The Sin Of Anxiety And Its Remedy - [Matthew 6:25-34]

Quite a few years we sent our children to a Christian elementary school and they would come home with all kinds of songs

To sing including this one My name is worry warthog

I live in misery Instead of trusting in the

Lord I worry constantly Although I know it's silly although.

I know it's bad still I find a certain joy and always looking sad Sometimes my mother asked me.

Why must you worry so our graciously heavenly father loves all creatures here below You worry in the nighttime you cry when you're alone

You'll be one great big wart before you're even grown and no

I will not sing that for you You ever worry And the answer is of course do

I worry The answer is of course we worry and fret Problem is so many things to worry about right from stock markets to health to the world to the election to viruses vaccinations nuclear bombs salvation of loved ones student loans

Our grandchildren growing up in such a world So many things to worry about Too much snow to get to church.

I mean that the list is endless, right? I don't know if you're like me, but sometimes I've wakened in the night, and I feel like there's like a boa constrictor around my neck

Strangling me and I can just think of those thoughts and makes me worry About so many things matter of fact the

English word to worry means to strangle Because it's just all consuming and you're just choking you from your

Relaxation and calm and so today we'd like to talk about or I'd like to talk about What does the

Bible say about worry? It's almost like the respectable sin of Christians We know how bad some other sins are but what about worry the forbidden fruit?

So we're going to take a little deviation on snow Sundays We meet at 1030 and we have no sunny school no

Sunday night And also I pull up an older sermon that I know is good for me and good for you So we'll deviate from Luke 4 today

Turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6 the greatest sermon may be ever preached the

Lord Jesus preaching on the Sermon preaching the sermon on the mount And I want you to know this morning that there are solutions to worry and God the heavenly father cares so much for you

He doesn't want you to worry And he can certainly take care of you and could look after you and your children and your grandchildren and your great

Grandchildren and certainly if you want to plan your future and have pure prudent provision for yourself and work hard There's nothing wrong with that But worrying is a sin and we need to see it as such and then we need to see that the remedy for Worry is trusting in the

Lord Jesus this sermon in Matthew 5 6 and 7 is found in the book of Matthew and I love even the name of Matthew just to catch you up in the book of Matthew a little bit

Matthew means gift of the Lord and Certainly his name means that and also this book is a gift from the

Lord as we see in this book Jesus extolled as king Everything about it from the very beginning with his genealogy.

I mean whoever reads genealogies, right? When I started my

Bible reading for the year the McShane plan to read through the book of the every book of the Bible again

This year, of course Matthew 1 was on January 1st and it's got a

Genealogy and then Esther 1 and 2 have all kinds of names and I thought I'm glad we can look at genealogies a little bit differently

This is the book about Jesus the king the sovereign Lord if I had one verse and all of Matthew to describe it

It would be Matthew 215 say to the daughter of Zion behold your king is

Coming to you and that's exactly what happens the king the Lord Jesus Arrives the first book in the

New Testament having so many Old Testament connections It seems fit and right Malachi ends and now we have

Matthew and we have Jesus the Messiah Jesus the king early on in chapter 2

For he has been born king of the Jews and then at the very end in Matthew 27 the charge against him

The very red that was put over his head on the cross. This is Jesus king of the

Jews And if you look at Matthew chapter 4 verse 24, what has been going on before Jesus preaches this sermon?

It says in verse 24 of Matthew 4 so his fame Spread throughout all

Syria and they brought him all the sick those afflicted with various diseases and pains

Those oppressed by demons epileptics and paralytics and he healed them all and great crowds followed him from Galilee and the

Decapolis those ten Gentile cities and from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the

Jordan Seen the crowds Matthew 5 he went up on a mountain

Sounds like Moses going up to Sinai right Jesus going up to a mountain We see a lot of this

Similarity in parallel from the Old Testament to the New and when he sat down his disciples came to him

Of course, that's how they would teach back in those days You know here at the church when I'm preaching I stand up back in those days when rabbis would teach they would sit down It would be a very formal thing.

