Dominate Worry In Our Lives

1 Samuel 13:8–14 NLT

Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. Just as Saul was finishing with the burnt offering, Samuel arrived. Saul went out to meet and welcome him, but Samuel said, “What is this you have done?” Saul replied, “I saw my men scattering from me, and you didn’t arrive when you said you would, and the Philistines are at Micmash ready for battle. So I said, ‘The Philistines are ready to march against us at Gilgal, and I haven’t even asked for the Lord’s help!’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering myself before you came.” “How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

Illusion of Control

At first glance what seems to be the thought that is driving Saul’s decision in this situation?

-What was originally planned seemed to have been eliminated or made void through Samuel’s absence

-Saul didn’t star to have any marked reaction until his men were scattering

-It seemed as is everything was coming apart and Saul had a thought that he could control what was happening.

-Took initiative and performed the offerings so they could regain control, reduce the fear people were having and move ahead with their plans.

-Saul blames Samuel for being late and also gave that reason as to why he disobeyed God.

-Saul was in a place that was uncomfortable for him and so he decided to step outside of the covenant that was made

Control gives us a false sense of comfort that can justify our actions in our minds.

1 Samuel 13:13–14 NLT

“How foolish!” Samuel exclaimed. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you. Had you kept it, the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. The Lord has already appointed him to be the leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.”

-God was planning to provide exceedingly more than what Saul took control over to force his own outcome.

The Allure of Worry

Matthew 6:25–34 NLT

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

The Message of the Sermon on the Mount a. False or Secular Ambition: Our Own Material Security

So there is nothing here to stop Christians making plans for the future or taking sensible steps for their own security. No, what Jesus forbids is neither thought nor forethought, but anxious thought. This is the meaning of the command mē merimnate. It is the word used of Martha who was ‘distracted’ with much serving, of the good seed sown among thorns which was choked by the ‘cares’ of life, and by Paul in his injunction, ‘Have no anxiety about anything.’ As Bishop Ryle expressed it: ‘Prudent provision for the future is right; wearing, corroding, self-tormenting anxiety is wrong.’2

Why is it wrong? Jesus replies by arguing that obsessional worry of this kind is incompatible both with Christian faith (25–30) and with common sense (34), but he spends more time on the first.

Worry Is Unnecessary- nobody works harder for a living than a bird, but scripture shows us that birds do not worry.

v26 for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you more valuable to him than they are?

Worry Is Useless- can’t add a single hour to your life, you can’t change the past and you can’t determine the future through worry.

v27 can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

Worry is Blind- worry refuses to learn the lessons that we are taught in scripture.

v31 Jesus restates his discussion on worry again and this can stand as a reminder to us that worry looks past what God has done to the problem that may still lie ahead of us.

Worry is a failure to trust God- I hesitated to write this one, but as Jesus was showing me in scripture he said it himself.

Matthew 6:31–32 NLT

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

How do we defeat worry?

SEEK

FIRST

HIS KINGDOM

Show picture of police searching

Our focus has to be laser locked on our relationship with God to the point where we don’t even see anything else.