Sermon

DEALING WITH WORRY

Luke 12:22-31

    * Then, turning to his disciples, Jesus said, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life--whether you have enough food to eat or enough clothes to wear.
    * For life is more than food, and your body more than clothing.
    * Look at the ravens. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for God feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than any birds!


LUKE 12:21-31

    * Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
    * And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things?
 

LUKE 12:22-31

    * “Look at the lilies and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.
    * And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

 
LUKE 12:22-31

    * “And don’t be concerned about what to eat and what to drink. Don’t worry about such things.
    * These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers all over the world, but your Father already knows your needs.
    * Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and he will give you everything you need.

 
FATHER FACTOR

    * When we worry we have forgotten that God is our Father.
    * God promises that He knows your need and will provide (v. 30)

 
FATHER FACTOR: (1) FOOD V 23-24

    * v. 24 Father cares for the birds
    * Psalms 147:9 He gives food to the wild animals and feeds the young ravens when they cry.
    * Job 38:41  Who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God and wander about in hunger?
    * The birds are not made in His image, redeemed by the blood of Jesus

    * v. 23 Life is more than food. You are not here just to exist: God made you for a purpose. It is more than eating, surviving
    * For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Eph 2:10.
    * If God has made you for a purpose, will he not sustain you to fulfill that purpose?


FATHER FACTOR: (2) FUTURE (V. 25-26)

    * You cannot add one hour to your life.
    * Today, there is an obsession with health. While you can shorten your life by not taking care of your body, you cannot add one minute more than what God has ordained.
    * Psa 139:16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
    * I will not die one day before he wants me to die.
    * Why worry, our life is in his hands.

 
FATHER FACTOR: (3) FASHION (V. 27-29)

    * Look at the lilies

 
FAITH FACTOR 

    * Worry is the opposite of faith.
    * Worry is a sin. When you worry, you say that God cannot do what he says.
    * The Bible is full of promises that God will take care of you. Worry says you do not believe God’s word.
    * v. 29 The pagans run after these things. People who don’t know God

    * Promises from Psalm 34
    * 6-7 In my desperation I prayed, and the Lord listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him
    * 10 Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.
    * 15  The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help.
    * 17 The Lord hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.
    * 18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.

    * Do you live like a Christian who knows God or a pagan?
    * Isa 26:3 You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

 
FOCUS FACTOR

    * v. 31. Instead, seek/ crave/intensely desire God’s Kingdom
    * Singularity of focus – one soul, one heart, one mind
    * Psalms 27:4 The one thing I ask of the Lord--the thing I seek most--is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

    * The more you are focused on God, the more you will overcome worry. When I worry, I am not focused on God’s presence.
    * Constantly growing with God. Daily in God’s presence, praying, growing.