MELVIN M. NEWLAND, MINISTER
RIDGE CHAPEL, KANSAS, OK
TEXT: Matthew 6:25 34; Isaiah 26:6, 40:12; Job 19:25; 2 Kings 6:
Once again we are shocked by the turmoil that has arisen, not just among individuals, but even between nations. Again & again we’ve witnessed how cruel people can be, & how cheaply human life is regarded by some.
Maybe it is time to pay attention to the words of Jesus where He challenges us to focus not on our worries & fears, but on the faithfulness of God.
ILL. Before 1492 when Columbus sailed the ocean blue, the common belief was that if a ship from Europe sailed too far west, they would either fall off the edge of the world or face terrible dangers.
In England, there is an ancient nautical map dating back to the time of King Henry IV. On it, the mapmakers wrote these words over the Atlantic Ocean: "Here be dragons; Here be demons; Here be danger." And based on such superstitions, sailors were afraid of sailing west.
But there was an English navigator named John Franklin who was a mighty man of God. He knew the Bible says that God “sits above the circle of the earth.” He took a copy of that map & crossed out those fearful warnings & added these 3 words: "HERE BE GOD!"
If you’re a servant of God, you need to know that as you sail toward your darkest fears & deepest worries, "Here Be God!" He is there to keep & sustain us.
Job discovered that. He was able to look through his tears & say: "I know that my Redeemer lives, & that in the end he will stand upon the earth." (Job 19:25)
Our Universe is so large scientists can't measure it. But the Bible says in Isaiah 40:12 that God measures the heavens with the span of His hand. So when your world is crumbling, the most important thing you can do is to place yourself in God's hands. The safest place in this Universe is in His hands. (Contributed by Fred Markes to Sermon Central)
I realize that in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus was not speaking on the subject of war. But His command to focus our attention on the power & faithfulness of God - instead of on whatever worries us the most - is just as valid today as it was then.
Listen to what He says in Matthew 6:25-34, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?
“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
"But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
I. THE COMMAND - "DO NOT WORRY"
A. Three times in this passage Jesus commands us, "Do not worry." Or as the KJV puts it, "Do not be anxious." What does He mean by that?
By the way, the Greek word translated "worry" literally means “to be drawn or pulled in different directions.” Worry can tear us apart emotionally & destroy us.
I believe that worry is one of the Devil’s greatest weapons. It can steal your joy, your contentment & your happiness. And what is ridiculous is that most of the time we worry about things that haven’t taken place & often never do. Worry is futile it accomplishes nothing.
ILL. Alistair MacLean quotes this story from Tauler, a German mystic: One day Tauler met a beggar. "God give you a good day, my friend." he said. The beggar answered, "I thank God I never had a bad one."
Then Tauler said, "God give you a happy life, my friend." "I thank God," said the beggar, "I am never unhappy."
Amazed, Tauler asked, "What do you mean?" "Well," said the beggar, "When the weather is fine, I thank God; when it rains, I thank God; when I have plenty, I thank God; when I’m hungry, I thank God; & since God’s will is my will, & what-ever pleases Him, pleases me, why should I say I’m unhappy when I’m not?"
Tauler looked at the man in astonishment. "Who are you?" he asked. "I am a king," said the beggar. "Where then is your kingdom?" asked Tauler. And the beggar answered quietly: "In my heart."
Isaiah 26:6 says, "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You." (Source: From a sermon by Ajai Prakash on Sermon Central)
And that is what Jesus is talking about in Matthew 6. He is telling the people not to let anxiety, worry, or fear take control of their lives. So how can we win over worry? There is no magic pill. But there are changes in attitude that can help us develop a spirit of calmness & peace.
II. THE CURE FOR WORRY
A. In Matthew 6:26 Jesus suggests that we should observe the birds & learn to trust God's providential care. He says, "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, & yet your heavenly Father feeds them."
Somewhere along the line we need to slow down & reflect on the promises of God. We need to review & remember these verses: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.” (Psalm 23:1)
God is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20) “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him.” (Romans 8:28) “Greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
Trusting God doesn't mean laziness or indifference. It means realizing that God is taking care of us.
