We are continuing in our series RED: Teachings From The Words of Christ. Today we will be looking at how Jesus teaches us that in His kingdom we have security and therefore do not need to worry.
We are going to read Matthew 6:19-34. If you do not have a Bible you can look inside your bulletin where the passages have been printed for you.
READ
(ME)
I tend to be w worrier. I try not to do it. I work hard to put my faith and trust in God but there are times when I let worry kind of drag me down.
The positive side of this however is that when I worry we get a very clean house! Yes, it’s true. Whenever I am trying to think through something or am worried about a situation I tend to clean or do laundry. I can tell that this week we have a very clean house and I even spent time cleaning the platform here at church!
I suppose some of you ladies wish that your husband would do a little more worrying! Well, for me it is an exercise where I can occupy my hands, think and talk to the Lord. I have done a lot of mental processing of situations and received a lot of vision while standing behind a vacuum cleaner.
(WE)
I know this week has been a time of national worry. The government has shut down all “non-essential” programs and a lot of people are out of work. People all around our nation are worried. They are worried about the future security of a nation that is deep in debt and vulnerable to attack from within and without.
It seems, however, that we Americans do a lot of worry. Recent studies show an increase in the number of calls to mental health providers because of stress and anxiety. Listen to what Sara McDonnell wrote about the nature of worry in America today.
What if there’s no more oil? What if my wife leaves me? Will there be more terrorist attacks? My cholesterol is too high. How am I going to pay the mortgage this month? Have I wasted my life? What if I have to declare bankruptcy?
For worrywarts, this is the soundtrack to our lives. But given the current state of economic and political affairs, worry has become a national anthem. Economic and mental health statistics reveal a growing plague of worry and anxiety in the U.S.
(TRANSITION) Folks, we live in a world that induces a state of fear and panic and worry. So, what are we to do about it? What does Jesus teach us about worry?
(GOD)
In most of your Bibles there are things called “heading.” In my Bible Matthew 6:19-24 has the heading of “Treasures In Heaven.” Then Matthew 6:25-34 carries the heading of “Do Not Worry.”
As I studied Matthew 6 I began to see how “Treasures In Heaven” and “Do Not Worry” are really two sides of the same coin.
Earlier in Matthew 6 Jesus tells us to pray, give and fast – as acts of righteousness AND AS ACTS OF DECLARING OUR DEPENDENCE ON GOD.
When we pray we are telling God we trust He will hear and answer. When we give we are telling God we trust He will provide. When we fast we are telling God that we depend on Him to reveal to us a broken world and we trust Him to use us to help be part of the repair and restoration.
Jesus follows this up by telling us not to store up treasures on earth but to store up treasures in Heaven. How?
Through prayer, giving and fasting we are laying up for ourselves treasures that cannot be stolen or corrupted by the decay that happens in the earth.
ILLUSTRATION: Years ago the United States Treasury would ship millions of dollar bills (and 5’s, 10’s 20’s) to the African country of Liberia. Liberia had been founded as a refuge for freed American slaves and they used the US dollar as their currency. So when paper notes were taken out of circulation in the US they would send some of them to Liberia. The notes were so old and worn that you could see through them. They had holes and were generally a mess. All those millions of dollars that had paid for so many things and had been deposited in numerous banks eventually became unusable to the very ones who printed them.
Jesus then goes on to tell us by storing up heavenly treasures we can gage what our heart is truly fixed on.
We tend to guard the things we treasure most. Are we more careful about our car than our prayer life? Are we more protective of our new furniture than our call to give into the Kingdom of God?
Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
We are UNABLE to serve two masters. It is just not in our nature to be divided. We cannot treasure the things of this earth and still be completely given to Christ. We cannot be consumed by the stuff of life and by Christ at the same time.
I try to look at houses and cars and money as tools. Tools are something I need in order accomplish a task. For me, a house is a thing that God gives me so that I can use it to minister to others. A care allows me the opportunity to more effectively do the work of the Lord.
Don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with having things – AS LONG AS THINGS DO NOT HAVE YOU!
(TRANSITION) Why is Jesus telling us to get our priorities straight about the material things of this life? Well, quite simple He is doing this because He knows the more stuff the more divided we become – THE MORE WORRY WE WILL HAVE.
Worry in its most basic form is a misplaced trust.
Worry means that somewhere along the line we have placed our trust in something other than God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We have replaced the power of God with the manufactured security of humans and/or their ingenuity.
When we PRAY – when we GIVE – when we FAST – we are declaring our dependence on our Triune God. These tools, though acts of righteousness, work to root out the false idols of our lives. They root out those areas where we are not trusting in God’s provision – those places where we tend to worry.
Look at what Jesus tells us not to worry about:
Clothes
Food
Life
Drink
Jesus says, “Do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat” Or “What shall we drink?” Or “What shall we wear?”
This is what unbelievers do! Believers trust in their Heavenly Father. Why? Because our Heavenly Father thinks we ARE MORE VALUABLE THAN THE BIRDS AND BARNS; THE FOOD AND FASHIONS OF THIS WORLD.
BECAUSE YOU ARE VALUABLE TO HIM – HE HAS PROMISED TO PROVIDE FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS. PRAYER AND GIVING AND FASTING ALL HELP US TO SEE THIS.
AND IT HELPS US TO SEE HOW OTHERS CAN ALSO BE A PART OF A KINGDOM WHERE THERE IS SECURITY – NOT IN THE THINGS OF EARTH BUT IN THE GOD WHO CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH!
Prayer and giving and fasting helps us to accomplish the command of Christ found in Matthew 6:33 – we do not run after the stuff of this life like the pagans but we…
“..seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…” WHY? Because we trust that in doing this God will give us all the things we need in this life. And by trusting God to be my provider and sustainer I can obey Christ’s call NOT TO WORRY.
I can handle the trouble that comes today – because of Christ!
I can handle whatever comes up tomorrow – because of Christ!
(YOU)
What are you worried about today? What is that thing you want to put in God’s hands but just can’t seem to do so? How can you get past this place?
Well, first I would ask you a question, “Have you prayed about it?” I don’t mean worried about it – but really sat down with God and said, “Tell me what to do and I will obey!”
Even though I am vacuuming floors I am praying. I am asking the Lord to give me vision and help – the vacuuming just helps me with my ADD!
Second, I would ask if you are willing to GIVE? If God asked you in prayer to GIVE AWAY that thing you are worrying about or that is consuming your time and money would you do it? Could you give up that thing that makes you feel secure in this earth for something that will give you security that goes beyond this life?
It is an honest question. Sometimes the things causing us to worry are things that we have brought into our own life without seeking God’s will for them. Now, we are trapped and confined by the very thing we thought would give us freedom.
Third, I would ask, “Have you fasted?” Have you taken the time to abstain from food OR EVEN THE THING CAUSING YOU WORRY (BE CAREFUL ABOUT YOUR JOB ). Have you taken extra time to ask God to give you a new perspective on the stuff you possess and how it could be used to repair others people’s lives by giving it away.
(WE)
I think today would be a good day to lay down the bondage of worry. The Apostle Peter tells us to cast all our anxiety (worry/cares) onto Christ because He cares for us (cf. 1 Peter 5:7).
Are we trusting in the security of this world and its systems? Or are we trusting in God? You have that decision and God will not violate our choices. But we have a better alternative to trusting in the systems of this world – we have the master of the Universe for us – not against us. Put your trust in Him today.
Salvation Altar Call
