On this 6th Sunday after Pentecost, June 30th, 2024, Rev. Matt Sapp delves into the profound teachings of Jesus on the twin excesses of wealth and worry, as highlighted in the Sermon on the Mount. We explore the timeless message of trusting in Jesus and the importance of seeking God's kingdom first. Through various anecdotes and real-life examples, we reflect on how our modern-day anxieties and material pursuits mirror those of the past. We also celebrate the impactful mission work carried out by our congregation, emphasizing the significance of giving and serving others as a remedy to the relentless pursuit of wealth and the burden of worry. Join us in this thought-provoking discussion as we strive to align our lives with God's kingdom values and find peace in trusting Him.
Chapters
00:00 Only Trust Him/’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
03:46 Welcome and Invocation
05:52 Sermon: Be Measured
24:38 Closing and Benediction
Links
Matthew 6:19-24
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Lamentations 3:22-33
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Central is proud to be a place
Want to learn more about Central? Visit our website at centralbaptistnewnan.org or give us a call at 770-683-0610.
Chapters
00:00 Only Trust Him/’Tis So Sweet to Trust in Jesus
03:46 Welcome and Invocation
05:52 Sermon: Be Measured
24:38 Closing and Benediction
Links
- Project Ruth
- Rise Against Hunger
- Backpack Buddies
- Coweta Community Youth Choir
- Feeding Our Friends
- Bridging the Gap
Matthew 6:19-24
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! "No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
Lamentations 3:22-33
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, "The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young. Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him. Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope. Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone.
Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Central is proud to be a place
- where all generations worship, grow, and serve together.
- where women and men have equal opportunities for leadership.
- where traditional worship is engaged with excellence.
- and where diverse approaches to Christian faith and theology all find themselves at home under the lordship of Christ.
Want to learn more about Central? Visit our website at centralbaptistnewnan.org or give us a call at 770-683-0610.
[00:00:16]
Candler Hobbs:
Come every soul by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord, and he will surely give you rest by trusting in his word. Only trust Him. Only trust Him. Only trust Him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. For Jesus shed His precious blood, rich blessings to whom bestow. Plunge now onto the cleansing flood that washes white as snow. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now. Yes, Jesus is the truth, the way that leads you into rest. Believe in him without delay, and you'll be fully blessed.
Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus and to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, and to know, thus said the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him. How I've proved him whole and or. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, fallen graves to trust him more. I'm so glad I've learned to trust Thee precious Jesus, savior friend. And I know that Thou art with me, will be with me till the end. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how will I prove to him more and more. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, fallen grace to trust him more.
[00:03:46] Matt Sapp:
This is Matthew chapter 6, beginning with verse 19. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. This morning in worship, we're talking about the twin excesses of wealth and worry. Two different kinds of excesses that Jesus places side by side in the Sermon on the Mount. One of the best things each of us can do to live a healthy Christian life is to avoid those two twin excesses of wealth and worry. Good morning and welcome to worship at at the beginning of this holiday week. I'm glad each of you is here. Would you join me now, please, in prayer?
Heavenly father, as we worship you this morning, lead us to be people who are able to increasingly rely on you. Lead us to be people who are increasingly able to trust in you. To be people increasingly able to trust only in you. We offer our whole selves to you in worship in Jesus name. Amen. The second portion of our gospel lesson this morning comes from Matthew chapter 6. You'll find the passage printed on the back of your worship guide. Therefore, I tell you Jesus says, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow? They do not labor or spin yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? So do not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. As American as apple pie, as American as the blues, as American as peanuts, as at a baseball game, as American, as fireworks on the 4th July, that this morning, as our nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, we get to talk about two things that are as American as the American dream itself. Wealth and worry.