That's what makes worry a serious sin. It is accusing God of being a liar. God says, "I will meet all your needs according to my riches in Christ Jesus." (cf. Philippians 4:19) Worry says, "I don't believe He'll supply my needs."
God says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart & lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, & He will make your paths straight." (Proverbs 3:5,6). Worry says, "I don't believe God will direct my future."
Jesus promised, "I am with you always" (Matt. 28:20) Worry says, “I'm all alone."
SUM. If we make a reasonable effort, God has promised to provide for our needs. It's a matter of believing His promises & being content with what He has supplied.
B. Secondly, we need to "Maintain Proper Priorities."
Since humans are more valuable than birds, we are to "Seek first the kingdom of God & His righteousness" & then the things of this world will be added to us. The Christian's priorities are God, people (with an emphasis on family), job & self.
When one keeps these priorities in order, God promises to supply every need. But worry mixes up our priorities. The job may become more important than family; self becomes more important than others.
As a result, our responsibilities seem greater than our resources & our energy is sapped by anxiety. But when we trust God, we keep our priorities in order. We don't just say it; we do it, & God supplies what we need especially peace of mind.
It is interesting to discover that the word “peace” is used 220 times in Scripture, & it is often linked with the word “righteousness”. And when it is, the word “righteousness” always comes first.
C. Thirdly, we must focus on that which is eternal, rather than that which is temporary, on the unseen rather than that which is seen.
2 Kings 6 tells the story of the prophet Elisha & his servant as they were staying in the town of Dothan.
The King of Aram (that’s Syria today) was at war with Israel, but every time he planned a surprise attack God would tell Elisha to warn the King of Israel.
So the army of Israel would be there in force, waiting for the Syrians when they attacked. As a result, the Syrian army was blocked in everything it tried to do.
Vs’s 11-12 tell us, “This enraged the king of Aram.” He was convinced that one of his officers must be spying for Israel. So “He summoned his officers & demanded of them, ‘Will you not tell me which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?
‘None of us, my Lord the king,’ said one of his officers, ‘but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.’”
Once they convinced him, the King of Aram sent a major portion of his army in an all-night march to surround Dothan & capture Elisha.
Early the next morning, when Elisha’s servant got up & looked out over the city wall, he saw the great enemy army surrounding the town. Terrified, he ran back to Elisha to tell him what he had seen.
You can almost hear him gasping for breath as he cries out, “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” (2 Kings 6:15)
But Elisha is calm & says something his servant didn’t understand at all. He said, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16)
The servant must have thought Elisha was hallucinating because even counting every man, woman, & child, there weren’t as many people in Dothan as there were in the huge army surrounding them.
But then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” And the Bible says, “Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, & he looked & saw the hills full of horses & chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (2 Kings 6:17) Elisha’s servant was totally unaware that there was a heavenly army surrounding the people of God.
The Bible explains that what is unseen is more important than what is seen. It says, “Therefore we do not lose heart… For our light & momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.
“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:16-18).
Jesus says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has trouble enough of its own." (Matt. 6:34)
The Lord didn't say, "Don't worry about tomorrow because nothing bad will ever happen to you." He said that there will be troubles. But He also promised us spiritual resources to cope with them.
ILL. One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford suddenly darkened, & some of the representatives in the Connecticut legislature, glancing out the windows, feared the end of the world was at hand.
Calming the cries for immediate adjournment, Colonel Davenport, speaker of the House of Representatives, rose & said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.”
We spend so much time worrying about tomorrow, fearing for what may or may not happen, that we often forget that a Christian has nothing to fear as long as we remain faithful to the calling that God has given us.
Rather than fearing what is to come, we would be much better off taking comfort in the fact that nothing happens to a child of God without our Lord’s faithful hand guiding it first.
As Jesus said, “…do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:34)
CONCL. Therefore, trust God to provide, & live one day at a time. Let the words of the psalmist be your motto. "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice & be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24).
ILL. Said the robin to the sparrow, "I would really like to know
Why those anxious humans rush about & worry so."
Said the sparrow to the robin, "I think it must be,
That they have no heavenly Father such as cares for you & me."
INVITATION