They're sitting down to teach and you know, there's a little bit of that in the synagogues

There's a seat of Moses or even today the professor at a university has a chair

Because that's a formal thing and so now Jesus is going to teach and if you're not careful you read chapter 5 verse 2 and You think what is he doing?

And he opened his mouth and taught them saying I Mean, don't you have to open your mouth before you teach the answer is yes

It's hard to just mumble And so this is a formal way of saying this is important when you hear this language in Scripture He opened his mouth to teach

This is going to be kind of hold on to your hat type of thing get ready This is going to be very very important acts 8

Philip opened his mouth and preached Jesus to them acts 10 Peter said Opening his mouth.

God shows no partiality And so now Jesus is going to be teaching. Of course.

I know you love the Sermon on the Mount, but not everybody does Remember the old

Russian leader Khrushchev? He said I'll tell you what the difference between Christians and me is

That if you slap me on the face, I'll hit you back so hard your head will fall off instead of turning the other cheek

Harry Barnes said once we make a candid examination of the actual teachings of Jesus It must be admitted that they're not only archaic but even destructive for any advanced civilization

If the teachings of Jesus are they exist as they exist were applied to contemporary society

Nothing less than anarchy would inevitably follow Not everybody likes this sermon and one more man said the doctrine of salvation and the

Sermon on the Mount Stands in sharpest contradiction to that of Paul in Romans chapter 3 through 8

There's a gulf between Jesus and Paul that no exe Jesus can ever bridge. I Don't quite think so.

I think you know this passage You've read it regularly and I think you'll be encouraged and convicted as we look at God's prescription for worry

If you'd like an outline today, it's super simple I'm going to give you six charges to work through by the grace of God to help you look at worry

God's way and that's essence God's solution for anxiety and worry and they're not going to be with alliteration they're going to be alphabetical acrostic a b c d e f

That's my outline a b c d e f. I know that's rare. That's rare around here. So I think we should probably turn off the live stream because I don't think those watching at home

Should enjoy the things that we do in person, right? Just kidding So we're going to look at God's prescription for worry and anxiety

Six charges starting with a working our way all the way through F letter a

Admit that all worry and anxiety is sinful Matthew 625 just recognize it and believe it and say to yourself

This is in fact Sinful if God says not to do something and I do it that would be sinful if God says in Philippians 4 be anxious for Nothing, and I'm anxious for something

I have to just say that sin and by the way as we work through this passage once you recognize something sin

There's hope because God doesn't forgive diseases or illnesses or syndromes He forgives sin because Jesus is a great forgiver

And so when we realize and confess and agree with God, this is sin, then it opens up everything for us

It's God's compassion to even tell us through the Lord Jesus here to see worry as God sees it as sin

Matthew 625 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 Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

And once again, we need to recognize the gravity of things that if we are told not to do something and we do it

Let's just admit that it's sin and so when we worry we ought to immediately say I know you're telling me not to be divided and distracted and worrying and and Working through these things with fretting and so I I will admit

Lord. That's sin You might ask the question like a good Bible student It says in verse 25 the first word therefore

So it must be connected to something and he has been talking about money has he not in verse 24

No one can serve two masters for either He will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other you cannot serve

God and Money and so the logical conclusion if you can't serve money

Then we shouldn't be concerned about things that money can buy like food and clothing What we what we drink what we put on Does anybody here have

King James instead of saying? Therefore I tell you do not be anxious about your life who has King James anyone.

Okay, what's to say? verse 25 of Job 12 Just kidding.

I'm kidding 625 it says take no thought does it not? Okay, stop there.

Take no thought. He's not saying you should never think about it But is this grinding worry and this kind of you know

Sometimes when computer programs it just gets stuck in these loops and it just over and over and over I'm not saying we're dogs at all

But when I would train dogs or be around dogs They just kind of stare and they're fixated on something and I have to just give them kind of a little a little prod

Right. I know what you know, some of my enemies might think that were they he called us dogs again I'm not saying that at all, but like a dog similar to a dog with similes of Language for the dog.

