SOTM “Do not Worry”
Matthew 6:25–34
Scripture reading
There is a story about a young lawyer who was called in from the big city to represent a large railroad company that was being sued by a farmer. It seems that the farmer’s prize cow was missing from a field through which the railroad passed, and the farmer was suing for the value of the cow.
Before the case was to be tried, the lawyer cornered the farmer and convinced him to settle out of court for half of what he originally wanted. The farmer signed the necessary papers and then accepted the check. The young lawyer could not resist gloating a bit about his success.
He said to the farmer, "You know, I couldn’t have won this case if it had gone to trial. The engineer was asleep and the fireman was in the caboose when the train passed through your farm that morning. I didn’t have a single witness to put on the stand!"
With a wry smile, the old farmer replied, "Well, I tell you the truth young feller, I was a little worried about winning that case myself because that cow came home this morning."
(https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/63394/worry-by-mark-peake?ref=TextIllustrationSerps)
Worrying is something we all do:
It’s is not good for us
Jesus commands us to not worry
And still most of us struggle with worry
By definition
“Worrying is feeling uneasy or being overly concerned about a situation or problem.”
Here is what worrying does:
It leaves many with a sense of impending doom or unrealistic fears
- Worrying gives you more things to worry about
- It makes us ultra-sensitive to their environment and to the criticism of others
A LARGE percentage of our illnesses are related to worry, anxiety and stress.
38% of all deaths are heart related and many of those are related to hypertension, high blood pressure and anxiety.
Worry has been linked to cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis, gastrointestinal illness and suicide.
3/4 of all visits to primary care physicians are stress-related complaints or disorders
Question- If we know that worry is a killer- then why do we do it?
(sermoncentral.com)
Matthew 6:27 asks the rhetorical question:
“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”
The obvious answer is two fold:
Worry can’t add to your life
But worry will subtract from your life both health and joy
edited from “How worry affects the Body” https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/how-worrying-affects-your-body#1
There's no shortage of things to worry about:
Is the coronavirus going away or getting worse
Will the economy come back to life?
How long will the recession last?
We see violence, riots and my rotests
That’s not to mention personal problems like
Health, relationships, financial hardships, wrecked relationships and regret.
1. Jesus tells us simply “DO NOT WORRY”
25 “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?” Matthew 6:25 (NKJV)
We all need to hear the message “STOP WORRYING”
We all have needs and God knows our needs
What we usually “Freak out” about are our “Wants”
1 Timothy 6:6 teaches us that “godliness with contentment is great gain.”
JESUS SAYS DON’T WORRY about having enough food or clothing:
We all have needs, put your FAITH in God
Not in your stockpile of food and clothing
Remember: You can relax knowing God sees your trouble and will carry you through
Matthew 6:9-15 New King James Version (NKJV)
9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread. (X2)
12 And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
13 And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
We want NOW all we will need LATER
We want God to act on our time table,
But that is not how God works
God provides on time and a lot of time “Just in the nick of time”
We got to live out these words:
“God whatever you do and you provide is perfect,
I trust you to do what is RIGHT”
This reminds me of the lesson God taught Israel as they wandered in the wilderness:
Every day God provided Manna for the people to eat
Every day they were to collect ONLY what they needed for that day
God provided for them 1 day at a time and
they never missed a meal!
God never failed them and He will never fail us!
The Cross of Jesus reminds me of God’s provision:
What we need most is not physical but spiritual
God provided for our SOULS, we can trust Him with our BODIES
“He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Romans 8:32
All of us need to hear God’s message
“Trust me, there is no need to worry”
The old Hymn reminds us:
“God will take care of you, through every day, O’er all the way; He will take care of you, God will take care of you.”
Because that is true, “Do not worry” becomes possible
You say:
“I have other problems preacher, you don’t understand I have a serious problem”
You’re right, I don’t understand and I can’t fix it
But let God take a crack at it!
The Bible says “With God nothing is impossible”
A High level of confidence is God is the solution to WORRY (X2)
“Trust the Lord with ALL your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6
Worry happens we lose our trust in God’s goodness (X2)
Take your:
worry,
take your anxiety,
take your everything to God
Philippians 4:6-7 (NKJV)
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
How is God to go about answering unprayed prayers?
It’s not fair to worry and complain about God not providing,
IF WE NEVER ASKED GOD
2. God feeds the birds, He will feed you too!
“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Matthew 6:26–27 (NKJV)
God doesn’t overlook a thing:
daily feeding millions of silly little birds
Jesus says you are more valuable than the birds
The conclusion is that since God feeds the birds, He feed you!
Do not miss God’s love for you: He died for you!
“looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2
Even children know that Jesus loves them...
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
Matthew 6:28–30 (NKJV)
3. God created the whole world and sustains it, He can handle your clothes and lunch
He provides for the birds
Makes beautiful flowers grass
The danger is not that God will forget about our needs,
but that we will forget about our need for God. (X2)
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Matthew 6:31–33 (NKJV)
4. But seek first the kingdom of God
Again the text says “do not worry”:
That is what the pagans do
And you are not a pagan!
You are a child of God
And God has promised to provide for your needs….
It is amazing how we can focus on things that don’t matter and neglect the most important things in life. We need to learn how to choose our battles better.
Leonard Ravenhill said it best: "Many of us are hunting MICE...while LIONS are devouring the land!" (https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermon-illustrations/83624/spiritual-warfare-by-dr-larry-petton?ref=TextIllustrationSerps)
We can’t be busy working for the Lord if we doubt God’s provision:
The old saying is that “Where God guides God provides is true”
God has a lot of things He wants us to do, and worry is NOT one of them
Our priority needs to be, not on our physical needs:
But on the Kingdom of God
On God’s righteousness
Let’s review:
Do not worry, trust God,
seek His Kingdom,
God is trustworthy, You are loved.
When trouble comes and it will, run to JESUS and don’t ever leave!
Matthew 11:28-30 invites us to leave worry behind…
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for you souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
If you are carrying a heavy load, and are worried to death….
God never intended that for you
Set down that WEIGHT
It’s time to put your CONFIDENCE in God’s ability to provide what you NEED (X2)
5. Don’t go looking for trouble, each day has plenty of it’s own trouble.
“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)
Worry is always a temptation, because:
There is always something to worry about
What is it you are worried about?
What keeps you up,
what is it that causes that lump in your stomach??
Right now I challenge you to, quietly to yourself, identify your worry:
And take it to the Lord in prayer
Maybe your prayer is something like this
“Lord you know my problem, this is my worry and struggle and right now I turn that over to you. You are good and worthy, you can handle this situation. I turn it over to you NOW.”
The only way to TRULY be able to leave worry behind:
Is through a relationship with Jesus Christ
Without Jesus there is no PEACE on Earth
After the crucifixion:
Jesus’ disciples were frightened and worried
Jesus had died, His tomb was empty
What did the future hold?
They were scared for the lives.
“Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (X2) John 20:19
When Jesus is with you, there will be PEACE….
I didn’t say there won’t be storms
What I am saying is that there will be peace in the storm
Do you have the PEACE of Jesus that is beyond understanding?
We worry about all sorts of things, but our biggest problem is SIN:
Outside of Christ we are DEAD in SIN
We are objects of wrath and have not place in heave
Now is the time for you to RESPOND TO THE GOSPEL
Do you believe?
Then it’s time to be BAPTIZED NOW.
“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16
COME NOW AS WE SING…. “Trust and obey”
