Anxiousness

Introduction

If we have not had the pleasure of meeting my name is John Colunga and I have the privilige of serving as lead pastor here at New Day Pasadena

I also have the privilige of bringing this weeks sermon

So if you have your Bibles, please turn to Matthew 6:25-34

If you forgot your Bible please use the one in front of you and if you dont have a Bible at all, please take home the one in front of you as a free gift to you

Opening

We are in a new sermon series called He Holds the Future

And it really is a continuation from our Easter Sermon that Jesus is our Living Hope

And becaue he is alive and reigning, we can trust in him and find rest in him

We can rest in knowing that God has a good plan

And we can rest in knowing that he provides

Valuable

Valuable

What is the most valuable thing you own?

Sandlot Story

Sandlot placed value in this ball

We place value on things

God places value in us

You are valuable to God

And sometimes, we forget this

Sometimes, as we live life, the troubles of the world come upon us and we can start to get weary

We can start to worry, or get anxious, or get fearful

And these human emotions are a new phenominan

These feelings go all the way back to scripture

We may be in 2024 but we still need to work to make money to provide for our families

We still need shelter, food and clothing

We still need to live

And as we live, the same answer Jesus gave to the Jews then about anxiety, is the same message Jesus has for us today

If you are able to stand, I ask that you please do so for the reading of God’s word. I’ll read it as you follow along,

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. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 6:25–34.

This is the Word of the Lord - You may now be seated

Continuation

Therefore - Continuation of the sermon on the mount but is also a continuation of the previous thought

Previous verses talk about storing treasures in heaven rather than storing up treasures on earth

There is a spiritual work to be done

And because there is a spiritual work to be done we cannot be fully enthrawed with the things of theis world

Man cannot serve God and money

Only one of them can be master of your life

And because it is clearly God who should and ultimately is master of your life,

Fear of A Lack of Basic Needs

There are some who equate anxiousness with fear

Anxious - experiencing worry, unease, or nervousness, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.

Anxiousness leads to Fear

How many times did Jesus say “Do not Fear”

You should not fear about your life

Don’t even be anxious about it

In our text today Food and clothing is mentioned

Food and clothing is viewed as essential to living

And so the overarching view of this text is not to be fearful or worry about your daily needs

Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Higher Purpose

This question is powerful in nature because it points to a higher purpose in life

In life, we are not to just exist - we are not created to just survive

Rather, our God gives his people a higher reason for living

The church has a higher purpose than to just exist, survive, get by

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

According to the National Institutes of Health -

As members of ecosystems, birds play many roles, including as predators, pollinators, scavengers, seed dispersers, seed predators, and ecosystem engineers.

God created birds and birds have a purpose - they play a role here on earth

And as they instinctively live their life - they fulfill their purpose

As they fill their purpose - they do not fear or are anxious of their meal

They dont store up worms for the winter - they dont hide seed for the long run

Rather, they eat their meal one worm at a time

As they go

God provides thier worms and ensures that we have birds in our ecosystem

He provides their worms so that they dont worry about their next worm,

He provides their worms so that they can instinctively live out their purpose

Value in God’s eye

And so, Jesus follows this up with another powerful question

Are you not of more value than they?

Does God not value you more than he values the birds!?

How much more, do you think God will provide for you

So that you can live out your purpose

So that you can store up treasures in heaven

So that you can focus on the spiritual

Do you doubt your value in Gods eye?

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Genesis 2:7 “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

God made mankind with souls and wanted relationship with man

The animals and plants were and are subjected to us

By God’s design there is a natural higher value placed on man

And this value stems from one thing and one thing alone - God’s love

Love

Romans 5:8 “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Think of just one thing you have done that is bad in your life

And because you have done a bad thing, you can’t be with God who is perfect, righteous, and holy

And because you are separated from God, he has to be just in punishing your bad deeds

But - because he loves you

He sends Jesus to die on the cross for your bad deeds

And then Jesus arises on the third day conquering sin and death

And then the Holy Spirit comes

And when the Holy Spirit moves in our life

And our eyes and ears are opened to the beauty of the gospel

Our hearts are changed and we believe in Jesus and are made righteous

We are so loved and therefore so valuable that the God of the universe would send his only son to make us right with Him

We didn’t earn God’s love we didnt earn God’s value on us but he freely gives it to us

That is the beauty of our God!