It's like we're so fixated on something We're taking thought about something so much as you say, you know what?

That's not your department to worry about what you eat and what you drink and what you put on If you are worrying stop and if you're not worrying don't worry that idea of fretting over things and being consumed about this

Stuff that might happen or is happening this nine or this biting Jesus says don't be anxious about it

By the way, do you see the argument since God has given you life? Won't he take care of you for what you need for life?

If he gives you the greatest thing life, he wouldn't he give you the lesser clothes Someone called the world's

Trinity of cares what we eat what we drink and what we wear There's a genuine concern.

We have to provide for our family obviously, but there's a difference between concern and worry If we're not supposed to worry about the essentials of life eating and drinking what we wear

Well, then should we worry about what kind of car we drive? What kind of snowblower we have matter of fact?

My snowblowers on the last legs, it's it's a 27 year old snowblower and He Luke today was out there getting ready

My father always said he had a 15 year old snowblower when I was 15. He had a 16 year old snowblower when I was 16

If you think about what happened back in the Bible days no Costco's no

Hanifin's None of these stores If you're supposed to not be worried about what you eat and drink then

I mean everybody's talking about sometime this year The grids gonna go down and three weeks at least five weeks at least ten weeks at least.

What are we going to do? Well, we're gonna do what we did back in the Bible days and that is not worry about these things

You say well, it's easy for you to say. Well, it is because it's right here, but it's the Bible You say well, you don't know my circumstances

I I know but the Lord does yes, but everybody worries. I know but you're not supposed to I cannot help it

My doctor said it was okay We said don't worry as much as the other guy does my support group says it's fine to worry

Jesus says don't worry if you're a Christian you're not to worry. It's a sin

So the next time you worry you just ought to say Lord. I'm sorry. I've sinned against you. Please forgive me

I don't want to make any excuses and sound as bad as Aaron did I just threw in this gold and out came this calf

I don't want to sound as dumb as Adam did the woman you gave me. I don't want to do that I will confess my iniquity

Psalm 38 and Will be forgiven it says in 1st John 1 if we say we have no sin like worry

We're deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us if we confess our sins of worry He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins of worry and everything else and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

My little children, I'm writing these things to you that you might not sin including worry and if anyone does sin worry

We have an advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he himself is the propitiation

Are the wrath is assuaged by him for our sins including worry? Not for ours only but also for the whole world.

I Read this week that 19 million adults suffer from some kind of anxiety disorder

I'm not here to talk about whether disorders are true or not and whether syndromes are true or not. I'm More thinking about anxiety really is real

I don't know what you want to call it, but we need to be careful to realize that anxiety is real and You could do some self tests online to have you been

Concerned about any of these things are been bothered by them in the last six months. Have you been restless?

easily tired problems concentrating Irritable muscle tension

Falling asleep having trouble falling asleep staying asleep or restless sleep if you've answered at least three of those six questions

Yes, you might have generalized anxiety disorder Also known as GAD.

I Think I've got like ten of those six. I Found another one because I thought it might help me.

Do you have two or more of these symptoms? Feeling on edge easily fatigued having a hard time concentrating muscle tension

Having a hard time falling asleep And I'm like, yeah, that's me heart racing chest pain difficulty breathing

Grandchildren speaking out of turn. I guess

I could ask you this. What makes you the most worried? finances Health the election

Bible says anxiety in the heart of man weighs it down, but a good word makes it glad and The good word is you don't have to worry

Jesus asked the question in verse 25. Do you see it at the end of verse 25 is not life more than food Is it not and the body more than clothing?

Is it not? There are eternal realities and eternal verities that we need to live in light of and not just focusing here a hundred years from now

It'll make no difference that you went to a Michelin star restaurant. Did you know that? In 100 years, it'll make no difference that you wore an

Armani tie when you preach from the pulpit Matter of fact, I'm wearing one right now.

