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Weimar University

Don Mackintosh

Thoughts for a New Year

Let's pray together and then we'll dive into our message today.

Father in heaven, we thank you today that your commitment is to watch over the land from the beginning until the end of the year, and that you have put out promises for us at the beginning of the year.

Also conditions, but promises that you enable us to meet the conditions for.

So Bless us to that end, we pray in Christ's name, amen.

Before you make New Year's resolutions, before you start a reading plan, you buy exercise equipment, get a journal, buy a bunch of books, Before you do all that, maybe the thing we should talk about today is something that transcends all that, and that would be a purpose for your life.

Because I don't know about you, but I've made a lot of resolutions that I've not kept.

Because the weather, the inevitable temptations, the distractions, the setbacks usually overcome us unless our why is big enough.

Well, Jesus talked about this, and I was reminded of the text and actually chose for today's sermon based on this little bit of research.

The most downloaded text on the YouVersion app of the Bible, I have a YouVersion app on my phone, some of you have that on your phones.

There's a gateway or Bible...is it gateway?

Bible gateway, there's a U version, there's different versions that are on various applications.

But the most downloaded text this year was in fact Matthew 6 33.

Most searched text, most downloaded text on that you verse in which Last year it was calling for the healing of the land.

The Google, the most sought after terms this year on Google, looking back at this last year, were seeking healing.

And our motto here at the university is to heal a hurting world.

But the most searched or downloaded text on the U-version was Matthew 6, 33.

He first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.

Speaks of intensity, seek is really intense, an intense word.

If with all your heart ye truly Seek me, ye shall ever surely find me.

If you do this, you seek, make this the first priority, all these things will be added unto you.

Doesn't say in the text, and the song we just sang isn't the full song because it actually starts by saying but this doesn't sound good in a song but seek ye first so we cut it out So what is it that we should be expecting?

What are these things that will be added?

It gives us a clue as we look up in the verses before, in Matthew 6, starting back there, verse 25.

Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, but what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body.

What you will put on is not life more than food and the body more than clothes?

They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

And which of you by worrying can add 1 cubit to his stature?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin.

And yet I say to you that even Solomon, all his glory was not arrayed like 1 of these.

Now if God so clothes the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothes you, O you of little faith?

Therefore do not worry, saying, what shall we eat?

For after all these things the Gentiles seek.

For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things, these things.

Food, drink, adding stature to your height, or how you look.

I don't look tall enough Have you ever on someone that's that's concerned about their body size or your body size, they're always concerned.

Or clothes, don't worry about your clothes.

For after all these things, the Gentiles, the pagans, seek.

So does that mean then, does that mean that if I just have a personal relationship with Jesus, there's gonna be meals on wheels.

Does that mean that, you know, just packages are gonna show up, You know, with maybe a nice new bathrobe, a fur collar, or whatever else I might need.

And by the way, is the text, In fact, even talking about a personal relationship with Christ.

I mean, think of the personal relationship with Jesus is important, but this is, sometimes a very selfish thing.

Just talking about me and God and we're just together and we're just, you know, it's just us.

He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I'm his own.

No, it's a little more comprehensive than that.

I've heard so many sermons about that being the most important thing, but this says no, something different.

This is a little different, a little more expansive, a larger why than just me, my, my, I.

About a hundred times in the gospels it talks about it.

There's people that debate this back and forth, you know.

I'm reading the dissertation right now because I'm interested in it.

But basically, there are some things we know it is not.

My kingdom is not of this world, else I would fight.

So I hate to break it to you, the kingdom of God is not being a Republican.

Do not lift up the trump or trumpets, just put them down.

It's not the Democrats, I hate to break it to you, if you're biding your time, no.

It is not the Democrats, it is not the Republicans.

In fact, in Luke 17 20, it says that the kingdom of God is not something that can even be observed.

Luke 17 21 goes even further and says that the kingdom of God is something that's within you.

Don't say here it is, there it is, but it's within you.

Jesus says it already has arrived when he was speaking he says when I speaking when I'm here the kingdom of God has arrived Matthew 3 verse 2 tell everyone about it!

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Thoughts for a New Year

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