"THE WORRY RULE!" 

TEXT:  Matt. 6:25-34   Philip. 4:6-7 

INTRO:           There is one characteristic of human beings that we are pretty sure does not exist among animals ... WORRY!  I have yet to meet a dog or cat that was worried!  My dog Bear never acted worried over food or heat, water or shelter ... He never worried about politics or the neighborhood or whether He was going to be taken care of!  I don’t think she ever once wondered if the dog food companies were going to go on strike!  Yet, we humans worry about everything! 

The reason animals don't worry is because they don't have a sense of time, of future vs. the present.  When we worry, it is usually about the future, what will we do next, or "how am I going to handle this situation when it comes" or "will we have food tomorrow?"  "What next?"… etc. 

Worry however does us little good, 

it is like a rocking chair, it will give you something to do, but it won't get you anywhere! 

Easy to say, right?  Have I worried?  Yes, especially about health issues over the last 4 years.  My blood pressure spikes every time just before a major surgery making it almost impossible to even sedate me!  Many of us worry, and just a sermon telling you it's wrong to worry isn’t going to do anything but make you think, I just don’t understand.  You know you've worried all your life, you know great Christians who have gone to their graves worrying about everything from weather to what they're going to wear next Sunday, and you KNOW they are in heaven right now. So what's the problem?   Mom has been a chronic worrier all her life, and after listening to Jeff's lesson a couple weeks ago, I learned Shirley is too! You are so tired of people telling you that if you worry it's just a sign you don’t have faith in God and you don’t want to hear it again.  

Have you started believing them?  Do you worry about whether you are on your way to heaven or not because of a lack of faith?  Do you worry about whether you will make it to heaven or not, period? Do you spend most of your time worrying about yourself or how to help others find their way to heaven?   

So are we really told we can’t worry?  No, instead we are told we can’t worry like the rest of the world.  We don’t need to worry about the same things as the rest of the world worries about. If we concern ourselves with the Kingdom of God we will not have to worry about the kingdoms of this world!  

So when you find yourself worrying, how do you get it to stop? Let's look at worry; what it is, it's source, it’s end, and finally, what you can do in your own life to beat it! 

This is the 3rd lesson of the series "Rules for the redeemed", all taken from the famous Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew.  I have 6 lessons to be presented over 6 weeks on a small part of what  Jesus used just 2 chapters to say.  Here are the rules we will be looking at: 

[1] The Money Rule! - Matt. 6:19-24

[2] The Prayer Rule! - Matt. 7:7-11; 6:5-8; Luke 18:1-7

[3] The Worry Rule! - Matt. 6:25-34; Philip. 4:6-7

[4] The Judgment Rule! - Matt. 7:1-6

 [5] The Golden Rule! - Matt. 7:12; 24-27

[6] The Fruitful Rule! - Matt. 7:15-23 

I.  First, what is worry? 

LESSER & GREATER    Matt. 6:25-30 

A.    Lots of Fear!    Matt. 6:25-27  (James 1:8) 

1.     The word translated "worry" in Greek is "Merimnao" which is really two different Greek words: "Merizo" which means "TO DIVIDE" and "Nous" meaning "MIND."   

In other words it means a "divided mind" ... certainly descriptive of a worrywart! 

a.     Worriers are always going back and forth over an issue they are worried about, one minute they decide one thing, and something else the next! 

b.     In James 1:8 we read “A double minded man is unstable in all his ways...” 

c.     Worry makes a basket case out of us ... and leaves us very unproductive!  There is rarely any good that comes from worrying! 

2.     Worry is the result of fear ... lots of fear! 

One summer night during a severe thunderstorm a mother was tucking her small son into bed. She was about to turn the light off when he asked in a trembling voice, “Mommy, will you stay with me all night?” Smiling, the mother gave him a warm, reassuring hug and said tenderly, “I can’t dear. I have to sleep in Daddy’s room.”       A long silence followed. At last it was broken by a shaky voice saying, “The big sissy!” 

a.     Fear about loss.

b.     Fear about security.

c.     Fear about safety.

d.     Fear about tomorrow.

An Average Person’s Anxiety Is Focused On…

·         40%—things that will never happen

·         30%—things about the past that can’t be changed

·         12%—things about criticism by others, mostly untrue

·         10%—about health, which gets worse with stress

·         8%—about real problems that will be faced

II. The source of worry 

       A. WORRYING ABOUT THE WRONG THINGS:   Matt.6:28-30 

1.     Jesus begins speaking about how unnecessary it is for HIS children to be so worried about such basic necessities of life! 

a.     The question here is value! What we should be concerned about. 

b.     If a God who takes care of birds and other animal life does so faithfully, won't He be willing to take care of humans who are so much more valuable than animals?  We have been made in His own likeness! 