I got at the thrift store. How much was it grace? Has makes no difference so letter a

Admit that worry is sin just confess it a sin and go to Lord forgiveness

That's the first thing if Jesus calls something sin, we call it sin own it

Secondly be believe that your Heavenly Father is loving good and provides everything you need believe in the goodness of God the

Father if you're a Christian today, you know And you've tasted and seen that the Lord is good because you have received salvation full and free

You've seen the plan of God unfold in your own life And you can look back in time and say these are the people that prayed for me

These are the people that evangelized me These are the people that taught me the Bible and all leading up for that time where the

Spirit of God makes me alive and makes Me born again to love the things I used to hate and hate the things I used to love

I've seen the goodness of God. I've seen him answer prayer. I've seen him convict me I've seen him open my heart all these things

I know all about it and now Jesus is going to draw on that fact. Remember the Heavenly Father verse 26 because he provides for you and so the first one stop the second ones look

Right stop look and listen. Sometimes people say stop drop and roll Remember, did you do that when you were a kid in public school nuclear bomb like that was really going to help stop drop and roll

Look at the birds of the air They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your

Heavenly Father feeds them Are you not of more value than they? So it's one thing to say don't worry

It's another thing to say what do I do instead? And remember a lot of times the Bible helps us to say we say no to sin.

We kill sin mortification We put off and then we say yes, we want to live under righteousness

Motivated by grace motivated by the Lord Titus chapter 2 and then we we want to live rightly and we put on So if we don't want to worry, then what do we do instead to replace it?

And I've said to myself many times before and I've said to my children many times before what's the opposite of worry?

And what's the answer? Trust that's what he's doing here trust in the

Heavenly Father. I mean, what are your other options to overcome worry? You can call one eight eight eight eight anxiety

You can call the National Anxiety Foundation. You can call Anxiety Disorders Association of America You can read books like living with fear

Peace from nervous suffering you can be like G Gordon Liddy. Remember he was involved in Watergate Mr.

Tough Guy G Gordon Liddy and remember he had a fear of rats Electricity and heights he didn't like to be up high.

He didn't like rats He didn't like electricity. And so what did he do to overcome his worry in his fear member?

He climbed up an electric pole and ate a rat That's an option

Maybe not a good option. I hope he cooked it first, but that's alright Minerva Meyer of some

Christian psychologists said we suggest setting aside 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the evening for active worry

What Jesus has said your

Savior your Redeemer your friend said you remember the Father Remember how good the

Father is? Instead of worrying you need to trust He could have said trust in the

Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding It's cured with doctrine anxiety is cured with doctrine the

Lord takes care of Who he has made and so we have the command verse 26 look at the birds

It's almost like get out of that fixation. You're staring at your own problem so much get out and look at the birds

Talking to Hannah Abendroth the other day and they were just in Netherlands, and I think they saw you see

Corrie ten Boom's house Okay They wanted to And Corrie ten

Boom of course had survived the concentration camps in and Germany And I think she said something like when it comes to looking when you look around you get distressed

Amen You look inwardly You get depressed and when you look out and you look up you find rest

Thought you know that's really good So Jesus directs to look To go outside to be the birdwatcher and just to look and this kind of look here in the original languages to take a good long look stare

Be like one of those geriatric 63 year old men outside with a nice cameras and bifocal

Binoculars that he probably has bifocals to and just stared those birds

Because when you're looking at the birds you should be thinking something The Lord God takes care of them and their birds

I Mean what's a bird cost? What's a bird worth? He says

I want you to look Martin Lloyd -jones the theologian said the essence of worry is a failure to think

Or in this case a failure to look and think To look to think through the issues

To realize that God Shows some kind of concern for a bird he shows some interest of a bird that even cares that there's a bird there

Now we're not to imitate the birds We're not to say well, they don't store things up well

They don't store things up out of instinct, but we're to look at them and say God Providentially cares for the birds if he providentially cares for the birds

And he's my father and the only way he's your father is through faith in the Son if you're one of his children

He will take care of you I Don't see the birds lining up at BJ's to try to get stuff

Bird stockpile, but out of instinct only one man said nobody ever saw an earthly father feed his birds and abandon his children

What earthly father would do that let alone Heavenly Father? Jesus is not saying oh don't worry because you don't really have troubles you have troubles

But he's saying don't worry worry because I'm your heavenly Father I would feel so bad if one of my children when they were little said daddy

Are you gonna provide us enough food for tomorrow? Do you think we might have clothes for tomorrow to wear?

