Our Heavenly Father's Love: The Cure to Anxiety

OUR HEAVENLY FATHER'S LOVE: THE CURE FOR ANXIETY; Mt. 6:25-34 – MHAFB, 16 Aug 20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------Series: Sermon on the Mount / Topics: Jesus; Life and Teaching of Jesus Christ; Teachings of Jesus; Sermon on the Mount/Plain; Anxiety; Anxious; Stress; Peace; Kingdom of God; Righteousness; Faith; Faithfulness Before Worship: Pray with leaders! Openings Verse: Psalm 34:1–15ff (116:1–11; 121:1ff) Songs: Trading My Sorrows; Day By Day; You Say ----------------------------------------------------------------------------SLIDE-Transition to Sermon Introduction Attention: 1. Covid-19 brought some very interesting things out of the American people, didn’t it? a. What were some of those things? Hoarding, etc. 2. Let’s talk for a moment about hoarding… a. What were some of the supplies that the stores were running out of? Flour, pasta, rice, sanitizer, cleaning solution, chicken, beef, pork, etc… b. Like many, I found the run on Toilet Paper most interesting & comical… c. Why was there such a shortage? i. Well, like the old Mary Poppins showed with the bank, 1. “Fear of a run creates an actual run” ii. Also, an Australian official speculated, "Stocking up on toilet paper is … a relatively cheap action, and people like to think that they are 'doing something' when they feel at risk." iii. Interestingly, “hoarding also makes people feel secure... 1. With a contagion over which we have little or no control,” people take comfort that they “can control things like having enough toilet paper in case we are quarantined." d. However you look at it, i. The hoarding & runs on dry goods, meats, & even toilet paper revealed a deep sense of anxiety & fear in the American people—even the church! 3. And that is what Jesus turns to today—worry & anxiety within our hearts. Big Picture: 1. Worry can range from a. A healthy heartfelt concern to b. An unhealthy consuming anxiety, usually “based on apprehension about possible danger”, misfortune, or difficulties 2. While the former type of worry is no problem & actually is spoken of well in the Bible (Philippians 2:20, 28; 2 Corinthians 11:28) a. The latter form of worry is an unhealthy obsession that comes from a distorted perspective of God & life i. God addresses this multiple times throughout the Scriptures (Matthew 6:25–34; Luke 12:22–31; Philippians 4:4–9) b. And like so many of mankind’s maladies, the cure to this is not found in trying hard to “not be anxious” 1. Nor is it found in ‘seeking peace’ — i. On the contrary, the cure is found in getting to know and trust God better with all of who you are. 3. And so we come to today’s sermon… a. SLIDE-Title: Our Heavenly Father's Love: The Cure for Anxiety b. While I thought about entitling this, “Worry Free Living: Defined by Peace” i. I choose the title you see because it better deals with the heart of this passage 4. SLIDE-Thesis: A heart that I hope that you, that… a. Our heavenly Father's lovingkindness will cure the anxieties of His faithful children. 5. Having been a sociology major, having taken several psychology classes, & having been received several secular counseling training, I find it interesting how the world encourages us to deal with anxiety. a. Some quick Google searches will reveal all sorts of great tips: i. Problem solve by changing “What if" Qs to “How can I” Qs, accepting uncertainty, not suppressing unwanted emotions, doing other things that make you happy, limiting the time you let yourself worry, etc. 6. Now, admittedly the Bible is not intended to be a psychology text book— a. However, with the total integration of a human— i. How your mind (to include emotions & will), body, & spirit all effect one another— ii. If you try to address such a big issue like ‘anxiety’ only through physical & secular mentalemotional means, 1. You miss out on the amazing power of God! b. And so today, I hope that each of us will... i. Learn (or at least be reminded) of the amazing lovingkindness and power of our heavenly Father... ii. in such a way that cures the anxieties of His faithful children. c. What does that look like? i. I invite you to open your Bibles to Matthew 6 as we find out… Passage: 1. Context: Before we get too deep, a few notes on the context— a. Jesus just finished talking about the pursuit of true righteousness & true heavenly treasures— i. Some people may respond, 1. “I’m not really thinking about ‘treasures’ right now, I’m just trying to make ends meet.” a. “Life is far too hectic and crazy to focus on personal piety or getting treasures!” b. “Haven’t you even heard about Covid?!?” ii. Such worries can consume us and very negatively affect our mind, body, spirit, & relationships! 