Next Step Christian Church
Worship 4/6/2024
  • Everlasting God
  • Enough
  • Yes I Will
  • All The Way My Savior Leads Me
  • Don’t Worry. Seek the Kingdom. Our worry and anxiety is only hurting us, doubling tomorrow’s problems and solving nothing. Worry and anxiety are a fear response: we don’t control tomorrow. God does. Fear God, what He thinks, what He wills, and what He thinks of us. One Audience. One Master.
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    Worry

    I worry.
    Sometimes I lie awake at night worrying: “what if the hokey pokey really is what it’s all about!”
    Does your brain ever just start spinning? Useless stuff. Painful stuff. Something someone said to me 10 years ago… just ringing on repeat. And what I would have or should have said instead.
    I worry about the sermon at night. I worry about the church at times… or some of you. I worry about my kids.
    And… I don’t really consider myself a “worrier.”
    I worry the hurricane force winds are going to rip the steeple right off this building.
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    Someone said:
    Life’s too short for worrying. Yes, that’s what worries me.
    Anonymous
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    You Should Worry!

    For most of my life, I have actually not been a worrier at all. Kind of blase, sela vi… laissez fair… other French words.
    Some people don’t worry enough! I’ve got some folks at work… actually they should worry. They aren’t doing so well, their job is at risk, they’re going to get fired if they don’t step up! What does it take to make you care a bit more, try a bit more!
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    Don’t Worry

    But Jesus says...
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    Matthew 6:25 ESV
    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?
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    The NIV has it “do not worry.” I like “worry” better. In the English, to “worry” something has its root in biting something and just digging at it… not eating, but just kind of chewing fruitlessly. My dog does this with her toys, endlessly chewing but making no progress.
    Jesus says “don’t worry.” You know… just don’t.
    We have to spend some time here. Seems trite, actually. “Don’t be anxious.” It’s a bit like saying “calm down.” Does that help, really? What is Jesus getting at?
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    Worry scenarios:
    Guy cooking (is that worrying over what we should eat? No… it’s active preparation. Totally different. “Anxiety” is to be “unduly” concerned. This guy’s just cooking.
    Guy up in bed worrying. Now… he could just be thinking about the Roman Empire. Probably is. But if he’s turning over and over about whether he’s going to eat tomorrow.. that’s worry, isn’t it? That’s exactly what Jesus is talking about. Nothing productive happening here… just anxiety. Worry.
    Guy working hard for a living, to earn food, to be able to eat. He has a job so he can feed himself, maybe his family... Is that worry? Can’t tell from the picture. That’s all about the heart.
    One more:
    Kid Starving. (That took a dark turn). Is that worry? Is food coming? Is God providing here? Is that faith? What do we do with that?
    I am very away… the whole “don’t worry” thing is incredibly trite coming from me… but it isn’t coming from me.
    Reminder, this is coming from Jesus - a homeless man, from an conquered and oppressed people, who very recently went without food for 40 days. That’s hungrier than I’ve ever been, at least. He knows what starvation is.
    He is speaking to people who, likely not destitute, not starving… but not wealthy either. They eat based on the next crop, the next boatload of fish. There are rich and poor, haves and have nots all through the disciples listening.
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    Look… sometimes we worry about silly things. And when we do we laugh at ourselves because we know it’s silly.
    But MOST times we are worrying, we are anxious about REALLY IMPORTANT THINGS! In fact, worry is an indicator that we, at some level, think something is SUPER important. Maybe the MOST important thing! Emotionally, in here, if not up here (in our heads).
    And we worry about the important things we can control. I don’t worry about a glass of water… if I’m thirsty I get up and get a glass of water. I might worry about the future of water and water rights in Colorado and the coming water crisis across America as population and usage increases and the supply doesn’t and there’s NOTHING I can really do but turn the water off when I brush my teeth!
    And I don’t even control my worry! Which is why I can worry if I am worrying too much, and anxiety can give birth to anxiety.
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    ​
    Jesus makes a few arguments about why we shouldn’t worry.
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    Birds

    I like to imagine Jesus just yelling at this point “BIRDS!!! Look at the birds!!! Aren’t you better than birds???!!!”
    This is an actual in Israel. Eurasian Hoopoe.
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    Matthew 6:26 ESV
    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?
    “Aren’t you better than birds???!”
    He picks things in the everyday environment. All around them, what do you see? Birds. And every one of them, a reminder of God’s Creation, God’s Control, God’s Provision.
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    Health and Lifespan

    Does your anxiety help? Is it a useful life strategy?
    There’s even a thing called “health anxiety cylce...” where you are so worried about your health, that the anxiety gives you more symptoms, that you then interpret as signs of more problems, leading to more anxiety.
    It isn’t a joke really. Entire industries are built upon fear of tomorrow and an attempt to mitigate the risk and improve the outcome. That isn’t all bad, pieces of that are part of God’s command to “cultivate the land,” to build culture and dominion over creation.
    But fear sells… It sells newspapers, it sells insurance, it sells politicians.
    Anxiety sells, worry sells… but does it do anything more than that?
    How’s it helping you?
    Matthew 6:27 ESV
    27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
    Wouldn’t it be cool if we could? If the amount of time we spent worrying about our health or life could actually improve it? Or the lives of our kids? Friends?
    Or the Message translates this as “who can add an inch to their height?”
    He isn’t talking about intercessory prayer, here… that’s action before the throne of God.
    He isn’t talking about caring for your body, like exercise, Paul says that’s of some (limited) value… This is just the worry part. Chewing on it… the anxiety. It does nothing… it just doubles the trouble.
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    Lily Clothes

