Matthew 6:25-34

My name is Reese Winkler. This is my first time, so prayers are appreciated as we open up the Word of God together this morning.

Tiny bit about me, and then a lot about God to follow. So I am a teacher, so I teach Bible class, mostly middle schoolers, so I'm just going to pretend like you're all sixth grade students.

It'll make it a lot easier for me. And my wife, Amy, is a nurse at the hospital over in Gainesville.

Okay, so let's read together. We're going to be in Matthew 6, again, 25 through 34. I'm going to go ahead and read from verse 24.

And this is the Word of God. And it says,

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve God and money, or mammon.

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 life not 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.

Yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they?

And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to a span of life?

And why are you anxious about clothing?

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow.

They neither toil nor spin.

Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all of 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 I eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear?

For the Gentiles seek after these things, and your 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 for tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself.

Sufficient is the day its own trouble.

So, at the surface level in reading this text, I just need to tell you guys,

this is a hard text.

Not so much to preach, it's pretty straightforward,

but it's a hard text to hear, especially in our culture.

And so know from the outset, there are going to be things that we talk about today

that we'll see in the Scripture that are going to challenge you,

they're going to push you.

And we have this tendency, I think, a lot of times,

when we hear a hard word, to brace ourselves against it,

and to harden ourselves against what the Word of God is saying.

And so I would encourage you this morning,

soften your heart.

Know that this is meant to be helpful to you,

that the Word of God is written, as Nathan says all the time,

for God's glory and for our good.

Right?

This is supposed to hurt a little bit,

and if you're not getting hurt ever by the Word of God,

then you're either perfect, which is unlikely,

or you are not listening to what the Word is actually saying.

So I would challenge you this morning, as I speak,

I'm going to try to soften it a little bit,

and empathize with you,

because I'm walking the same path that you guys are.

I feel anxious.

And what a good first text to preach, right?

As I'm preparing, right,

I have to look at myself formulating an argument against being anxious.

And so join me as we look together

at what the Word of God has to say about anxiety.

Today it may seem overwhelming at times

and seem like a message only pointing out a deep flaw

in the way that many of us function on a day-to-day basis.

However, I hope that you will see our text as a message of hope

as we throw ourselves on to Christ,

relying on Him to battle and overcome our anxiety.

So society has a lot to say about anxiety.

And any time that society has a lot to say about anything,

we need to be careful, right?

Our world is full of arguments about anxiety.

There's so many books, self-help classes,

lots of money that has gone into teaching about anxiety.

So we've got to be careful not only about how we think about it,

but also how we're affected by worldly influence.

This also means that we need to undo some of our assumptions we get from the culture, right?

So before we explore God's Word, we need to undo some of those things,

which makes for a long introduction this morning.

But be patient, we will get to the text.

So according to the National Institute of Mental Health,

anxiety disorders affect the largest percentage of Americans

of any other type of mental health disorder.

The numbers are around 19% of Americans fall into this category of disordered anxiety,

which means that about one in five people self-report that anxiety affects them so much

that it interferes with relationships, jobs, and so forth.

Now, one in five, you may be sitting there thinking,

well, I just got to be four out of five, right?

But unfortunately, the news is a little bit more bleak than that, right?

Our society's baseline of what is normal anxiety is way higher than what Scripture would call us to.

Driven by greed, power, and the desire to be liked,

Americans have developed a high tolerance for anxiety,

and in large part, the church has been inoculated from the pervasive view of our anxious tendencies.

So as we're thinking about anxiety today,

I want us to be thinking about how many of our actions on a day-to-day basis

are targeted at alleviating feelings of anxiety.

The way that you dress to please others or to catch attention,

doing something so that you can say that you did or post it,

looking like you work hard in front of your employer and feeling anxious about that,

or distracting yourself from anxiety with music, video games, God forbid,

exercise or outdoor activities,

even reading the Word of God, praying, reading Christian books, and coming to church

so that you don't have to feel guilt later, right?

The focus of doing even good activities is on taking away anxiety

and not on the glory of God, then we're doing it wrong.

We have the wrong mindset.

For many in society, anxiety has become so normal

that we're unable to recognize it and call it out in ourselves and in others.

And we fail to take personal responsibility for our anxiety.

So the world seems to recognize several sources of anxiety.

Not all of them are invalid.

Certainly there's truth to it.

But they normally say some combination of genetics,

endless possible life circumstances,

and our learned responses to our environment

constitute a cause for anxiety.

However, the world will never say that anxiety is somehow our fault

or that there's some moral weight to being or feeling anxious.

Unfortunately, the way that we talk about in the church,

think about and respond to our own anxiety

would reveal that many of us have bought into this lie,

though we may not say it on the surface.

John MacArthur in his commentary on the text writes,

Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God,

yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other.

