DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW (Outline)
February 18, 2007 - TRANSFIGURATION -
Matthew 6:24-34
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INTRO: Today’s text talks of trust. Believers have choices: trust God or trust man, trust God to provide or worry about the future. Sadly our society today feeds on the fears of mankind. We are deluged with the propaganda and mainstream media that the sky is falling. Man never seems to be in control. There is an underlying fear that all is lost. Scripture disagrees. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight"(PROVERBS 3:5,6). We continue with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We will use Jesus’ own words for our theme: DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW. I. Each day has enough trouble. II. Tomorrow provides God’s mercy.
I. EACH DAY HAS ENOUGH TROUBLE
A. Please read or reread the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7.
1. In verse 24a believers are told no one can serve two masters.
2. These believers could not serve their religious leaders and God at the same time.
3. The religious leaders stressed self-righteousness and works but Jesus’ stressed free grace.
B. Verse 25. The original says: do not give a thought, care. Do not even let worry get a start.
1. One’s life and body is far more important than to keep worrying about food and clothes.
2. In verse 31 Jesus repeats these words against worry again. God’s people are to listen.
3. The people of Jesus’ day spent much time in just providing for day-to-day necessities.
C. Verse 32 reminded the believers that they were different. Unbelievers were consumed with worry.
1. The believers understood that God understood their needs – and provides for them.
2. Verse 27 reveals that worry does not change a thing. None can add to their life by worrying.
D. Why worry? Would honestly have to admit that our lives are or at least ought to be less stress filled than the people of Jesus’ time or the Old Testament believers. They did not have electricity, running wa-ter, or automobiles. They had to plant the wheat to harvest the wheat to grind the wheat and make the flour before they could make their bread. They raised the sheep for the wool to make the yarn to make the clothes. People then could easily have become overly concerned with what to eat, drink, or wear. Today in America we are far more blessed than anyone at any time in the history of the world. We do now worry about clothes except what to choose to wear. We have too much clothing. We have too much food. Just look in your refrigerator, freezer, and cupboard. If we do not like our tap water we can pay for bottled water. Yet, needlessly we worry. READ 1 TIMOTHY 6 to combat your worry and concern. Here is only one verse from that chapter. "For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take noth-ing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that" (1TIMOTHY 6:7,8).
E. Our society feeds on the fears lurking in the hearts of men. There is not ad ever shown that says take it easy you have plenty. You will never see an ad that says God will provide, trust in him. Instead the media promotes fear and worry, worry, worry. We are told you do not have enough saved for emergen-cies, retirement or your children’s education. Health concern and issues are also changing and putting many into constant fear. This is all to Satan’s delight. The devil would rather have us trust in man’s word and worry rather than God’s word and be content. "Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful"(MARK 4:18,19). Do not worry about tomorrow.
F. Earlier in chapter 6 Jesus taught the people the Lord’s Prayer. The Lord’s Prayer concentrates 6 peti-tions out of 7 on spiritual matters. There is a clear clue for coming to grips with worry. God is on our side who can stand against us? "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and peti-tion, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God"(PHILIPPIANS 4:6). Ask God to help, he listens!
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW. Each day has enough troubles. But, thankfully --
II. TOMORROW PROVIDES GOD’S MERCY
A. Verse 24. People can serve worry or trust in God. One cannot serve two masters at once.
1. To trust in God and not to worry is to love God and hate worry – a false master.
2. Those who serve the master of money are not always those who are happy, they worry.
B. Jesus uses simple, excellent earthy examples so that all can begin to easily understand his mercy.
1. Look at the birds in verse 26. They do not plant or harvest or store up food. God provides.
2. Verse 28 looks at God’s created flowers. Their glory surpasses all man’s glory, verse 29.
3. Man is worth more than birds and flowers and the grass of the field. Verse 30.
C. Jesus states that people are the crowning glory of his creation. Man has a soul; not plants and animals.
1. Mankind needs to remember just how much God cares. Jesus wants man’s focus to change.
2. Verse 33 provides the solution. Look to the Lord and his kingdom, everything is provided!
D. Jesus reminds us to live in the present. Again, our society pressures us to look ahead so much and so often that we sometimes forget about the present. Or we worry about the disaster which may or may not come tomorrow. Jesus says: seek first his kingdom. When believers are concerned about God’s kingdom and being about the Father’s business everything else takes care of itself. To live in the present and enjoy a good day’s labor, to be happy in one’s work and accept your lot in life is a gift of God. The writer in Ecclesiastes concludes: "He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart"(ECCLESIASTES 5:20). This is God’s gift to them who trust in him.
E. Our gracious God does promise blessing upon blessing. Each new day is a new day for the Lord to provide for his creation. We have to admit that our loving Lord does just that. Our heavenly Father gives us all that we need and even more. Israel in the wilderness never had to think about food. Nor do we. "I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed"(PSALM 37:25,26). Every tomorrow provides another undeserved example of God’s mercy for and to his creation.
F. Now, thankfully and joyfully, we also recognize that our Father in heaven is even more concerned with our eternal welfare than earthly. Day after day we see God’s mercy in our lives. We have seen God’s glory on the mount of transfiguration (see readings). We are also reminded of God’s great love for the world and us on the mount of Calvary. "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"(ROMANS 8:32). God’s sacri-fice of his Son for us was great. Every mercy God daily shows us pales in comparison.
CONC.: Very simply, very clearly, very bluntly Jesus says – Do not worry about tomorrow. We are tempted to say easier said than done. Our Lord doesn’t just make this statement not to worry but he tells us why not to worry. Each day is filled with enough troubles. Tomorrow provides another opportunity for us to see God’s mercy. Lamentations deals with feeling downcast. The solution is looking to the Lord. Near the end of chapter "Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compas-sions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness"(LAMENTATIONS 3:22,23). What a great verse of blessing to learn and start each day with! Still filled with worry? Please read Mat-thew 5-7, Lamentations 3, and 1 Timothy 6. You will see and agree with the writer of Lamentations: Lord -- great is your faithfulness! Amen. Pastor Timm O. Meyer
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TRANSFIGURATION readings: EXODUS 34:29-35; 2 CORINTHIANS 4:3-6; LUKE 9:28-36