1. They also fight against the true godliness Jesus encouraged at the beginning of Matthew 6 2. Verses-3 Slides: And so we come to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25-34; I invite you to stand in honor of God’s Word as we read… Matthew 6:25–34 CSB 25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. 3. Pray with me… Transition: 1. Having been mentioned 6 times in these few verses, let’s first turn our focus to… Main Point 1: The Worries of the World Explain: 1. What are some of the things that you worry about? 2. While the list of things that worry us could be endless, Jesus focuses on some very basic worries for this sermon— a. MP1: Life, in general (v25, 27, “Don’t worry about your life… Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying?”) i. And in this, He especially looks at three keys for survival: 1. Food (vv25, 31, “Don’t worry about… what you will eat”) 2. Drink (vv25, 31, “Don’t worry about… what you will drink”) 3. Clothing (vv25, 28-31, “Why do you worry about clothes?”) ii. But He also simply looks at… b. MP1: The future (v34, “Don’t worry about tomorrow”) 3. And it wouldn’t take much work to add to this list and make it very personal… a. MP1: My career: Will we succeed? How can we manage the day-to-day stress? What about that annoying coworker/subordinate/supervisor? b. MP1: My family: And friends. From success in our relationships (being the husband/boyfriend/etc. we need to be) to their wellbeing c. MP1: My health: Covid is out there! But we have all the other things beyond that! d. MP1: My country: From racial tensions to political tensions, and beyond! 4. Indeed, the list of worries can populate many slides, but let’s break from this and consider— Expand: MP1: What does worry reveal about me? 1. While there are many ways we could answer, what key revelation does Jesus share in verse 30? “You of little faith” a. Single Greek word, oli go pistos (ὀλιγόπιστος, see Matthew 6:30, 8:26, 14:31, 16:8, 17:20; Luke 12:28) i. MP1: It shows that we are “little-faith ones” b. Interestingly this word is only applied to disciples… i. … For those who have known, accepted, & responded to the message of salvation 1. But still struggle in their belief (see Mark 9:14–29, esp v24) 2. From worry for daily needs (Matthew 6:30, 16:8), to fear of danger (Matthew 8:26, 14:31), and well-beyond (Matthew 17:14–20)… c. MP1: Much of our anxiety results from a lack of... i. MP1: Trust in God, ii. MP1: Perseverance in faith, or iii. MP1: Application of faith to our lives. 2. Now, take heart! a. There is actually a note of affection in Jesus’ application of “oli go pistos” to us! i. In it, you see a touch of our heavenly Father’s care for us ii. Similar to how I will affectionately use the phrase “Little one” with my daughter. b. It shows that we are apart of His ‘family of faith’ Illustrate: 1. James Penney, son of a Baptist preacher & farmer, had great success in the early 1900s with a a department store chain that he helped start 2. All of that changed with the 1929 stock market crash and the following Great Depression a. James lost virtually all of his material assets and he plummeted into great debt. b. While trying to keep his stores afloat, i. His worries grew into intense anxiety, ii. This became so bad that he became physically ill, deeply depressed, and became hospitalized. 3. His illness became so severe on one particular night that he thought he was dying as he fell to sleep. a. When he woke up and realized he was still alive he walked down the hospital corridor b. While walking he heard singing coming from the hospital chapel; he heard these words, i. “God will take care of you— ii. Through every day, o’re all the way. iii. He will take care of you! iv. God will take care of you.” c. These words kindled a spark of hope in his heart. i. He went into the chapel where the prayers, songs, and Scripture further directed his focus 1. From the present anxieties of his heart 2. To the God who cared for him & was able to deliver him from his difficult circumstances. 