Sermon
Seven Arguments Against Worry
September 25-26, 1999
Pastor Donald Sheley

Let's take our Bibles and join together for our Bible lesson today. We're studying the Sermon on the Mount. We've been here for a great number of months, but we're just taking our time searching the great truths that Jesus taught us. The subject today is worry. Matthew 6:25. "Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; "and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. "Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

We learned last Lord's Day that the word worry is derived from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning to strangle or to choke, and how well named that emotion is for we have learned that in times of intense anxiety and worry it strangles all the joy out of life and all the merriment out of the heart. In our text today Jesus referred to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. One poet wrote these words; When the birds begin to worry, and the lilies toil and spin, and God's creatures all are anxious then I also may begin. For my Father sets their table, decks them out in garments fine, and if He supplies their living will He not provide for mine. Just as noisy common sparrows can be found most anywhere, on to some just worthless creatures if they perish would I care? Yet our heavenly Father numbers every creature great and small caring even for the sparrows marking when to earth they fall. If His children's hair are numbered why should we be filled with fear? He has promised all that's needful and in trouble He'll be near. 

But what causes worry and anxiety. Well, those who study human nature tell us, or human behavior, tell us that there are a number of contributory causes, but number one would be rush sickness. You say what's that Pastor? Well that's when you're trying to cram 30 hours of activities into a 24-hour day. That will give you some anxiety. And then they tell us straining. Those who aren't' getting ahead as fast as they think they should, and they strain harder for promotion and social approval. It's trying to keep up with the Jones'. That will create a little anxiety. Thirdly is mobility. In a recent 5-year period 75 million Americans changed homes uprooting parents and children from family from church and from community relationships. 

Now I have watched this one and it's traumatic when a family, we have about two families a week move from our area to other areas where they feel they can buy their home and spend 3 hours both ways in commuting. Boy that's anxiety. But the more tragic dimension to that is that oft times the decision is made for the house and a few other things, but the last thing that's thought of is the fact that the family has been uprooted from their spirituals moorings. And it's amazing how our little children become attached to one another in their Sunday school work and in their various ministries. 

And let me drop a word of wisdom for you parents, when you think about moving think many times how it will affect the children, because their little lives are dramatically touched with this whole process of mobility. We may do it and get away with it, but it sure sinks some deep impressions, and sometimes hurtful, for children. They also tell us that people are concerned about nuclear destruction, and there's not disputing the fact that nine times out of ten worrying about things does more damage to those who worry than the actual thing itself. 

Modern medical research has proved that worry breaks down resistance to disease, and more than that it actually diseases the nervous system, particularly that of the digestive organs and the heart. Worry does affect us physically and thus it's plain common sense that worry has no rightful place in any of our lives. 

The late Dr. Peter Marshall, chaplain to the US Senate, opened the chambers one morning with this prayer. He prayed help us to do our very best dear God this day, and be content with today's trouble so that we shall not borrow the troubles of tomorrow. Save us from the sin of worrying lest stomach ulcers be the badge of our lack of faith, amen. It's reported that newspaper columnist Ann Landers receives about ten thousand letters a month. Some years ago she was asked the question, is there any major theme or concern that run through all those letters. Here's what she said, people are afraid of loosing their health, their wealth, their loved ones. People are afraid of life itself and worry and anxiety is the greatest concern for the human family. Well then why is anxiety, and worry, and fear so common in the human family? Well we could come us with a lot of causes, but when you really think it through and get to the bottom line you come to one conclusion, worrying is a learned behavior. 

Now think with me. We learned how to worry, some of us, from our parents. I grew up in a home where my father was a very, very quiet man. He could sit around the house and never talk for hours. He was a gracious quiet man. I mean the place could be falling apart. My dad could be sitting in his rocking chair reading his books and his Bible and get by, but mother was running around pulling her hair out. I mean the whole world was, and I learned how to worry from my mother. Now she's a lovely lady. She's still alive, 87 years of age. But worrying is a learned behavior. Most of us don't think of that. Here's what Paul said, I have learned that in whatsoever state I am therein to be content. What's he saying? Contentment is a learned behavioral response. 

