He Cares

HE CARES

SCRIPTURE:

I Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

I Peter 5:7 “Casting the whole of your care--all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all--on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and care about you watchfully.” Amplified Bible

Psalms 55:22 “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

Psalms 55:22 “Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved--made to slip, fall or fail.” Amplified Bible

INTRODUCTION:

Peter knew that a “fiery trial” was about to occur, and he wanted the entire church family to be prepared. W. W. Wiersbe pg 431

I. THE CARES

A. Defined

1. care--"anxiety”

2. Strong’s

3308 merimna {mer'-im-nah} from 3307 (through the idea of distraction);

TDNT- 4:589,584; n f AV- care 6; 6

1) care, anxiety

3. Vine’s

probably connected with merizo, "to draw in different directions, distract," hence signifies "that which causes this, a care, especially an anxious care,"

4. “Dictionary of Bible Types” by Walter Wilson

a. This refers to the problems of daily living which become so burdensome that there is no heart for the things of God. Matthew 13:22

b. It is any problem in the life which hinders the soul and weighs down the spirit.

5. WORD STUDIES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by MARVIN R. VINCENT, D.D.

It is uneasiness and worry about the future which our Lord condemns here,

B. Many Different Cares --- They come in all shapes and sizes.

1. Cares about your family.

2. Cares about finances, the future, personal health, and the health of others.

3. Cares about world conditions, hunger, war, and poverty.

4. Cares about the Church.

C. Distracts

1. The cares even of good people are very burdensome, and too often very sinful; when they arise from unbelief and diffidence, when they torture and distract the mind, unfit us for the duties of our place and hinder our delightful service of God, they are very criminal. Matthew Henry

Matthew 13:22 “He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the

word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.”

2. Cares are roadblocks to blessings.

3. And what does your anxiety do? It does not empty tomorrow, brother, of its sorrow; but, ah! it empties today of its strength. It does not make you escape the evil, it makes you unfit to cope with it when it comes. It does not bless tomorrow, and it robs today. For every day has its own burden. God gives us power to bear all the sorrows of His making; but he does not give us the power to bear the sorrows of our own making, which the anticipation of sorrow most assuredly is.

Ian Maclaren From Present Day Parables by J. Wilbur Chapman

4. Worrying is one of the greatest drawbacks to happiness. Most of it can be avoided if we only determine not to let trifles annoy us; for the largest amount of worrying is caused by the smallest trifles. Anon.

5. They who live in a worry, invite death to hurry. Anon.

II. THE CAUSE

A. Trusting In Man

1. Too often when life is easy we forget God and start to depend on our own wisdom and strength. W. W. W. pg 27

2. Many people have the idea that the Christian life is something that starts with faith

in Christ, but continues on the basis of our own efforts. W. W. W. pg 27

B. Doubting God

1. One problem we face as human beings is the malfunction of the memory. Too often we remember what we are supposed to forget, and we forget what we should remember! W. W. Wiersbe “The Bumps Are What You Climb On” pg 25

a. Ask God to give you a poor memory when it comes to the sins of the past that God has already forgiven, buried, and forgotten. W. W. W.

b. Ask God to give you a good memory when it comes to the help He has given you in the past years of your life. W.W. W.

2. For some reason, we forget the mercies and blessings of the past; for that reason, we get discouraged in the present and become fearful about the future. W. W. W. 26

Never doubt in the darkness what God has told you in the light.

Luke 12:29 “And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind.”

3. Dishonors God

a. We often judge the parents by the children; when a child of God is full of worry and fear, will not the world think they have a neglectful Father? D. Guzik