The Cure For Anxiety Series

THE CURE FOR ANXIETY

MATTHEW 6:19-34

1. DETERMINE WHAT IS TRULY VALUABLE.

A. What do you treasure?

Mt 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; 21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also

Commercial about the couch– 2 girls talking about her new couch. she said "This is so me, I just had to have it."

scene cuts to 2 criminals in their dark living room looking at her couch. One of them says "I saw this couch and it's so me that I just had to have it."

* as a kid growing up- sentimental- wanted stuff- parents died- things weren’t valuable to me, I missed them. I didn’t want a single thing.

* If our House burned- Lana-pictures most valuable- about experience, not stuff.. For me, my computer, books, sermon file. (My ministry)

What if our Taxidermy burned??- Lana said it would give us an excuse to go hunt more animals.

** Everything you own is temporary. If it’s not destroyed first it will be burned up by fire at the end of the age.

** What ought to be most important? Your relationship with Christ and your family/friends. If you truly treasure these things most, then you won’t place too much value on “stuff”.

* Everything that you do for God is safely stored for you in Heaven. At the end of your life, your things won’t matter. The only thing that will matter is your salvation and relationship with Jesus Christ.

B. Where is your focus?

Mt 6:22-23 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

When you love your stuff, your focus changes to whatever you value.

Show me your checkbook and credit card statement and I can figure out what you really love. How much is spent on travel, leisure, eating out, cars, etc and compare that to your tithe and offerings. It becomes easy to determine if you really love God or do you love stuff?

C. Who is your Master?

Mt 6:24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

There is a guy I knew that had a lot of money. A lot. He watched the stock market every single day. When the market went down, he would worry a lot and it was all he talked about. He was a generous man, but with bad market, he would regret his previous generosity. One day as he was complaining I told him “I used to think you had a lot of money, but I’ve come to understand that you don’t have money, your money has you!”

Be careful that the things you enjoy don’t control and consume you. Any thing can become an idol. Keep things in perspective.

What is truly valuable? Your relationship with Jesus Christ, your salvation, and your relationship with your family and friends.

2. REALIZE HOW VALUABLE YOU ARE.

Often we worry because we somehow think that God does not even know our situation, and if He does, we wonder if He even cares. We suffer from insecurity because we do not realize just how much God loves us and how valuable we are to Him. When we come to fully understand how much God truly loves us, worry should not be a problem. Here, Jesus points out 3 reasons not to worry.

Reasons Not to Worry.

(1) Worry is Sinful

Mt 6:25 “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

“For this reason”- look back. Jesus is talking about “Who is Master?” If God really is your Master, then your worrying reveals a lack of faith in Him. Your lack of faith is a sin. What core beliefs are you revealing about God by worrying?

* You don’t trust His Power. Some of you are praying but continue to worry. You are telling God... I know you created all things.... I know you parted the Red Sea... I know you rose from the dead.. but my problems are too big for you to handle.