STANDING TALL:
THE FUTURE DOESN’T LOOK SO GOOD
Matthew 6:25-34
S: Courage
Th: Fear of the Future
Pr: WE CAN BE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE.
?: How? How can we do it?
KW: Reminders
TS: We will find in our study of Matthew 6:25-34 three reminders about worry that will enable us to be confident about the future.
The _____ reminder is the…
I. POINTLESSNESS OF WORRY (25-32)
II. PRIORITY OF FIRST THINGS (33)
III. PRESENT NEED (34)
Version: ESV
RMBC 23 November 03 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Worry (Paid to Worry)
Fresh out of business school, a young man answered a want ad for an accountant. Now a very nervous man who ran a small business, which he had started himself, was interviewing him.
"I need someone with an accounting degree," the man said. "But mainly, I’m looking for someone to do my worrying for me."
"Excuse me?" the accountant said.
"I worry about a lot of things," the man said. "But I don’t want to have to worry about money. Your job will be to take all the money worries off my back."
"I see," the accountant said. "And how much does the job pay?"
"I’ll start you at eighty thousand."
"Eighty thousand dollars!" the accountant exclaimed. "How can such a small business afford a sum like that?"
"That," the owner said, "is your first worry."
Do you worry too much?
Well, if there is anything that we have in common today, it probably is that we all worry.
I think that a lot of us live in the “what if” syndrome.
Often, they are fears of the extreme.
Like…
What if I am attacked while I jog?
What if my child is hurt or even shot while at school?
What if the terrorists strike again and set off a bomb where I work?
More often, though, our fears are more practical in nature.
Like…
What if I lose my job?
What if my kids drop out of church?
What if I get into an accident?
What if someone breaks into my home?
What if my spouse cheats on me?
What if my folks can no longer fend for themselves?
A lot of these are real possibilities.
And whether the chances of these things happening to us are small or great, we have definite concerns that they might happen to us.
TRANSITION:
Here is a truth that we must realistically consider…
1. We don’t know all that is going to happen.
ILL Forrest Gump
Several years ago a movie came out titled “Forrest Gump.” I know that many of you have seen it. The main character in the movie was a man named Forrest Gump, played by Tom Hanks, and Sally Fields as his momma. The movie won several Academy Awards in 1995 including Best Actor (by Hanks), and Motion Picture of the Year.
The story is about the life and times of a man named Forrest Gump. Forrest is a man in his early thirties and he is reflecting on his life. He is sharing his story with several individuals while sitting at a bus stop waiting to see his one true love. Forrest is from a small town in Alabama, has had physical problems, and a rather low IQ. The story starts out in the early fifties and through three turbulent decades, Forrest rides the tides of events that whisk him from physical disability to football stardom at the University of Alabama; from Vietnam hero to shrimp tycoon; from White House honors to the arms of his one true love.
His life is one adventure after another, one heartache after another, one success after another, one question after another. He gains a lot of what little wisdom he has from his momma. She teaches Forrest the ways of life through such wise, clever little sayings that would even make King Solomon proud. One of the most catchy of her sayings is “Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re going to get.”
There is truth to that…
Sometimes we get the creamy centers…representing the smooth, sweet and easy times in our lives.
Sometimes we get those caramels…they are chewy, tougher to get through; they get stuck in your mouth, and last longer than you want them to.
Sometimes we get those nuts, representing the bumpy times in our lives.
We never know what is going to happen in our lives.
To an extent, life is a big futuristic mystery; a journey on a road filled with curves, construction, detours, hills, and stoplights.
So do we know when bad things are going to happen?
No.
Do we know if the terrorists are going to strike again?
No.
We never know what is going to happen until it happens.
There is a sense irony here that I must mention.
For at the turn of the last century, from the 19th to the 20th, there was a movement that thought the human race would rise above its baser instincts.
They thought that each war would be the last.
They thought that peace would soon be everlasting.
But now that we are in the 21st century, that dream seems to have died a natural death.
War has not ended.
