Don’t Worry, Be Happy!
Matthew 6:25-34
"Don’t worry about it."
Have you ever had those words said to you? Did it work? Probably not! Easy words to say, but hard to put into practice.
In essence that is what the Scripture says in verse 25. [read] But it goes on to tell us how not to worry. It is one thing to tell someone "Just don’t worry about it", But it is another thing to tell them how they are supposed to keep from worrying about it! I could remind you that worry causes ulcers and high blood pressure, but what would that make you do? Worry!
A good first step is confessing it as the sin that it is—Worry is not simply a weakness…it is wickedness. What a poor testimony for a Christian to display to the lost world…to have the promises of God, to be on the winning side, and still to live in the fleshly realm of worry all the time.
Be honest: we all worry, don’t we?
The ignorant worry because they don’t know enough.
The knowledgeable worry because they know too much.
The rich worry because they are afraid of losing what they have.
The poor worry because they don’t have enough.
The old worry because they are facing death.
The young worry because they are facing life.
Ill.—grandma’s worry stone. Put your thumb on it and rub away. It seems to work for me. It’s part of human nature to have worries and be worried. But we’re supposed to have a new nature now…a supernatural viewpoint!
Quotes about Worrying:
“Blessed is the man who is too busy to worry in the daytime and too sleepy to worry at night.”
“A problem not worth praying about is not worth worrying about.”
“Why pray when you can worry.”
“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”
“The only place perpetual worry will get you ahead of time is the cemetery.”
Worry effects our total being! Therefore, “The Ways Not to Worry” involves our total being: mind, spirit, and body. We must get our mind, spirit, and body involved in certain things in order not to worry. Now let’s look at The Ways To Stop Worrying! How can we Stop Worrying?
Circumstances really don’t matter. We can worry no matter our circumstances. Happiness is a choice, but it’s hard to come to that decision. Worry is the opposite of faith [last phrase of v. 30], but even faith is hard to come by oftentimes. So, we need some help…
3 times this passage says to us, ‘Take no thought…’ That means don’t worry. But again God redirects us to channel our thoughts in another direction, replacing bad thoughts w/ good ones…
I. THINK OF HIS GREATNESS.
A. SEEN IN THE WONDER OF HIS PROVISIONS. Vs 26, 28
1. "Behold the fowls" Look searchingly!
Behold their Bounty and their Plenty! Birds are always singing in thanksgiving.
2. "Consider the lilies" Learn and observe thoroughly!
Observe their Beauty and their Prosperity!
B. SEEN IN THE WORTH OF HIS PEOPLE. Vs 26b
1."Much better than they?" To a greater extent more valuable/superior than they!
2. If God does all this for plants and animals, what will He do for us!
3. When we are worrying our Thinking isn’t right,
4. We are Superior to plants and animals!
5. If they are the Glory of His creation, have much more should we be!
II. TRUST IN HIS GRACIOUSNESS.
A. WORK OF HIS GRACE. V30-31
1. He clothes the grass of the field - today is and tomorrow cast into oven
2. It is gone after one season, a short time then never to return- We are eternal!
3. If He does all that for the grass, how much more will He do for us in magnitude and quantity!
4. It is a sign of little faith to worry about these things - Trust in the work of His Grace!
B. WISDOM OF HIS GRACE. v32
I. Life of many was consumed in pursuit of materialism! (v21, 24)
2. He says: "Don’t worry!" Because your "Heavenly Father Knows" you need all these things.
3. "Your Father" or "Heavenly Father" is repeated 12 times in this chapter!
4. Trust in His Graciousness, Recognize the Wisdom of His Grace - He knows all about it! He’s the beginning and the end, and all of this is somewhere in the middle!
III. THRUST INTO HIS GOODNESS. v33-34
A. GOODNESS OF HIS WILL. v33a
1. Don’t worry, rather "Burl" "Seek" Search after, Pursue, Desire, Strive for, Endeavor!
2. "The Kingdom of God" God’s rule, His Will done on earth as in Heaven!
3. "His Righteousness" When God rules there is Perfect Righteousness!
