No Worries

*How heavy does something have to be, to be too heavy? Consider the following story:

A psychologist walked around a room while teaching stress management to an audience. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they'd be asked the "half empty or half full" question. Instead, with a smile on her face, she inquired: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute, it's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes." (Illustration Exchange)

Our worries in life are a lot like that . Think about them for a little while, no big deal. Think about them longer and they begin to hurt. Think about them all day or week and they will paralyze you.

Jesus understands that and doesn’t want God’s children to live under that kind of stress. Jesus does not want God’s children to be anxious. He wants us to learn to put the glass down!

When Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life….” (Matt. 6:25) he is demanding that we have the kind of life that everybody wants.

But that is a pretty difficult command to keep. How does Jesus expect us to have this when we our governement, our families, and our lives are filled with things that naturally cause us to be anxious?

Jesus doesn’t simply demand that we live anxious free lives, but he shows us how.

We can all clearly see his point in the passage. He makes it over and over.

Matthew 6:25 ESV

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?

Matthew 6:31 ESV

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

Matthew 6:34 ESV

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

All of these are negative ways of saying the point of the passage. He also gives a positive way. Instead of saying, “Don’t be anxious.”

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

In other words, when you think about all of the things that usually worry you, your kids, spouse, job, bills, nation, health, etc. It means instead you say, “God, you are King in this moment, and you are King over this need.”

You combat worry by trusting your need to the King that you have confidence has the power to meet that need and the desire to work for your good to meet all your needs. If we really believe in God’s kingly power over all things and that he works for the good of his people (Romans. 8:28), then there is nothing left to be worried about.

So, now we see something about the reality of worry, at it’s core it is a spiritual problem.

*Thomas Merton was right when he said, “Anxiety is the mark of spiritual insecurity." If we worry, it is either because we don’t believe God is powerful enough to provide for my needs, or we don’t believe he cares enough to care for my needs. Either way, worry is not caused by earthly problems. Worry is caused by a warped view of God.

Pretty much everything Jesus says in this text is meant to correct that problem and help us fulfill his demand that we not worry. He gives us 5 reasons we should not worry.

I. Worry Minimizes the Purposes of Life (v.25)

Matthew 6:25 ESV

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?

Now if anything seems OK to worry about, it is basic needs of food and clothing. After all, if you don’t have basic needs you could lose a lot. First of all, food tastes good. Most of us enjoy eating. Second, We also want clothes because we like to look nice. We like the praise we get when someone notices our new shoes. Or, Ladies enjoy the praise from others that a new dress brings. And, if we didn’t have any food our clothes we likely would lose our lives.

But Jesus says something interesting about food and clothes. “Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing.” (Matt. 6:25b)

Jesus says don’t be anxious about food and clothes because they can not provide the great things in life. They can not give you the enjoyment that comes through knowing God. They can’t give you forgiveness of sin and eternal life in Christ.

So, don’t make things like food and clothes and other basic needs ultimate.

*John Piper made this observation, “We get anxious about food and clothing to the same degree that we lose sight of the great purposes of a God-centered life.” (John Piper)

+So, when we find ourselves anxious over the basic things of life it’s because we have lost sight of the fact that God desires way more for his children in life than simply making sure we are fed and clothed. We wants you to delight in his Amazing Grace and live for his glory.

II. Worry Ignores the Daily Faithfulness of God (v.26)

Matthew 6:26 ESV

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?

Jesus is not saying that you can be lazy and just expect God to take care of you. Birds aren’t lazy. They build nests with limbs and leaves. They hunt for worms and bugs to eat and feed their young. But Jesus says, even though they work hard, it is God that feeds them. They don’t hoard up a whole lot of food as if the God who provided for them today wouldn’t be there to provide for him tomorrow.

They work, and we ought to work. But, we should not worry as if the God who provides for us today won’t be there to provide for us tomorrow.\

III. Worry Gives Us a False Sense of Accomplishment (v.27)

Matthew 6:27 ESV

27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

We worry like if we are doing something important. But Jesus says a reason not to worry is that it is absolutely useless.