So if that's true, which it is, then if I change my model from my human parents to my heavenly Father who loves me with an intense love and has all the resources available, and He who wants to give good gifts to His children and He tells me not to worry, then it's time I start relearning my response to life. And that's what Jesus is talking about. Don't worry. Now Paul instructed the Philippians that to have no anxiety about anything for we learned last week that worry and anxiety are nothing less than sin. Don't try to excuse it any other way. It's unbelief in the love and the care of our gracious heavenly Father. It's turning our face towards God and saying, God; I don't think You can really pull this one through. Listen, we're going to fail on this one. 

Paul writes to the Philippians be anxious for nothing. Now here's the relearned behavioral response. He says, Do not be anxious, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. So here's what he's saying, start learning how to react to life's problems. First of all make up your mind I'm not going to worry, I'm going to be anxious. I'm going to present this thing to God in prayer and supplication, and I'm going to do it with thanksgiving, thanking Him for all of the wonderful blessings that He's poured out upon my life throughout the years. And I'm going to tell Him what I need. And look at what verse 7 says. Here is the new response to learned behavior, he says; And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ. Relearn your response behavior to life's tensions. Do it the biblical way and you end up with a peaceful heart. Now that's what Jesus is going to talk to us about today, and we're going to learn from the verses that we read seven arguments that Jesus, the great Master Teacher, gives us against worry. 

Look at verse 25. You might underline it. Jesus asks a very interesting question. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Now in logic we call that a process or a method of logical reasoning from the greater to the lesser. In other words, if in an argument you can establish something that's profoundly more important than what you're trying to prove, you argue from the greater to the lesser and here's Jesus' words. If God almighty gives us life, don't you thinks He's going to sustain that life? Is He not going to take care of that one that He's brought into His family and He assumes the responsibility of being our Father? If He's going to give us life don't you think He's going to provide for us? Now Paul uses that same reasoning.

Go with me to Romans chapter 8. You'll find this reasoning method throughout almost all the Scriptures, the establishment of a greater truth thus proving that a lesser truth is equally as true. Look what Paul does in Romans 8:31, What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, now that's the major. That's the big issue. Who can be against us? You see the point? If God's on our side then what else do we need to fear? But look at he carries the same process into the next verse. He says, He who did not spare His own son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? And here's his point, if God almighty so loved you and me that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, from heaven's glory to earth's shame and sin and Christ died on our behalf. If He spared not His own Son, do you think that He's going to spare anything from us? He's going to give us all things freely. 

You must remember that we're a part of God's family by adoption. He adopted us in love, and adoption to me has always been a fascinating thing. We have a family in our first service, in the 7 o'clock service, whose son and daughter journeyed to the other side of the world a few weeks ago to the land of the Ukraine, and they went to this little orphanage and they found this little girl who had been injured by the Chernobyl blast, and when she was born she born deformed. She didn't have one arm, and there are other deficiencies. And that lovely couple adopted the little unwanted girl and she now has been brought to America, and that little one is being showered with all the love, adoptive love. They didn't bring that little girl back to San Francisco to let her starve. They brought her back to take care of her and to love her and minister to her. 

Ladies and gentlemen, God didn't send Jesus to die for you and me so that we could be adopted into His eternal family to let us starve. Don't ever forget it. In fact, He is a God of an abundance. John 10:10 says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. God is not cheap and He's not chintzy. He wants us to enjoy life to the abundance, and if He gives us life He's going to add the dimension of abundance to it. 

2 Corinthians 9:8  is another profound verse about this gracious God who has adopted us into His eternal family. It says, And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. Now that's living life to the full, isn't it? And here's Jesus' point in His argument. Listen, life is far more valuable than food, and if God gives us life He's going to give us food. And He gives to us eternal life. We're His children. He's our heavenly Father. He can take care of everything. What's His next argument? 

