TEXT: Matthew 6:25-31
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?
SUBTOPIC: “ANTIDOTE: GOD FIRST”!
Medical Doctors estimate that more than 25% of their patients are what they call the “worried well”. They spend a lot of time examining people who are not sick. They are only “worried”.
It seems like worry is the diet of our day. Many are plagued by problems. What if? What if I don’t get this job? What if my check doesn’t come? What if? Are you plagued by “what if” problems? Are you in the “worried well” class?
How often and how intently do you worry? What kind of things do you worry about? Are they mostly big things (world events; finances; crime; family matters; relationships; your mate; jobs; health)?
Do you worry about things like your clothes, weight, appearance, etc?
There’s a Professor of Psychology at Penn State University – Thomas Borkevec, an expert in the field of worry. He makes his living diagnosing what other people worry about. His claim is that the most single frequent source of worry is other people’s opinion of you. What will they think? What will they say? Will I be laughed at? Will I be left out? He stated that even clergy have experienced moments when they knew what God wanted them to do but failed to do it because of what others might think. Truth is, regardless of what we do or don’t do, we really can’t alter others’ opinions of us. Our main focus should be – what does God think of us?
Worry is a feeling of uneasiness, mental distress, or agitation resulting from concern about something impending or anticipated. One writer describes it as anything that drains your tank of joy. It’s anything that frightens or torments you. Any concerns that keep you awake when you should be sleeping.
In Matthew 6:25 of our text, Jesus teaches on worry. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Spiritually speaking, He is saying to us don’t be distracted and burdened with care resulting from assuming responsibility that is not ours.
This same advice is given in Philippians 4:6 Be careful [concern; care; fear; mental anguish; pain] for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God. He used the same word to describe Martha in Luke 10:41-42, when she was stressing over Mary spending time with Jesus rather than helping with household work. He said, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. In other words, Mary had chosen to spend time with Him, which was the most needful thing to do.
Do not worry about your life – what you shall eat, what you shall drink, or what you shall put on. Don’t let food, drink, or clothes be a distraction to you. Don’t let that be all you think about. That’s my responsibility, not yours! That’s what Jesus is saying to us in His Word! Don’t worry about your finances or your job. Don’t let that become a distracted care! Don’t let that be all you think about. Don’t worry about your children or your relationship. Don’t let that be a distracted care! Don’t let that be all you think about. That’s my responsibility, not yours! That’s what Jesus is saying to us!
Which of you that’s worrying, can add one cubit (18 in) to your stature? God has given us two of the most precious earthly treasures that’s more valuable than anything else, and that’s “life” and “a body”!
If He’s given us life, surely we can trust Him to give us food to sustain life and raiment to clothe our body!
Look at the birds! There’s no worry in their life. They don’t attempt to pile up goods for an unseen future, yet their lives go on, and their needs are met. God takes care of His creation.
Look at the flowers, the lilies of the field. Their life is brief, yet they’re clothed of beauty that surpasses the beauty of the robes of kings or beauty beyond man’s power to imitate. When they die, they’re used for nothing more than burning.
If God gives such beauty to a short lived flower, how much more will He care for “man”, the crown of His creation?
Don’t get over-whelmed with simple things. “Life is more” than food, water, and clothing, as important as they are. Our Father knows we have need of these things, and He takes care of His creation, because there’s more to life than “worrying”!
In Exodus 12, when Moses began leading God’s people out of Egyptian bondage, there were millions of them. Can you imagine the amount of food and water it would take to feed a group that size? But did not God provide for them? Not only that, He provided a way through the Red Sea. Mind you, they didn’t have to press their way through mud; they went over on “dry ground”!!!! This provision for the Israelites was not just for a couple of days, or a week or two, but He took care of them for forty (40) years during their wilderness experience!!! Deuteronomy 8:4 Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years!!!!
What does that mean for us? SAME GOD THEN – SAME GOD NOW!!!!
If Jesus’s command is “do not worry”, what was His reason and what can result from worry?
