616. Gospel of Luke - Chapter 12 (#4) - Seek First the Kingdom of God - August 12, 2024

[00:00:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Welcome to Wisdom Today. My name is Bill Kelley and I'll be your host. In this podcast we will be exploring the book of Proverbs.

[00:00:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's open in prayer. Father God, I thank you for anyone listening to this podcast today. Lord, I pray that you would reveal to everyone listening how much you truly love each and every one of them.

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: In addition, I pray that everyone listening would have favor with both God and man on this earth. I ask this in Jesus' name, amen.

[00:00:45] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Proverbs 12 beginning in verse 1.

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid.

[00:00:56] [SPEAKER_00]: A good man obtains favor from the Lord, but a man of wicked intentions he will condemn.

[00:01:05] [SPEAKER_00]: A man is not established by wickedness, but the root of the righteous cannot be moved.

[00:01:11] [SPEAKER_00]: An excellent wife is the crown of her husband, but she who causes shame is like rottenness in his bones.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_00]: The thoughts of the righteous are right, but the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.

[00:01:28] [SPEAKER_00]: The words of the wicked are, lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_00]: The wicked are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous will stand.

[00:01:44] [SPEAKER_00]: A man will be commended according to his wisdom, but he who is of a perverse heart will be despised.

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Better is the one who is slighted but has a servant than he who honors himself but lacks bread.

[00:02:02] [SPEAKER_00]: A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_00]: He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding.

[00:02:21] [SPEAKER_00]: The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit.

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_00]: The wicked is ensnared by the transgression of his lips, but the righteous will come through trouble.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him.

[00:02:49] [SPEAKER_00]: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: A fool's wrath is known at once, but a prudent man covers shame.

[00:03:04] [SPEAKER_00]: He who speaks truth declares righteousness, but a false witness deceit.

[00:03:11] [SPEAKER_00]: There is one who speaks like the piercings of a sword, but the tongue of the wise promotes health.

[00:03:20] [SPEAKER_00]: The truthful lip shall be established forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment.

[00:03:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but counselors of peace have joy.

[00:03:37] [SPEAKER_00]: No grave trouble will overtake the righteous, but the wicked shall be filled with evil.

[00:03:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who deal truthfully are his delight.

[00:03:53] [SPEAKER_00]: A prudent man conceals knowledge, but the heart of fools proclaims foolishness.

[00:04:01] [SPEAKER_00]: The hand of the diligent will rule, but the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression, but a good word makes it glad.

[00:04:16] [SPEAKER_00]: The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.

[00:04:25] [SPEAKER_00]: The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man's precious possession.

[00:04:32] [SPEAKER_00]: In the way of righteousness is life, and in its pathway there is no death.

[00:04:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, today I'd like to take a closer look at verse 14, and Proverbs 12 verse 14 tells us this.

[00:04:51] [SPEAKER_00]: A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth, and the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, we will take a closer look at that verse prior to closing today, but what I'd like to do at this point is to continue our study of the Gospel of Luke in chapter 12.

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: And on Thursday's podcast we left off with the parable of the rich fool.

[00:05:27] [SPEAKER_00]: And friends, that was a very, very important lesson with a lot of things that we can learn.

[00:05:34] [SPEAKER_00]: So friends, if you did not get a chance to listen to episode number 614, I invite you to tune in to that and check it out.

[00:05:44] [SPEAKER_00]: But today we're going to look at a passage of Scripture which is entitled, Do Not Worry.

[00:05:53] [SPEAKER_00]: It begins in Luke chapter 12 verse 22.

[00:05:58] [SPEAKER_00]: Then he said to his disciples, Therefore I say to you, Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, nor about the body, what you will put on.

[00:06:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: So friends, the very first point I'd like to bring up in today's lesson is life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.

[00:06:31] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, I want to camp out here for just a moment.

