Do Not Worry!

MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER

RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK

TEXT: Matthew 6:25 34; Isaiah 26:6, 40:12; Job 19:25; 2 Kings 6:

Once again we are shocked by the turmoil that has arisen, not just among individuals, but even between nations. Again & again we’ve witnessed how cruel people can be, & how cheaply human life is regarded by some.

Maybe it is time to pay attention to the words of Jesus where He challenges us to focus not on our worries & fears, but on the faithfulness of God.

ILL. Before 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, the common belief was that if a ship from Europe sailed too far west, they would either fall off the edge of the world or face terrible dangers.

In England, there is an ancient nautical map dating back to the time of King Henry IV. On it, the mapmakers wrote these words over the Atlantic Ocean: "Here be dragons; Here be demons; Here be danger." And based on such superstitions, sailors were afraid of sailing west.

But there was an English navigator named John Franklin who was a mighty man of God. He knew the Bible says that God “sits above the circle of the earth.” He took a copy of that map & crossed out those fearful warnings & added these 3 words: "HERE BE GOD!"

If you’re a servant of God, you need to know that as you sail toward your darkest fears & deepest worries, "Here Be God!" He is there to keep & sustain us.

Job discovered that. He was able to look through his tears & say: "I know that my Redeemer lives, & that in the end he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25)

Our Universe is so large scientists can't measure it. But the Bible says in Isaiah 40:12 that God measures the heavens with the span of His hand. So when your world is crumbling, the most important thing you can do is to place yourself in God's hands. The safest place in this Universe is in His hands. (Contributed by Fred Markes to Sermon Central)

I realize that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was not speaking on the subject of war. But His command to focus our attention on the power & faithfulness of God - instead of on whatever worries us the most - is just as valid today as it was then.

Listen to what He says in 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 important than food, and the body more important 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? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies 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, O 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."

I. THE COMMAND - "DO NOT WORRY"

A. Three times in this passage Jesus commands us, "Do not worry." Or as the KJV puts it, "Do not be anxious." What does He mean by that?

By the way, the Greek word translated "worry" literally means “to be drawn or pulled in different directions.” Worry can tear us apart emotionally & destroy us.

I believe that worry is one of the Devil’s greatest weapons. It can steal your joy, your contentment & your happiness. And what is ridiculous is that most of the time we worry about things that haven’t taken place & often never do. Worry is futile it accomplishes nothing.

ILL. Alistair MacLean quotes this story from Tauler, a German mystic: One day Tauler met a beggar. "God give you a good day, my friend." he said. The beggar answered, "I thank God I never had a bad one."

Then Tauler said, "God give you a happy life, my friend." "I thank God," said the beggar, "I am never unhappy."