DO NOT WORRY
11 October 2015
11 October 2015
TEXT: MATT 6:25 - 34
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Matt
6:25-34
"Therefore
I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, 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, yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like of these. Now if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is and tomorrow is thrown into the over, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry saying “What shall we eat?”, “What shall we drink?”, “What shall we wear?” For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows you need all these things.
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"
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BIBLICAL
RESPONSE TO WORRYING ABOUT THE FUTURE
In the light of prophecies of a coming world economic collapse, what
should be a proper biblical response?
God
wants us “not to worry” about the uncertainties of the future. Neither does He
want us to worry about the 5 things that tend to occupy our mind:
1. Our life
2. What we will drink
3. What we will put on
4. What we will eat
5. Tomorrow
In the NKJV the word “worry” appears 6 times out of
8 but in the KJV the word “worry” does not appear at all. In the KJV, the words
used are “take no thought”.
If we allow our thoughts to dwell too much on the
things of this life, on our material, physical and material needs, sooner or
later those worrisome thoughts will become like our ‘idol’ and we will suffer
stress or even experience a mental breakdown.
A classic “worrier” in the Bible is Martha. When
Jesus visited the family, Martha worried so much about serving Him that she
complained to Jesus about Mary, her sister, who chose to sit at the feet of the
Lord. The Lord identified her problem when He said to her “Martha, Martha you
are worried and troubled over many things. But ONE THING is needed and Mary has
chosen that good part, which will NOT be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
THE ONE THING WHICH IS NEEDED OF US BY THE LORD –
SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD
Jer 29:13 “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search
for Me with all your heart”
SEEK: Seeking, searching, finding – all of these take
time. It takes time for us to worship, read the Word of God and to pray. Time
has to be taken to empty ourselves when coming to the Lord. We need to empty
ourselves of hurts, anger, hatred, bitterness, fear, sorrow, pride etc.
Like accumulated dust and dirt, we need to take time to cleanse ourselves of these things.
SEARCH: Only in total surrender of our hearts will we find the KINGDOM OF GOD. We need time to allow worship to soften our hearts before God so that we can be yielded and ready to obedient to His will, His Word and His calling upon our lives.
Like accumulated dust and dirt, we need to take time to cleanse ourselves of these things.
SEARCH: Only in total surrender of our hearts will we find the KINGDOM OF GOD. We need time to allow worship to soften our hearts before God so that we can be yielded and ready to obedient to His will, His Word and His calling upon our lives.
FIRST THING: Literally in the day
before we eat our breakfast, switch on the computer, read the newspapers –
FIRSTLY, open up our mouth to worship the Lord.
FIRST THING: Open up the Word of
God to ‘chew’ on it.
FIRST THING: Open up our mouths to pray in the Spirit and to
offer thanksgiving and prayers to JESUS!
FIRST THING: SEEK THE INFILLING OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT TO SUSTAIN US THROUGH OUR DAY
THE
NEED OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Rom 14:17 “For the kingdom of God is not in eating and
drinking, but in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”
We need the Holy Spirit to show us what the kingdom of God is like. We
need to Holy Spirit to take us into the kingdom of God. Praying in the Spirit
and allowing the Holy Spirit to pray through us is the start of the journey
that will take us into the very heart of the kingdom of God.
DISCUSSION
1. Of all the 5 things that worry us, which one worries you the most?
2. Do you agree that we need to take time to seek God? Share how you are
seeking God daily now
3. Share which aspect of the message spoke to you the most
