Did Jesus Really Say That? Pt. 9
“Did Jesus Really Say That?” Pt.9
Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT) “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 28 And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? 31 So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need. 34 So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
The top things people often worry about:
Finances
Health
Kids
Relationships
Work
Time
Purpose
World instability
What are you worried about today?
English — “to choke” or “to strangle.”
Hebrew — “a heavy weight sitting on our chest.”
Greek — “to be pulled apart” or “to have our mind divided.”
Worry is an internal heaviness that divides our hearts and threatens to choke out the
life God gives us.
“We often suffer more from our imagination than from reality.” —Charles Spurgeon
Jesus is really saying, “Don’t let the fear of what could happen tomorrow rob you of the joy and faith I want to give you today.”
Worry comes with a price…
-Emotionally, it costs us peace and joy.
-Mentally, it costs us clarity.
-Physically, it costs our health.
-Spiritually, it costs our faith.
-Relationally, it costs us our closest connections.
Matthew 6:27 (NLT) Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
Why do we worry?
1. Worry is misplaced trust
Psalm 20:7 (ESV) Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
2. Worry is a control issue
Proverbs 19:21 (ESV) Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.
3. Worry is a perspective issue
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” —Corrie Ten Boom
Jeremiah 32:17 (ESV) Ah, Lord God! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You.
4. Worry can be an issue of the soul
Psalm 147:3 (ESV) He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
Worry is the result of trying to carry a burden that was never meant for our shoulders.
How does God view our worry?
Romans 14:23 (NIV) …everything that does not come from faith is sin.
How do we overcome worry?
1. Redirect our focus
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT) Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Psalm 55:22 (NIV) Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
“The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith; the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” —George Muller
2. Remember our value
Matthew 6:26 (NLT) Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to Him than they are?
3. Practice gratitude
4. Tomorrow is God’s responsibility—today is ours
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength.”
—Corrie Ten Boom