2.     The principle is an obvious one; a God who takes great concern on lesser life forms will not ignore taking care of the more valuable ones in creation ... US! 

a.     If God created our bodies with skin, won't He also provide clothing which is less valuable? 

b.     If God feeds the birds of the air that neither sow nor reap or plan for the future by storing in barns, won't He also take care to meet our physical needs since we belong to Him? 

c.     It is explicitly stated here that it is our Heavenly Father who provides for all life forms, how much more He will provide our necessities as creatures of eternal life! 

3.  The point here is this ... fear creates worry, faith creates worship!  WE MUST LEARN TO AVOID WORRY! 

A man fell off a cliff, but managed to grab a tree limb on the way down. The following conversation ensued: 

“Is anyone up there?” “I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe me?”  “Yes, Lord, I believe. I really believe, but I can’t hang on much longer.” “That’s all right, if you really believe you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Just let go of the branch.” A moment of pause, then: “Is anyone else up there?” 

       B.  LITTLE FAITH           Matt.6:28-30 

1.     Not only can we not add a single hour of life by worrying, we actually probably lose much more by worrying. 

2.     Jesus adds more examples of how much He takes care of the lesser and therefore will surely take care of the greater. 

a.     Look at the flowers of the fields ... not even a man has been so gloriously dressed, yet the flowers did not work to make themselves so beautiful ... they simply are what they are. 

b.     IF we are what we are suppose to be ... HIS CHILDREN then the other things we so worry about will take care of them­selves. 

3.     Jesus' statement of "little faith" may not be a sarcastic statement ... but meant to tell them that even "LITTLE FAITH" is rewarded by the necessities of life. 

a.     It is the relationship we have in Christ that guarantees the basic needs ... even the faith that is small in Christ can keep us from worry if we put it in Christ! 

b.     Worry only robs us of the spiritual strength God desires us to have!  

4.     Even a little faith can relieve us of great suffering in our souls ... and help us escape the terrible trap that worry creates in our hearts!  

a.     There is a great difference between "concern" and worry! 

b.     Concern has productive qualities ... it helps us to plan and work, worry however only paralyzes us from doing anything except worry! 

5.     God promises to take care of the absolute necessities for those who have even a little faith!

       C. LIFE’S GOALS,  Living Faith    Matt, 6:31-34    Philip. 4:6-7    

1.     If we belong to Christ then we really have no reason to worry over such basic needs as food, clothing, and shelter. 

a.     The Christian's life is NOT to be known by obsessive worry over basic necessities

               that reflects the heart of a secular lifestyle! 

2.     No loving Father in his right mind would treat his own children to poverty, nakedness, or starvation if he has the means to help!   

Neither will our heavenly Father IF we belong to Him! 

3.     The key is belonging to Him! 

a.     If you are a "pagan" (outside of Christ) then you may have reasons to worry ... you are on your own! 

b.     God's children however have been promised a future, and it is the future that is the basis of almost all worry! 

4.     Jesus now focuses on the real issue that can help us avoid worry ... WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PRIORITY OF OUR LIFE? 

a.     If we are seeking first GOD'S KINGDOM and His righteousness WE ABSOLUTELY DO NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING OF THIS WORLD! 

b.     This is such an important key to eliminating worry! 

c.     "All these things" will be added unto those who are seeking God’s kingdom as a priority in their life! 

5.     There might be more reasons to worry if we aren't seeking His kingdom first, then God cannot add all those other things! 

a.     The greatest "social" security" is not the government, it is GOD! 

b.     Those that put God first in their life will not be left last in His concerns! 

c.     Those who seek God's kingdom and His righteousness as a priority in their life will discover that they are the most free from worry! 

d.     The less you put God's kingdom first in your life the more you will experience the uncertainty of heart about tomorrow. 

6.     This great truth is meant to be a freeing principle for God's people ... Jesus shared this secret with His followers so that they could free themselves from the tyranny of worry! 

ILLUS:                 Remember the prodigal son ... starving and without anything he finally wakes up in the pigpen.  What was the difference between him and a pig in that pigpen?  No pig could go back to his father, but the prodigal could!  He wakes us to the fact that in his father home even a slave had a better life than he did in this pigpen.  Humbling himself he comes back to His father's home, willing to be a simple slave, just wanted back in.  Instead he finds that putting his father's home back in focus in his life brought him a banquet ... the fatted calf was killed and a big celebration ensued!  God delights in providing the basics and more for his returning son even though he had lost everything through neglect before ... his son would not have to worry as long as he was home! 