*When I was growing up and someone did something or said something that wasn’t helpful to the situation, somebody shot back at you a sarcastic comment about just how useless what you said or did was.

I’d like to take a few of these sayings and apply them to worry. So the next time you worry, you can have a word picture of just how useless worry is:

*Worry is about as useful as an ejection seat in a helicopter.

*Worry is about as useless as an ashtray on a motorcycle.

*Worry is about as useless as a screen door on a submarine.

*Worry is about as useless as an inflatable dart-board.

*Worry is about as useless as a braille divers manual.

*Worry is about as useless as double-sided playing cards.

*Worry is about as useless as a solar powered flashlight.

Jesus wants you to know that worry is foolish thing because it’s a fruitless thing.

IV. Worry Distrusts God’s Purposes for His Children (vv.28-30)

Matthew 6:28–30 ESV

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?

Lillies don’t have any ability to worry, yet they are adorned in beauty. What does that tell us? God enjoys adorning things. And if he enjoys displaying his glory by making the grass of the field beautiful, how much more will he adorn his children!

+Now some of you are thinking, “Wait a minute Bradley. I’m not adorned like Solomon in palace robes. What about all the poor and destitute Christians around the world. They are not dressed like Solomon.

That is true. Very few are. We couldn’t fulfill God’s purpose for us if we were. For example, John the Baptist was described as being clothed in just the opposite of kingly robes and eating Kingly food.

Matthew 3:4 ESV

4 Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

No one wanted to copy the fashion of John the Baptist.

But, John the Baptist was clothed by God exactly the way he needed to be in order to glorify God the way he desired.

The adornment promised by Jesus is not that we will wear the nicest clothes, but that we will be clothed and equipped to do exactly what God has called us to do.

“We must not measure the perfection of God’s provision by some standard below his calling. He does not call us to live in palaces, but to take up our crosses and love people no matter the cost. And when we have finished carrying our crosses—on torn shoulders, if God wills—there will be kingly robes for us all.” (John Piper- Ch. 14-What Jesus demands from the World).

God does not promise that we will be rich. God does not even promise that we all will remain alive. It means that he will give us everything we need to do his will.

To conquer worry, we must desire the will of God more than we desire the comforts of this world.

V. Worry Borrows Trouble From Tomorrow. (v.34)

Matthew 6:34 ESV

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

God has apportioned each day it’s own portion of trouble. God has given enough grace today to deal with the trouble he assigned for today. Jesus is saying, “Don’t go dragging tomorrow’s trouble into today.” Leave your trouble in tomorrow, and tomorrow you will experience all the grace to deal with it then, not today.

A problem with worry really is a problem with the way we see God. These truths from Isaiah 40 help us to see God rightly and have worry fade.

* The oceans of the world contain more than 340 quintillion gallons of water, yet God holds them "in the hollow of his hand" (Is. 40:12).

* The earth weighs 6 sextillion metric tons, yet God says it is but "dust on the scales" (Is. 40:15).

* The known universe stretches more than 30 billion light years (200 sextillion miles), but God measures it by the width of his hand (Is. 40:12).

* Scientists claim there are at least 100 billion galaxies and each galaxy is made up of about 100 billion stars. To such mind-boggling math Isaiah reminds us that God calls each star "by name" (Is. 40:26).

Worry fades when we realize we can trust this God to provide all we need to accomplish His will in your life. Are you content for his will in your life? Worry is often a sign that we think we know better than God what his will should be for us. We don’t. We can trust this God.

*"When walking through the rural roads of India, you will occasionally come across a post with a sturdy shelf about shoulder height. These posts are called Soma Tonga, which means 'resting place.'

As people travel on foot, they can stop at a Soma Tonga and place their heavy load on the shelf for relief. Once rested, they can continue their journey. Christians in India call Jesus 'My Soma Tonga.'

Peter tells us to 'cast our burdens upon him'" (1 Peter 5:7). Are you willing to trust him and do that this morning?