So if this is true, if we commit the sin of anxiety

as much as we commit any other sin,

why are we not talking about it more?

Why are we not thinking about it more,

encouraging each other more, and so on?

And I think a lot of it has to do with the way that we speak about it.

We take our language from the way that the culture talks about it,

and then that transfers into the way that we think about it.

So this morning I invite you, as we look at God's Word,

to see what the Scripture has to say about it,

but then I would encourage you to examine your own anxious tendencies

and the root of them.

So our understanding of the cure for anxiety

is similarly distorted by society's influence.

Their prescription would be some combination of therapy,

medication, and self-care.

And even though those results from these activities

that culture says work on anxiety

are barely better than the combination of placebo effects

and the natural cycles of human emotion,

which normally cycle in and out of periods of anxiety

or depression after six months for most people.

So in other words,

culture's version of the cure or the treatment for anxiety

is barely better than doing nothing at all.

So we can think about this shallow treatment of anxiety,

this symptom-level treatment of anxiety,

like treating the common cold.

So we've all had a cold before,

and we've probably all used some type of symptom relief

to try to get rid of its effects.

We've also all probably tried to push through a bad cold

or take a pill or two

instead of giving our body what it really needs,

time to rest and recuperate.

And like anxiety,

you might be able to hold the symptoms at bay for a while,

but you won't get better

until you give the body what it really needs.

Like a cold,

anxiety will not get better

until we give our soul what it really needs,

which is a renewed heart before God.

And while we aren't to condemn the use of medication

in extreme circumstances,

talking it out with someone,

or surface-level self-care

as a useful symptom management tool,

it would be foolish to neglect

to examine the spiritual root of anxiety as well.

As scripture would call us to do.

It would also be foolish to think

that simply because anxiety may have biological roots,

that there aren't spiritual roots and consequences as well.

A tendency towards anger,

sexual promiscuity or perversion,

and laziness all have biological components,

yet we would not excuse a murderer,

we wouldn't excuse an adulterer,

and we wouldn't excuse slothful behavior.

Right?

So we shouldn't also excuse anxiety

just because it might have biological roots.

And we are in a sinful world because of the fall,

which means our bodies are corrupted as well.

The point of Christian living

is not to follow the flesh,

but to fight against the flesh

for what God desires.

So our text this morning strongly denounces the idea

that anxiety is a product of factors we can't control.

Similarly, we ought not to think

that because anxiety is an emotion,

that it's totally out of our control.

Scripture commands emotions all the time.

And if you want a bigger picture of this,

there's a great episode of Ask Pastor John,

which is John Piper,

and it's called

The God Who Commands Our Emotions.

So some examples of emotions

that are commanded are forbidden in the Bible.

Some that are commanded are joy,

gratitude, fear of the Lord,

delight in the Lord,

to love God,

to love others,

to hope,

to be sorrowful,

to weep with those who weep,

to rejoice with those who rejoice.

And of course,

love is not merely an emotion,

and joy is not merely an emotion,

but there are certainly feeling aspects to it.

The point is that we can't just turn them off and on,

but that doesn't mean that they can't be commanded

because they are.

And then forbidden,

we're forbidden from the fear of man,

from fear in general,

from the love of the world,

from sinful anger,

and in our text this morning,

forbidden from anxiety.

So just because you don't have total control

at all times to flip it on and off

doesn't mean that it can't be commanded.

So we've got to get that straight in our minds.

Anxiety, like all other emotions,

is a result or an extension of belief, right?

So an emotion reflects a deeper thing,

and that is belief.

John Bloom at Desiring God

writes in an article on this topic,

God designed your emotions to be gauges,

not guides.

They're meant to report to you,

not to dictate you.

The pattern of your emotions

gives you a reading

on where your hope is

because they are wired

into what you believe

and what you value

and how much.

That's why emotions like delight,

affection, fear, anger, joy, etc.

are so important in the Bible.

They reveal what your heart loves,

trusts, and fears.

Pleasure is the measure of your treasure.

Isn't that nice?

Because the emotion of pleasure

is a gauge that tells you

what you love.

Another commentator in our text

describes it as Jesus' treasure test

in reference to what the preceding passage

that Clay preached on last week refers to.

So in other words,

you can know what you're treasuring

by examining your emotional attachment

to those things.

Christ here in our text

specifically ties anxiety

to treasure or to worship.

So we've got to ask ourselves the question,

what does your anxiety,

what does our anxiety,

tell us about what we worship?

Is it our family, money,

appearance, providence,

or your sense of self-worth

before others and before God

or a job performance?

So a quick word of encouragement

before we dive into our text.

Maybe you're feeling overwhelmed

at the thought of that,

wow, my anxiety that I feel

all the time is sinful?

What?

Maybe this is bad news for you.

However, our text provides a cure

along with it.

But we have to be willing to go deep enough

in digging out the root of sin.

