Jesus’ Sermon on Anxiety

 

MATTHEW 6:24-34

SUBJECT: WORRY/ ANXIETY

THEME: Jesus assured us we can trust God in anxious times; by faith we can attack our anxiety instead of having an anxiety attack!

RELEVANCY: We will miss out on the primary purposes of life if we waist them worrying and scurrying around trying to take care of basic needs.  Instead of worrying, we need to be seeking the living God, and progressively realizing His righteousness in our own spiritual development.  God promises to take care of the rest of our needs as we make Him the priority of our lives.

LESSON:

1.     Our World Is Filled with Anxious People.  It doesn’t seem to matter in which profession or area they work—business, education, ministry, politics, parenting—people are anxious about the future, unseen dangers, personal status and approval, their health, and their general ability to work and succeed in life. Many are anxious about the state of their souls and whether they are in right standing with God. Even Christians have these concerns.

2.     In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Dealt with Anxiety More than Any Other Topic:

a.     Matthew 6:28-34, And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: [29] And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? [31] Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

b.     In this passage Jesus strikes at the tendency to center our lives around food and clothing, thus missing life’s real meaning. The problem is not so much what we eat and drink today, but what we shall eat, drink, and wear ten, twenty, or thirty years from now. Such worry for the future is sin because it denies the love, wisdom, and power of God. It denies the love of God by implying that He doesn’t care for us. It denies His wisdom by implying that He does not know what He is doing. And it denies His power by implying that He isn’t able to provide for our needs.

3.     The Words Anxious and Anxiety Aren't Found in the Bible.

a.     We don’t even find the word worry in our Bible. But, the concept of anxiety is found throughout the New Testament. In this passage you find the phrase “taking thought,” “take no thought” or “take ye thought.” (Vs. 25, 27, 28, 31). Issues such as these that Jesus raised aren’t even to enter our minds, but if they do, we are to give them no lodging. That is, “Don't give it a second thought,” or “It isn't worth thinking about.” 

b.     The problem is that this type of concern causes us to devote our finest energies to making sure we will have enough to live on.  Then before we know it, our lives have passed, and we have missed the central purpose for which we were made.  God did not create us in His image with no higher destiny than that we should consume food.  We are here to love, worship, and serve Him and to represent His interests on earth.  Our bodies are intended to be our servants, not our masters.

4.     And Yet, How Many of Us Spend Anxious Moments Pondering What We Will Eat, Drink, or Wear? How will we meet other daily practical and material needs in our lives? After all, food, drink, and clothing are some of our most basic needs. And that is the point that Jesus is making: God knows our basic needs. He is capable of meeting them, and He desires to meet them.

5.     “Learning to Trust God”

a.     “I felt like I was hanging onto the end of a long rope. There was nothing around me or under me that I could see. But I was being asked to let go of the rope. God was saying to me, ‘I will catch you.’ All I needed to do was trust him.”

b.     “Trust God. It seems like it should be a simple thing to do. But it is a lifelong struggle for most of us. Each day we discover new meanings to that little phrase. Each day we discover again how hard it is to do.

c.     People from dysfunctional families have learned from experience that people are not always trustworthy. Promises are broken. Responsibilities are avoided.

d.     In many ways we transfer these experiences of broken trust into our relationship with God. Even though the Bible proclaims God’s faithfulness and even though our personal experience of God may have shown him to be faithful in the past, we still struggle to trust him.

e.     Many people from dysfunctional homes will read “take no thought” or simply do not worry and will immediately feel guilty and ashamed of their anxieties. They will feel less spiritual and more depressed. It is very important to help each other focus on what Jesus is really saying here. When Jesus says “take no thought,” he is not saying “don't pay any attention to your needs.” Neither is he saying “your needs don't matter.” Nor is his purpose to merely say “shame on you for worrying.” (Dale and Juanita Ryan)

6.     Instead, Jesus assumes that worry is part of our daily experience and reminds us that God pays attention to the things that concern us.

a.     Jesus reminds us that God takes seriously His responsibility to care for His creatures and His children.

b.     In addition, while taking seriously our concerns (God knows your need), Jesus calls us to a perspective that takes us beyond ourselves into the life of Faith/Trust and God’s kingdom.

7.     As Believers we must recognized each of the following points: Matthew 6:25-34

a.     There’s more to life than the things we usually worry about (vs. 25)

b.     God feeds the birds and dresses the flowers and will also care for us (vs. 30)

c.     We are valuable to God (vs. 26, 30)

d.     Worrying is ineffective (vs. 27)

e.     God knows our needs (vs. 32)

f.      God invites us to focus on the concerns of His kingdom (vs.33)

CONCLUSION: If you have a loss of interest in life—a loss of enthusiasm, a loss of productivity and energy, a loss of output—consider whether you have developed an attitude of anxiety. If so, it's up to you to take action to break the hold that worry has over you. God will help you, but you must face what you have allowed to develop in your life and take action to counteract your response of worry and anxiety.

As believers we cannot tolerate any anxiety relative to our salvation in Jesus Christ. Remember when we are born again, at least four things happen. First, our sins were forgiven. When we received Christ, He forgave our sins, past, present and future, as far as our eternal destiny is concerned. Of course, sin has earthly consequences (Hebrews 12:5–11), and will influence our eternal rewards (2 Corinthians 5:10). But they will never keep us out of Heaven (Romans 5:20–21). Why? Because Jesus “bare our sins in His own body on the tree [cross]” (1 Peter 2:24). Because sin causes death, either we will die for our sins, or else we must accept Christ, who substitutes His death as the payment for our sins. So, if Christ has paid for our sins and we have accepted His payment, then we cannot pay for them also. Whether or not we as a new Christian can sense an immediate forgiveness for sins or not, we can rest on the promise of God that our sins have been blotted out. We dare to believe such an unbelievable thing because the Bible literally expresses this truth. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In whom [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Then, in Ephesians 4:32 we read, “And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Yes, the first, wonderful thing that happens to us when we are born again is that our sins are forgiven.

As believers, the basis of our reconciliation is our union with Christ, the foundation of all spiritual growth. Second Corinthians 3:18, says, “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” Those of us linked with Christ will demonstrate growing Christ-like qualities here on earth, and one day will be transformed fully into His likeness.

Of course, we don’t always feel very Christ-like and can become anxious about it. We see the hidden lust, the secret surges of selfishness and pride, the flashes of anger or the smoldering envy. Aware of our commitment to self-determination, self-protection, and self-gratification, we know our own hearts. But God knows our frame. He is mindful that we are but dust (Psalm 103:14) and takes care of that now. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). And eventually we will stand before Him, rid of these sin-corrupted bodies, never to sin again (Romans 8:23). There is no reason to be anxious about our souls and ultimate future when we know Christ Jesus as Savior.