I would think that's that's impugning my nature as a father who wants to protect and provide and to care for God is good.

He's full of goodness. He's eternally good Is there anything about God that isn't good

J. I. Packer said if you understand that God is your father you get Christianity one simple word father you understand it

He said you sum up the whole of the New Testament teaching in a phrase father in the same way

You can sum up the New Testament religion by saying that you know he's your heavenly father and Holy Father One man said worms eat you when you're dead

Worries eat you when you're alive I Don't want to do that Who wants to be the worry warthog?

It's not even good for you physically is it not you can understand how many times people have to go to the hospital from ulcers

And other things out of worry It's really saying to yourself

God's not my heavenly father. God has not sent the son to redeem me and God can't provide for what he's made

I think there's a hymn That says something like this This is my father's world and to my listening ears

All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres. This is my father's world.

I what? Rest me in the thought that's what the Lord wants us to do

We don't want to walk around like there's no God worry essentially is Unrighteousness that's true, but it's an atheism.

It's a willful ignorance that God cares Luther said you see

God is making the birds our schoolmasters and teachers Whenever you listen to a nightingale you're listening to an excellent preacher

Said the Robin to the sparrow. I should really like to know why these anxious human beings Russia and worry about so Said the sparrow to the

Robin friend. I think it must be that they have no heavenly father such as cares for you and me

John said see how great a love the father has bestowed on us That we should be called children of God and such we are

You're God's child you're not supposed to worry you're supposed to work. That's true, but you're not supposed to worry

I've quoted a couple poems and songs today. I might as well just keep going no other elder here to Tell me

I did the wrong thing so I do do what I want today preach as long as I want Quote as many poems as I want

Many songs as I want Mention my kids as much as I want without giving a dollar. We are free today

His eyes on the sparrow. Why should I feel discouraged? Why should the shadows come? Why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home when

Jesus is my portion my constant friend is he? His eye is on the sparrow, and I know

He watches me. I sing because I'm happy I sing because I'm free his eyes on the sparrow, and I know he watches me

The Lord doesn't want you to worry When I have children that worry or I worry I know it's not good for me

And so the Heavenly Father would not want that for us It's even unfruitful.

Do you know that verse 27? The Heavenly Father wouldn't want us to be involved with this because it doesn't do anything.

There's no results It's useless and which of you dear Bethlehem Bible Church By being anxious can add a single hour to his or her life span

And a SS add a single cubit to his life span I Think ESV is where is right there a single hour if you worry can you live longer?

I? Don't think you can I Don't think it does any good. I mean I wouldn't do this because I'm a pastor, and I know worries sin

But if I said okay go ahead you like to worry just worry all weekend and see how that works out for you

Worry as much as you want drink a lot of caffeine stay up all night worry worry worry and tell me how that works out

For you stonewall

Jackson the great general said my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed God has fixed a time for my death.

I do not concern myself about that So even when it comes to death people are worried about when they're gonna die how they're gonna die well they die with enough money

To pass on to their children What does Jesus say keep going in Luke sorry

Matthew chapter 6 verse 28? He gives another illustration of looking or considering or getting outside it to take a good long

Think if you will and why are you anxious about clothing verse 28 of Matthew 6 consider observe?

ponder The lilies of the field how they grow they neither spin nor toil yet I tell you

Jesus said even Solomon in all his glory, and he had great glory was not arrayed like one of these just go out and observe get yourself a good magnifying glass and just Take a look at some of those lilies that matter of fact to be a good thing to do

Get like a little jewelers loop or a magnifying glass and just take a look at some flowers and see how intricate

They are and see how beautiful they are and see how arrayed they are full of splendor, but not compared to what the

Lord can do Remember Queen of Sheba saw Solomon, and she said the half was not told me how much splendor you had

So Jesus says when you're going to be anxious Just essentially admit it as sin and then remember the father.