4. This became a turning point for James. a. He ended up completely recovering from his illness & went on rebuild his stores into one of the most successful US retail businesses of his time—J.C. Penney Transition: 1. Considering his story, let us now direct our focus to our Heavenly Father and… Main Point 2: The Cure to Our Worries Explain: 1. MP2: Jesus addresses this issue through some “Greater to Lesser” and “Lesser to Greater” reasoning methods; and He calls us to “look closely” at these when He says ”Consider” (v26) & “Observe” (v28); therefore, let us Consider! a. MP2: vv25) Since God provided our life & body (a greater thing), i. MP2: He can certainly provide for our survival (a lesser thing)! And… b. MP2: vv 26, 28-30)Since God provides for the birds & flowers (a lesser thing), i. MP2: He can certainly provide for humans, even with all our complex needs (a greater thing)! c. Now, it is important to note that ‘God’s ability’ (what He ‘can’ do) is not the actual focus of Jesus’ argument… 2. Throughout this argument, Jesus solidifies three key truths about God that we need to grasp for our anxieties and fears to lose their power in our lives: a. MP2: You are worth much to Him! (vv26, 30) i. Jesus says as much in v26, “Aren’t you worth more than they?” (the birds) 1. And He implies it again in v30 when compares us to the transient & relative worthlessness of the grass ii. Such worth in His eyes falls right in line with the life-changing truth of John 3:16 John 3:16 CSB 16 For God loved the world in this way: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. iii. You are of incredible worth to God; He greatly loves you! 1. Do you believe it? Let’s look at the second point… b. MP2: He is aware of your needs! (v32) i. This, too, Jesus makes plain saying, “your Heavenly Father knows that you need them,” a reference to food, drink, & clothing ( v32) ii. Our God is all-knowing in the ultimate & general sense— 1. But He is also all-knowing in the very personal & intimate sense! 2. Do you believe it? Let’s look at the third point… c. MP2: He will provide for your needs! (v33) i. As Jesus says, “All these things will be provided for you.” 1. While we realize there are situations of extreme suffering & even persecution that have led godly people to suffer unto death— a. This is not the overarching experience of God’s people. b. And even in such experiences, these people indeed found both… i. God’s amazing comfort & presence in their season of suffering and ii. God’s greatest provision on the other side of death. 2. With that said, a. Realize that Jesus is talking about regular daily living for His people b. And to live in the “What if...” of those extreme examples is to “borrow tomorrow’s worry for today” c. And as Jesus said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (v34) ii. God is aware of your need, He greatly values & loves you, and He will provide for you— 1. Do you believe it? 3. Each of these truths are… a. MP2: Expressions of our Heavenly Father’s lovingkindness! i. His cHesed (Old Testament), agape (New Testament) love for us ii. A love that is not a transient warm fuzzy feeling based upon how we perform, but… 1. A love that is a faithful and steadfast a. He loves us, even when we are unlovable! 2. A love that is expressed in kind actions a. Such as providing for our needs, and even well beyond it b. Both at this time and in the age to come (Mark 10:28–31)! Expand: 1. We are the “Little-faith ones” a. The ones that cry out to God, “I do believe, help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24) 2. MP2: Indeed, in order to receive the ‘cure to our worries,’ we need to respond in two key ways: Faith & Faithfulness a. Faith: i. Jesus highlights this when He refers to us as the “little-faith ones” (oli go pistos) 1. And He clearly appeals to this as he exhorts us to trust (have faith in) in God’s value, awareness, & care of us! ii. More than mere mental ascent to their truth, to have faith means that we 1. MP2: Believe with confidence & trust that lead to changes in our lives! iii. This actually gets to the fuller meaning of the biblical Greek word we translate as ‘faith’ (pistis) 1. While we often see this only as an intellectual activity, the Greek term can rightly be understood as both faith and… b. Faithfulness: i. Did you catch how Jesus actually connects these ideas in today’s key passage? 1. Where do we see Him calling us to faithfulness? Mt 6:33 Matthew 6:33 CSB 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. ii. MP2: Our faith and faithfulness are inextricably linked! iii. And the evidence that we are growing in our faith— 1. That we are no longer the “little-faith ones”— 2. is through this demonstration of faithfulness: a. MP2: Seeking first God’s kingdom & righteousness. iv. If we are seeking God’s kingdom, 1. If we truly pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” (Matthew 6:10), 2. MP2: Then we will earnestly try to have His kingdom take form in our heart & interactions by trying to live a righteous life (c.f. Matthew 5:1 - 6:18) 3. These two pursuits are also inextricably linked! v. And to truly fight the strangulating grip anxiety— 1. We must learn to "seek FIRST” these things. 