James River Assembly
Pastor Scott O
"Worry Isn't Worth It"
(Pre-Sermon Notes)
- Sometimes God wants to show us a different direction, because we aren't doing it right or we are going the wrong direction.
- There's so much more to life then what is right here, right now!
- Invest in eternity.
Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)
"Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or 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: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to this span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil not spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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 you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and you heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
1. Worry is silly - it doesn't make much sense.
- Worry doesn't help, it's a waste of time and diminishes the life we have.
- Worry comes from a German word that means to choke or to strangle.
- Our lives are more important than worry.
- 40% of the things we worry about won't ever happen.
30% of the things we worry about can't be changed.
15% of the things we worry about, is worrying about what other people think of us.
15% of the things we worry about are actual reality. - God is more then ok with us being concerned, but he hates us being worried.
- Concern is when we have the opportunity to apply wisdom and take action about a potential problem.
- Worrying is putting ourselves ahead of God. It's solely focused on what we can bring to the table, not what God can.
- Anytime we choose to make something (even worry) bigger then God we make it our god and it is an idol.
- Either the God of the Bible is our God, or something else is our god (our idol).
1. You (I) am extremely important to God!
- God cares about His creation.
- And we're not creation at the bottom level, because we are an image bearer of the Creater, and we have His Spirit in us. We are the top level.
- God already knows what we are worried about. He knows that we need Him. He will take care of us.
- God is going to take care of us, and He will make sure we have everything we need (and more).
- In the midst of the struggle it is really hard, and it is really dark; but then when He provides it will be beautiful.
- (It will be a beautiful testimony).
- God is going to provide for us...Period!
- In the midst of the provision seek first the kingdom of God.
- Invest our lives in the kingdom!
- If we spend all of our time investing in the kingdom then we won't have time to worry!
- When we belong to God, it's not just our problem it's also God's problem!!
- Ultimately God is going to make what is wrong, right.
- He will make what is rough, smooth!
- Stop being so consumed with the natural!!
- Get your mind off of now and the stuff, and get your mind on God!
- When we give God our faith, He will give us His peace!!
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.
Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.
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