Pestilence is still rampant.
Man is still ignorant.
And we still can’t beat the common cold.
But, in spite of all this, I do want us to understand this truth…
2. WE CAN BE CONFIDENT ABOUT THE FUTURE.
But how can we be confident when we are worried so much?
Consider this for a moment…
ILL Notebook: Worry (mouse)
A mouse living in a cage with a wheel will travel 9,000 miles in his lifetime. And you know what? He is still in the cage!
Worry is the same way. You can worry 24/7, and guess what? You are still in the cage!
The word used for worry in Scripture literally means “to divide the mind.”
It is the idea that our mind is going two different directions.
One place in Scripture it is referred to as being “double-minded.”
The truth is, that getting into the realm of worry is going to leave you worse off, rather than better.
Worry wastes precious time and energy.
It has been proven to increase our risk for poor mental and physical health.
This is why our enemy wants us to be consumed by a certain fear.
He wants us worrying.
He wants us filled with anxiety about what just might happen.
You know, for those that are apart from Christ, there is an ultimate sense of gloom and doom.
This is sad.
But for the believer, the story is much different, for we are to look up, for our salvation is near!
So, how do we do this?
How can we be confident about what comes next?
How can we be confident about our future?
Well…
3. We will find in our study of Matthew 6:25-34 three reminders about worry that will enable us to be confident about the future.
OUR STUDY:
I. The first reminder is the POINTLESSNESS OF WORRY (25-32).
Listen to what Jesus has to say…
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ’What shall we eat?’ or ’What shall we drink?’ or ’What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.”
Hey folks, note this…
1. God has a great track record.
Jesus wants us to be assured here…
If God cares for sparrows, robins, and cardinals, don’t you think we can count on Him to care for us, too?
God will not let us down.
Listen to this…
God has given us life.
This is the greatest gift!
This being so, don’t you think that it is on His mind to sustain us with the lesser gift of food?
Even more so…
Why would God suffer and die for the same children He planned to neglect?
No, God is all about caring for us.
So don’t worry.
It is pointless to do so.
So, note this as well…
2. A person who worries is not trusting God.
The text tells us simply that worry puts us in the same category as those who do not know God.
When we worry, we are acting like an unbeliever.
You see, the instruction to the believer is clear.
“Do not be anxious.”
“Do not worry.”
It is a firm command that we are to act on.
And it is pointless to do otherwise.
II. The second reminder is the PRIORITY OF FIRST THINGS (33).
“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
We need to keep first things first.
We need to keep God number one.
And to get there, we must refocus our priorities.
For…
1. We need to get our life placed under Christ’s rule.
The problem is that we prefer the perishable.
We prefer that which doesn’t last.
We hold on to the material like it was going to last forever.
And as long as we do that, we are going to worry.
But, when we let go of those things, it is the way out of the fear of the future.
When we place all that we have under His care, direction and rule, we find the peace we seek.
When we place every department of our lives under the headship of Christ, we find the anxieties of life diminish.
And then we will succeed in the following admonishment.
For…
2. We need to live to please God.
For some time now, we have been encouraged to live by these letters…WWJD.
They stand for, “What would Jesus do?”
Let me suggest that this should not be the end.
For we should also consider these letters…DILLJT.
Do you know what they stand for?
They stand for, “Did I live like Jesus today?”
You see, to say that Jesus is the Lord of our lives and to live in contradiction to His will is to simply lie.
To seek His kingdom is to put our lives, our families, our marriages, our work, and our finances under His authority.
It is the seeking and the doing of His will.
This is so practical.
For when we care for God’s business, we can be assured that God will care for our personal business.
So don’t fret!
God will meet our needs as we become kingdom seekers and kingdom builders.
III. The third reminder is the PRESENT NEED (34).
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Note this…
1. We need to concentrate on today.
We can only live one day at a time.
I know that this is a simple concept, but it is amazing how we don’t live this way.
It reminds me of this quote by Mark Twain…
ILL Notebook: Worry (Twain)
“I’m an old man and I’ve known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”
It is sad to see many Christians worry about the future.