Wealth to excess and worry to excess. Both things we have become experts at here in these United States. And both things Jesus addresses rather directly in the Sermon on the Mount. And what does Jesus say about wealth and worry, about wealth and worry to excess? It's very simple, Jesus says don't. Instead of excess we're saying this morning be measured, be be balanced instead. Jesus doesn't say don't store up treasures and he doesn't say don't worry. But he does say we're accumulating wealth in the wrong places and worrying about the wrong things.
We don't always make the connection even as we're surrounded by these twin excesses of wealth and worry. We don't always make the connection between the two but Jesus does. Jesus did see the connection between wealth and worry. He puts wealth and worry side by side together in his most important sermon. In fact, there's this wonderful connecting word in Matthew 6:25. Look at it on the back of your back of your worship guides. No one can serve two masters either you will hate the 1 and love the other or you'll be devoted to the 1 and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life.
What you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? You cannot serve both God and money, therefore don't worry. Don't worry about those things that money can buy. Even the basic necessities like food and clothing, instead seek God's kingdom first. That's the whole message this morning in just two sentences. You cannot serve both God and money, therefore do not worry about those things that money can buy. Instead seek God's kingdom first. Instead of storing up treasures on earth, store up treasures in heaven.
Instead of worrying about tomorrow, focus on today. We live in a time and in a country whose wealth is unrivaled in the history of the world. And yet, some of you have heard me share some of these statistics before, we live in a time and in a country whose wealth is unrivaled in the history of the world, and yet 1 in 10 Americans are on antidepressants. 1 in 4 middle aged women are taking some kind of prescription drug for anxiety or depression. One study shows that as many as 77,000,000 different mental health drugs were prescribed to different people in 2020. 77,000,000.
That includes people who were taking multiple mental health medications. But our anxiety levels have never been higher than they are right now. And I used to think that our kind of worry here today was different from the kind of worry that those people on that Galilean hillside must have been experiencing, those first people who heard Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount. I used to think that our kind of worry was different from theirs. Our situations are different so our worry must be different. Our material wealth is a whole different level of scope and magnitude different from theirs. We've got all kinds of technological advances and healthcare advances and agricultural advances. You name it, that that means that life for us is so much less precarious than it was for them.
And so much more comfortable than life might have been 2,000 years ago in Palestine. So I used to think that our kind of worry must be different from their kind of worry, but I don't think that anymore. We are just as worried, those of us gathered in this room, as irrational as it might be, we are just as worried about for ourselves and for our families in the future, as those first followers of Jesus must have been. Just as worried each of us about keeping a a roof over our heads and putting food on the table. And Jesus wasn't talking about clothing as just a basic need in scripture.
Jesus was talking at least in part about clothing with respect to our appearance. Don't worry what you'll look like Jesus says. Isn't the body more than clothes? The pagans run after all these things Jesus says. They chase after them, they worry about them, they give more importance to their appearance than they ought to. But we worry just as much, don't we? About our futures, about our families, about tomorrow, and about what we look like. Our lives and our bodies, our appearance, this is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew chapter 6. Human nature doesn't change, does it? Our anxieties, our worries, our neurosis, they're all the same. And we continue to believe that the antidote to that kind of worry is acquisition and acquisitiveness.
Just get more. We believe that the antidote to worrying about the store up more and more treasure here. To spend more and more on our outward appearance, on our physical appearance, or to focus more and more on creating the appearance of wealth and success. To keep up with the Joneses or the Kardashians. Until our eyes start to crave everything we see, and we begin to compare ourselves to everyone we see, and covet everything that someone else has, and the only thing that seems to satisfy is more more more. Except more never really satisfied. More is never enough. More is a moving target. We've all experienced that in our lives before, haven't we?
And that's what Jesus is talking about here. Today, we have more than we have ever had before, and we are more anxious than we have ever been. I don't wanna be too hard on us about our ever increasing drive toward accumulation and acquisition. Our ever increasing drive toward the celebration of excess and more that has come to characterize our culture. Culture. I don't wanna be too hard on us about that at all. But on Thursday, this Thursday, 4th July, millions of Americans will turn on their TVs, maybe you'll be 1 of them, to watch the Nathan's finest, Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in New York.