2. It must be a top priority of our lives to be shaped more in the image of Christ vi. Is it a priority in your life? 1. What do you focus more on? a. Are you preoccupied on your wants or basic needs (trying to ‘make ends meet’), or b. Or are you consumed with seeking His Kingdom in your mind, attitudes, actions, words, & relationships? 2. What guides your passions, heartfelt concerns, & pursuits? c. Let us each earnestly pursue this greater calling! Transition: 1. Now, let’s wrap this up… Conclusion: Conclusion Reiterate: Our heavenly Father's lovingkindness will cure the anxieties of His faithful children. 1. We live in a world of many worries, from life in general, to our careers, families, health, nation, & countless other concerns about the future a. When our worries move from a healthy heartfelt concern to the unhealthy consuming anxieties, i. We reveal that we are “little-faith ones,” ii. Part of our Heavenly Father’s faith-family that struggle with… 1. Trusting in God, 2. Persevering in our faith, and 3. Applying our faith to our lives b. But there is a better way to live… 2. And so Jesus invites us to observe & consider our Heavenly Father… a. He can provide for us in every way b. We are worth so much to Him! c. He is aware of our needs and He will provide for them! 3. All of this, as an expression of His great lovingkindness. Apply: So, how should we respond? 1. Con: Be honest about your anxieties. a. Honest with yourself, God, & those He brought into your life to strengthen & support you! b. This means that we have to first slow down & consider how we are really doing… i. Have you ever been VERY anxious, but not even realized it? 1. Perhaps a loved one told you or maybe you had an physical effects (dry skin, nausea, etc.) ii. I encourage you to slow down, talk to God, consider even speaking with those closest to you— 1. Are you captivated by anxieties that you need to deal with? iii. Start with this honestly, then… 2. Con: Work to receive the cure to these anxieties! a. Con: Better know the truth about our amazing God i. He is our Heavenly Father—better than any earthly father we’ve had ii. Full of lovingkindness that is expressed through tangible care of His children! b. Con: Practice wise responses: Spiritually, physically, mentally, emotionally, & socially— i. Today’s message has focused on Jesus’ directions for our spiritual responses— ii. With that, realize that we also need wise physical, mental, emotional, & social responses! 1. Getting better sleep, exercise, & nutrition 2. Changing unhealthy life habits (like patterns of rest & work) 3. Correct unhealthy patterns of thinking (like obsessing over a concern) 4. Make good friendship choices 5. Be willing to seek and receive help from professionals, chaplains, psychologists, etc. iii. Practice these things—they don’t come naturally! c. Considering that There are many ways to address anxiety, I exhort you to make sure the guidance of Scripture takes priority in your response; as Jesus taught, i. Con: Grow in faith 1. Get to better know God a. Read His Word, hear testimonies from other Christians (even missionary biographies) about who He is and what He does b. Come to know this generous, loving Heavenly Father 2. Then believe what He reveals with a confidence & trust that changes your lives a. Trust in His provision rather than your own wit and strength, a politician’s promises, or any other earthly source ii. Con: Grow in faithfulness: 1. Seeking first His Kingdom: That His will will be done on earth as it is in heaven 2. And Seeking first His righteousness a. First received through salvation b. And then manifested through our changed heart & interactions i. Wherein we become more like Jesus ii. Increasing in love of and obedience to our awesome God d. As you do this, i. You will begin to powerfully see God’s amazing provisions in your life. Appeal: 1. Living in anxiety is a futile endeavor. a. It cannot add a minute to our life (v27) b. It actually adds more trouble to our lives as we copy tomorrow’s worries into today (v34) 2. Jesus actually highlights that such worrying is pagan a. The Gentiles eagerly seek these things 3. But we are to be… a. Those who altogether stop such worrying and rely on God’s gracious provision b. Those who eagerly seek God’s kingdom & righteousness. 4. And as we learn to do such things, a. We will begin to experience God’s powerful peace conquering our anxieties b. And we will see His amazing hand of provision in our daily lives— i. Meeting it’s culmination in a provision beyond compare in our eternal life. 5. May God grant us the grace to live in this way. Conclude: 1. Pray with me...