How do you remember the father? You can't see him because he's invisible of course you could read the Bible Or you could go outside and see some of the handiwork of the father

And you could say I see birds and sparrows and chickadees and other things God takes care of them

He'll take care of me. They're not image bearers. I am and then you look at if God clothes

Animals are clothes here Plants won't he clothed me. I mean if you consider and work through what happens

Let's just expand it from a plant to the universe I read this week that the globe's weight is six sextillion tons

That's a six with 21 zeros, and it's perfectly put at 23 degrees a little less

Burn a little more polar Freezing Did you know that our globe revolves at the rate of one thousand miles per hour or?

25 thousand miles per day or nine million miles per year and That how many of you have tumbled into orbit because of that?

Not one and if God can do that and make the stars and provide for the lilies and provide for the animals

Jesus asked in verse 30, but if God so clothes the grass of the field which is today alive tomorrow thrown in the oven

Will he not much more clothed you oh you of little faith. Do you see it?

Worry questions God Worry shows that it's a faith issue a trust issue so when we're worrying.

We're not trusting in the Lord I Mean I don't think anybody in this congregation that I know of would say

I don't believe the Bible It's not inherent. It's not infallible. It's not for us today. I don't believe

Jesus is the only way I don't believe Jesus died on the cross and was raised from the dead. I don't believe he's coming back

I don't believe he prays for us. There's just all mumbo -jumbo. I don't think we do that But as children sometimes we question the father and it's an issue of faith every time

I worry It's not just useless doesn't do anything the last few verses It's actually questioning

God It's a mark of faithlessness. Oh you of little faith.

I don't want to be that I know you don't want to be that I read of a preacher named

David Field He was over in England, and he preached at a country church, and this was talking to people and he asked a choir member

What's your name, and what do you do for a living and she said I keep pigs Interesting how many do you have well 192 well, how do you know you had 192 pigs?

I mean do you count them? Well of course I do I have names for every one of them sounds like Jesus Knows his sheep

By name he knows you by name Therefore verse 31 do not be anxious

What should we eat? What should we drink? What shall we? wear For the

Gentiles seek after these things pagans do that unbelievers do that unbelievers don't have a heavenly father

They have a judge and your heavenly father knows you need them all Choosing worry is choosing not to trust

God I love first Peter 5 casting all your anxiety upon him because he what he cares for you.

I Mean just don't let that go by too fast God the triune God cares for you

He cares for you. He cares for me and You can see then Because of that relationship the

Lord is my shepherd. I lack what? Food and clothing and what I wear of course not

He who did not spare his own son, but delivered him up for us all how will he not also with him freely Give us all things you get the greatest gift you get the lesser gifts a

Admit that all worry sin be believe that your heavenly father's good and provides all you need See chase after God and his will and his glory

This is something else we can do besides worrying. Let's do something else Let's put off and let's put on let's put on by thinking rightly about the heavenly father, and let's put on by doing something

Let's get out there and do something Seek first verse 33 the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things what we eat what we drink what we wear will be added to you

Sometimes people get so crippled by Worry, they don't get anything done

Same thing happens with people when they become depressed They don't get anything done and one of the one of the things they need to do for both worry and depression

Is to make a list and say I'm going to start getting these things done and checking off the list

And this particular case it's the list of serving the Lord Jesus and his kingdom and his righteousness

See what he's trying to do there the Lord. Jesus saying there's a higher priority than food and clothing and drink

The higher priority is the Lord Jesus's kingdom Corey ten boom again said worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows it empties today of its strength

He the Lord Jesus wants you he wants me to be seeking all in Absorbed in trying to make sure we realize

It's the Lord's kingdom, and it's not my little kingdom. I Love Colossians one same word if you've been raised up with Christ keep seeking the things above Where Christ is seated the right hand of God and God and his glory are above I mean instead of seeking something else

We seek this everybody's a seeker And what does he say in verse 33 and all these things shall be added to you

That sounds just like Philippians 4 to me and my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus Too busy to worry

Too evangelistic to worry to ministry oriented to worry D We've seen admit.

