Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

Matthew 6:25-34

"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? ²⁶ 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? ²⁷ And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? ²⁸ And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; ²⁹ yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. ³⁰ But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith? ³¹ Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' ³² For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. ³⁴ "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.

Summary and Function

Summary: Worry incapacitates us. When we worry, we become so fixated on our problems and ourselves that we can’t make decisions and do what we need to do. We remain slaves to our fears. God, however, can free us from worry. With faith that God will take care of us, we can simply focus on doing what we need to do. This trust in God starts with accepting Jesus as Savior and Lord. If you want to be freed from worry, look to Jesus.

Function: To encourage everyone to trust in Jesus to be free from worry.

Sermon

I. Introduction: How can Jesus tell us not to worry? I bet he’s never been laid off with a

family to support.

A. This passage (Matthew 6:25-34) is very hard to obey. Often times, worry just seems to naturally happen.

· When people are laid off with mortgage and car payments and four mouths to feed, it’s natural to worry.

· When people are diagnosed with cancer, it’s natural to worry

· When the principal bread winner passes away, it’s natural to worry

B. Too understand this passage, we need to know a few things…

· It’s ok to have genuine concern about your problems

· Jesus is not telling us to be unconcerned. He’s telling us to not worry. There’s a difference

II. The difference between being concerned and worrying

A. Having genuine concern: Knowing that there is problem that needs to be fixed. This knowledge motivates you to take corrective action. The following are examples of genuine concern:

· You are laid off. You know you need to support your family so you search for another job.

· You find a lump on your breast. You go to the doctor to get it checked out.

· You suspect your teen-ager is using drugs. You have him/her drug tested.

B. Worry: Allowing your problem to overwhelm and enslave you. It becomes the sole-focus of your life and it incapacitates you. You are no longer able to love and serve others because you are too focused on your problem. The following are examples of worry:

C. An illustration to show the difference between genuine concern and worry

· My first daughter was born premature and had to spend six months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). My wife and I got to know several of the parents who had babies in the NICU

· I observed many of the fathers. Some demonstrated genuine concern while others demonstrated worry.

· The fathers who demonstrated genuine concern:

- Spent lots of time in the NICU holding their babies, talking to them and consulting with the doctors and nurses. They had a good understanding of what needed to be done to care for their children

- They calmly but persistently dealt with their health insurance provider or, if they didn’t have health insurance, learned how to navigate their way through the governmental bureaucracy to receive Medicare.

- They became a rock for their wives to stand on.

· The fathers who demonstrated worry

- Spent very little time in the NICU holding their babies and consulting with the doctors and nurses. They just couldn’t handle it. They spent more time in the designated smoking areas than in the NICU.

- They had an extremely hard time dealing with health insurance agents or the Medicare bureaucracy. They would just get too upset and emotional.

- They provided very little support for their wives.

- We should not judge these men. They are not bad people. They were so consumed with worry that they couldn’t be the husbands and fathers they wanted to be.

D. So, Jesus tells us not to worry. That’s often times easier said than done. In many situations, worry seems to happen almost automatically. This brings up the question: “How do we keep from worrying?” Jesus answers this question in verse 33.

III. How do we keep from worrying?

A. Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

B. We keep from worrying by seeking God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness. As long as we seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, God will provide everything we will ever need. There is no need to worry.

C. This brings up the next question: “What does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness?”

IV. What does it mean to seek God’s kingdom and righteousness?

A. God’s kingdom occurs when people live the way God wants them to live.

· God wants us to love Him with all our hearts, souls, mind and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. So…

· Seeking God’s kingdom means to love God and neighbor in everything we do

B. Seeking God’s righteousness is seeking to be good like God.

· Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus demonstrates God’s righteousness in his life, death and resurrection. So….

· Seeking God’s righteousness means seeking to be like Christ. This starts with accepting Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

C. Let’s put all this together: Seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness means seeking to be like Jesus by loving God and neighbor.

· God promises to provide us with whatever we need if we seek His kingdom and righteousness

· God will provide us with whatever we need to be more like Jesus and to love others as we love ourselves.

· The Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread” When we say this we are saying, “May we live our lives in accordance with your will and may you provide us with whatever we need in order to do your will”

V. Here’s the bottom line….

A. We all face challenges, hardships or suffering throughout our lives. Many of us are currently facing economic hardships.

B. Now, we can face these hardships with or without God. I choose to face them with God because God promises to take care of us!!

C. God promises to provide us with whatever we need in order to do his loving will

D. Please note: God does not promise to provide you with what you want, but what you need.

· God knows what is best for us. Sometimes what we want is not what is best for us.

· God may or may not provide you with immense riches.

· If God wants you to love others in a specific way that requires immense wealth, then he’ll provide you with wealth.

· If God wants you to love others in a specific way that does not require lots of wealth, then he may or may not provide you with lots of wealth.

· God will provide you with what you need in order to do his loving will.

E. God knows that, in order to do His loving will, you need…

· A Job to support your family

· Some type of income to sustain you until you find a job

· Food on your table and a house over your head

· Some type of medical coverage

· If you focus on doing God’s loving will, God will provide you with whatever you need. That’s what is meant by Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

VI. Conclusion

A. If you and your family are in economic distress, we would like to pray for you.

· We don’t have a lot of money to give to everyone in need but we do have the sustaining power of God Almighty. If you are willing to trsut and follow Him, he will provide for you.

· Please come to the front of the sanctuary for prayer.

· When the service is over, please join us for a free dinner. During the dinner we will have a resource fair where you can learn about the various agencies and charities that may help you get back on your feet.