WINNING THE WAR WITHIN (MATTHEW 6:25-34)

THE CURE FOR ANXIETY

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.

BIG IDEA: WORRYING TAKES OUR OFF OF GOD!

THE MOST ACCURATE DESCRIPTION FOR US DURING THIS SEASON IS WORRY....IT WAS A SUBTLE TAKE-OVER, BUT A TAKE-OVER NONETHELESS...

AND I SEE IT EVERYWHERE: IN PEOPLE OF FAITH. IN PEOPLE WHO DON’T BELIEVE - WORRY HAS TAKEN OVER!

QUESTION: HOW HAVE YOU DEALT WITH WORRY?

TO OUR DEFENSE, OUR WORRY HAS BEEN BY DESIGN.

WE’VE BEEN DRAWN INTO TRAUMA AFTER TRAUMA - PLIGHT AFTER PLIGHT - CRISIS AFTER CRISIS...

WITH THE NEVER-ENDING CYCLE OF CONTENT THAT WE’RE NOW ACCUSTOMED - ALL WE SEEM TO KNOW IS TO WORRY!

FROM RACE TO VIRUSES TO POLITICS TO WAR TO FINANCES TO EDUCATION TO FAMILY…YOU KNOW I COULD GO ON, DON’T YOU?

AND THIS TAKE-OVER HAS CAUGHT MOST OF US WITH OUR GUARDS DOWN....

RATHER THAN USING THE INFORMATION DISTRIBUTED OVER THE AIRWAYS, WE’VE BEEN USED BY THE INFORMATION...

YOU SEE, IF THEY CAN KEEP US FRETFUL, THEN WE WON’T BE FAITHFUL...

IF WE AREN’T FAITHFUL, THEN WE’LL MAKE CHOICES WHICH ARE OUT OF ALIGNMENT WITH GOD’S WORD - GOD’S WILL AND GOD’S REASON...

I’LL ASK YOU AGAIN: HOW HAVE YOU DEALT WITH WORRY?

JESUS UNDERSTOOD THE DANGER OF WORRY UPON THE LIVES OF BELIEVERS, SO HE ADDRESSES IT HEAD-ON.

HE DEALS WITH IT IN HIS SERMON ON THE MOUNT, TO WHICH WE EXTRACT OUR PASSAGES FOR TODAY...

IN HIS EXTENDED LESSON, JESUS CHALLENGED THEM AND US TO WATCH OUT FOR OUR OBSESSION WITH MONEY…WAIT! WHAT? MONEY?

Y’ALL STAY WITH ME, I’M BUILDING MY CONTEXT:

VS. 24 - NO ONE CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS, SINCE EITHER HE WILL HATE ONE AND LOVE THE OTHER, OR HE WILL BE DEVOTED TO ONE AND DESPISE THE OTHER. YOU CANNOT SERVE BOTH GOD AND MONEY...

HERE’S HIS POINT: WHEN WE ARE DEVOTED TO MONEY, WE WILL DESPISE THE THINGS OF GOD.

WHEN GETTING AND STACKING PAPER IS THE GOAL OF OUR LIVES, GOD HAS BEEN LOWERED IN SIGNIFICANCE, ALONG WITH HIS KINGDOM RULE AND AUTHORITY OVER OUR LIVES.

WHEN GOD’S PURPOSE IS LOWERED, LIFE BECOMES PURPOSELESS...

WATCH THIS: WE BECOME OBSESSED WITH MONEY BECAUSE THE WORLD HAS CONVINCED US THAT REAL SECURITY IS FOUND THERE...

OH GOD: DEVOTION TO (((AND))) SERVICE OF MONEY HAS GIVEN MANY OF US A FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY.....

BUT THAT’S THE CONTEXT, BELOVED, LET’S KEEP PRESSING:

VS. 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?

OSBORNE HELPS ME TO SEE THAT THESE VERSES ARE CALLED A “PRESENT-TENSE PROHIBITION.” JESUS IS COMMANDING THEM AND US TO STOP DOING WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING!

AND WHAT HAVE WE BEEN DOING?

WORRYING…AND WORRYING ABOUT EVERYTHING!!!

