Focus on the Father instead of Fearing the Future

Introduction

As everyone is well aware this morning, we have a little problem called the Coronavirus or Covid-19 as the specialists call it, sweeping through our world today. This little problem in less than 3 months has brought the world to it’s knees with 132,758 now confirmed cases across the globe and 4955 deaths thus far (#’s as of March 13th).

It has crippled our economies thus throwing our stock markets into a tailspin and causing them to lose almost 10% in one single day which was the worst day on Walstreet since Black Monday in 1987!

Some company’s are suspending their day to day operations while others are telling their employees to work from home if possible. Colleges and Elementary Schools are closing, stores are selling out of water, hand sanitizer and for some unknown reason toilet paper of all things!

Listen, what we need to understand this morning is that at the end of the day, God is still God, He’s still on the throne, He’s still sovereign over all and not one thing is going to take place that is outside of His will!

People are going to get sick, people are going to die, but ultimately, nothing is going to happen that God didn’t already ordain before the dawn of time! People act like this Coronavirus was a surprise to God!

Have you ever thought that maybe this was simply God’s way of getting our attention focused back on Him instead of on the petty things of this life! He’s allowed this pandemic to say, “Hey, I’m still here and I’m still in charge! It doesn’t matter what continent your on, what ethnicity you are, what religion you are, what language you speak, I’m still the big man on campus and you need to remember that!”

And that’s what I want us to look at this morning. I want us to Focus on the Father and not on the Future! And here’s why…if you’re focused on the Father, the future will take care of itself, Amen!

Paul said, “for me to live is Christ, to die is gain!” And he also said, “Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; whether we die we die, we die unto the Lord; whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s!”

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior this morning, then whether you get the Coronavirus or not, you still belong to Him and it’s all going to be alright, Amen!

So if you have your Bibles with you, I’d ask you to take your copy of God’s word and turn with me to the Book of Matthew Chapter 6 and we’re going to be looking at Verses 19-34.

We need to Understand the Ultimate Goal (Vs. 19-23)

Colossians 3:1-2 — 1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

A misplaced mission will lead to a misplaced mindset!

* “if therefore thine eye be single” — the word “single” is the Greek word (haplous) and it means healthy. If you’re eye is healthy it shall be full of light.

* “But if thine eye be evil” — the word “evil” is the Greek word (ponēros) and it means bad or wicked. It primarily refers to moral badness but also can refer to an undesirable condition.

Now that we Understand that the Ultimate Goal is Focusing on the Father, I want us to look a couple things that hinder us from accomplishing this task and a couple things that will help us to accomplish this task.

One of the main things that takes our Focus off of God is worry! Remember the story of Peter when he came walking on the water to Jesus? As long as he was focused on Jesus he was able to walk on top of the water, right? But as soon as he took his eyes off of Jesus, as soon as the focus of his faith was removed from Jesus and replaced by the faculties of this world he began to sink, right?

His worry caused his faith to wane!

And unless we want to find ourselves in this same situation of sinking to the storms of this life, then we need to learn how not to worry, Amen!

So let’s begin this morning by looking at things that cause us to worry!

We need to Understand the Cause of Our Worry

A. Food — (Vs. 25-26)

First of all, people worry about food: how they’re going to get enough to eat. Now, this may not be your worry this morning, but for many people all over the world, this is a very big worry! I get messages all the time from folks who are in need of food!

Look what the Bible says here in Vs. 25-26.

Adrian Rogers said basically what He’s saying is this...What farmer would feed his barnyard chickens and starve his beloved children?

Now, don’t hear what I’m not saying...He’s not telling us that we don’t have to work for food, for the Bible says in 2nd Thessalonians 3:10 that if man won’t work then neither should he eat!

God feeds the birds, but He doesn’t throw it in their nest. The birds must work in order to be fed!

Remember the old saying, the early bird does what? He’s gets the worm! The Lord is not saying don’t work; He’s saying, "Don’t worry, I’ve got you!”

B. Fashion — (Vs. 25, 28-30)

Not only do we worry about food but we also worry about fashion. Look back at verse 25 again. He tells us there not to worry about raiment, what we shall put on our bodies. (Matthew 6:25) And then look at what He says in verses 28-30.

C. Fitness — (Vs. 27)

And then, not only does He mention food and fashion, but He also mentions fitness. Look in verse 27.

This is the one we worry about more than anything. He says, “which one of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” The word used here for “stature” is the Greek word (hēlikia) and in this instance it means lifetime.

Who here among us this morning can add one minute to their lives by worrying about it? The reality is, none of us can! By worrying about it we more than likely are actually shortening it!

Adrian Rogers — You can worry yourself to death, but you can’t worry yourself to a longer life.

So, we worry about Food, we worry about Fashion, we worry about Fitness and we also worry about The Future!

D. The Future — (Vs. 34)

Now, for the majority of us, we have the food we need, we have the clothes we need and we are healthy today but that’s not enough! Then we have to go and start worrying about tomorrow!