We've seen believe we've seen chase and now D. Do not worry about the future don't borrow trouble verse 34

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

I'm gonna anticipate. What could go wrong tomorrow is doubling trouble essentially Lloyd -jones is

If it can't get us to be anxious and burdened and borne down by the state of condition of things that are actually confronting us It will take the next step and go into the future.

What about tomorrow? Another man said you can't change the past, but you can ruin a perfectly good present by worrying about the future

And it might even happen tomorrow Your worry could be a liar Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever.

You don't have to worry about tomorrow. He's he's not going to become unloving tomorrow The father is not going to be unproviding tomorrow

Therefore this is the day that the Lord has made let us worry and fret in it of course not

Let us rejoice and be glad in it Lamentations 3 surely my soul remembers and and bow down within me this

I recall in my mind therefore I have hope the Lord's loving kindness is indeed never cease for his compassions never fail

They are new every morning including tomorrow morning great is thy faithfulness including tomorrow morning

Therefore I have hope in him And as they used to say in Africa Lord make my heart set down Make my heart set down God's prescription for worry

Admit believe chase don't borrow and now e Entreat which means to pray and treat

God turn to Philippians 4 Jesus's disciple and Apostle Paul echoed

Jesus's words, and you know this passage in Philippians 4 Paul's in jail And what does he say?

Here for Paul to put off and put on is put off anxiousness and put on prayer do something else instead of Worry and of course when you pray you're recognizing

You're praying to the Almighty one the omniscient one the one who loves you the one that sent Jesus to redeem you

The one who cares for you, and if I pray to him That's gonna make my eyes look to him and my mind consider him and to get myself off my problems

You want to worry with less pray more? Start to worry pray Philippians 4 6 be anxious for Nothing you can say no thing you can't be anxious for anything

But in everything by prayer, and he'd start listing all these words for prayer here With prayer, that's a general word for prayer and and supplication you need something you ask

God for it with Thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God We have peace with God because of Jesus, but this is an internal peace

This is the fruit of the Spirit is love joy and peace and the peace of God You can't even describe it because it surpasses all comprehension

Shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus We're not to worry about one thing

Here's when I mainly worry when I start to rely on my own resources My own brains my own money my own ways to fix things my own control of things

And the second it becomes I have to be in charge. I have to do all these things I Start to worry because I realize quickly

I can't do that. I don't have the right resources. I'm not smart enough I'm not rich enough.

I can't do all this enough There's no way I can do it so begin to worry, but when you pray what happens you realize

I'm dependent I Have to say Heavenly Father your Holy Father because you you are in it

You're in heaven your name's hallowed, and I need from you even my daily bread. I need from you forgiveness of sins

There's nothing I can do on my own because when I pray I realize I'm needy When I pray

I realize I can't handle it on my own when I pray I realize I'm just a child I watched

Amos all day yesterday with Luke as the girls were out It's kind of tiring to watch a kid all day

I used to get tired when I was 30 watching a kid all day and now that I'm 75 it's harder

Every little thing you know you want to make sure that nothing goes in their mouth And they can't fall down the steps and they have to be fed right and the truth and the food can't be too big

Are they gonna choke and how do you do a Heimlich on the kid? And what does that again ABC airway breathing chest?

I mean it's all these things you're like I just wanted to kind of enjoy him and have him laugh at me and smile and say grandpa oh

All these little details That I was aware of and Luke was aware of as we're watching little

Amos And if I could have such a love and care and concern for every little detail for Amos But you think the

Heavenly Father's better than I am of course one lady said

Every evening I turn my worries over to God He's going to be up all night anyway

I mean there's some sermons. I like to preach because I know I need it I know you do too. Don't we know in this church the sovereignty of God?