Well in verse 26 He said, here's argument number two. He's going to take His argument from the birds. He said, "Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? You see like every creature birds have their life from God, but God does not say to them in effect, I've done my part now you're on your own. To those little birds, those feathered creatures, God has given instinct and resources. And those little feathered creatures are interesting to observe and follow. 

I've always been fascinated with the birds. I live just a block away and many times I just walk to work and the trees are filled in the morning with birds. They're singing to me, all the way. And I find that soon they come out of their, wherever they're singing from and they're flitting around through the skies into the day, and when I walk home I often wonder, where are those little birds? God's tucked them away under little leaves, and branches, and twigs. They're all secure for the night. Now here's Jesus' point, if these little feathered creatures are the object of God's care and love, and they don't spin and toil. You don't see them building barns, I mean, could you imagine a little birdie building a barn. He got his hands and his feet all in the same place. The little guy is limited.

And here's Jesus' point you never see a little sparrow fly into a drug store and land on the counter and say sell me a bottle of nervene. Those little creatures have an instinct that God almighty takes care of them. And here's Jesus' logic, if God takes care of the birds and they don't have an eternal soul, but you do, you're destined for eternity. You were made in the likeness of God and you're of much more value than little sparrows. Even though He marks the ground where the sparrows fall. If your God takes care of the birds, don't you think He's going to take care of you? 

Argument number three, look at verse 27. "Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Now Bible scholars differ on the interpretations. Some say what Jesus was really saying is, what can you really do to add to your height or your size? I mean, genetic as we are, we're born, some of us are short, some of us are tall. If I'd have had my choice I would have said, God, I'd like to be six foot ten and weight three hundred pounds. Now that's a man, but I got stuck with five feet eleven. And then I went to the doctor the other day and he said, Pastor, how tall are you? And I said five eleven, and he said no you're not, you're five ten, and you get a little older you'll be five nine. And I'm learning now I'm going down this way and out this way . And I'm learning that as you grow older the spine begins to tighten up and as a result. I can't stand on that scale and say God I wanted to be five eleven, I mean that's nonsense. But there's something else. 

Some interpreters say what Jesus is saying you can't add one day to your life. I mean, you might add the quality of life by exercise and medicine, but when God, the Bible says that our days are numbered and when the number is up folks, the number's up. And so He's saying you can't, by worrying you can't add either to your height or to the duration of life. Why do something that's useless? Did worry ever change anything? Only the beauty of the day. That's all it ever changes. It made it uglier. 

You know it's amazed me, I study history, I enjoy history, and find out what some great leaders have always thought about death. The history books tell us that old Louis XV who was the king of France, he made it a court order that you should never, ever talk about death in his presence, and if you did he'd have you killed . And he told the driver of his chariot, now when we go out for a ride don't you ever go by a monument that reminds me of somebody else who died. Old Carlyle said this of him. He said it's the resource of the ostrich who when hunted sticks his foolish head in the ground and would fain forget that his foolish body is not unseen also. 

Did you know that Stalin had a terrible fear of death? It is said that he had eight bedrooms there in the Kremlin, and each bedroom was like a safe in a bank. And he never let it be known which bedroom he was going to sleep in on any given night because he feared that somebody would break in and kill him. But the one that really fascinates me is the old Sultan of Turkey who ruled from 1876 to 1909. And I mean this guy really had a fear of death. In his palace in Constantinople, his name was Abdul Hamid II, and he had one room where all the people who talked to the Sultan would come to. And in the middle of the room was a chair, but around this vast room was this balcony on all four sides, and the balcony was faced off with find cloth so you could never see who was behind in the balcony. And he would pace up and down and change directions and sometimes when he was talking to the guy in the seat because if the guy ever followed his voice and wanted to take a pistol and shoot him he'd never catch him because he had enough room on the balcony to go a dozen different ways. He feared somebody taking his life, and the history books tell us that in his home he had alarm systems and trap doors and mirrors set at angles as well as many life-sized models, models of himself. And some of those models he had them standing at windows, others he had them sitting in chairs, and others he had them reclining on lounges so that if anybody wanted to throw a knife of shoot a pistol, he was hoping they would hit one of his models instead of him. A fear of death.