Because when we worry about the future, we fail to be productive in the present.
And when we lack productivity today, it is a sure prescription for real worry tomorrow.
Ask any student that puts off his homework!
So how do we live in each today?
We do it in the realization that God provides the grace to live each day as we ought.
2. God gives us grace for each day.
God’s compassions never fail.
God’s mercy and God’s grace are new every morning.
God is with us every day!
We can have the courage to take on each day and meet the present need.
ILL Notebook: Courage (The Two Towers)
In the second movie of “The Lord of the Rings”, called “The Two Towers,” the mood is dark and helpless throughout. It starts with the death of Boromir, the breakup of the fellowship, and the capture of two of the hobbits. As the story continues, there is both a sense of impending doom and an actual cloud that is rising out of the metaphorical abyss that is covering both the land and the hearts of the people.
As the movie comes to a close, there is a great battle, and most of our heroes have retreated and are surrounded by a fierce army of demonic warriors. It has become desperate. The king and the men realize that if they stay where they are, they are going to die. So they decide that if they are going to die, they will die as men on the advance. So they mount their horses, throw open the doors and ride out, swords drawn and heads held high for what is undoubtedly “the last ride of men.”
But to their surprise, as they make their last stand, another tremendous army of men led by Gandalf, comes over the hill as though the entire battle had been planned. Instead of doom, the evil army of darkness falls.
But how do we get there?
How are we able to display such courage when things that are fearful are all about us?
It is one thing to talk about a movie, it is another thing to talk about real life!
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Trust (bishop – just trust…) [More Holy Humor]
A newly ordained Methodist pastor was asked to speak at a revival. As hundreds of people began to gather on the grounds, the young pastor panicked and ran into the bishop’s cabin. “I am supposed to preach in a few minutes, but I don’t know what to say.”
“Trust the Lord, young man,” the bishop advised with great dignity. “Just trust the Lord.” Then the bishop left the room.
Frustrated, the young pastor picked up the bishop’s Bible in the hope of finding an inspiring verse. Instead, he found some typewritten sermon notes he liked very much. So he took the bishop’s Bible and notes and went to the service.
The young pastor amazed everyone with his sermon, and the people crowded about him after the service. Suddenly, the bishop pushed his way through the crowd.
“Young man,” the bishop thundered, “you preached the sermon I was going to preach tonight! Now what am I going to do?”
“Trust the Lord, bishop,” the young man replied, “just trust the Lord!”
Will you permit me to repeat that?
1. Just trust the Lord.
I don’t mean to trivialize in the least.
But if we are to be confident in the future, we have to trust God.
We have to let go of worry and trust God.
You see, we must recognize that worry is a conscious choice people make.
The problem with this choice is that it is ineffective in dealing with our problems.
Not only that, when we worry, we imply that God is not interested or that He is absent.
This is why God has done more than show us the present.
He has shown us the future.
And good wins!
So permit me to go back to the movie, “The Two Towers.”
God wants us to move forward in the battle of life.
He tells us to have courage, to stand tall, even in the face of the most heinous evil we can imagine.
Why?
Because we have already won.
We are to mount our courage and ride into the darkness and lay hold of the victory that has already been prepared for us!
You see…
2. Our future is secure (1 Peter 1:3-5).
Note how the apostle Peter describes it…
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Our inheritance is indestructible.
Our inheritance cannot be tampered with or changed in anyway.
It continually remains wonderful.
In the end, we will suffer no disappointments.
Take courage!
Look heavenward.
Just trust the Lord, and realize that in the end, it’s going to be great!
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
Take courage…and set aside your worry; it is, after all, a worthless exercise; instead trust the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your understanding, and He will direct your paths.
Take courage…for your inheritance is secure…what Christ won on the cross will never, never be taken away, tarnished or damaged; so continue to seek His kingdom first.
Take courage…and set aside your anxiety about the future; instead be confident – we have read the end of the story – good wins!
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