What are we going to do if this happens tomorrow or that happens tomorrow?

Look at what Jesus had to say about tomorrow in Verse 34.

New Living Translation Chapter 6

“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

I read about a study done by Penn State researchers where they took 29 people who had GAD “generalized anxiety disorder” and asked them to record their worries for 30 days and track how many of them actually came to fruition.

After 30 days of tracking, they found that 91% of the people’s worries never actually happened! And of the other 9%, the outcome was better than expected a 3rd of the time!

The majority of the time we worry over things that never even happen and Jesus said we shouldn’t!

So Jesus, first of all, says that we need to understand the cause of our worry and then He goes on, secondly, to help us to understand the cost of our worry.

We need to Understand the Cost of Our Worry

It’s been well said, that there are two categories and classes of things we should never worry about:

a) those things that we can do something about; and,

b) those things we can’t do anything about.

Now, whether we can do something about it, or whether we can’t do anything about it, worrying about it only makes the matter worse.

William Hazlitt — For every evil under the sun, There is a cure, or there is none; If there be one, try and find it, If there be none, never mind it.

There is no sense in worrying about something you have no control over! Look back at verse 27 real quick...

King James Version Chapter 6

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

Jesus is asking this question to make a point! The Bible says in Matthew 10:30 — “but the very hairs of your head are all numbered” meaning at a predetermined time before creation began, God looked down through time and determined when each of us would take our final breath!

And worrying about it won’t change that! But we need to understand the cost of our worrying.

A. Worry is Harmful to Self

There are studies after studies out there where tests have been run and have proven that stress and anxiety take a negative toll on your well being!

One of the major things worry does to your body is causes memory loss and in severe cases shrinking of the brain! It can cause depression, heart disease, digestion disorders, suppression of the immune system and the list goes on and on!

Worry is harmful to Self! And not only is it harmful to self but it is harmful to other people as well!

B. Worry is Harmful to Other People

Have you known folks that, when they walk into the room, it seems like somebody turned the lights off? Some people call them Debbie Downers. Their the kind of folks who brighten up the room when they leave. Anyone know someone like that?

They just worry about everything and not only do they worry themselves but worry is contagious, and they just start spreading this gloom and this worry everywhere.

It’s kind of like what’s going on right now with this Coronavirus situation! The media has everyone going crazy! If only we could get the stinking media to go offline and stay at home for a couple months, I believe everything would start to calm down a little bit!

Worry is not only harmful to self and other people but it is a wound to the heart of God!

C. Worry is Harmful to God — (Vs. 30-32)

Look at what Jesus says there in verses 30: "Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you,"—now, watch this little next phrase here—"O ye of little faith?"

Do you see what worry says about God? "O ye of little faith." Do you know what an insult worry is to God?

Romans 8:28, tells us that "all things work together for good to those who love God who are the called according to his purpose," but when we worry, we’re basically saying to God… “God I don’t believe you! I don’t believe this entire situation is going to work out somehow for my good so I’m going to worry about it instead!”

Then notice what Jesus says in Verse 31 & 32: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? Or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" Now, watch verse 32: "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:)"

What’s He talking about there? Listen friend, what our Lord is saying is that, when you worry, you’re living like a lost person who doesn’t have a relationship with Him!

You’re living like the world and you’re thinking like the world. You’re not thinking like somebody who has a heavenly Father."

Worry is harmful to self, it is harmful to others and it’s harmful to our relationship with God!

Our Lord has shown us the Causes of Worry and the Cost of Worry and finally He shows us the Cure for Our Worry!

We need to Understand the Cure for Our Worry

A. The Father Factor: Trust in the Lord — (Vs. 32)

So what is the Cure for Our Worry? Well, I’m glad you asked! Number one is simply to Trust in the Lord!

Look what the Bible says there in verse 32: "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

Listen dear friend, there isn’t a need that comes your way that the heavenly Father doesn’t already know about, Amen! He sits high and looks low and he sees what we’re going through and what we’re about to go through and therefore he knows before we know what we need! This is what we call the Father Factor and because of that, we are to simply Trust in Him!

If you fast forward to Matthew chapter 10 and look at verses 29-31 our Lord again is teaching on this same subject.

He says, "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father." He doesn’t say that a sparrow won’t fall; He doesn’t say that you’re not going to have trouble; but what He does say is that God’s right there when you do fall! He knows all about your situation and He’ll see you through!

And then He says, "But the very hairs of your head are numbered." Friend, He knows things about us that we don’t know about ourselves!

Many times we think He doesn’t understand: but the reality is we don’t understand how much He does understand!

There’s not a person here that knows how many hairs you have on your head but the Bible says “The very hairs of your head are numbered."

And then our Lord says, "Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

Elizabeth Cheney — Said the robin to the sparrow, "I should really like to know, Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so." Said to the sparrow to the robin, "Friend I think that it must be, That they have no Heavenly Father, Such as cares for you and me."

If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior this morning, then you have a heavenly Father who cares so much for you that He sent the best thing He possibly could, His one and only Son, to die for you!

