How to Win Over Worry

The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 6:24-34

Sermon by Rick Crandall

(Prepared April 10, 2021)

BACKGROUND:

*Please open your Bibles to Matthew 6:24. Tonight in the Sermon on the Mount, God's Word shows us how to win over worry in our lives. The Lord wants us to live in victory over worry, and we know this because three times in these verses Jesus plainly tells us, "DO NOT WORRY."

*But what is worry? We need to know, and if you use the KJV, I need to mention that instead of "do not worry," the King James says, "take no thought." But "thought" is one of the words that has changed meaning in the 400 years since the King James was translated.

*The old English word "thought" meant "anxiety" or "worry," so when Jesus told us to "take no thought," He was not telling us to live in a haphazard way, not thinking about our circumstances and making plans for our future. (1)

*Our God is the greatest thinker and planner of all. He had a plan to save you before the foundation of the world. So "do not worry" doesn't mean "don't plan." And it doesn't mean "don't care." Jesus Christ was full of compassion for every hurting person He ever met. And He wants us to care too. (2)

*But what is worry? The original word in these verses has the word picture of something being divided or cut into pieces. Worry then is a thought pattern that tears us apart. It distracts and divides. Worry turns our focus from our Provider to our problem. But Jesus wants us to overcome the worry in our lives. Let's read what He has to say in vs. 24-34.

MESSAGE:

*Have you been worried about anything lately? Most of us have. If I were to ask for a show of hands from everyone who has worried about something this week, probably most of us would raise our hands. (3)

*Mike Fogerson said, "I know people who stay worried with a 'What if this; what if that?' worst case scenario running through their minds." But God doesn't want us to live like that, because there are serious side-effects from worry. It hurts us. It gives us headaches, stomach aches, high blood pressure and other health problems. (2)

*Zig Ziglar wrote that "Americans take more pills to forget more worries about more things than ever before. . . That's bad. According to Dr. Charles Mayo, 'Worry affects the circulation and the whole nervous system. I've never known a man who died from overwork, but I've known many who have died from doubt.'" (4)

*On top of that, worry is a thief. It robs us of the joy that belongs to us if we belong to Jesus. And it steals the time we could be spending focusing on the good things in life. And worry is a sin. Again, the Lord specifically tells us not to worry three times in this Scripture. That's because we can't be trusting the Lord and worrying at the same time. Think about it. It's either one or the other. We need to stop worrying. How can we do it?

1. FIRST: WE NEED TO KEEP THE RIGHT PERSPECTIVE.

*The Lord helps us do this in vs. 24-25, where He said:

24. "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

25. Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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?"

*The answer is Yes! Of course life is more than the food we eat and the clothes we wear. Life is more than the toys we can pile up at home or the money we can pile up at the bank.

*Life is a gift. It's a precious gift from God. It's the awesome privilege of being able to learn and to love, to move and to grow, to be, to choose, to relate to family and friends. Most of all, life is the awesome privilege of being able to have a personal relationship with God. As Jesus said in John 17:3, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

*When we realize these truths about life, it helps us to keep things in perspective. Many years ago, I went to a Thursday worship service at the Ridgecrest Nursing Home in West Monroe. There was a group of five faithful ladies from several churches who conducted the service every week.

*On that day they closed out the service by asking the residents to tell some of the things they were thankful for. Several people spoke, and one lady was younger than most. I would guess she was about 40. She was in a wheelchair, and it was hard to understand her, because she moved and spoke like someone who had cerebral palsy. But she stunned me when she said, "I'm so glad that the Lord spared my life when I tried to take it, because now I know Him."

*I don't know if she was in that condition because she tried to take her life, or if she tried to take her life because she was in that condition. But under very difficult circumstances, that Christian lady had the right perspective on life. And that is what we need today. It will certainly help us stop worrying.

2. WE ALSO NEED TO SEE HOW MUCH GOD VALUES OUR LIFE.

*The Lord helps us do this in vs. 26, where Jesus said, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

*God wants all of us to learn the value of our lives. Your life has incredible value in His sight. We know this because in Matthew 16:24-26 Jesus said, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?"

*Your life, your soul is worth more than all the riches of the world. Your soul is worth more than every dime, every diamond, and every drop of oil. Your soul is priceless. There is nothing worth more.

*Think about the incredible value God has put on your life. Nobody in their right mind would trade a finger for a thousand dollars. Would you trade your arm for $100,000? Would you trade your tongue for a million? -- Of course not.

*But the real you who lives inside your body is worth exponentially more. You are priceless, and we know that because you are God’s creation.

*Zig Ziglar put it in perspective when he asked us to think about the priceless masterpieces painted by DaVinci or Michelangelo. And Zig said, "I am roughly familiar with the price of the canvass and the paints. In and of themselves, they are not worth much at all. No -- The value of the painting comes from the touch of the Master's Hand." (5)

*And you are priceless, because you were created by the greatest Master of all! On top of that, you are priceless because of the high price Jesus paid on the cross for your soul. That's why 1 Peter 1:18-19 tells believers, "You were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

*Think about the price that Jesus paid on the cross for you, and you will see how much God values your life. That will help you to win over worry.

3. WE ALSO NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT WORRY IS A WASTE.

*Jesus wants us to know this, so in vs. 27 He asked, "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?" That would be somewhere around 18 inches. The NIV says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

*The original word can mean maturity in size or years, so either interpretation works. But the point is that no matter how much you worry about it, you can't add a foot to your height or an hour to your life. Worry is a complete waste. It's useless. It will get you no where.

*Mike Fogerson gave the comparison of a mouse living in a cage with one of those little exercise wheels. A mouse in a cage like that can travel 9,000 miles in his lifetime! But he doesn't get anywhere. Worry is the same way. You can worry 24/7 and guess what? You are still right where you started. (2)

*How can we win over worry? Recognize that it is a big waste of our time and energy.