As American as apple pie and fireworks on the 4th July, that hot dog eating contest on the 4th July out on the boardwalk at at Coney Island, a bunch of grown men and women eating more than 60 hot dogs as fast as they can. It's ridiculous. Right? But we watch and we cheer. It's stomach churning but we watch and we cheer. It's either a sign that we live in the greatest country in the history of the world or it's a sign of the apocalypse. I'm not sure which. Joey Chestnut set the record a few years ago at that hot dog eating contest. He ate 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
76. Buns dipped in water. Soggy bread. It makes me want to gag. Right? Joey Chestnut though won't be competing this year because he has an eating contract now with a plant based food company. Impossible Foods, Impossible Meats. Joey Chestnut's gone vegan or vegetarian on us now. 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes might have that effect on lots of us. But millions of Americans will tune in on Thursday to watch this ridiculous and stomach churning celebration of excess. I'll probably be 1 of them. And then we'll turn off our TVs and go back to worrying that we don't have enough.
We don't always see the connection between wealth and worry, but Jesus did. So what can we do to lessen our worry? How do we make that transition from all this other stuff and constantly worrying about it, instead of worrying about it, instead of worrying about it, instead of worrying about it, all this other stuff and constantly worrying about it, instead of worrying about material accumulation and appearance and the like, instead of seeking after all that stuff, Jesus says, seek God's kingdom first and God's righteousness.
Seek God's kingdom first and don't worry so much about tomorrow. So what does that mean, seeking God's kingdom first? What does it mean seeking God's righteousness? Well, it means putting into practice God's kingdom values to participate in the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth here and now. So how do we do that? How do we participate in the kingdom of God here? How do we participate in the kingdom of God now? Well, I've got some good news for you as we sit here this morning. You are already doing it.
You are already making our community and our world look more like God's kingdom and in bigger and more significant ways perhaps than any of you in this room individually recognize. We've been talking all month, all of June at central about missions. Today's the 5th Sunday of June. This is the 5th Sunday we've been we've been talking about it. We've been talking about this for five Sundays now. We began the month four weeks ago today by commissioning more than 40 members of our congregation as they prepared to travel for mission trips. To Washington, D.C., to Corbin, Kentucky, to Bucharest, Romania.
Four weeks later now, all of those trips have happened. They've all been sent off. All the work has faithfully been done. All our members are now safely back home. Steve Cothran called me from Kentucky last week to say that one of the local residents they were working with there in Kentucky, a man named Luster Steve said it's Luster, not Lester. Luster. Said that man stopped Steve to tell him he already knew who we were before we even got there and you'll never believe how. Sometimes Luster watches sermons and worship services online. He told Steve and and he knows who Susan Sparks is, the reverend Susan Sparks is through some of her engagements throughout CBF Life over the years. So sometimes he tunes in to her home church, Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Manhattan.
One day he was watching Madison Avenue service online, and Reverend Sparks, as part of the worship service, said we've got some visitors here from Central Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia. Our members were visiting that church while our choir was preparing to sing at Carnegie Hall just a few months ago. And now here that same church from that small town in Georgia was spending some time to serve Luster and his community to make the whole world look a little bit more like God's kingdom. And and Luster already knew who you were before you even got there. Last week I was in Greensboro, North Carolina for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's annual meeting. A pastor friend of mine from Memphis, Tennessee was there as well. He's on sabbatical this summer. He's taking some time off to to travel and to study.
As part of his sabbatical travels, he was in Washington, D.C. a few weeks before he was in Greensboro, North Carolina. And while he was there for the weekend, he was looking at churches around to attend while he was there. He looked up the First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. online to see what was happening there that weekend and he learned was he was looking that worship that Sunday morning would feature performances by the Newnan Community Youth Choir of Central Baptist Church. And I saw him just a few weeks later and he had the chance to tell me about it. A pastor from Memphis in Washington, D.C. coming across the work of our little church in Newnan, Georgia.