[00:06:35] [SPEAKER_00]: When I think about how important food is to some people, you know, sometimes they allow their body and their stomachs to get the best of them.

[00:06:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And if they don't get a meal and they have to skip a meal, some people literally go off the deep end.

[00:06:59] [SPEAKER_00]: I'm starving, I've got to have something to eat.

[00:07:03] [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think about it.

[00:07:05] [SPEAKER_00]: I don't know if I'm talking to you or someone you know, but I mean literally they will become angry.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: And I mean they just can't handle the fact that they're really hungry and they don't have the ability to eat at that time.

[00:07:22] [SPEAKER_00]: And Jesus is very careful in this verse, and he's saying, let me say it again.

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: He says life is more than food.

[00:07:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, it's okay if you're going to skip a meal or two.

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: It's okay.

[00:07:37] [SPEAKER_00]: And the body is more than clothing.

[00:07:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, when we are born, we don't have any clothes on.

[00:07:45] [SPEAKER_00]: A matter of fact, when you're a little and your little baby, a lot of times your parents don't even have you wear clothes.

[00:07:55] [SPEAKER_00]: You can just go around with a diaper on.

[00:07:57] [SPEAKER_00]: A lot of times we don't put on shorts or a shirt on babies.

[00:08:03] [SPEAKER_00]: It's not that important.

[00:08:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, as you grow up and obviously as an adult you have to have clothes on in public.

[00:08:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Of course that's common sense, but it's not the most important thing.

[00:08:20] [SPEAKER_00]: And Jesus is simply making us aware of that.

[00:08:24] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go on to verse 24.

[00:08:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Consider the ravens for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn, and God feeds them of how much more value are you than the birds.

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER_00]: And friends, my second point for today's lesson is God even feeds the ravens.

[00:08:51] [SPEAKER_00]: Now I am reading out of the Nelson study Bible and what I'd like to do is go over the commentary for verse 24.

[00:08:59] [SPEAKER_00]: It says Jesus describes God's care of ravens.

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Unclean creatures according to Jewish law and among the least respected of birds.

[00:09:13] [SPEAKER_00]: Yet God even cares for them.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: How much more value are you?

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_00]: Says Jesus pointing out that God will surely care for the disciple as well.

[00:09:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to verse 25.

[00:09:29] [SPEAKER_00]: And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

[00:09:37] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, I'd like to pause here for just a moment.

[00:09:42] [SPEAKER_00]: First of all let's go over the commentary for this verse, verse 25.

[00:09:46] [SPEAKER_00]: It says it is uncertain whether Jesus is saying through his rhetorical question that worry cannot add to one's physical height or that worry cannot add to one's lifespan.

[00:10:03] [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, worry can sometimes shorten life.

[00:10:07] [SPEAKER_00]: What is clear is that worry is utterly useless and shows a lack of faith in God's plan for our lives.

[00:10:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Now before we move on, what I'd like to do is go to Paul's letter to the Philippians and go over two very important verses at least in my eyes.

[00:10:31] [SPEAKER_00]: In the fourth chapter of Philippians, let's look at verses 6 and 7.

[00:10:39] [SPEAKER_00]: And Paul tells us, be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.

[00:10:49] [SPEAKER_00]: Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

[00:11:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends, Paul is telling us that instead of worrying, instead of being anxious, put your anxiety aside and pray instead.

[00:11:20] [SPEAKER_00]: That is what Paul suggests we do if we find ourselves in a mental state where we are allowing ourselves to worry.

[00:11:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's continue with verse 26.

[00:11:37] [SPEAKER_00]: If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest?

[00:11:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Consider the lilies, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin and yet I say to you even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

[00:11:57] [SPEAKER_00]: If then God so close the grass which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you?

[00:12:12] [SPEAKER_00]: O you of little faith.

[00:12:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And here Jesus is questioning the faith of the disciples.

[00:12:21] [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think about that.