So I want to revisit really quickly

our cold analogy.

And I know that no analogy is perfect,

but with your permission,

I'd like to beef mine up a little bit

to be a more accurate description

of our dealings with anxiety.

So I'll invite you into a different dimension

for a second

as we change some basic assumptions

about colds, medicine, science,

and the way that the world works in general.

So some of you will find this helpful

if you can track with me.

So I have bad news

and I have good news.

So the bad news

is that you're going to catch the cold

every day,

or sorry,

every week this year.

So no matter what you do,

you're going to catch the cold

every week this year.

But there's good news along with it, right?

There's a vaccination for the cold.

Hip, hip, hooray, right?

So you can prevent the cold

or you can take this vaccination

before you get sick

or you can take this vaccination

after you get sick.

Okay, it's your choice.

And in this fanciful world,

cold medicine is also an option.

So you could just kind of

knock out the symptoms

that are there as well.

So this leaves us with a few options.

Some are better than others.

So the first option,

this is the best option,

is to take the vaccination

before you get sick, right?

You know it's going to happen,

so you take the prescription for it

before it happens.

Number two is an okay option.

Probably not your best one,

but you could wait

until the symptoms start coming up

and then choose to take the vaccination

or take the medicine, right?

That's an okay option.

And then option number three,

take the cold medicine

that will alleviate

some of your symptoms.

So you get sick,

then you pop a Benadryl

and hope for the best, right?

Not a great option.

And then our worst option,

we can get the cold every week

and accept our new normal.

So this should frame the way

that we think about the text this morning,

how we think about anxiety.

And even though there's some bad news,

right, that anxiety is sinful,

there's good news, right?

There's a cure along with it.

So we can either seek to prevent anxiety

with prayer, meditation on the Word,

and renewed daily belief.

We can treat anxiety

once we're already flustered

with prayer, meditation on the Word,

and renewed daily belief.

Or we can keep using shallow methods

to make the symptoms

of feeling anxious

temporarily subside.

Or we can just settle

for anxious lives

and try to get by.

So it's bad news

that our anxiety is sinful unbelief,

which we'll see.

But it's probably worse,

and it's probably worse

than we originally thought.

But we can prevent it,

and we can deal with it.

And when it does come,

we can repent before a God

who has offered us grace upon grace

to sojourn through this life.

God knows our frame.

He knows His children

that are living in a sinful world

will be tempted

by only looking at

what's around them in the world

and becoming anxious.

So let's call anxiety

what it is together,

do our best to examine ourselves,

and lay our sinful anxiety

at the foot of the cross

as we take up biblical prescription

for dealing with worry.

So anxiety, again,

is a symptom of a deeper problem.

It's not a cause,

or it's not the issue

in and of itself,

but it's a symptom

of something deeper.

Today, we're going to be looking

at anxiety as a symptom

or as a result

of a few common areas

of sinful unbelief,

how to prevent those things,

and see how our Lord

would have us respond

when we recognize feelings

of anxiety.

So in our text this morning,

and from surrounding texts

from the Sermon on the Mount,

we'll see anxiety

as a symptom of unbelief,

specifically a symptom

of a worldly focus,

a symptom of unbelief

in God's provision,

a symptom of unbelief

in God's wisdom,

a symptom of the fear of man,

a symptom of prayerlessness

or wrongful prayer,

and then we'll look together

at some points of application.

I'll repeat those headings

as we go.

So first heading,

anxiety as a symptom

of unbelief.

So like other sins,

anxiety is rooted

in the unbelief

of specific characteristics

and promises of God.

So any sin,

no matter how big

or how small,

is a statement to God

saying our way is better.

And we don't always

do this consciously,

and in fact,

most of the time

we don't do this consciously,

but the action

that we take

is saying to God,

what I wanted to do

in this moment

is better

than what you've said

is the right thing to do.

Anxiety and belief

are clearly tied together

in our passage this morning.

If you look back over it,

you have this continued echoing

of do not be anxious,

but believe that God will provide.

The command to not be anxious

is specifically mentioned

three times.

In verse 30,

our Lord connects anxiety

with belief.

He says,

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?

Right?

So you have those two things

specifically tied together.

The belief that God will provide

or the unbelief

that God won't provide

is a symptom of belief

or not having faith.

John MacArthur

in his commentary

on this text writes,

Worry is not a trivial sin

because it strikes a blow

both at God's love

and God's integrity.

Worry declares

our Heavenly Father

to be untrustworthy

in His Word

and His promises.

To avow belief

in the inerrancy of Scripture

and in the next moment

to express worry

is to speak out of both sides

of our mouth.

Worry shows that we are mastered

by our circumstances

and by our own finite perspectives

and understanding

rather than mastered

by God's Word.

Worry is therefore

not only debilitating

and destructive

but maligns

and impugns God.

