As always a question to begin:
What do you worry about? and What worries you about what you worry about?
We are human, we worry about many different things, we worry about the weather,
we worry it will be too cold, we worry to will be too hot, we worry it will be wet, we worry it will be dry.
Some worry about their diet, some worry that they don’t worry about their diet.
Be honest with yourself - in your daily life do you worry more than you trust?
Do you find little things seem like large problems?
If someone looks at your life would they see a person of faith or a person of worry?
Do you have more worry than faith?
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In Matthew 6:25-27 Jesus spoke to His disciples about worry - he said: I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
The simple answer is of course NO!
Not many of us though, actually let the word of God to get into our hearts and allow the love of God to free us from our habit of worrying.
There are times when all of us behave like little kids who hear their parents telling them what they need to know and how they need to do it.
But somehow, the words seem to go in one ear and straight out the other.
The truth is no amount of worrying can change your situation,
no amount of worrying can add a single moment to life.
Worrying robs us of joy, it robs us of sleep, health time and faith.
Do you need to stop worrying so that God’s anointing can flow freely in your life?
Do you need His help in strengthening, healing, restoring and adding to you.
Worrying is what you can do, not what God can do.
Worrying keeps the emphasis on YOU, while
trusting God takes YOU out of the picture.
When we stop trying to do it on our own,
when we rely on Gods ability to take care of the situation,
no matter what the circumstance or situation is, that’s when the stress stops and the trusting in God starts, that’s when the peace of God calms us in the situation.
Life would be so much easier if we should be willing to trust God every time, wouldn’t it?
So why don’t we just give it over to God and let Him deal with it?
Maybe because it’s something we need to learn to do - it’s not our natural choice.
We want to be in control, we want to appear strong, we want to get through it quickly, we want to be the master of our own destiny.
But life would be so much easier if we learnt to trust the God who loves us and cares for us and provides for us.
We need to learn to trust God from the start, not just turn to Him as the last resort when we are exhausted.
Think about the difficult situations in your life, think about the problems you have faced,
looking back can you see how faithful God was to you every time? - how He led you through,
how He worked out His plan.
How blessing came in the midst of the confusion and pain.
We know we can’t do it on our own!
No matter how many times we have tried, without Gods help, we can’t make it happen!
Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
You know, if this life was always easy, there would be no place for faith.
If life were one mountain top experience after another, we would always feel like we could take care of everything on our own.
We need to put our faith and trust in God.
Jesus said “His yoke is easy, His burden is light.”
But, there are a lot of Christians that know this, yet still choose to worry and stress themselves out anyway.
Let me read to you some more from Matthew 6 - Matthew 6:28-34: “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
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So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries.
That’s easier said than done isn’t it....
Jesus makes it sound so simple.
And if we really lived by faith it would be.
God has made it easy for us, yet we choose to make it hard for ourselves.
Instead of seeking what God can do for you, do you concentrate on what you can do for you?
Jesus command to us is to Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
God has made it so easy, He said, Just seek after Me and My righteousness, relax sit back and watch Me do everything else!
But, Dean, you don’t know the problem that’s going on in my life, you don’t understand my situation,
your right I don’t but - God’s word is true when it says seek God and He will give you everything you need.
Dean, what about the little things that I’m worrying about...
seek God and and He will give you everything you need.
But what about this... what about that... what about what might happen tomorrow...
What can I do? I need more than that!
Ok’ would you like a three step guaranteed plan of action for every event, problem, situation, issue or circumstance that might happen?
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Ok here it is -
Step 1: Seek God and His Righteousness
Step 2: Have faith, He will take care of it for you!
Step 3: Repeat steps 1 & 2 and trust God’s timing.
God has made it that easy, its our human nature that always complicates things.
We always seem to try to make things harder than what they are.
We have Gods word, a word we can take hold of, stand on and believe that when He says it will happen, will happen!
We have the covenant that God made with Abraham 1,000‘s of years ago, that includes all of his heirs and descendants forever.
Galatians 3:26-29 says: For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you.
That’s us, all who believe,
we are the heirs of Abraham!
Through our salvation in Jesus, when we accepted by faith, Jesus as our Saviour, we became children of God, sons and daughters, part of God’s family.
Let me remind you of what a covenant is.
It is more than a contract, it is better than a contract.
A contract is binding only for a period of time,
or until certain obligations have been lived up to,
but a covenant lasts forever.
Do you realize all that God has done for us, to provide for us, to take care of us?
Do you realize all that God has done for YOU, to provide for YOU, to take care of YOU?
God has more than done His part,
so you don’t have to worry.
The Bible is clear when it says,
When you know the truth,
the truth shall set you free,
and God‘s word is truth.
The opposite of worry and fear is faith.
When you have worry and fear in your life, you are actually believing that God cannot protect you.
But when you refuse to worry about how things may look in the natural,
When you seek first the kingdom of God in every situation and stop trying to do it yourself.
It’s then and only then, that you will trust in His love and power working through you and for you,
When you refuse to worry and choose to rest in the finished work of Christ on the Cross, you will see the situation that you have been worrying about come to pass.
You will see your miracle!
Seek Him and His Righteousness and let Him move in your life -
Not because we are worthy,
because none of us are,
but because He is a giving father that truly loves His children.
Amen? Amen
++++++++++ COMMUNION +++++++++++
As we come to our time of communion let me remind you that at the Cross, Jesus finished His work.
His sacrifice has set us free, He has already taken care of every problem, every situation, every sin,
at the cross.
There is nothing,
Absolutely nothing, that can stand up to what He did, when He died on the cross, for each and every one who believes in Him.
Do you need change in your life tonight?
Are you fed up worrying?
Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired?
Are you willing to move forward in faith and step into the abundant life God has promised you, because of what Jesus did at the cross?
God has plans for you.
Jeremiah 29:11-13 says: For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
I love this verse, I love the fact that God has plans for all of us.
Notice it doesn’t say plan, it says plans,
God has thought out multiple plans for you, multiple streams of blessings,
to provide you with a hope and a future!
We serve a God of endless plans, He can take care of your situation if you ask Him to, nothing is to hard for Him, there is no situation, that He can not turn around.
He is always working on your behalf, to turn things around for you, He always works all things together for the good of those that love Him!
God’s plans included Jesus’ sacrifice for you.
God’s plans included Jesus conquering the power of Sin in your life.
God’s plans included a way for you to be saved.
Will you stop worrying and trust His plans for you?
What’s your need this evening, whatever it is, God is able!
Jesus, has already done everything that could be done, for us to receive blessing.
He’s already paid our ransom for our sins with His blood,
He’s already provided for our healing with His body
and He is willing to give us access, to everything He has done for us!
There is nothing that we will ever come up against in this life that He has not provided for!
He has abundantly provided, He is a God of more than enough, not a God of barely enough.
When you stop and think about it, He could not have made it any easier for us.
Don’t worry - trust Him.
Trust His Plans. Trust His Word.
Move forward in Faith.