4. BUT WE ALSO NEED TO TRUST IN GOD'S CARE FOR US.

*This is one of the Lord's main lessons for us tonight, and if we have received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, looking at nature can help us. That's because our whole outlook on life changes when we trust in the Lord. As a wise man said, "A lost person looks at nature and can't see God. A saved person looks at nature and can't help but see Him everywhere!" (6)

*The French Revolution in the late 1700's was an attempt to set up an atheistic society. One of the atheists was ridiculing a believer with these words: "The new leaders are going to pull down everything that reminds you of God!" But the believer boldly replied, "Then tell them to pull the stars down from Heaven!" (7)

*That man was comforted by the way God takes care of His creation, and we can be comforted too. So again in vs. 26, Jesus said, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?"

*Then in vs. 28-30, Jesus said, "Why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?"

*God takes great care of His creation, and we can trust Him to take care of us too! That's why 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast "all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." The idea there is to do it quickly. Don’t wait around. Throw your cares on the Lord.

*John Piper explained: "This word 'casting' occurs one other time in the New Testament. It was on Palm Sunday after the disciples had been sent to get the donkey for Jesus to ride on. Then Luke 19:35 says, 'They brought it to Jesus, and casting their garments on the colt, they set Jesus on it.'

*The meaning is simple and straight forward. If you have a garment on and you want an animal to carry it for you, you 'cast' the garment on the animal. In this way you don't carry it anymore. It's on the animal, not on you. The donkey carries your load, and God is willing to carry our worries in the same way. (8)

*Sometimes when your world is crashing in, you may be tempted to think that the Lord doesn’t care for you. But always look back to the cross! God has done a million good things for us. But if He never did another thing, the cross would be enough! Jesus died on the cross to take the full punishment for our sins. And He rose again to give eternal life to all who will trust in Him.

*The cross of Christ proves forever that God cares for us, so cast all your worries on Him because He cares for you.

*When our Katie was a student at LSU, she said something that really inspired me. Katie had been worried about a lot of things in her life. But she told me that she prayed about it. And as she prayed, Katie told the Lord that she was going to imagine a box. Then she was going to put all her worries in that box and give them to Him. A little while later she caught herself worrying about something else and she said, "Oh. . . That goes in the box."

*Job trouble? That goes in the box. Financial trouble? That goes in the box too. Family problems, health issues, struggles with sin. Put them all in the box. Cast all your cares on the Lord, for He cares for you.

*How can we win over worry? Keep trusting in God's care for us.

5. AND PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST.

*This is the Lord's message for us in vs. 31-33, where Jesus said:

31. Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32. For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

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

*This is a matter of priorities. There can't be two "number ones" in our lives. God wants to be number one, and He deserves it! So, what's number one in your life? Or rather, Who is number one in your life? The only right answer to that question is Jesus Christ. All of us need to put King Jesus first in our lives. He is worthy of our love and total devotion.

*On top of that, Jesus also promised in vs. 33 that if we will seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, then all of the other things we need will be added to us. And the more we really put God first, the less we will worry about everything else. That's why Rick Warren said, "Worry is the warning light that God is really not first in my life at this particular moment, because worry says that God is not big enough to handle my troubles." (9)

*How can we win over worry? Keep putting first things first.

6. AND TAKE ON TROUBLE ONE DAY AT A TIME.

*This is the Lord's lesson for us in vs. 34 where Jesus said, "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble." In other words, "Don't worry about tomorrow, because it's more that you can handle."

*Mike Fogerson gave this comparison: "Have you ever tried to carry all the grocery bags in at once, -- and didn't make it. After you clean the eggs off the driveway, you decide next time to make a second trip. Jesus is telling us to carry today's bags today and make a fresh trip tomorrow.

*Mike also gave this advice to take on trouble one day at a time:

1-Don't worry about tomorrow's stress. Stay in one square at a time.

2-Don't worry about yesterday's mess. Forgive yourself of yesterday's failures. God has.

3-Don't worry about yesterday's success. Paul didn't worry about "topping" himself.

4-Don't worry about yesterday's distress. Life may have tripped you up, but keep walking with the Lord. (2)

CONCLUSION:

*Don't worry about tomorrow, because it's more that you can handle. And don't worry about tomorrow, because if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, your future is safely held in the Hands of God. You can cast all your cares on Him, knowing that your future is safely held in the Hands of God.

*And yes, we will be worried at times, but we don't have to stay worried! Let Jesus Christ help you win over worry one day at a time.

(1) WORD PICTURES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT by Archibald Thomas (A. T.) Robertson - Published in 1930-1933 - Matthew 6:25

(2) Adapted from SermonCentral Sermon "Winning Against Worry" by Mike Fogerson - Matthew 6:25-34 ("Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow. It robs today of its strength." - This quote may be adapted from Leo Buscaglia)

(3) Adapted from SermonCentral Sermon "Worry - Champion or Chump" by Tony Britt - Matthew 6:25-34

(4) Adapted from SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT: ENCOURAGEMENT AND INSPIRATION FOR LIFE'S UPS AND DOWNS by Zig Ziglar - Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997 - Source: LifeCoach4God - ENCOURAGING YOU IN CHRIST CENTERED LIVING! - https://lifecoach4god.life/tag/zig-ziglar-quotes-on-worry/

(5) Original source for Zig Ziglar quote unknown

(6) Original source unknown

(7) Original source unknown

(8) SermonCentral sermon "Anxieties: To Be Cast Not Carried" by John Piper - 1 Peter 5:1-11 - June 13, 1993

(9) SermonCentral illustration contributed by Timothy Smith