God has made

abundant promises to us

throughout the Scriptures.

The question is

whether or not

we will believe them

and hold fast to them

in times of trouble

or will we live

a life of anxiety

and worldly comfort.

So first question for us,

do we know

the promises of God?

Do we have specific things

that we can take up

in God's Word

to fight anxiety with?

Do we know

the characteristics of God

as they're expressed

in Scripture

or is it kind of

this like general,

well yeah,

God's loving

and He's kind

and He's powerful

and He's sovereign.

We know these words

but we need to know

things in His Word

that we can run to

in times of anxiety

and comfort.

In our chapter,

in our text this morning,

verse 33,

the promise,

seek first God's kingdom

and all of these things,

daily provision,

will be added to you.

Great promise right there.

And then in Isaiah 41,

Isaiah 41:8–10

verses 8 through 10,

it says,

You whom I took

from the ends of the earth

and called from its farthest corner

saying to you,

You are my servant.

I have chosen you

and not cast you off.

Fear not,

for I am with you.

Be not dismayed,

for I am your God.

I will strengthen you,

I will help you,

and I will uphold you

in my righteous right hand.

So together,

let's look at our next heading

as we see specific areas

of unbelief

that anxiety indicates

in our hearts.

So point number two,

anxiety is a symptom

of a worldly focus

or worldly treasure.

So worldly focus

versus Godward focus

has been a major,

if not the major theme

of the Lord's teaching

here in the Sermon on the Mount

since at least the beginning

of chapter 6.

So Nathan taught,

and if you didn't hear

the series,

we'll call it a series,

on the Lord's Prayer.

I would encourage you

to go back

and listen to those.

But we see God's glory,

not our glory,

being the focus of prayer

in chapter 6,

verses 9 through 13.

And then throughout,

we have God's reward

in prayer

and giving

and in fasting

instead of the temporary reward

of appearing spiritual

before others.

So again,

we get to choose,

am I going to choose

God's reward

or worldly reward?

And then seeking

heavenly treasure

over worldly treasure

in verses 19 through 24.

And then in our passage,

seeking God's kingdom

and His righteousness

instead of our little kingdoms.

We can only choose

one of these two,

as Clay put it well

last week, right?

We only get one choice,

and our call throughout

is to be singularly focused

on God's kingdom.

Anxiety, therefore,

is a result of treasuring

or overvaluing

the things of this world.

But we are called

to have minds

that are set

on heavenly things, right?

Colossians 3, 1 through 4 says,

If then you have been

raised with Christ,

seek the things

that are above

where Christ is,

seated at the right hand

of God.

Set your minds

on things of above,

not on the things

of this earth.

For you have died

and your life is hidden

with Christ and God.

When Christ,

who is your life,

appears,

then you will also

appear with Him

in glory.

So if we can

treat this world

as passing,

treat our life

as a vapor,

our death

as imminent,

your primary citizenship

being found

in heaven,

in your life,

as a tool

in the hand of God,

then you won't be anxious.

One of the primary ways

that we tend to fall

into this worldly mindset

is in our facade

of self-sufficiency.

So this brings us

to our next point.

Anxiety as a symptom

of unbelief

in God's provision.

And this is point number three.

The primary thrust

of our text

is what we're looking at

here, right?

The symptom of unbelief

in God's provision.

So if you look with me

at our text,

you'll see the pattern

or the way

that it's structured.

We have the overall heading,

then we have this repeated

pattern that he uses.

So the repeated pattern

is a topic,

a supporting example,

an argument

of lesser to greater,

and then we have

this little argument

in between

of unproductivity

in verse 27,

and then concluding

with an exhortation

and closing rationale.

So we have these two topics

of food and clothing,

and then supporting examples

of God's provision

for birds and for flowers,

and then we have

this argument

of lesser to greater.

If he so feeds

and clothes them,

will he not also

feed and clothe you?

So the overall heading,

verse 25,

do not be anxious

about what you will eat,

drink, or wear.

And then we have

several reasons given

not to be anxious

about food or clothing.

First reason,

you are more valuable

than birds and flowers.

Yet God feeds

and clothes them.

How much more

will he then feed

and clothe you?

In verse 27,

we learn that anxiety

about our lives

is totally unproductive.

And if you think

about your own anxiety,

think about what you

have produced

by working yourself up.

Nothing, right?

We don't accomplish

anything with our anxiety,

and that's clearly

our origin scripture.

Unbelievers worry

about these things.

Our next reason,

our next argument

is that the Gentiles

think in this way.

They worry about

food and clothing

because they don't believe

that God will provide

for them,

and it would be foolish

for us to think

like unbelievers

in reference to God.

Our next reason,

God provides

what we need daily,

and each day

has enough things

to worry about,

so don't worry

about tomorrow.

And again,

in line with our experience

and implication

from verse 34,

or worrying about tomorrow

makes you unable

to accomplish

what you're meant

to do today.

