Friday, August 23, 2013
Don't Worry! Part 5 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: It is only when we think theologically that we think biblically.
PURPOSE: To help listeners think about God when they think about life.
How do you react to the statement that the greatest need of Christians today is good theology?
How do you think listeners might react to that statement?
I. There are parts of the Bible that thoughtful persons might come to on their own.
In Matthew 6:27, part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talks about worry and asks, "Which of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life?"
What is the point of that question?
"Worrying never got anyone anywhere." Is that a statement that only a Christian would make? Do you need theology to make it?
Jesus is saying something more profound about God.
II. Behind what Jesus says there is "theology" -- an understanding about God.
The God of the universe is our heavenly Father (Matthew 6:26). He is to us what a good father is to his children.
Our life is in our Father's hands. He plans our steps and He promises to provide what we need, and He will provide for all of our needs to fulfill His purpose. When that is accomplished He will take us home to be with Him. Why worry when He has our life in his hands?
Conclusion:
The freedom from anxiety is through embracing that "theology": "Our times are in God's hands" (Psalm 31:15).