4. Seek, Strive for, Thrust yourself into the Goodness of His Rule or Will!
Replace negative thoughts [worry] w/ other thoughts. We all need to keep our minds active…but with what?
B. GOODNESS OF HIS WARRANTY. v33b
1. Don’t worry because we have a Divine Warranty - All these things shall be added unto you!
2. Warranty backed by His Reputation and Riches!
3. "Shall be added" Future Passive - Warranty only good after we Seek first His Kingdom!
4. We must thrust ourselves into His Goodness, into His service, and He will add these things!
"Don’t worry about it!" How do you keep from worry?
Think about His Greatness.
Trust in His Graciousness.
Thrust into His Goodness.
The cause of worry—we worry about food, clothing, health [27], and the future [34]
40% of what we worry about will never happen. 30% has already happened. 12% is unfounded criticism from others. 10% is our health. The last 8% is the actual problems we have to do something about. That means 92% of worry is useless! And worrying about the 8% didn’t help the situation one bit!
Ill.—fog. Fog can be a scary, and obscure vision, causing accidents. Do you know how much actual water is in fog? 7 city blocks could be covered in fog 100 feet deep, and yet it’s less than an 8 oz. drinking glass of water. And worry is like a thick fog that will settle in and shut you down, but there’s really nothing to it!
The cost of worry—don’t you hate paying interest on things you buy? House, car, credit cards? Well, worry is the interest we pay when we borrow from tomorrow’s problems.
Poet said:
“For every evil under the sun,
There’s either a cure or there is none.
If there be a cure, seek ‘til ye find it,
If there be none, then nevermind it!”
Another cost of worry: worry is contagious! Avoid the worrywarts! An alcoholic shouldn’t go to a bar, and all of us prone to worry should avoid those who live there! They will pull you down. They need to be quarantined!
The cure for worry—
• Remember the “Father Factor”. [v. 32]. He wants the best for His children.
Matthew 10:29-31
Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. [30] But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. [31] Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
Wow, how important are we if God knows even the hairs on our head. None of us knows their number…well, maybe a couple guys have a rough idea! What value we have to our Father!
Psalm 103:14
For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.
Think of a ½ ton or 1 ton truck. Who put that designation on it? The dealer? Paint guy? No, the designer, who knows what it can carry / handle. And our God made us and knows what we can handle w/ His help…He knows our frame!
Or, we can try to carry it in our own strength, and then we don’t make it. We must depend upon Him, trusting the One Who built us from the frame up!
• Remember the “Focus Factor”. When worried, you are out of focus.
We try to put things first and add God in later. But God doesn’t just want a place in your life. He doesn’t just want to be prominent in your life. He wants to be “preeminent!” He says, you take care of my business, and I’ll take care of yours!
If you’re putting God 1st, then you have nothing to worry about!
• Remember the “Future Factor”. Don’t borrow tomorrow’s troubles. Live a day at a time.
Ill.—We hear so much about our world’s ecology, and the need for balance. Well, God has a perfect ecology for your life, too. He has a certain # of problems assigned to your life for each day. But you go adding days together and it will mount up on you! You say, I thought God loves me? Yes, that’s why He sends just the right amount of problems. What? You ask. Well, we don’t like storms and rain, but what do you call a place that has no rain and all sunshine? A desert! God knows the balance we need, and we get it all out of balance when we borrow tomorrow’s problems.
Problems cause us to look to God and lean on Him and grow! God said to Adam, ‘cursed is the ground for your SAKE.’ Not for your punishment. He wants to stretch us and conform us to His image!
God gives us enough grace for today. He hasn’t given you the grace for tomorrow that you need.
Ill.—man worked on a barge on the Mississippi / was carrying something and fell overboard / cried help / went under / back up and cried again help / went under / came up again and said, if somebody doesn’t help me I’m gonna have to drop one of these anvils!
So, here we are w/ a load of care under each arm, more than God wanted us to try to carry today, and we wonder why we’re going under!
I believe if we will remember our Father Factor, our Focus Factor, and our Future Factor, we can win the war over worry!
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