He cares for you in such a way that you’ll never truly understand on this side of eternity and He knows what your needs are before you even pray so the next time you get ready to worry about something, just take a moment and remember He already knows and He’s in control!

Robert Louis Stevenson tells the story of a ship that was at sea on a rocky coast. It was very important that the ship not be washed upon a reef, and it was a stormy, blustery time. There were some sailors that were beneath the waterline in that ship that was being tossed and turned. They knew that they were in peril and danger. And they were wondering, "Are we going to make it?" One of those sailors beneath the deck couldn’t take it any longer so he left his duty, went up to the pilothouse, pushed open the door, and there was the captain of the ship in the pilothouse, steering that ship through those treacherous waters. The captain could tell that the sailor was worried so he didn’t say a word to the sailor; He just turned and smiled at him. The sailor went back down below the deck, and said to his shipmates, "Don’t worry. It’s all right. I have seen the captain, and he smiled at me."

Friend every time we hit those rough seas in our lives we need to remember that our captain is still in control and that he cares for us!

So, we have the Father Factor as cure # 1 for our worry. Then we have the Focus Factor as cure # 2.

B. The Focus Factor: Put First Things First — (Vs. 33)

Do you realize that a person who is worrying is a person whose mind is out of focus? Look at Verse 33 real quick.

Jesus says here if you will seek God first, all these things…what things?…Food, Fashion, Fitness & Future…all these things will be added unto you!

We just have to get our priorities right! And when we get our priorities right our problems won’t be so perplexed!

The Father knows what we need and Jesus assures us here that if we will put Him first, then He will provide for our needs! We need to Focus on the Father and not the Fears of the Future!

The devil uses fear and worry to distract our focus from the Father do you realize that? Think about it like this…when your worrying about the cares of this life you’re not worrying about the cares of the life to come!

You are focusing on the things of this world and not the things of the world to come! You are focusing on the Father of lies instead the Father of lights, Amen!

Always remember, everything that is out of your control is under God’s control, Amen!

Closing

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Conclusion

•Alexander Maclaren was a Scottish preacher of yesteryear and one of the great expositors of the Word of God. And, he said that his favorite verse, his life verse, was this verse in Deuteronomy chapter 33: “As thy days [are], so shall [be] thy strength.” (Deuteronomy 33:25) And, he said it had a special meaning to him when he was an eighteen-year-old boy. He said that he received his first job, and he lived in a little village outside the big city; and he had to go to the big city to work and stay there for a week, and he had to walk to work, which was about six miles away. And so, he went, and his father walked with him. And, they walked through a deep, dark ravine, a very foreboding valley, and then up and out the other side, and then on to the big city.

His father said to him, “Alex, when your work is over this week, on Saturday night, I want you to come home.” And, young Alex said—this sixteen-year-old boy said—“Dad, I’ll be tired Saturday night. I’ll come home, Dad, Sunday morning.” And, his dad said, “No, Alex, this is the first time you’ve been away from home, and my old heart is going to miss you. I’ll be longing to see you. Please, Alex, come home Saturday night, as soon as you finish.” What Alex didn’t tell his dad was this: that there had been some terrible things happen in that deep ravine, and he was afraid. He didn’t want to go down into that thing at night by himself, down into that inky black darkness by himself. And, he was fearful. He was afraid, in a way, to tell his dad that. But, he just swallowed hard and said, “All right, Dad, I’ll come home Saturday night.”

And, all of the week he was tossing, anticipating that problem, worrying about it and worrying about it. And, the Saturday night came, and he made his way. And, he stood there on the brink of that dark ravine and looked at it, and it looked so black and so forbidding and foreboding that his chin started to quiver and the tears started to run. He didn’t have the strength to enter into it. And then, he heard a noise, and he saw a figure, a shadowy figure, coming down. But, he noticed something about the features, the way the footfalls fell, that looked familiar. It was his dear father who had come to meet him. And, his dad said to him, “Alex, I just”—he didn’t say a word about the boy being afraid, but he said—“Alex, I missed you so badly I just thought I’d come to meet you and walk home with you.” Alex said, “Oh, with that grand old man by my side,” he said, “the two of us went shoulder to shoulder down into that valley, and,” he said, “I wouldn’t have fear of anything that walked, with my father by my side.”•

And, I believe that’s what this text is all about, my friend. Oh, the things that we worry about! Oh, the things that we anticipate! Oh, the unknown—the deep, dark forbidden valleys that we think that we might have to go through! I want to tell you that when you know the Lord Jesus, when you get there, He will be right by your side. He will go through that valley with you. And, He has promised that He will never leave you nor forsake you. (Hebrews 13:5)

Why don’t you stop worrying about tomorrow? Why don’t you stop facing the future with fear? Why don’t you live today and enjoy the blessings of today and face the burdens of today with the strength of today? “[For] as [your] days [are], so shall [your] strength be.” (Deuteronomy 33:25) And, “take … no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:34)