The Nothings from Worry (Part Two) by Dr. Rod Mattoon

About this sermon

* Matthew 6:26-30...Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? [27] Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? [28] 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? In part two of this message, we continue to address the issue of worry. Here are some excerpts from the message. Worry never moves you one inch closer to a solution. In fact, it creates more problems. * Those worried about losing their hair accelerate the process and end up losing it. * Those worried about getting sick weaken their immune system and end up many times, getting sick. * Those worried about losing their jobs can lower their performance at work and end up losing their jobs. * Those who are worried about gaining weight sometimes will eat more and gain the weight. Worry cannot change the past or control the future; it makes you miserable today. Worry shows that we have another problem in our lives. This was brought out by Jim Daly. Jim is the president of Focus on the Family and successor to James Dobson. In the January 2013 issue of Significant Living, Jim made a surprising, sobering, and profound statement that might cause more worry for worriers. He said, “Worry is a passive form of arrogance.” He explained, “It’s believing that you know how things are supposed to turn out. It’s taking God’s seat for yourself. We don’t worry because we fear God’s will won’t be done. We worry because we’re afraid that things won’t go our way.” Wow! There is a great deal of truth in that statement. Worry is inconsistent with our faith. It is a characteristic of unbelief. Our worries and fears do not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but only empty today of its strength. We are not to be focused on frustrations. Instead, we are to seek His will and righteousness. With the master of the universe, living within us and watching over our lives, we have no reason to worry, but we still do anyway! People try to encourage us when we go through a trial, but we still worry. The September 2004 issue of Reader’s Digest told about Debbie Williams who was working the ticket counter at a busy airport. There was a screaming baby that had every passenger's attention. A man stepped to the counter, looked at the infant that was exercising his lungs, and then he rolled his eyes. Trying to assure him, Debbie said to the man, "Don't worry, chances are that baby won't be on your flight." The man shook his head and replied, "Oh, I bet he will. Lady, that's my son." Yep, people try to encourage us, but we still worry sometimes. May the Lord help us all to conquer worry in our own hearts. This message was preached on Sunday morning, May 29, 2022, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.

Topics

• Anxiety & Worry