HERE’S OUR FIRST MOVEMENT:

WORRYING IS UNHEALTHY!

WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT THE CULTURAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL CONTEXT OF OUR TEXT IS ONE OF POVERTY AND PAIN. THE PEOPLE IN OUR PASSAGE WEREN’T WORRIED BECAUSE THEY HAD SO MANY OPTIONS FOR EATING, DRINKING AND CLOTHING. NO!

THEY WERE WORRIED BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T KNOW WHERE THEIR NEXT MEAL WOULD COME FROM.

THEY WERE WORRIED BECAUSE ALL THEY HAD WAS ONE OR TWO PIECES OF CLOTHING, LIMITED SHELTER, LIMITED FOOD.

SO EVEN TO THESE PEOPLE, JESUS COMMANDED: DON’T WORRY! IT’S UNHEALTHY.

WHEN WE WORRY, WE ELEVATE ISSUES LARGER THAN THEY NEED TO BE.

NOTICE JESUS’ QUESTION: ISN’T LIFE MORE THAN WHAT YOU’VE BEEN WORRIED ABOUT?

WHEN WE WORRY, OUR VISION BECOMES DISTORTED! WE CAN’T SEE STRAIGHT!

WE SEE THINGS THAT AREN’T THERE!

ILLUS: EVERY NIGHTMARE I’VE HAD HAS COME FROM A FRETFUL EXPERIENCE THAT I’VE TAKEN TO BED…I’LL ALLOW MY MIND TO FOCUS UPON SOMETHING, MAKING THAT THING LARGER THAN LIFE. AND BEFORE I KNOW IT, I’M WAKING WITH NIGHT SWEATS, BECAUSE I CHOSE THAT THING OVER MY GOD...

BELOVED, HOW DO WE CLEAR UP OUR DISTORTED VISION AND GET CLARITY OVER WORRY?

DO WHAT JESUS SAYS TO DO: CONSIDER GOD’S CREATION.

SEE GOD!

WORRY IS UNHEALTHY BECAUSE IT MAKES US FOCUS ON THE WRONG THINGS...

NOW THIS ISN’T DIMINISHING OUR ISSUES OR PROBLEMS...

BUT IT IS CHOOSING TO NOT BE BOUND OR OBSESSED BY OUR PROBLEMS...

CHOOSING TO CAST VISION UPON THE ONE WHO HAS PROVEN THAT OUR TIME IS BETTER SPENT FOCUSED UPON HIM!

WE’RE LOOKING AT TIMELINES AND NEWS BROADCASTS (WHICH HAVE THEIR PLACE), BUT WE SHOULD SPEND MORE TIME LOOKING AT NATURE!

SEEING HOW GOD CARES FOR HIS CREATURES...

SEEING HOW GOD PROVIDES FOR THOSE HE’S CREATED...

YES, SEEING GOD’S HAND OF PROTECTION AND PROVISION...

JESUS WANTS US TO EXPAND OUR VISION TO SEE MORE THAN WHAT’S IN FRONT OF US!

WHEN WORRY GRABS YOU - GO FOR A WALK! A PRAYER WALK! GET AWAY FROM THE CHAOS, AND GET CLOSER TO GOD.

TALK TO HIM WHILE YOU WALK. LOOK FOR HIS HANDS AS YOU WALK....

NOT ONLY IS WORRYING UNHEALTHY. SECONDLY,

WORRYING IS UNPRODUCTIVE!

VS. 27CAN ANY OF YOU ADD ONE MOMENT TO HIS LIFE SPAN BY WORRYING?

WORRY ROBS: IT STEALS YOUR CURRENT MOMENT AND THE MOMENT YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT. BOTH. WORRYING IS THE GREATEST MISUSE OF OUR TIME!

WORRY CONFUSES: FROM BODY IMAGE TO MATERIALISM TO COMPETITION. WORRY MAKES US THINK THAT PEOPLE ACTUALLY CARE WHAT WE LOOK LIKE! YALL AIN’T HEARING ME.

WORRY REDUCES (OUR FAITH):

ILLUS:

WORRYING IS UNGODLY

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.

WORRY CAN BE IDOLATRY