Jesus said listen, life is in God's hands. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. You're not going to stretch it out. When God's days are finished it's all over. This may not be meaningful very much to younger people, but I see a lot of folks in my congregation this morning that, we're getting along in life, I mean we're three score and ten. And I have to learn this because there is a natural tendency, I mean, my journey is about 90% over maybe, but to be able to walk into the end of life facing the inevitable, but doing it with dignity and confidence in a God who cares that's, the way I want to go. Jesus said why do you worry? It can't change anything anyway. It's all in God's hands. 

Let's go to the fourth one. Verses 28 through 30. He said, go out into the hillside and in Palestine there are these beautiful poppies, much like the California poppy, that were out on the hillside. And those beautiful decorations of nature He said make no effort to grow and have no part in designing or coloring themselves, and those lilies didn't live long, and once they were dried up they would bind them together and they would take them home and they would fuel their little ovens because those wildflowers, the heat was intense for a shot period of time, and they could bake very fast by using them. And Jesus said, here's something so beautiful, but it's so temporary, and if God took such care for something so temporary as a flower, do you think He's not going to take more care with you who are eternal? 

I'll tell you there's nothing more beautiful than to take a rose and put it under a microscope. Ahhh! The majesty and the glory of God's creation. I happen to like tulips. I think that all the flowers of heaven are going to be tulips, but here's Jesus' point, if God gives such concern for something so temporary as the flowers of the field, if He clothes them, do you think that He's going to let a child of His walk around in rags? He's not going to do it. Old Job said, I've never seen the righteous forsaken nor His seed baking bread. And Jesus is saying look at if God takes such precision care for the beauty of something so temporary as a flower, and you're eternal, He's going to be more concerned about you. 

The fifth one. This is verse 31 and 32. He says "Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. In some of your translations it's heathen. It's the heathen who worry. You say well why do heathens worry? Because they fear their gods. Their gods are capricious. They have to constantly do something to appease their gods. They're giving sacrifices. They're afraid of their gods, and they have a reason to fear when life starts crumbling in on them because they pray to a god that they don't believe in any way is concerned about their good. And Jesus is saying, listen, when we worry we act like heathens. 

Somehow we have allowed that glorious truth to hide itself. Our God, our heavenly Father, is a wonderful God. The Bible says if we as earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to our children, how much more does our heavenly Father want to good gifts to us? And when we worry we act like pagans who have a god that we can't trust. Jesus said listen, our Father knows all of our needs. You and I have raised our children, that's a truth, you know my boys, they had a lot of wants, but I made sure all of their needs were taken care of. I knew that as their dad, and I did everything I could as a human father to fulfill their needs. 

So here's Jesus' logic. Don't act like a heathen. They can't trust their gods. Act like a believer. You can trust Me. I'll stay closer to you than a brother. I promise to supply all of your needs according to the riches in Christ Jesus. Don't act like a heathen. Look at argument number six, verse 33. He said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. And ladies and gentlemen, if we really believed this verse it would totally transform our prayer life. Years ago I said, God, when it says to seek first the kingdom, what does it mean? And here's what it means. It means that the top priority for my living should be dear God how today can You use me for Your glory so that I become a blessing, an encouragement, to others so that by my life people are drawn to You. 

I had a little lady in one of our services today walk up and she said, well Pastor, how do I apply this verse about seeking first the kingdom? My husband and I are going through a difficult time. I said, it's simple. Just when you get together this afternoon say dear God, we're not going to ask You to take this problem away from us, what we're asking You to do is to give us the grace and the wisdom to respond to this situation in life and help us to grow and mature so that when it's behind us we will be closer to You and our life will have brought gory to You. Here's Jesus' point. Now honestly folks when I learned it, I haven't asked God to help me pay my car payment in the last 30 years. Why? Because if my priority is saying God, this is the day that You've given to me and as pastor of the church help me in every way possible to bring honor and glory to You so that the kingdom is enlarged. Help me dear Jesus and if I go about my day taking care of priorities which are spiritual, which is so living our lives that God is honored in everything, I don't ever have to ask Him to help me to pay the rent because if I seek first spiritual things He just adds the rest to it. 

