Work, Worry, and Worship: Seek God's Kingdom

Announcements opened the gathering with a new schedule for the Lord’s Supper, adjustments to midweek meetings, and invitations to Sunday school and new-members classes. A long list of prayer needs followed: serious illness, family concerns, missionaries, travel safety, and newborn care; the community brought specific names and situations before the Lord. Scripture readings from Thessalonians grounded the congregation’s ethic of work, and a children’s message pointed to God’s protection in fearful moments.

Luke 12:22–34 then framed the core teaching: do not be anxious about food or clothing. The ravens and the lilies illustrated God’s providential care and exposed the futility of worry—anxiety cannot add a single hour to life. That warning tied to the parable of the rich fool, who hoarded for the self and missed the soul’s true need. The text pushed believers away from worldly calculations and toward a singular aim: seek God’s kingdom, and necessary things will follow.

A brief theology of work followed. Genesis 2 presented work as part of human design—work existed before the fall and served as stewardship and worship. Genesis 3 described how sin marred work into toil, producing frustration and thorns. Paul’s example in Thessalonians reinforced work’s dignity and responsibility: faithful labor honors others and avoids becoming a burden, while idleness and greed both betray gospel priorities.

Practical applications moved from conviction to direction. Seeking the kingdom reorients labor: time, talent, and money become means to advance God’s reign rather than ends for self-security. Selling possessions and giving to the needy illustrated investing in “money bags that do not grow old” and treasures that endure beyond theft, moth, or decay. The final summons invited self-examination before the Lord’s Supper, reminding that communion proclaims Christ’s death and strengthens faith against worry.

Communion served as a means of grace to refocus hearts on eternal worship as the chief end of work; worship itself emerged as the original and ultimate purpose of labor. The gathering closed with a benediction that sent participants into their various callings, charged to labor without anxiety by fixing eyes on the kingdom that God gladly gives.

---

Key Takeaways

• 1. Do not be anxious about provision. Anxiety names a rival lord: creatures attempt to secure life by hoarding and calculation, but worry cannot extend life by an hour. The gospel calls to reassign ultimate control to the Father whose care for ravens and lilies proves His knowledge of need. Cultivating faith replaces anxious calculation with steady, soul-level trust in God’s providence. [57:27]
• 2. Work holds dignity and obligation. Work existed before the fall as stewardship and worship, not as punishment; even after the fall, labor retains worth and meaning. Paul’s example shows that faithful work supports others and models gospel integrity, while idleness abuses communal grace. Christians labor not primarily for self-glory but to serve God and neighbor with diligence. [63:40]
• 3. Seek the kingdom above all. Seeking the kingdom redirects time, talent, and treasure from temporal security to eternal purpose; this shift transforms mundane tasks into kingdom investments. When priorities line up with God’s reign, necessary provisions follow without anxious grasping. This posture makes daily decisions in light of eternity, not immediate comfort. [81:01]
• 4. Invest in imperishable treasure. Earthly wealth decays, but gifts used to advance God’s kingdom store value in heaven where thieves and moth cannot touch them. Strategic generosity reorients the heart away from possessions and toward eternal fruit that multiplies beyond earthly loss. Such investments reveal where love and loyalty truly rest. [82:44]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [06:10] - Announcements & Calendar
• [27:03] - Pastoral Prayer & Requests
• [50:27] - New Testament Reading (Thessalonians)
• [51:42] - Children's Message
• [55:20] - Luke 12 Introduction
• [57:27] - Do Not Be Anxious (Main Teaching)
• [63:40] - Work Before and After the Fall
• [81:01] - Seek First the Kingdom
• [98:14] - Lord's Supper & Communion
• [109:07] - Benediction & Sending

Bible reading
Luke 12:22–34 (ESV)
And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing. Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you. Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

---

Observation questions

1. What two specific things does Jesus command his disciples not to be anxious about?
2. What two examples from nature does Jesus use to illustrate God’s care?
3. According to verse 30, what do “all the nations of the world seek after,” and how are believers to be different?
4. What practical action does Jesus instruct in verse 33, and what eternal promise accompanies it? [01:22:44]

---

Interpretation questions

1. Jesus says anxiety cannot add a single hour to our life (v. 25). Why is worry not only useless but also a form of pride or unbelief? [01:16:54]
2. What does it mean to “seek the kingdom” (v. 31) in the context of daily work and responsibilities? How does this reorient our purpose? [01:21:01]
3. How does the command to “sell your possessions and give to the needy” (v. 33) reflect a heart that trusts God’s provision rather than hoarding for security? [01:23:56]
4. In what ways can work become an idol that leads to anxiety, and how does the gospel free us from this trap? [01:02:16]

---

Application questions

1. Where are you currently most tempted to worry about provision or status? What would it look like to actively “consider the ravens” and trust your Father’s care in that area this week? [01:15:50]
2. How can you shift your perspective at work this week from “What will I gain?” to “How can this task serve God’s kingdom?” What would change in your attitude or approach? [01:29:22]
3. What is one possession or amount of money you’ve been clinging to for security? How could you use it this month to invest in “treasure in heaven” by meeting a need in someone else’s life? [01:24:29]
4. Where have you been striving to control outcomes (like the rich fool) instead of faithfully doing your part and trusting God with the results? What step can you take to release that control? [01:27:34]
5. How does the Lord’s Supper remind us that our ultimate security is in Christ’s death and resurrection, not in our own provisions or efforts? [01:34:41]
6. In what relationship or situation are you most prone to anxiety? How can you practically “seek first the kingdom” there instead of defaulting to worry? [01:21:01]
7. What would it look like to see your daily work—whether paid, at home, or volunteering—as an act of worship rather than merely a means to an end? [01:30:14]