- Worry damages your health: The body is not made for worry. It brings on diseases or (dis-eases), stomach ulcers, coronary thromboses, insomnia (being awake when you should be asleep), disrupted productivity, cloudy judgment and you can’t make rational decisions. It negatively affects the way you treat others.
Whenever “worry” enters the mind: another emotion tags along with it called impatience, and one becomes irritated, easily provoked, restless, eager, snappy, angry, etc. It can push you into making hasty and unwise decisions.
1 Samuel 13:8-11, the Philistines had accumulated a large army to fight against Israel, and Saul is waiting in the wings for the Prophet Samuel according to the set time of seven days when Samuel is to return. But after Samuel didn’t come to Gilgal, the people began to “worry”, and they scattered themselves from Saul because of fear. So he (Saul) said bring me a burnt offering and peace offering, and he offered up the burnt offering unto God as a sacrifice before going into battle with the Lord as his ally. But it was God’s command that the “priest” offer up burnt offering, not a king. (Remember King Uzziah)! As soon as he had finished offering the burnt offering, here comes Samuel. When he saw what Saul had done, he was not happy with him. He said you have done foolishly! You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God. Now your kingdom shall not continue. Saul lost his king-ship!
“WORRY” can cause you to lose instead of winning!
- Worry accomplishes nothing: I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any time to waste these days. Worrying is a waste of time. Certainly it won’t help solve a problem! Worry is wasted energy! It puts your focus in the wrong direction.
Peter walked on the water as long as his eyes were on Christ! When his focus shifted onto the troubled water, he began to sink. (Matthew 14:30)
What is it that’s causing you to sink? What is it that gets your focus off Christ? Is it the third reason why Jesus doesn’t want us to worry?
- Worry is blinding – unhelpful: Worry causes you to forget how God brought you through before! When our sister was diagnosed with stage four Cancer, it looked like there was no way out. BUT GOD DELIVERED HER, JUST LIKE HE SAID HE WOULD!!! HE BROUGHT HEALING HER WAY!!! HALLELUJAH!!!
Last week when it looked like I would be home babysitting instead of working, God brought a sitter my way!!!!! Hallelujah!!!
Psalm 42:6, the psalmist who cheered himself with the memory of history said, O my God, my soul is cast down within me: therefore will I remember thee from the land of Jordan, and of the Hermonites, from the hill Mizar.
When his back was against the wall, he comforted himself with the memory of what God had done!
I want to know, have you been through anything? Can you comfort yourself with the memory of when God brought you out of your pit of “worry”?
Psalm 139:7-8 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
God didn’t just create the world and then sit back to watch the show. We’re not actors nor are we toys! He is intimately concerned with His creations or creatures and is actively involved to provide our needs!
He’s reliable! Trustworthy! John 14:6 I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is not “a truth” but “the Truth” because there’s an antidote for “worry” - “GOD FIRST”!
- Matthew 6:33 Seek ye first the kingdom of God (His power; dominion; authority; ruling over the creation), and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
- 1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
Don’t drown in your sorrows! Fling and toss your anxieties/distractions of life that often eat away at you, destroying your peace of mind – cast them on Jesus!
He has invited us to cast them upon Him! Those things are no problem for Him! He’s not distracted or overwhelmed at all by them but has already prepared a solution for you in relation to all of them! He can cope! Nothing is too big for Him to handle, nor too small for Him to care.
- 1 Peter 5:6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
- Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Keep your thoughts focused on Him! What you focus on – you will become dependent upon!
Speak only words of faith. Jesus told Jairus, “Fear not: believe only” (Luke 8:50)
- Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Be obedient to God’s command. Do not “worry” about your life; seek God first!
If you are “worrying” about everything or anything, give it to God and live in “grace”! Grace isn’t just “divine favor”, “its power”!!!
Don’t waste another day of your life “worried”. Whatever you’re going through, the solution is God’s responsibility, not yours!
Don’t try to take on His responsibility! When we do what we can, God steps in and does what we can’t!
So give yourself and your “worries” to God and begin enjoying the abundant life He has planned for you today!!!
~ Evangelist Brenda Hansley
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