You know we didn't have a home. We lived for many years across the street. Three boys and Vernita and I in one of those 2 bedroom one bath apartments. I could've still been happy living there, but a house is a woman's castle and so my wife decided she was going to start praying for a home. I didn't worry about a home; I was out trying to save the community. And she's praying and she's trusting God and some folks up the street a block away, one of the ladies worked for us, her husband was a Seven Day Adventist pastor and he'd been transferred. She came to my wife and said, Mrs. Sheley; do you folks need a home? Well Vernita said yeah we need a home, but we can't afford a home we live in a little $300.00 apartment over here. Oh we can arrange that. My husband and his brother and brothers are all doctors, and so we can arrange a first, second, third, fourth, and fifth loans. Well today after living in that beautiful home for all these years, God just graciously provides and it's so true. 

If things are a priority that are spiritual in our lives don't worry about the physical and the material things. You just don't have to. Go to the last one because our time is all gone. Notice what Jesus said. Here's argument number seven. He says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. And here's the logic of Jesus. And when you think it through, worry is really something, it's an item that you borrow in the sense of you really don't worry much about today because you've got the day in hand. I mean you've got your clothes on. You're facing the issue of today. You might have some things that might make you a little anxious. 

The other day I had to have a root canal. Now I've heard some real spellbinding stories about root canals. I mean, you know, it's next to terrible. So I had this imagination. I'd go to the dentist and sitting outside would be a rotor rooter truck, but I got through that in about 45 minutes. The doctor said, Pastor, it's all done. I said, you all done already? It's all done. I said, I thought this was going to be terrible, and that's the first time I complimented a dentist (laughter). What I'm saying is here's Jesus' logic, if we use all of the energy to conquer today in the very best we can and not borrow from tomorrow about worrying, when we get to tomorrow we'll handle the things of tomorrow. It will take care of itself. Now we found that all to be true.

If you don't lay yourself heavy with all the anxiety about what may take place next week or next month, and you just push it off and say God, the sun is shining today and I'm going to do my best and we'll end this up and when the day is over you lay your head on the pillow and say, God, we made it didn't we? It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. That's Jesus' logic. If you give all of your energies to living today, meeting all of its challenges, and quit borrowing from tomorrow for something to worry about today, you'll live one day at a time and each day will take care of itself. Boy isn't that good practical instructions? And I think of that great hymn: (singing) When peace like a river attendeth my way. When sorrows like sea billows roll. Thou hast taught me to say dah dah dah dah dah dah It is well, it is well with my soul. 

Now that's living like a Christian. So here's Jesus' logic. Look at, if the greater is true and He sent His Son, will He not freely give us all things. If you can't get that one go into the forest and watch the birds and see how God cares for them. Just remember that worry never changed a thing. It's useless, and then take a walk in the garden and look at the flowers and see how God has so beautifully made them and they're going to be thrown away tomorrow. You're going to last for eternity. And remember it's not things you seek it's the spiritual things in life that really count, and live one day at a time and use all the energies today to make it a successful day. Boy that's practical, isn't it? That's what Jesus taught us about worry.

Let's stand, shall we? Lord Jesus You did not leave us in the dark, thank you. And we have learned our behavioral response. We've learned from others how to worry. We're going to relearn that dear God. We're going to make You the model as a heavenly Father who's got everything in control, and we're going to trust You and Your love, and we're going to follow the words of Jesus, and we're going to stop acting like heathens. With Your help and with Your strength dear God we'll do it this week, and everybody said, amen. God bless you. God bless you.