Don't we know about how he ordains things and control things and he's sovereign over all he does whatever he pleases the answer is yes

We're not a church that you know emphasizes free will above everything else and God is subordinate to our every whim no we know better But I don't want to rely on my own self my own resources.

I'd rather shift the burden to the Lord and pray Have that joyful communion with the

Lord and then lastly F number six Forget not that God doesn't worry

Don't forget that God doesn't worry turn your Bibles to first Timothy 6 for our last passage today.

God doesn't worry as You're turning there. What if God did free? Can you imagine if God is biting his fingernails?

Pacing back and forth in the universe as it were hoping this is all gonna work out.

I mean he set it in motion Jesus did a pretty good job, but I don't know if he'll make it to the end.

I Mean that's blasphemous. That's weird. That's liberal Theology that's process theology.

That's not biblical theology. That's not what Jesus taught Here's my premise with Luke's first Timothy 6 if God isn't worried

Don't worry If God is worried worry Paul's writing to Timothy Pastoral knowledge, but there's great little nuggets here of truth first Timothy chapter 6 verse 13

In a world that's upside down and crazy is

God Calm as he at rest as it were I charge you verse 13 of chapter 6 in the presence of God Who gives life to all things and of Christ Jesus Who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate a real

God man in front of a real governor real pilot? That you keep the commandment

Timothy without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Which he will bring about at the proper time

He who is the blessed and only sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords who alone possesses

Immortality and dwells in unapproachable light Whom no man has seen or can see to him be honor and eternal dominion forever

I Want you to focus in on one word and all that section that will let you know that God is not

Worried what word do you think it is if you look at all that section 13 14 15 16 and what's the one word that?

I'm looking for that should tell you God isn't worried that God is

Content that God is fulfilled that God is at rest.

What's the word? Sovereign would work. I knew you're gonna say that this is my sermon, and I want a different word blessed

Do you see it? Blessed I mean it's one thing when we're blessed The Beatitudes Blessed as the man happy as the man

Hear the word blessed. It means fulfilled when reference to God it means he's he's happy He's he's he's not frustrated.

There's no anxiety. He's blessed One writer said he's content satisfied at peace perfectly joyful while some things please him and other things do not

Nothing alters his heavenly contentment. He controls everything to his own joyous ends

God is not sweating. He is not wringing his hands everything is on target. That's why we walk by faith and not by sight

And so if God's worried we should be worried But if God's not worried we ought not to be worried and we know that God causes all things to work together for good to Those that love

God and those who called according to his purpose And just a little PS on earth was

Jesus ever worried. Oh The father won't take care of me, of course not and so dear

Christian Admit when you worry that it's sinful and ask

God to forgive you and he does Focus on the Heavenly Father and his goodness and his kindness

Be concerned about gospel ministry and seeking after God's kingdom Don't bring your worry into the next day tomorrow pray and remember that God's not worried

And whether it's the election finances health salvation of family members There are more important things

For you to think about and cast your burden upon the Lord Psalm 55 because he will sustain you

My guess is something's going to happen in the next couple days That's going to make you want to worry

Because you know how it is you read the Bible or you hear a sermon and then the Lord sees if you really We're listening

And wanted to do the right thing And so now we're armed and prepared and let's ask

God for help bow with me, please father. Thank you That you're good and kind and that when we rehearse the truths in Scripture about your track record

There's nothing there that would make us think you don't care that you're not good that you don't love us

That you don't provide for us that you don't protect us you Know how to shepherd your people

And we think about the Lord Jesus out of all the shepherds. He's the chief shepherd Out of all the shepherds.

He's the good shepherd and out of all the shepherds He is a shepherd who takes care of us

And so father would you forgive us for sinning? I I worry I don't want to would you forgive me?

This dear congregation they worry too, and I know they don't want to would you forgive them and We want to be people of prayer