III. What we can do about it!   (Go over back of bulletin) 

A.    Liberating our Future Matt. 6:34    Philip. 4:6-7 

1.     “Therefore” introduces a conclusion based on the foregoing teaching about putting first the kingdom ... “therefore” (if we put first His kingdom and His righteousness) we do not have to worry.... 

ILLUS:                 Robert Burdette wrote the following, "There are 2 days in the week about which I never worry, 2 carefree days kept sacredly free from fear and apprehension.  One of these days is yesterday ... and the other day I do not worry about is tomorrow." – Source Unknown 

2.     It is senseless and demonstrates a lack of faith when we fret about tomorrow!  There is enough stuff for today to deal with than to waste our energy on the fears of tomorrow! 

a.     This is not a plea against planning for tomorrow or being concerned over tomorrow... it is a plea to trust God about tomorrow. 

b.     We are to direct our energy into solving the issues of today without undue fretting about tomorrow! 

3.     If we are out of work, don't worry about tomorrow, spend today's energy looking for work! 

4.     Remember to keep a careful priority on God's kingdom and righteousness in order to have the confidence about tomorrow. 

5.     PHILIP. 4:6-7 adds to this the need to ASK in prayer … but with THANKSGIVING! 

a.     And if done this way we are promised that the "peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and mind in Christ Jesus." 

b.     “Hearts and mind” means our emotions and our will! 

c.     With those two elements in their proper place worry cannot consume us! 

6.     God’s people are NOT TO WORRY, this is a rule for the redeemed! 

7.     The only one who is ENRICHED by worry is Satan! 

ILLUS:                 The most famous insurance company on earth is the "LLOYD’S OF LONDON."  It has gotten very rich off the nature of humans to worry.  In fact, their wealth was created by betting against the chances that the crazy things we worry over will never really happen ... and they most often don't!  People are willing to pay huge sums of money to insure themselves against wild possibilities, they almost never happen and so Lloyd's of London get rich off of the worry most people are willing to pay to get rid of it!  WHAT IS THE COST TO GOD'S PEOPLE WHEN WE WORRY TOO MUCH?  HOW HAVE WE ENRICHED SATAN AND HOW HAVE WE IMPOVERISHED OURSELVES AND OUR TESTIMONY FOR CHRIST WHEN WE WORRY? – Source Unknown 

8.     Remember the prescription to curing worry is very simple ... “SEEK FIRST HIS KINGDOM AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS” AND YOU WON'T HAVE A THING TO WORRY ABOUT EVER! 

a.     If you choose however to be like the prodigal son and ignore this advice ... then start worrying!

b.     Why invite misery into your life ... trust in God and seek first His kingdom and enjoy the present as well as the future.  

So, if you worry, are you going straight to hell, do not pass go, do not collect $200? 

If you find yourself falling into a period of worry, what do you do?  Ask yourself… 

Are you worrying about the wrong things?  What are you worrying about?  Yourself?  Material things the Lord told you not to worry about?  Things far in excess of what your father says you need?  A newer car?  How to make the car payment when you really want to buy that new HD television?  From last week's lesson, we learned it not to waste God's times with these types of requests.  If it isn’t worth wasting God's time with this, is it worth wasting your time? 

Are we worrying about the right things, the wrong way? 

Are we worrying about the right things, but lack faith in God to take care of it? 

Are we worrying about the right things, have complete trust in God, but are not willing to see what we can do to alleviate the problems ourselves with him? 

Are you worrying about the right things, have complete trust in God, have been doing what you can to bring about the best solution to your problem?  Then fine, you'll find your worry won’t be a worry very long. And the more of these you have, the weaker your fears will be, worries will be replaced by anxiety, anxiety will be replaced by concerns, and concerns, eventually, by opportunities to demonstrate the power of God in your life.

 Anxiety is a very crippling emotion!  There is a vast difference between healthy concern and irrational worry.   

If God's kingdom is first in our life we still will need to plan, but we won't have to worry!   

Only those however who put first the kingdom of God get to experience this kind of freedom from worry!  Remember, only if you pray first, "THY KINGDOM COME..." can you then add, "GIVE ME MY DAILY BREAD..." 

 If God's kingdom is first in your life, you have nothing to worry about.  If it isn't, then…