Faith over Fear

Now, just as Jesus differentiated storing up treasures in heaven from storing treasures on earth

And serving God or money

Jesus is now differentiating fear from faith

And not seeking after the physical but to seek after the Spiritual

And so he starts with a question that magnifies the emptiness of fear

What has worrying ever gotten you?

Have you ever had a long list of things to do and it felt so overwhelming that you just took a nap?

And when you woke back up, that list didnt just disappear, its still there!

What has fear ever gotten you?

Has it ever extended your life?

Or has it just given you grey hairs? Maybe no hair? Maybe thats natural - I’m sorry

But the reality is that the fear and worry of everyday needs would only drain you and does not help you to live longer

Clothing

Jesus further strangthens his teaching by talking about clothes

Clothes which are not as essential to living as food and water

But it is essential in preserving our dignity

It is essential to keep us from falling into shame

And the best dressed man in our day might be found in GQ Magazine

But certainly in biblical times and with the wealth King Solomon had,

King Solomon had the best robes and closet.

And here Jesus says, the lilies of the field are clothed better than Solomon

Because even if its just for a few days, the Lilies are fully sustained and clothed by God

And if God cares that much for the lilies and the grass

How much more should we have faith that God will fully sustain us and clothe us?

And when we dont, when someone who has believed and trusted in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior

Does not faith, and they fall into fear

Their lack of faith and trust in God to provide for their has them acting as if they are an unbeliever

Seek First

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Seek - attempt to find

First - Top and highest priority

the spiritual things of God

(Not talking about salvation)

Everyday living - Everyday how are we living for the Kingdom of God

Every day how are we seeking to be righteous?

instead of spending our time being anxious about our needs

Strive to live a life that follows and resembles Jesus

What did Jesus say to do?

What did Jesus say not to do?

What did the aposltes teach?

Application

Prayer

Lords Prayer came befor this

“Give us our daily bread”

There is a trust and a faith that God will provide

Philippians 4:6–7 “do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

When you start to feel anxious - give it to God

Jesus tells us not to be anxious essentials - that also means that we are not to worry about the nonessentials

Anxiousness - prayer, thanksgiving, give it to God,

Result - peace - supernatural

Not of man

Not of yourself

But is of the work of Jesus

Result - peace - guards

What takes away and guards your heart?

Strive for Righteous Living

Philippians 4:8–9 “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

When we are saved, our hearts are changed, we are new person, we wear new clothes

We now have the Holy Spirit in us, leading us, convicting uss, growing us

We are changed because of Jesus and because of that change our thoughts should dwell on whatever is true, honorable, justm pure, lovely, commendable, excellence, worthy of praise

And our practice should be obedience to Jesus’ teachings

Now what we know is that Paul had a very close relationship with the church at Philippi

He taught and preached and lived among them for awhile

And what he taught and preached was Jesus

So when he exhorts the people to follow his ways and teachings

He is actually exhorting them to follow the ways of Christ

Are you living for and following Jesus?

Are you seeking the things of the Kingdom and righteousness

Because if you are, then it will produce:

honesty - when it would be easy to lie

forgiveness - when something seems unforgivable

thankfulness - when things dont go your way

love - when someone is being unlovable

trust - even when we are unsure about the future

Practical steps - what is first in your life?

Remember who you are in Christ and your value to God

We have been saying this word a lot lately

But there is teeth and beauty to remembering

Why? Because we forget

Because we forget that we are children of the God on high

We forget that we are heirs to a throne of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords

We forget that God of the universe who takes care of the birds and the lillies

Values us more and wants relationship with us

An eternal relationship with us!

Remembering who you are in Christ Jesus reminds you of the promises of God