Sermon notes from Sunday 2 Deember 2018 am
Matthew 6 verses 25 - 34
The danger of worry. We all worry. The Lord is asking us "what is the point of worrying, it cannot add to our stature." He spoke of everyday things that concerned his disciples. They had left everything behind to follow Jesus - their fishing nets and boats. They left everything to follow Jesus. There are many things in life that cause worry and concern. The Lord is talking about an overanxiousness. We worry about a visit to the doctors, about our employment, our future. Sometimes we worry and we really cannot put a finger on what we worry about. It is not easy. The Lord deals with 2 things in this section - verses 19 - 24 are about the lust of money, the rich people who have so much money that they don`t know what to do with it, they are scared it will fall away. In verses 25 - 34 Jesus talks about those who do not have enough money. "For the love of money is the root of all evil" Paul said to Timothy. (1 Timothy 6 verse 10) We can be as guilty of that as the person who is a multimillionaire. This section of scripture is saying to us - what the Lord wants from us is our allegiance to him, to trust him more and more and more. He tells us 3 times in this portion of scripture - verses 25, 31 and 34 "take no thought." When you and I come to trust the Lord as Saviour we were adopted into the family of God and he looks after us. To read that little phrase in Greek is stronger - it really means to stop the worry that has already begun. How do I do that? It is the feeling that something is beginning to get me down. Bring it to the Lord. Worry is a danger to our spiritual growth. It is also a danger to our medical and mental state. It is a danger to our wellbeing. Elijah is a great example of this. He stood before kings with no fear, confronted the prophets on Mount Carmel. He called Israel to task "why halt ye between 2 opinions?" (1 Kings 18 verse 21) He calls the Israelite nation back to God. He took 400 prophets and puts them to death. His eyes are on God, his heart is on God`s will yet he hears a voice from the palace that caused him to worry. Jezebel the queen threatened to put him to death if she got hold of him. The next verses in the portion of scripture are very important - "and when he saw that." (1 Kings 19 verse 3) The anger of Jezebel caused Elijah to fear. When fear grips your heart what do you do? We run with it. Elijah`s fear led him to run away, to dwell on it. It didn`t matter how far he ran, he was still dwelling on what she said and threatened to do. We find him in the wilderness. His eyes are off the Lord and focusing on this problem. He wasn`t looking after himself. His body was weak and God met him in the wilderness. Elijah was tired and weak. He lacked food and sleep and was very anxious. His mental ability was affected. He asked to be left to die. In Acts 16 the jailer in the prison was very anxious. The next day he would lose his life as a result of the earthquake. He got himself into such a state he was ready to take his own life. We see that even today in our province, it is a sad reflection of society. People see no way out and decide to take their own lives.
The distraction of worry. Satan`s purpose is to bring you down. If he cannot discourage you he will get something in your heart that will begin to form and worry. Before long the devil has you where he wants you. We have to keep our eyes on him when our minds are full of difficult siuations. Elijah got his eyes off the Lord, off his plan and purpose. He was out in the wilderness and wanted to die. He had a lot of work to do. The Lord had a purpose for him. Elijah was able to go in and speak to kings and prophets, to call the nation back to the Lord but he is found sitting in a cave with his head between his knees. He was no longer interested in the call and work of God because Jezebel the queen got his mind distracted. Maybe you are worried about your health, your future or your family. The devil has you focusing on it. He will bring everything to bear on that situation, show you there is no way out of it. Maybe no-one else sees that. That is how you are feeling inside. You are not where God would have you to be. You have become distracted. When Jesus came to the home of Mary and Martha, Mary fell down and began to listen to Jesus. Martha was more concerned about getting food to Jesus. She missed out on the very best, just to sit at the Lord`s feet. She had one thought in her mind. When Joshua called the people of Israel to cross over the Jordan they were to watch the priests stepping into the water carrying the ark of the covenant. Joshua told them to keep their eyes on the ark. Keep your eyes on the Lord today because we have an enemy who is subtle. What did the writer to the Hebrews encourage them to do - "looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith." (Hebrews 12 verse 2)
The distress that worry brings. Jesus wants you and I to have utter confidence in God. He wanted his disciples not to worry where their food would come from. He gave the example of the flowers of the field, they had no means of putting together fancy designs yet "Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these." In the Old Testament Saul was sitting in the valley when 30,000 chariots came against him and gathered all around him in the hills. They had pitched their tents to come against Saul. The people in Saul`s camp began to run and hide. Saul was waiting on Samuel to come. Imagine him watching the time, every second and minute going by. He then went and did something he shouldn`t have done. He took one of the lambs out of the flock and sacrificed it. As he did so Samuel arrived. Saul feared the Lord had left him. (1 Samuel 13) Sometimes worry leads us to do things we shouldn`t. We feel the Lord has left us. We give up on waiting on God. We fail to read his word. Worry does that. It takes us away from God`s word. The devil gets our minds focused on things that are away from God.
The direction the Lord gives. If you are worried today and it is something in your mind that is really starting to take over do not get anxious. Bring the worry to the Lord. All the worry for tomorrow it will not add anything to your situation. Don`t worry about them today. Leave the past behind. You cannot change them. Verse 33 contains a promise "But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you." The Lord is not promising you riches but every day needs to be met. Verse 34 "Take therefore no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof." The apostle Paul himself said "be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplicatino with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4 verse 6) Peter said "casting all your care upon him for he careth for you." (1 Peter 5 verse 7) Take it all to the Lord. Think of Daniel cast into the lions den. There was the old king who signed the deed for him to be put there, he went home but he was the one who couldn`t sleep. Daniel was not looking at the lions around him. He was not afraid there in the den. He knew the Lord had come and he had closed the mouths of the lions. He was not anxious. Peter in Acts 12 was lying in the cell knowing that the following day he would be taken out and killed. The angel came in and showed him the way out of the prison to safety. He had left it all to the Lord. We too can lift our worries to the Lord who tells us not to worry.
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