In the FOOTSTEPS of the SAVIOR (3)

MOUNT OF BEATITUDES

I. The nature of worry in our lives

A. Regardless of what age you are, the questions fall like hailstones. Will I make enough money? Will I make any friends? Will I be able to learn the software program?

B. What does all this anxiety mean? Simply this, you are a human being.

C. Jesus battled anxiety in the Garden of Gethsemane. His heart pumped with such ferocity that capillaries broke and rivulets of crimson streaked His face.

II. Jesus words on worry

A. Jesus didn’t stay anxious. He entrusted His fears to His heavenly Father and completed his earthly mission with faith. He will help us to do likewise.

B. The largest section on the Sermon on the Mount encompasses Jesus words on worry. It is relevant to the day and age in which we live. It’s hard to miss the theme of these verses.

“I tell you not to worry about everyday life.” (Matthew 6:25 NLT)

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?” (verse 27 NLT)

“Why worry…?” (verse 28 NLT)

“So don’t worry about these things...” (Verse 31 NLT)

“Don’t worry...” (Verse 34 NLT)

C. Worry simply does not work. We can dedicate a decade of worry and anxious thoughts to our lives and not grow an inch. Worry accomplishes nothing. But still…we worry.

III. What to do with our worry

A. Jesus and the Apostle Paul, never condemn legitimate and healthy concerns. Rather, they speak of a continuous mindset of worry that dismisses God’s presence. “Therefore, I tell you, stop being perpetually uneasy (anxious and worried) about your life” (Matthew 6:25 AMPC)

B. The call not to worry is a call to avoid a state of mind in which God is disregarded and even distrusted. It’s a call not to have an outlook on life that subtracts God from the future and face uncertainties with no faith and no hope. It’s a call to put God into the equation.

C. The moment you feel anxious