And all of us

have found this

to be true, right?

If we spend all day

worrying about

what we're supposed

to do tomorrow,

we don't get anything

done today, right?

We know that's true,

and yet we don't have

the tools or seem

to have the tools

in our arsenal

to battle anxiety.

When we believe

or when we begin

to believe that we

are providing

for ourselves,

we become anxious

then when our provision

is jeopardized.

our anxiety

about money,

food,

and clothing

is an indication

of unbelief

that God will provide

and is declaring

to God

that you have provided

for yourself

in the past, right?

I hope you're tracking

with me there.

There's no reason

to be anxious

unless you believe

that you're the one

who has been providing

up into this point

so far.

So it's actually

a statement

of pride

to God

to feel anxious

because we're saying

in the past

I've provided

and now I'm going

to be anxious

about how I'm going

to provide in the future,

but when we have faith

in God,

ask Him to provide,

then He gets the glory.

So God has sustained us

and clothed us

and our family

every day

since we've been alive

and He will continue

to do so.

The question is

will you trust Him?

A fabulous example

in church history

of this type

of reliance

on the Lord

for life and ministry

can be found

in the 19th century

missionary

and pastor

George Mueller.

Moving to Bristol

in 1832,

he pastored a church

named Bethesda Chapel

from then 1832

until his death

in 1898.

In 1835,

after seeing hundreds

of orphans

in the surrounding community

with their basic needs

unattended to,

he opened four houses

able to take in

130 children.

In 1846,

he bought more land

to begin building

even more orphan houses

and then from 1849

1849 to 1875,

more houses

were opened

that could house

2,050 orphans

at one time,

all of which

are still standing

today.

Mueller,

throughout his life,

would care for

10,000 orphans.

His ministry

brought in

the equivalent

of over

112 million dollars

of today's money

and yet,

he never asked

for any of it.

He never solicited

money,

he never said,

we're in need,

we need this,

he just prayed

and allowed God

to provide.

He didn't start

with any significant

amount of money

or fortune

and he never

took a salary.

Mueller was a man

of faithful prayer

and trust

and God

to meet the needs

of his nuclear family

and his extended family

of over 10,000 people.

In A.T. Pearson's

biography of Mueller,

he writes of one

of these times

when he was looking

at purchasing

new lands

of pressing

faith in God

to accomplish

the building

of those new

orphan houses

and he writes,

should God provide

large amounts of money

for this purpose,

it would still further

illustrate the power

of prayer

offered in faith

to command help

from on high.

A lot of ground

spacious enough

would at the outset

cost thousands

of pounds

but why should this

daunt a true child

of God

whose father

was infinitely rich?

Mr. Mueller

and his helper

sought day by day

to be guided of God

and as faith fed

on this daily bread

of contact with him,

the assurance

grew strong

that help

would come

and so it did.

When we ask

and rely on God

for provision

and then he provides,

he gets the glory

for that provision.

But when we fail

to see him

as the provider,

we begin to believe

that we're the ones

providing for the needs

and then we get

the glory and success

or feel anxious

about the threat

of failure, right?

And so by asking

God beforehand

to provide,

seeing him

as the giver

of our jobs

and of our provision,

he then gets the glory

on the back end.

Right?

So faith in God's character

and promise

cannot coexist

with worry.

Mueller once said,

and this quote

is on the front

of your bulletin,

he says,

the beginning

of anxiety

is the end of faith

and the beginning

of true faith

is the end

of anxiety.

So if we trust

God for salvation

to perfect us eternally,

to cleanse our sin

from us,

why can't we trust

him to meet

our daily needs?

Yet isn't it so easy

to fall into this trap?

It really feels

like we're providing.

Just as God provides

work for the birds

to do so that they can eat,

he gives us opportunity

to work and to provide

for our own.

So let's pray often

to this end,

asking God to help us

recognize our dependence

on him for our daily need,

asking him to provide

so then we can thank him

and praise him

when he does.

So we've looked at

several lesser

to greater arguments.

This argument

that if he does

this little thing,

if he cares for

these little birds

and these lilies

will he not also

care for you

because you're more valuable.

So I'd like to make

my own lesser

to greater argument.

And technically,

I think it's a

less to lesser argument.

If God desires for us

not even to worry

about the basic life needs,

how much less

should we worry

about the trivial things

that we spend

most of our time

anxious about, right?

We're all here this morning.

Most of us are dressed

at least pretty nice.

All of us,

I would assume,

don't have to worry

too much about

where our next meal

is going to come from.

We can get it

one way or another.

Yet we find ourselves

worrying about

more than just

our basic needs

being met.

Often we find ourselves

not content

with what God

has deemed appropriate

for our lives,

which brings us

to our next point

of unbelieving anxiety.

