Sermon Note | Enjoying more, worrying less

Consider your average day. Maybe today. Maybe yesterday. How much of it did you spend worrying?

Did you worry about finances? Did you worry about juggling the demands of a busy schedule? Did you worry about the results of a medical test, yours or a loved one’s? Did you worry about your job? Did you worry about the well-being of your friends and family members? Did you worry about others’ perception of you?

We worry about all sorts of things, don’t we? We worry like we get paid to do it.

It’s understandable to some point. Some of our anxieties seem appropriate. For instance, it might seem good, even responsible, to worry about our retirement, our health, and our job security. To do otherwise would be downright irresponsible, right? However, when we remember the words of Christ about worry, we see that worry is more vice than virtue. Check out these counterintuitive gems from Matthew 6:25-33:

25 “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? 26 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 of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Here, Jesus tells his disciples to quit worrying, even about the most basic needs of life (food, drink, and clothing), and instead seek after the kingdom of God. No, Jesus isn’t some bohemian mystic slacker telling everyone to just “chill out” and hope for the best. Quite the contrary - as God, Jesus tells us to quit worrying because he’s pledged himself to care for us better than we could ever care for ourselves.

When we give our hearts and minds over to excessive worry, we are not trusting in God’s love and care. In fact, the less that we trust God, the more anxious we often get.

This was one of the problems facing the ancient church in Galatia. As they trusted more in themselves and their works for salvation and security and less in Christ, their sense of God’s peace and joy evaporated. Thankfully, the Apostle Paul reminded them of the truth. We are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone, not by works. And not only did God save us by grace; he graciously adopted us into his family. We are his children, dearly loved. He cares for us, just as Christ promised he would. We don’t have to worry because God is always “watching over the way of his saints” (Proverbs 2:8).

As we enter this New Year, maybe you should resolve to enjoy more and worry less in the light of that gospel perspective. And, please, don't worry if you're not very good at trusting right away! Growth in grace takes time. Our former nature dies hard. Nevertheless, keep an eye out for the myriad expressions of God's love and care. The more you take time to notice them, the more you'll see just how trustworthy and praiseworthy he is.

More soon,

PK

NOTE: This series of posts is based on a message preached on 1/1/2012, Are you revolving or resolving?, and is built on the acrostic R.E.S.O.L.V.E. This is Part 2.