Matthew 6:25-34 – The Things You Can Control – Bible study

5. Please take note that I am not telling you that you must go back under the law for your diet. I am saying that what God said in the Old Testament may not have been just ritual. It may have been healthy and you and I might be wise to consider it. b. Over eating – The Bible teaches us not to do so. Proverbs 23:21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Proverbs 23:2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. c. Exercise – The concept of having to work our bodies in exercise was not an original concept. Good old-fashioned work was exercise. However, God is not opposed to us working out, even though compared to spiritual labor, its rewards are small. 1 Timothy 4:8 For bodily exercise profiteth little. d. Many who have not obeyed Gods Word in the area of health have needed government aid to sustain them. Before we invite government to take care of us, we should do what we can to take of ourselves. 2. Family – While we cannot control every relationship, we can greatly influence how all of our people relationships will turn out. a. Parents – The Bible teaches us to obey them as children and to respect them as adults. Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. (1) Parents are important to us no matter how good or how bad they were as parents. (2) You probably did not have "Leave It to Beaver" parents but as Christians: (a) You need to forgive them for any wrongs they did. (b) Whether you are ever able to trust them or not, you need to demonstrate the love of Christ toward them. (3) If God commands us to love our enemies, you know He wants us to demonstrate love to our family. b. Children – The Bible commands us to train them. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. (1) Children are the biggest, most important, most time consuming investment that you will ever make. (2) What you get will depend on what you give. (3) What you ought to give is: (a) love (b) time (c) discipline c. Mates (1) The Bible commands men to give love to their wives. Eph 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; 26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, 27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: (a) Husbands are to love their wives just as Jesus loves the church. (b) Jesus loves the church in a self-sacrificing way. (c) No man has the right to expect his wife to obey him like the Bible teaches who does not first love his wife as the Bible teaches. (d) Gentlemen, if you wife ever wants to leave you, it could be because you failed to love her. (2) The Bible commands wives to submit to their husbands. Eph 5:22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. 24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing. (a) Ladies, if you will marry a man who will love you like Jesus loves you, submitting to him will be no problem. (b) Carpenters have a saying, "Measure twice. Cut once." (c) You should spend a lot of time measuring your man. (d) Remember, marrying a bad apple wont change him. d. Again, many have needed the government to help them who did not build their family according to the Word of God. We should take care of the things that we can take care of. 3. Wealth – The recent fall in the stock market proves that we do not have complete control over our wealth, but we can still influence the outcome a great deal. a. Children should study while they are young. 2 Timothy 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. b. Adults should work. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; c. Families should live within their means. Romans 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. III. Things we cannot influence. While we dont like to admit it, there are many things that are totally out of our hands, but nothing is out of Gods hands. By prayer and faith, we can trust our God to take care of them. A. \#Matt 6:27, 28, 30\ Circumstances are out of our hands, but God still controls them. 1. our safety 2. our job security 3. the aging process 4. natural disasters which may occur 5. things that we might term "accidents" B. Death is largely out of our hands. We all have an unalterable destiny with death. Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: C. But Jesus told us how to face these events. 1. Serve God now. Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness. 2. Dont worry about. Matt 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow. Now, by taking care of what we can take care of, we will secure Gods favor so that no matter what comes up, we will have peace of mind and power before God. In this mornings message, I said we need to get off the socialistic road; but if you are going to get off one road, you need another to travel. May I suggest the Kings Highway? Go with God and God will go with you.