Point number four,

anxiety as a symptom

of unbelief

in God's wisdom.

And this is where

I think most of us,

if and when

we struggle with anxiety,

this in a lot of ways

is kind of what comes

to mind in my heart.

And I think for a lot of us

at CFC,

this is really where

it hits home

because God has promised

to provide for us

and sustain us,

but often we're not

content with the basics.

We want more

than the basics.

We desire more

than what God has

planned for our lives.

This shows itself

in several areas

and some common ones

as believers

are in materialism,

the wanting of new things,

more money,

nice things,

which ultimately

only serve for our enjoyment

rather than the furthering

of the kingdom.

We're also not content

often with our situation

or our environment.

We want our family situation

to be easier or better.

We don't want to be

single anymore.

We want life to be easier.

We want a better job.

We want better grades

and fill in the blank.

When we worry about

these things,

we say to God

that what He has given

isn't enough

and Christ isn't enough

to satisfy.

I know that may sound harsh

again this morning,

but let's look at

what the Scripture

has to say

about the way

that God provides

in His wisdom.

So a really common verse,

but I don't know how often

it's necessarily applied

to anxiety.

Excuse me.

Romans 8, 28 through 30,

a common verse again.

And we know that

for those who love God,

all things work together

for good.

For those who are called

according to His purpose.

For those whom He foreknew,

He also predestined

to be conformed

to the image of His Son

in order that He might be

the firstborn

among many brothers.

Right?

So we have this massive statement

at the outset

that God works all things,

that He's in control

of all things

and they're working together

for a purpose.

So I don't want to skip over that

because it's important to know

that God's in control.

He's working out

everything that happens

in the universe around us,

but also in our individual lives

to an end.

And that end is found

at the end of verse 29,

to be conformed

into the image

of His Son.

That's God's definition

of good

that He's just said

He promised to do.

So again,

everything in our life

is working towards

making us more like Christ

in the way that God

has designed it to be.

Another common verse

that we know,

Ephesians 1,

11 through 14.

I would encourage you

to go ahead and turn there

with me for this one.

Maybe not as common

as the last.

So go ahead and turn

to Ephesians 1.

We'll be reading

verses 11 through 14.

And it says,

In Him we have obtained

an inheritance,

having been predestined

according to the purpose

of Him,

who works all things

according to the counsel

of His will,

so that we who are the first

to hope in Christ

might be to the praise

of His glory.

In Him you also,

when you heard

the word of truth,

the gospel of your salvation,

and believed in Him,

we're sealed with

the promised Holy Spirit,

who is the guarantee

of our inheritance,

until we acquire possession

of it,

to the praise of His glory.

So again,

we have this huge statement.

Again,

God also works all things

so that we might be

to the praise of His glory.

So when you put those

two things together,

we have a statement.

God works all things

together for good

to be made more like Christ,

that we might be,

we might exist

for the praise

of His glory.

So whatever happens,

again,

in our lives

serves this purpose.

Therefore,

our lack of contentment

with what God

has placed in our lives,

often revealing itself

through anxiety

about our situation,

says that we would rather

get what we want

than to be made

more like Christ

in the way

that He has decided

to do so.

So again,

let that sink in.

A lack of contentment

with what God

has placed in our lives,

says that we would rather

get what we want

than to be made

more like Christ.

This includes

the process

of our sanctification.

This is kind of

a challenging argument

to make,

and I want to be clear.

When I was talking

to Nathan yesterday

about it,

I just asked him,

like,

does that make sense?

Like,

should I include this?

And I feel like

it's a really relevant

part of the Christian life,

this frustration

with the process

of our sanctification.

We often get frustrated

to the point of anxiety

with the pace

at which we're growing.

We get frustrated

with the fact

that we're still

battling the same things

over and over.

So have you ever

asked yourself this question,

why doesn't God

take away my temptation?

Or why am I still struggling

with the same sin

I was five years ago?

This is a very common

frustration

that we have

as believers.

So in one sense,

we should never be content

with our relationship

with God, right?

We want to be zealous.

We want to be striving

after a deeper relationship

with Him

and knowing Him

to a greater extent.

Is that not the purpose

of the Christian life?

But when this desire

turns into guilt

as we beat ourselves up

for our performance

over the last week,

the last month,

or the last year,

it gets in the way

of accepting the grace

that God has provided

as a covering for our sin.

We're effectively saying

to God,

thank you for my salvation,

but now it's my turn

to make myself worthy

to be your child.

We often find ourselves

guilty or ashamed

before God

because we feel like

we aren't good enough.

And we've got to remember

that's the whole point

of the gospel.

That is the message

of the gospel,

that we're not adequate

before a holy God

to be a good enough

brother or sister

or son or daughter

or husband

or good enough

at our job.

But in Christ,

we have sufficiency.

In Christ,

we are, in fact,

worthy before a holy God.