Two weeks ago now, I got text messages and pictures both from Reverend Katie Faison and Mishi Ceausescu, the leader of Project Ruth, our missions partner in Romania. Mishi was sending texts and pictures with comments like, the Central Baptist Church team is amazing. In another text message, we had a great time with the team. We just sent them off to the airport. He says their level of organization made all the difference for the kids at our camp. They did great activities with with the kids. We were all very impressed. We are grateful for the support of Central Baptist Church. So we started the month in June here at home, right here in this building.
We hosted vacation bible school. Lots of you in this room served. Music and art and crafts and bible stories and science experiments and games for well over 100 elementary schoolers, all aimed at sharing the truth about who God is with them. The Rise Against Hunger mission project as part of our Vacation Bible school prepared more than 50,000 meals for distribution all over the world. Thousands and thousands of miles away, those meals were sent to Madagascar. This morning, we packed Backpack Buddies meals. Not for distribution all over the world. Not for distribution all over the country, but for distribution all over the county, tens of miles away.
Our mission's efforts as a congregation supporting projects like these, represent untold hours of effort and thousands and tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Now here's a secret: you don't have to worry about wealth when you give it away. You want an antidote to wealth and worry? Work for a little while alongside a guy named Luster in Corbin, Kentucky. Feel the embrace of a Roma child you've worked with all week in Transylvania. Deliver some meals with Feeding Our Friends. Hand out some sack lunches with Bridging the Gap. I promise you this, it is impossible to hand a sack lunch to a hungry child and at the same time be worried about the accumulation of wealth here on earth. Impossible.
That's what God's kingdom looks like. There is no better way to celebrate our nation this week. No better way to say I'm proud to be an American, than to work actively and consistently to make our country look more like God's kingdom. So this independence day, remember and be proud of this. This little corner of America, these few square miles surrounding Central Baptist Church, along with little pockets of the earth scattered all around the globe, look more like God's kingdom. Because you are here and you have chosen to do the work and will of God together. Thanks be to god.
I wanna thank all of you for being present in worship with us this morning. Hope every last 1 of us leaves this hour of worship encouraged and emboldened to be faithful representatives both of this church and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand with me please for a benediction. Depart now in peace and as you go, may the god who makes all things holy and whole make you holy and whole. Put you together spirit, soul, and body and keep you fit for the coming of our master, Jesus Christ. In whose name we pray. Amen.
Come every soul by sin oppressed. There's mercy with the Lord, and he will surely give you rest by trusting in his word. Only trust Him. Only trust Him. Only trust Him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. For Jesus shed His precious blood, rich blessings to whom bestow. Plunge now onto the cleansing flood that washes white as snow. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust Him now. He will save you, He will save you, He will save you now. Yes, Jesus is the truth, the way that leads you into rest. Believe in him without delay, and you'll be fully blessed.
Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. He will save you. He will save you. He will save you now. 'Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus and to take Him at His word, just to rest upon His promise, and to know, thus said the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him. How I've proved him whole and or. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, fallen graves to trust him more. I'm so glad I've learned to trust Thee precious Jesus, savior friend. And I know that Thou art with me, will be with me till the end. Jesus, Jesus, how I trust him, how will I prove to him more and more. Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, oh, fallen grace to trust him more.
[00:03:46] Matt Sapp:
This is Matthew chapter 6, beginning with verse 19. Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness.
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Only trust him. Only trust him. Only trust him now. This morning in worship, we're talking about the twin excesses of wealth and worry. Two different kinds of excesses that Jesus places side by side in the Sermon on the Mount. One of the best things each of us can do to live a healthy Christian life is to avoid those two twin excesses of wealth and worry. Good morning and welcome to worship at at the beginning of this holiday week. I'm glad each of you is here. Would you join me now, please, in prayer?
