerubbabel, had the responsibility of rebuilding the Temple that had been destroyed.

* It would not look anything like the former Temple.

* But God wanted the job done, and so he sent a few prophets (Haggai and Zechariah) to encourage him to keep up the good work.

* This chapter was specific to Zerubbabel.

* How would God encourage this leader to keep up the good work he was doing of rebuilding the temple?

* He would show him a picture of what’s happening in the spiritual world while he was busy working in the physical world.

* As Zerubbabel was working on the Temple, here’s what was happening:

* Vs 1-3 - God was pouring the oil of the Spirit upon him to strengthen him for the task.

* Olive trees fed the oil so the priest didn’t have to.

* Vs 4-5 - Zechariah didn’t recognize what was happening at first.

* Vs 6 - the secret to accomplishing what God wants you to accomplish is by the SPIRIT doing it through you!

* Vs 7 - when the Spirit is involved you can do the impossible.

* Vs 8-9 - w/God’s help, Zerubbabel will complete the task - “you can do it!”

* Encouragement is to “make courageous.” (Terri Furr with Tori - “you can do this!”)

* Vs 10a - how you handle the small things can make those things sacred!!

* Vs 10b - God is watching!

* Vs 11-14 - the two branches represent the king and priest.

* As we operate as Kings in the marketplace led by the heart of a Priest, we will accomplish all God wants us to accomplish!