Not because of our works,

but because of what

He's done in us.

We have to understand

our dependence

and the synergism,

us and God

working together

on our sanctification

according to His will.

Paul,

writing to the church

in Galatia

about salvation

through faith alone,

by grace alone,

says in chapter 3,

verses 2-3,

let me ask you only this.

Did you receive the Spirit

by works of the law

or by hearing with faith?

Are you so foolish,

having begun by the Spirit,

are you now being perfected

by the flesh?

Of course,

the answer to that question

is no.

Just as the birds gather

what the Lord has provided

for them without worry,

we must learn to do the same

in our own sanctification,

not full of anxiety,

but simply taking up

what He has provided

for us daily

in His Word

and the church

as we seek to walk

with Him in obedience.

When we try to repay God

back for our salvation

and we begin to feel anxiety

because we've placed

the pressure on ourselves

to earn back our salvation,

which has been freely given

to us by God

and we effectively say

that the cross of Christ

is not enough.

Strive for godliness

by all means,

but don't worry about

where God has you

in your faith

and in your walk.

He has promised

to sustain us to the end

and to make us more like Christ

in the process.

So, along with the promise

that we already have

in Romans 8-30,

Philippians 1-6 says,

and I am sure of this,

that He who began

a good work in you

will bring it to completion

at the day of Christ.

Oftentimes,

we're anxious

about the way

that we appear

before God,

but sometimes

this anxiety

that we feel

about our own holiness

is a result

of not looking good

in front of other people.

And so,

this brings us

to our fifth point.

Anxiety is a symptom

of the fear of man

or the desire

to please man

more than we desire

to please God.

So, again,

the symptom

of the fear of man.

This is a huge source

of anxiety

for many in the church

and we clearly see

this taught

already in the Sermon

on the Mount.

Chapter 6,

verses 1-8,

we see righteousness

either to be seen

by others

through generosity,

prayer,

or fasting

instead of seeking

after the heavenly reward

that God gives us

for those actions.

Anxiety about what

others think of us

is the fear

of man spending

significant time

worrying,

thinking,

getting worked up

about what others

will think

is the fear of man.

And many believers

are raised

and function

as people pleasers

primarily

and not as

God pleasers

and end up living

a crippling life,

enslaved life

to the opinions

of others.

And this has

many consequences,

one of which

is that it stifles

our ability

to share our faith.

Right?

If we're so concerned,

more concerned

with what people

think than what

God thinks,

then it cripples

our ability

to share our faith.

John Bloom,

again,

he says,

we will obey

the one

whom we fear.

So,

whichever one

we fear the most,

that's where our

actions and our

obedience

will then follow.

Again,

we can only choose

one,

the fear of man

or the fear of God.

Deuteronomy 10-12

says,

Now Israel,

what does your Lord

require of you

but that you fear

the Lord your God,

walk in His ways

to love Him

and to serve

the Lord your God

with all your heart

and with all your soul.

If you'll turn with me

to Matthew 10-26

and following.

Again,

Matthew 10-26

says,

this is Christ's teaching,

so have no fear

of them

for nothing is covered

that will not be revealed

or hidden

that will not be known.

What I tell you

in the dark

say in the light

and what you hear

whispered

proclaim

on the housetops.

And do not fear

those who kill the body

but cannot kill the soul.

Rather,

fear Him

who can destroy

both the soul

and the body

in hell.

Again,

Jesus talking about birds.

Are not two sparrows

sold for a penny

and yet

not one of them

will fall to the ground

apart from your Father.

But even the hairs

on your head

are all numbered.

Fear not,

therefore,

you are of more value

than many sparrows.

We must trust

that pleasing God

in all circumstances

at whatever cost

will offend

and displease

others

ever more so

in our age.

But when we back down

in our beliefs,

fail to share our faith

when we know we ought to

or simply live

as we ought to

for fear of social consequence,

losing a job,

etc.

We say to God

that we are making

our kingdom

the priority

instead of His.

Okay,

last point.

Point number six.

Anxiety

as a symptom

of prayerlessness

or wrongful prayer.

And to see this,

we do need to go

outside of our text again,

but we'll see it

in the surrounding teaching

on the Sermon on the Mount.

So,

look back with me,

turn back to Matthew 6

if you're not there already,

and we'll reflect on

verses 9-13,

the Lord's Prayer.

So,

as we read it,

we'll find that

if we have Christ's attitude

in prayer as He models,

we'll alleviate

many of the sources

of anxiety

we feel today.

So,

our Father in Heaven,

hallowed be Your name.

If we trust

in the declaration of God

as our Holy Father,

because of the redemptive

work of Christ,

our focus will be heavenward

for His glory

and not for our own.

So,

the fear of God

will far outweigh

the fear of man.

Next,

your kingdom come,

your will be done.