Heavenly father, as we worship you this morning, lead us to be people who are able to increasingly rely on you. Lead us to be people who are increasingly able to trust in you. To be people increasingly able to trust only in you. We offer our whole selves to you in worship in Jesus name. Amen. The second portion of our gospel lesson this morning comes from Matthew chapter 6. You'll find the passage printed on the back of your worship guide. Therefore, I tell you Jesus says, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air, they do not sow or reap or store away in barns and yet your heavenly father feeds them.
Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow? They do not labor or spin yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that's how God clothes the grass of the field which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, you of little faith? So do not worry saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For the pagans run after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow. For tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. As American as apple pie, as American as the blues, as American as peanuts, as at a baseball game, as American, as fireworks on the 4th July, that this morning, as our nation prepares to celebrate Independence Day, we get to talk about two things that are as American as the American dream itself. Wealth and worry.
Wealth to excess and worry to excess. Both things we have become experts at here in these United States. And both things Jesus addresses rather directly in the Sermon on the Mount. And what does Jesus say about wealth and worry, about wealth and worry to excess? It's very simple, Jesus says don't. Instead of excess we're saying this morning be measured, be be balanced instead. Jesus doesn't say don't store up treasures and he doesn't say don't worry. But he does say we're accumulating wealth in the wrong places and worrying about the wrong things.
We don't always make the connection even as we're surrounded by these twin excesses of wealth and worry. We don't always make the connection between the two but Jesus does. Jesus did see the connection between wealth and worry. He puts wealth and worry side by side together in his most important sermon. In fact, there's this wonderful connecting word in Matthew 6:25. Look at it on the back of your back of your worship guides. No one can serve two masters either you will hate the 1 and love the other or you'll be devoted to the 1 and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life.
What you will eat or drink or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothes? You cannot serve both God and money, therefore don't worry. Don't worry about those things that money can buy. Even the basic necessities like food and clothing, instead seek God's kingdom first. That's the whole message this morning in just two sentences. You cannot serve both God and money, therefore do not worry about those things that money can buy. Instead seek God's kingdom first. Instead of storing up treasures on earth, store up treasures in heaven.
Instead of worrying about tomorrow, focus on today. We live in a time and in a country whose wealth is unrivaled in the history of the world. And yet, some of you have heard me share some of these statistics before, we live in a time and in a country whose wealth is unrivaled in the history of the world, and yet 1 in 10 Americans are on antidepressants. 1 in 4 middle aged women are taking some kind of prescription drug for anxiety or depression. One study shows that as many as 77,000,000 different mental health drugs were prescribed to different people in 2020. 77,000,000.
That includes people who were taking multiple mental health medications. But our anxiety levels have never been higher than they are right now. And I used to think that our kind of worry here today was different from the kind of worry that those people on that Galilean hillside must have been experiencing, those first people who heard Jesus preach the Sermon on the Mount. I used to think that our kind of worry was different from theirs. Our situations are different so our worry must be different. Our material wealth is a whole different level of scope and magnitude different from theirs. We've got all kinds of technological advances and healthcare advances and agricultural advances. You name it, that that means that life for us is so much less precarious than it was for them.
And so much more comfortable than life might have been 2,000 years ago in Palestine. So I used to think that our kind of worry must be different from their kind of worry, but I don't think that anymore. We are just as worried, those of us gathered in this room, as irrational as it might be, we are just as worried about for ourselves and for our families in the future, as those first followers of Jesus must have been. Just as worried each of us about keeping a a roof over our heads and putting food on the table. And Jesus wasn't talking about clothing as just a basic need in scripture.
