Thursday, September 26, 2013

Don't Worry! Part 29 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: Don't worry.

PURPOSE: To help listeners understand why Christ-followers should not worry.

We have talked about the disease of anxiety. Do you think that Christians are able not to worry?

I. Jesus piles up six arguments against Christ-followers worrying about providing for the future.

There are more important matters to think about than clothes and food (Matthew 6:25).

If your heavenly Father feeds the birds, why would you doubt that He will take care of you (Matthew 6:26)?

Worry can't prolong your life (Matthew 6:27).

If God clothes the field flowers so beautifully, why would you doubt that He will give you the clothes you need?

This anxiety is more pagan than Christian (Matthew 6: 32).

God knows that you have needs, and if you commit yourself to Him, then He commits Himself to take care of you.

II. Jesus ends this list with a seventh reason not to worry based on practical common sense: "The trouble you worried about yesterday didn't happen (Matthew 6:34).