Thursday, August 29, 2013
Don't Worry! Part 9 of 31
TEXT: "Therefore, I say to you, do not worry 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? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble" (Matthew 6:25-34).
IDEA: We can handle anxiety about our future if we think about the providence of God and trust Him to care for us.
PURPOSE: To help listeners think theologically about their anxieties.
What have we learned from surveys of our listeners about Discover the Word? Some listeners would like the program to be longer. Does that surprise you?
I. There are two ways to study the Bible.
We can take a "worm's eye view" or a "bird's eye view."
What's the difference? What do we tend to do on Discover the Word? Why?
II. Let's take a "bird's-eye view" of Matthew 6:25-33 and see it with a wide angle.
Read the passage: Matthew 6:25-33.
What is the subject of the passage? What is Jesus talking about?
Subject: Why we should not be anxious about our lives.
Do you think this has more to do with people in the past? Were they more anxious than we are today?
It's a great subject.
How does Jesus answer that question? He gives four reasons for not worrying about basic provisions:
They aren't significant enough to worry about (Matthew 6:25).
Your heavenly Father feeds the birds and you are more valuable than birds (Matthew 6:26).
Worrying doesn't do any good (Matthew 6:27).
God clothes the flowers of the field which are here today and gone tomorrow. Won't He clothe you (Matthew 6:18-32)?
He concludes by saying that if you want to worry, worry about what is worth worrying about (Matthew 6:33-34).
III. Are there any advantages to a bird's-eye view of a passage? What are the disadvantages?