Jesus was talking at least in part about clothing with respect to our appearance. Don't worry what you'll look like Jesus says. Isn't the body more than clothes? The pagans run after all these things Jesus says. They chase after them, they worry about them, they give more importance to their appearance than they ought to. But we worry just as much, don't we? About our futures, about our families, about tomorrow, and about what we look like. Our lives and our bodies, our appearance, this is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew chapter 6. Human nature doesn't change, does it? Our anxieties, our worries, our neurosis, they're all the same. And we continue to believe that the antidote to that kind of worry is acquisition and acquisitiveness.
Just get more. We believe that the antidote to worrying about the store up more and more treasure here. To spend more and more on our outward appearance, on our physical appearance, or to focus more and more on creating the appearance of wealth and success. To keep up with the Joneses or the Kardashians. Until our eyes start to crave everything we see, and we begin to compare ourselves to everyone we see, and covet everything that someone else has, and the only thing that seems to satisfy is more more more. Except more never really satisfied. More is never enough. More is a moving target. We've all experienced that in our lives before, haven't we?
And that's what Jesus is talking about here. Today, we have more than we have ever had before, and we are more anxious than we have ever been. I don't wanna be too hard on us about our ever increasing drive toward accumulation and acquisition. Our ever increasing drive toward the celebration of excess and more that has come to characterize our culture. Culture. I don't wanna be too hard on us about that at all. But on Thursday, this Thursday, 4th July, millions of Americans will turn on their TVs, maybe you'll be 1 of them, to watch the Nathan's finest, Nathan's famous hot dog eating contest at Coney Island in New York.
As American as apple pie and fireworks on the 4th July, that hot dog eating contest on the 4th July out on the boardwalk at at Coney Island, a bunch of grown men and women eating more than 60 hot dogs as fast as they can. It's ridiculous. Right? But we watch and we cheer. It's stomach churning but we watch and we cheer. It's either a sign that we live in the greatest country in the history of the world or it's a sign of the apocalypse. I'm not sure which. Joey Chestnut set the record a few years ago at that hot dog eating contest. He ate 76 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes.
76. Buns dipped in water. Soggy bread. It makes me want to gag. Right? Joey Chestnut though won't be competing this year because he has an eating contract now with a plant based food company. Impossible Foods, Impossible Meats. Joey Chestnut's gone vegan or vegetarian on us now. 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes might have that effect on lots of us. But millions of Americans will tune in on Thursday to watch this ridiculous and stomach churning celebration of excess. I'll probably be 1 of them. And then we'll turn off our TVs and go back to worrying that we don't have enough.
We don't always see the connection between wealth and worry, but Jesus did. So what can we do to lessen our worry? How do we make that transition from all this other stuff and constantly worrying about it, instead of worrying about it, instead of worrying about it, instead of worrying about it, all this other stuff and constantly worrying about it, instead of worrying about material accumulation and appearance and the like, instead of seeking after all that stuff, Jesus says, seek God's kingdom first and God's righteousness.
Seek God's kingdom first and don't worry so much about tomorrow. So what does that mean, seeking God's kingdom first? What does it mean seeking God's righteousness? Well, it means putting into practice God's kingdom values to participate in the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth here and now. So how do we do that? How do we participate in the kingdom of God here? How do we participate in the kingdom of God now? Well, I've got some good news for you as we sit here this morning. You are already doing it.
You are already making our community and our world look more like God's kingdom and in bigger and more significant ways perhaps than any of you in this room individually recognize. We've been talking all month, all of June at central about missions. Today's the 5th Sunday of June. This is the 5th Sunday we've been we've been talking about it. We've been talking about this for five Sundays now. We began the month four weeks ago today by commissioning more than 40 members of our congregation as they prepared to travel for mission trips. To Washington, D.C., to Corbin, Kentucky, to Bucharest, Romania.
