Mission Possible pt 11
Notes
Transcript
This world is full of worry…or anxiety… of concern… isn’t it?
We don’t have to look far… Just turn on the TV and we see it: Death… destruction… oppression… aggression… violence… inflation… health concerns… Anger, Fear, and Division are running rampant!
Is it any wonder that so many people today are being destroyed by anxiety and depression?!
Think about it… Just in the last — little over a year — we have seen “panic buying”… increased suicide rates… violence in our streets… controversy in politics… increased prices in stores and at the gas pump… a “border crisis” … and there is little sign of these things changing anytime soon…
Again, is it any wonder that people are suffering from severe anxiety and worry?
But as bad there is Good News! … We have a message of Hope!
19 We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain,
25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
12 Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness,
So… What is this Hope we have?
JESUS!!!
The writer of Hebrews goes on to tells us:
20 where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.
Jesus opened the door… He “paved the way”… He removed ALL the opposition to us… Through Him, we can find true freedom and life! Free from worry… anxiety… depression… fear…
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
Jesus’s purpose is to bring us life!
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
“Well… that’s all well and good, pastor… but what does that mean?”
Let me ask you — “How many of you suffer from anxiety? Depression? Fear?”
What has that done for your life? Has it improved it in any way?
Nothing good, right?!
Let me tell you, Christ came to set you free! Not just from Sin… but… To truly set you free from depression… fear… anxiety… worry… shame… not just teach you to “manage” it… but to be delivered from it so that you can LIVE!!!
You see… The world tells us that depression… fear… anxiety… those are physical disorders… that they can only be “managed” through counseling… drugs… “woosaw” meditation practices… etc…
But… What does scripture say?
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
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?
27 And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?
28 And why do you worry 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 clothed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Three times in this passage, Jesus says “Do not worry”…
The Greek word translated “worry” here, could also be translated “be anxious”.... It is the Greek word — merimnao — which literally means “to be pulled, torn in two directions due to opposing concerns”
Jesus tells us not to worry, not to be anxious… Do not be “merimnao”!
HOW?!
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
That word — “Therefore”… is a conjunction… it means that Jesus’s thought here is not a new thought… it is not disconnected from what He just said, it is a continuation of it…
24 “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
Jesus has just gotten through explaining that “Undivided loyalty is essential to spiritual health” — The Wesleyan Bible Commentary
We talked about this last week… We must be focused on Heaven!
We cannot be divided between the world and God… because when we are we lose!
This is why the Psalmist wrote:
11 Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name.
Jesus says: “Focus on Heaven, and God WILL take care of you”
But we struggle with that, don’t we?
You see… That is the issue! Depression, anxiety, worry, stress,… all stem from this issue of trusting God…
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
Jesus has just got through explaining that if we “set our eyes on Heaven,” and let go of the world, God — our Heavenly Father — will provide for our needs… So…
How can we suffer from depression and anxiety… even fear… if we understand that, and place our faith in our place as Children of God?!
Now, don’t get me wrong here… I am not questioning your faith if you are struggling with these things… (we ALL struggle with these things)… I am saying “There is a way out!”
There is HOPE!
That’s what Jesus wants us to understand...
We do not have to suffer from anxiety… worry… fear… stress… depression… because we have a God who LOVES US and WILL provide for our needs!!!!
All we have to do is put our FAITH in HIM!
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
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?
Do you believe that you hold GREAT value in God’s eyes?
Let me assure you… You are the most valuable thing to God!!!
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
17 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
If that’s not enough, look at look at Romans:
8 But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.
God paid the ultimate price for you… and for me… He loves us more than we can even imagine… and He promises to provide for us, IF we will just TRUST Him!
All we have to do is place our FAITH completely in Him!
Look at what He promises to do for us:
Provide our basic needs.
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
2. Provide clothing
28 And why do you worry 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 clothed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?
We can trust God to provide EVERYTHING we need!
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
We have HOPE, therefore, we do not have to live in worry!
All we have to do is put our faith in God… amen?
33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
But we struggle with that, don’t we? Why? Why do we struggle with placing our faith in God?
I think it is because we don’t understand faith…
Let me ask you — “What is faith?”
Most people will say that Faith is “believing in things unseen”… We seem to equate “Faith” with “Belief in”… But…
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
You see… Faith assures us of our HOPE in the promises of God, and CONVINCES us of the things we cannot see.
“Faith is the confidence, trust, assurance or reliance on God’s promises of forgiveness…, eternal life…, [provision]…, and the Kingdom...” Ken McKinley
Our faith should help us to overcome fear… doubt… anxiety… because of the promises of God.... BUT.....
More often than not… we allow our anxiety to cause us to exchange the future HOPE we have in God, for the present COMFORT of the world!
We feel anxious… we feel oppressed… we feel disliked… so we compromise our FAITH for the sake of comfort and “relevance” within the world… We attempt to serve two masters!
When we do this… we lose!
Warren Weirsbe explains us that when we allow anxiety — instead of faith — to rule our lives, we lose two things:
Lose our testimony.
31 Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
33 But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Anxiety — worry about material things — is the attitude of those who are not a part of the Kingdom of God!
Christians are supposed to live our lives in Faith! We should be living our lives in complete trust in God — KNOWING — that He is going to take care of us… When we do not, we lose our testimony…
(the Church is losing its testiomony — “watering down” the truth because of anxiety)
(example — “steve’s comments in Lubbock”)
The only way we live that way to put our faith completely in God!
Yet, over and over, we “The Church” seems to be compromising our faith for the sake of comfort… and we are losing our testimony!
2. Lose our Joy.
34 “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
Worry… anxiety… fear… does not change tomorrow… It does not add a day to our lives… in fact, it has been proven to do the opposite!
When we live our lives in worry and fear… anxious about tomorrow — what might happen — we quickly lose our joy!
But that is completely unnecessary! God knows what we need, and He promises to provide!
All we have to do is trust Him… put our faith in Him… and let Him be who He is… REGARDLESS of what the world around us says!
Matthew IV. Life Application: God Will Take Care of You
When the stock market crashed in 1929, J.C. Penney lost almost all of his material assets. Worry and anxiety set in. He became physically ill and deeply depressed. As a result, he had to be hospitalized.
Mr. Penney’s illness became so severe that on one particular night he thought he was dying. When he woke up, he realized he was still alive. As he walked down the hospital corridor that day, he heard singing coming from the hospital chapel. The words were “God will take care of you, through every day, o’re all the way.”
These words kindled a spark of hope in his heart. He went into the chapel where the prayers and reading of Scripture directed his focus from his problems to God who cared about him and was able to deliver him from his difficult circumstances.
This was the turning point for J.C. Penney. He made a complete recovery from his illness and went on to build one of the most successful retail businesses in the United States. He had heeded Jesus’ counsel to turn from worry to God.
We have HOPE, therefore, we DO NOT have to LIVE in WORRY!
We have a God who LOVES us…
We have a God PROVIDES for us…
We have a God who KNOWS our needs…
We can trust Him!
What is holding you back? What is causing you anxiety? What is stealing your Joy? What do you need to be free from?