[00:12:22] [SPEAKER_00]: These were his closest people and yet he is looking at each one of them as he is telling them this story.

[00:12:31] [SPEAKER_00]: And he is sitting there saying we need to have faith that God is going to provide for our needs whatever it is we have need of.

[00:12:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's go to verse 29.

[00:12:43] [SPEAKER_00]: And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink nor have an anxious mind for all these things the nations of the world seek after.

[00:12:56] [SPEAKER_00]: And your father knows that you need these things but seek the kingdom of God and all these things shall be added to you.

[00:13:06] [SPEAKER_00]: So friends my third and final point for today is seek first the kingdom of God.

[00:13:15] [SPEAKER_00]: And friends this verse should sound pretty familiar.

[00:13:19] [SPEAKER_00]: There is another verse in the Bible found in Matthew's Gospel of this same account.

[00:13:26] [SPEAKER_00]: And as we are speaking, this is taking place on the Sermon on the Mount.

[00:13:33] [SPEAKER_00]: And Jesus probably had four or five thousand people on a mountainside.

[00:13:39] [SPEAKER_00]: This was basically when Jesus basically began his ministry and he spoke to the people and he gave them words of wisdom and told them to be anxious for nothing.

[00:13:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Let's look at verse 32.

[00:13:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Do not fear little flock for it is your father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

[00:14:03] [SPEAKER_00]: Sell what you have and give alms.

[00:14:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old a treasure in the heavens that does not fail.

[00:14:14] [SPEAKER_00]: Where no thief approaches nor moth destroys for where your treasure is there your heart will be also.

[00:14:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Now friends I'd like to go over the commentary for verse 30 before we move on.

[00:14:35] [SPEAKER_00]: The world pursues expensive food and luxurious clothing as ends in themselves.

[00:14:44] [SPEAKER_00]: If you ever go to a mall and go to the fanciest stores in the mall people are looking at these expensive clothes because they want to look their best.

[00:15:00] [SPEAKER_00]: They want people to think they have it all going on and if you look wonderful people are going to look and think that you are special.

[00:15:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus is telling us forget about that.

[00:15:17] [SPEAKER_00]: The materialistic world is like a group of passengers.

[00:15:22] [SPEAKER_00]: I love this it says frantically scurrying to get the best deck chair on a sinking ship.

[00:15:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Think of the Titanic and when I saw that movie and the orchestra was continuing to play even though the ship was sinking.

[00:15:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I asked myself did the orchestra actually do that and I believe there's a good chance they probably did.

[00:15:46] [SPEAKER_00]: They knew the ship was going to go down.

[00:15:49] [SPEAKER_00]: They knew there were not enough lifeboats for everyone on the ship and so more than likely the passengers were going to get first dibs for those boats.

[00:15:59] [SPEAKER_00]: When we are consumed with possessions there can be little left in our hearts for God.

[00:16:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Oh how true that is.

[00:16:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Your father knows and listen to this.

[00:16:14] [SPEAKER_00]: We can trust God to provide for us because God knows precisely what we need.

[00:16:25] [SPEAKER_00]: And friends sometimes on this podcast I suggest that when you are praying to God

[00:16:32] [SPEAKER_00]: that you ask him for your needs and not for your wants.

[00:16:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends we are to take care of our needs first but before we get our wants we should look around us and see if our closest friends, our family are they in need.

[00:16:57] [SPEAKER_00]: Is there anything you can do for them and help them get rid of their needs.

[00:17:05] [SPEAKER_00]: But before we move on what I'd like to do is go to Matthew's account of this story in chapter 6 and I'm going to go over verses 19 through 21.

[00:17:16] [SPEAKER_00]: And it says, do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

[00:17:30] [SPEAKER_00]: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.

[00:17:43] [SPEAKER_00]: For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.

[00:17:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Now friends before we close today what I'd like to do is simply have yourself ask yourself this question.

[00:18:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Where is your treasure?

[00:18:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you concerned with the things of this world?