Four weeks later now, all of those trips have happened. They've all been sent off. All the work has faithfully been done. All our members are now safely back home. Steve Cothran called me from Kentucky last week to say that one of the local residents they were working with there in Kentucky, a man named Luster Steve said it's Luster, not Lester. Luster. Said that man stopped Steve to tell him he already knew who we were before we even got there and you'll never believe how. Sometimes Luster watches sermons and worship services online. He told Steve and and he knows who Susan Sparks is, the reverend Susan Sparks is through some of her engagements throughout CBF Life over the years. So sometimes he tunes in to her home church, Madison Avenue Baptist Church in Manhattan.
One day he was watching Madison Avenue service online, and Reverend Sparks, as part of the worship service, said we've got some visitors here from Central Baptist Church in Newnan, Georgia. Our members were visiting that church while our choir was preparing to sing at Carnegie Hall just a few months ago. And now here that same church from that small town in Georgia was spending some time to serve Luster and his community to make the whole world look a little bit more like God's kingdom. And and Luster already knew who you were before you even got there. Last week I was in Greensboro, North Carolina for the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship's annual meeting. A pastor friend of mine from Memphis, Tennessee was there as well. He's on sabbatical this summer. He's taking some time off to to travel and to study.
As part of his sabbatical travels, he was in Washington, D.C. a few weeks before he was in Greensboro, North Carolina. And while he was there for the weekend, he was looking at churches around to attend while he was there. He looked up the First Baptist Church of Washington, D.C. online to see what was happening there that weekend and he learned was he was looking that worship that Sunday morning would feature performances by the Newnan Community Youth Choir of Central Baptist Church. And I saw him just a few weeks later and he had the chance to tell me about it. A pastor from Memphis in Washington, D.C. coming across the work of our little church in Newnan, Georgia.
Two weeks ago now, I got text messages and pictures both from Reverend Katie Faison and Mishi Ceausescu, the leader of Project Ruth, our missions partner in Romania. Mishi was sending texts and pictures with comments like, the Central Baptist Church team is amazing. In another text message, we had a great time with the team. We just sent them off to the airport. He says their level of organization made all the difference for the kids at our camp. They did great activities with with the kids. We were all very impressed. We are grateful for the support of Central Baptist Church. So we started the month in June here at home, right here in this building.
We hosted vacation bible school. Lots of you in this room served. Music and art and crafts and bible stories and science experiments and games for well over 100 elementary schoolers, all aimed at sharing the truth about who God is with them. The Rise Against Hunger mission project as part of our Vacation Bible school prepared more than 50,000 meals for distribution all over the world. Thousands and thousands of miles away, those meals were sent to Madagascar. This morning, we packed Backpack Buddies meals. Not for distribution all over the world. Not for distribution all over the country, but for distribution all over the county, tens of miles away.
Our mission's efforts as a congregation supporting projects like these, represent untold hours of effort and thousands and tens of thousands and even hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Now here's a secret: you don't have to worry about wealth when you give it away. You want an antidote to wealth and worry? Work for a little while alongside a guy named Luster in Corbin, Kentucky. Feel the embrace of a Roma child you've worked with all week in Transylvania. Deliver some meals with Feeding Our Friends. Hand out some sack lunches with Bridging the Gap. I promise you this, it is impossible to hand a sack lunch to a hungry child and at the same time be worried about the accumulation of wealth here on earth. Impossible.
That's what God's kingdom looks like. There is no better way to celebrate our nation this week. No better way to say I'm proud to be an American, than to work actively and consistently to make our country look more like God's kingdom. So this independence day, remember and be proud of this. This little corner of America, these few square miles surrounding Central Baptist Church, along with little pockets of the earth scattered all around the globe, look more like God's kingdom. Because you are here and you have chosen to do the work and will of God together. Thanks be to god.
I wanna thank all of you for being present in worship with us this morning. Hope every last 1 of us leaves this hour of worship encouraged and emboldened to be faithful representatives both of this church and of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand with me please for a benediction. Depart now in peace and as you go, may the god who makes all things holy and whole make you holy and whole. Put you together spirit, soul, and body and keep you fit for the coming of our master, Jesus Christ. In whose name we pray. Amen.