If we focus on

God's will being done

and His kingdom coming

as our focus

instead of our own will

and our own authority,

we'll be content

with whatever He brings

into our lives

to accomplish

His purposes.

Give us this day

our daily bread.

If we trust

Him to be our provider

for daily provision

and forsake

the sin of pride,

believing we are

self-sufficient,

we will not be anxious

about where money

will come from

to provide for our families.

And we will be content

with the grace

He gives us

daily to sustain us.

And then lastly,

forgive us our debts

as we have forgiven

our debtors.

Lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

If we trust Him

to forgive our sin

as He works forgiveness

into us

and to keep us

from temptation,

we will not worry

about the progress

of our sanctification

or try to earn back

our salvation.

And maybe we pray

and maybe you feel like,

well, I spend enough time

in prayer,

yet I still struggle

a lot with anxiety.

Oftentimes,

we're not focusing

on God taking away,

sorry,

we are focusing

on God taking away

painful circumstances

which aren't to be

the chief aim

of our prayer.

So maybe our focus

is off,

maybe we're not doing it

often enough,

or maybe we're not equipped

to specifically pray

to the end

God would have us do.

And we'll take a look

at that in just a minute.

Okay,

and then Philippians 4

is another great example

of prayer

as a prevention tool

for anxiety.

This is a very common verse.

So let's read it together.

It says,

Rejoice in the Lord always.

Again,

I will say rejoice.

Let your reasonableness

be known to everyone

for the Lord is at hand.

Do not be anxious

about anything

but in everything

by prayer and supplication

with thanksgiving.

Let your requests

be made known to God.

And the peace of God

which surpasses

all understanding

will guard your hearts

and your minds

in Christ Jesus.

So,

many read this passage

as only being a treatment

or a prescription

once we feel anxious.

But in fact,

a more straightforward reading

of the text

simply shows

the command

not to be anxious

and then the means

to prevent anxiety

through prayer.

So,

look or listen.

Again,

it says,

do not be anxious

about anything

but in prayer

by supplication

let your requests

be made known to God.

So,

it can be done beforehand.

In fact,

it's not just a tool

to respond to anxiety

with prayer.

And then we have

the promise

that God's peace

will guard us.

From what,

we may ask.

Not the circumstance

we prayed for necessarily

but from the original anxiety

we fight.

From the attitude

that God isn't in control

or doesn't know

what's best.

So,

as we thank God

for all he has given,

turn our requests

over to him,

relinquish our perceived control,

he guards our minds

from anxiety

with his peace.

So,

I want to look together

at some more specific application.

I hope some things

have been coming

into your minds

as we've been talking

but let's think about

some specific application.

How do we replace

our worldly focus

with a Godward focus?

How do we seek

God's kingdom

and his righteousness

trusting God

to provide the rest?

The change to a worldly focus

can be subtle

but it happens quickly

to us all, right?

We can start

like we feel

or maybe we go home

from church,

we're just done

with our quiet time

and then slowly

throughout the day

it seems like,

man,

I've become so focused

on what other people think.

I've become so focused

on my job performance, right?

So,

how do we get ourselves

to a point

where we can renew

our minds

and make it stick, right?

It's a hard thing.

So, first,

we need to take

a preventative approach

to battling anxiety

using regular habits

of grace.

So, target

those daily habits

of grace

towards your anxiety.

Daily orient

your mind

and your life

on God's kingdom.

So, when you pray,

pray like Jesus prayed.

Focus

as you're doing it.

And,

I don't know about you,

but when I pray,

I tend to become

distracted really quickly.

So,

sometimes it takes

a minute

to warm up

or to settle down

or whatever word

you want to use

to talk about prayer,

right?

It takes time.

So, set apart time

so you can be focused

on what God

would have you focus on

which is His glory,

right?

So, pray like Jesus prayed.

Focus on God's glory,

His plan,

and His purpose

for your life

as a child.

Next,

meditate on

specific promises

of God

which reinforce

belief,

right?

There's so many

rich texts,

right?

We looked at a couple

today,

but there are,

I mean,

hundreds of texts

that you can rely on,

memorize those things,

know where to turn

so you can meditate

on those things,

right?

He is in control,

He provides,

He knows what's best,

His commands

are good for us,

but it's not quite enough

just to like know

that knowledge intellectually,

but we have to let it

sit in ourselves,

we have to marinate

in the truth

of God's Word

and let it sink in,

right?

So, if you struggle

with anxiety,

then find these promises

and don't only know them

and memorize them,

but sit down with them,

take the time to think

about them

and thank God

for those attributes.

Secondly,

change the way you speak

and therefore think

about anxiety.

If anxiety is sinful,

which we've established today,

repentance is the

appropriate response,

right?

And so,

oftentimes when we

talk about anxiety,

we're talking to someone else,

we say,

we're really stressed,

we have a lot on our plate,