[00:18:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Are you living according to your flesh and thinking about what you're going to eat?

[00:18:17] [SPEAKER_00]: What you're going to wear tomorrow?

[00:18:20] [SPEAKER_00]: Or are you concerning yourselves with the things that truly matter?

[00:18:28] [SPEAKER_00]: Things that have eternal value to them.

[00:18:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Things that matter to God.

[00:18:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends that's such a vital question.

[00:18:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Please ponder that.

[00:18:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends before we close today I'd like to go back to our verse of the day and we were in Proverbs 12 and verse 14 said,

[00:18:50] [SPEAKER_00]: A man will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his mouth.

[00:18:56] [SPEAKER_00]: So friends our story today was about Jesus.

[00:19:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think about when Jesus was on earth.

[00:19:04] [SPEAKER_00]: I want you to think the words that came out of Jesus's mouth.

[00:19:09] [SPEAKER_00]: And that is called a red letter Bible.

[00:19:14] [SPEAKER_00]: It is important to have a red letter Bible and every word that Jesus literally spoke on earth are in the color red.

[00:19:26] [SPEAKER_00]: You can see them and many times most of the Gospels are written in red letters.

[00:19:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Because we are talking about Jesus and talking about his ministry on earth and we want people to know.

[00:19:43] [SPEAKER_00]: What did Jesus literally say?

[00:19:47] [SPEAKER_00]: And the second part of that verse and the recompense of a man's hands will be rendered to him.

[00:19:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And friends what that simply means is whatever you do with your hands.

[00:19:57] [SPEAKER_00]: In other words, the work that you do.

[00:20:01] [SPEAKER_00]: The job that it is you do.

[00:20:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends Jesus went about doing good.

[00:20:08] [SPEAKER_00]: When he was on the earth his primary focus was speaking about the kingdom of God.

[00:20:14] [SPEAKER_00]: He was telling people repent and come to me.

[00:20:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Come to me and I will tell you about the kingdom of God.

[00:20:23] [SPEAKER_00]: And the second thing he went about doing was healing everyone who had need of healing.

[00:20:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends I will never end a podcast without giving anyone an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

[00:20:40] [SPEAKER_00]: If there is anyone listening today and you've never taken that step, I invite you to repeat a simple prayer after me today.

[00:20:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Jesus I confess that I am a sinner and the need of a Savior.

[00:20:54] [SPEAKER_00]: I ask you to come into my heart.

[00:21:00] [SPEAKER_00]: I ask that you lead me and guide me from this point forward.

[00:21:04] [SPEAKER_00]: I make you my Lord and Savior.

[00:21:08] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends if any of you said that prayer, I'd like for you to go on my web page WisdomTodayBK.

[00:21:17] [SPEAKER_00]: Those are my initials.com.

[00:21:19] [SPEAKER_00]: There is a place for a contact tab.

[00:21:21] [SPEAKER_00]: If you would simply click on that contact tab, give me your name.

[00:21:27] [SPEAKER_00]: Let me know you said that prayer and I would like to get back with you as soon as I can.

[00:21:33] [SPEAKER_00]: But friends this is only the first step.

[00:21:36] [SPEAKER_00]: I suggest you look online for some churches in your local area.

[00:21:42] [SPEAKER_00]: Find yourself a good church.

[00:21:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Find yourself a church that basically reads directly from the Bible.

[00:21:52] [SPEAKER_00]: Also it's important that you surround yourself with like-minded individuals.

[00:21:58] [SPEAKER_00]: It's important that you find other Christians that can help you in this new walk with God.

[00:22:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Now may the Lord bless you and keep you.

[00:22:08] [SPEAKER_00]: The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

[00:22:12] [SPEAKER_00]: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.

[00:22:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Friends tomorrow is testimony day.

[00:22:22] [SPEAKER_00]: Please join me and a special guest as we further explore wisdom today.