Anxeity

Hook: Do you ever get anxious?

Do you ever get anxious about the small things?

I get anxious coming home from vacation

I begin to think about what I have to do the upcoming week

Things I want to accomplish when I get home

high the grass is

Did an animal destroy the garden, did the sprinklers work while I was away.

Stuff that doesn’t matter will drive me crazy

I would get anxious after a summer in college

I would worry so much

Forget I knew how to write

Everything was the same once I got there

Unfortunately, a lot of us deal with anxiety

On topics much more serious than these

This can be crippling

Effects relationships

Moods

appetite/health

If you struggle with anxiety

God doesn’t want you to live in a state of worry/fear/anxiety

He wants you to be free and have peace.

BOOK: Matthew 6:25-34

Jesus is preaching the greatest sermon of all time

Chapter 5, they gathered around him and he sat and he began to teach

Beatitudes- Blessed are the poor in spirit ,

Love your enemies

How to Give

How to pray

Things that they were dealing with at the time, Jesus is giving them a cure if you will “practical instruction

Chapter 6- He begins to address something we can all relate to, anxiety

Genuine concern, to obsessions

A lot  of times- from a distorted perspective

He is bringing all of this up to give a cure

Read Matthew 6:33

“But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you”.

But- Instead of worrying yourself sick

Seek- Give me all you got!

Life, devotion,effort

The Kingdom of God

Jesus is telling them that this Kingdom is different

Other Kingdoms wanted their people to be anxious

If they could cultivate anxiety in their people, they could control them

Money

Food-

Freedom

These people could relate because of the Roman rule at the time

Nervous/worrying about the future because the roman Hierarchy system made them inferior

They were establishing their authority by prompting anxiety.

The aim of the kingdom of God is to FREE us from anxiety!

God doesn’t need to keep us anxious in order to establish his power and superiority.

Instead he exalts his power and superiority by working to take away our anxiety.

The cure is to SEEK this kingdom!

SEEK!- Intentional about seeking

Not saying just stop worrying, and just sit around “

Give God your all- and I’ll handle the results/outcome

Time, resources, efforts,

Leave the results up to him!

Jeremiah 29:13- You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

One of the greatest things about Jesus is that he doesn’t want us to be anxious, he wants us to be free!

His will for you this morning is that you not be anxious about anything,

but that you enjoy deep serenity and peace and security in who he is and who you are in him!

We trade worry for freedom, a good deal!

LOOK: Not only does he give us the cure, but he gives us several practical reasons why we shouldn’t worry.

Life is more than stuff. - Verse 25

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Isn't life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Jesus mentions food and clothing-

Two things that are pretty essential

Things that these people were worried about losing

Why?

If we lose these, we can lose other things

For Instance

Pleasure- Food tastes good!

Praise- Maybe it makes us feel good when people notice our nice clothes

Life- in order to preserve their life, they need food. Clothing to protect them from the cold.

My hope is no one here has experienced this, but the main point he is making is Life is more about stuff!

Food, clothing, status, wealth, you name it….

Life was not just for physical pleasures, but for something greater—the enjoyment of God.

Not for the approval of man- but for approval of God

We don’t need to worry about stuff, because it will never fill us with what God can provide us!

Anxiety Doesn’t Get You Anywhere- Verse 27

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”

Worrying has never accomplished anything

Have you ever created scenarios in your head?

Conversation?

Meeting?

When we were building our house

If something wasn’t right

Something didn’t get done

I would think about how the conversion would go in my head

If he says this, I’ll respond this way

Worry

Every time I had to have a conversation, it always worked out

Nothing ever worked out that way

Get home and just felt ridiculous

All i accomplished was worrying myself sick

Missed sleep, etc.

If you do this, take these thoughts captives?

God doesn’t want you worrying all night.

Whatever problem is causing you to feel anxious, you can be sure your anxiety will not lessen the problem!

Unbelievers worry about the things of this world. v- 31-32

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things” , and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all

Anxiety about the things of this world puts us on the same level with the world of unbelievers

WE ARE CALLED TO BE DIFFERENT

When i got serious about following Jesus, it was because there were people in my life that looked different

Not perfect, but different

You could tell that they loved Jesus and had a peace that I didn't

If all we do is worry, we look like the world!

Continuing from verse. 32- God knows our needs.

The world has nothing eternal to offer, and your loving heavenly Father knows your needs now and forever.

When we focus on things of the world too much, we forget the faithfulness of God

He knows our needs, and wants us to trust him with them

Whatever it may be

Tomorrow Will Be Anxious for Itself- Verse 34

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

We can sometimes be so forward thinking, that it causes us to be anxious

We have so much going on right now, the last thing we should do is to create more anxiety, worry about what may happen

The reality of life is that, SOME DAYS ARE BETTER THAN OTHERS

Some days we don’t want to stop, and others, we can’t wait to go home and go to sleep

Whether you’re on a mountain or in a valley right now, it will do you do good to worry about what will happen tomorrow

Instead Jesus, wants us to place are burdens on him, and he will handle the outcome

It’s a sweet deal!

TOOK: Sum all of this up! (MAIN POINT)

Jesus does not want his followers to be anxious

His goal is “NOT” to make you worry so you follow him

His goal is for you to seek him so he can make you free!

Jesus came, lived, died, rose from the dead, in order that he might reign as King over an anxiety-free people.