    Look at the birds!
    What else? Look at the flowers! All around. This is a Madonna Lily in Israel. Jesus is around the lake, freshwater lake of Galilee, warm in Israel. I’m going to guess it’s Spring and the flowers are in bloom.
    And all around, another reminder of God’s Creation, God’s Creative and Gorgeous provision.
    The flower sundress? That’s Jesus’ idea.
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    Matthew 6:28–30 ESV
    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?
    Solomon. Rich guy. Apparently had some nice threads. Good fit. Not in all his glory did he look as good as a lily.
    Now I’m picturing Solomon in a flower sundress… that’s weird.
    The birds testify. The flowers testify… we don’t need to worry, God’s got this!
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    Food and Drink

    Matthew 6:31 ESV
    31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
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    Matthew 6:32 ESV
    32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
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    It isn’t “don’t care because they don’t matter.” They do.
    It is “God knows you need them all.”
    It’s called Maslow’s pyramid of needs… but it wasn’t news to God.
    He KNOWS you need them all. He isn’t confused about which one you are short on. He knows this isn’t the end of the list of the things you need.
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    One more argument. The biggest one, actually. The birds, the flowers, those are cues that can help us on the daily to remember God’s care for us, His provision...
    But where does this whole topic come up? Why bring it up now? Where does this come from?
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    All the way back to the top. What’s the first word of verse 25?
    Matthew 6:25 ESV
    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?
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    Therefore

    (What’s it there for?)
    What comes immediately before it? “You cannot serve two masters.” Why would not serving two masters make it easier… or possible not to worry?
    It isn’t just that, though, all these things were interconnected.
    A life of generous giving, laying up treasures in heaven.
    A life of personal, intimate prayer to the Father, forgiving universally… laying up treasures in heaven.
    A life of regular fasting, just between you and God, feasting on His presence, His purpose, His will… laying up treasures in heaven.
    A life rightly directing your heart by careful choosing where your treasure is… with good eyes, discernment to recognize the “good things” of God… always choosing to serve God and god alone.
    And that, therefore… frees you from anxiety.
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    Matthew 6:33 ESV
    33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
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    Therefore #2

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    Matthew 6:34 ESV
    34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
    I love the picture of tomorrow being anxious. Personification, it is anxious for itself about what will be happening on it. Watch out Monday, you better figure life out!
    Therefore… in light of the birds (Look at the Birds! Aren’t you better than birds!). Look at the lilies. Look at your Heavenly Father… he knows what you need… and he will add all these things to you if you get your heart right, get your treasuring right, get life in order.
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    Worry and anxiety are a fear response when something important are out of our control.
    Worry and anxiety are a fear response when something important are out of our control.
    Whom shall we fear? God and god alone.
    He holds tomorrows.
    So our worry and fear are revealing our present relationship with God.
    It’s a flag on the play. There’s a problem here!
    This isn’t “squish the anxiety down and pretend you don’t feel it.” That isn’t the response. That isn’t all that helpful.
    Remember who God is. More practically, next week, seek His kingdom and His righteousness. That’s super practical, more about that.
    But Jesus starts with just considering God as Creator and Provider. Creator and Provider of the Body, of the Birds, of the Lilies. Will he not much more clothe you “O you of little faith?”
    His eye is on the sparrow! And I know He watches me.
    Roughly 20 years ago I learned that I was going to be a Father. That child was Logan Michael Mackintosh… but I didn’t know that yet.
    Boy, girl, I didn’t know… but I had a Father’s heart from the beginning. My heart was FULL of love for this… boy, girl? I didn’t know, didn’t know how to pray for him or her, what to call the child.
    So this verse came to mind. And I called him Sparrow. Little Sparrow. Because His eye is on the sparrow. And desperately, I wanted God’s eye on him. I wanted him to be safe, to be healthy, to grow, to live, to prosper… a future for him, food and drink and clothing and school and all good things… but it was completely and totally out of my control.
    I could do nothing at all to help. Only trust… that His eye is on the sparrow.
    And so every time I referenced the baby… it was the Sparrow… which made me think of “His eye is on the Sparrow...” which redirected my attention rightly.
    To the only One who could help.
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    Every argument Jesus makes is ultimately relational. Trusting in the Lord. In His presence, in His provision, in His character.
    In relationship with God, in conversation with God, our anxiety and worry makes no sense. He’s got this.
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    Sitting in anxiety and worry is fruitless, useless, it doubles our troubles. Let it instead redirect our attention to our Father, who can help.
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    Either worrying drives out prayer, or prayer drives out worrying.
    D. A. Carson
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    God’s got it covered. We know he does up here… it starts up here. We teach our heart by actively trusting again and again, actively “faithing” again and again… and seeing Him provide again and again.
    Martin Luther makes it simple:
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    Pray, and let God worry.
    Martin Luther
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    If worry and anxiety is a signal that we are “little faithing” it. This isn’t something new to worry about, I imagine Jesus saying it fondly.
    It is an invitation to consider our Master, to consider our treasure, to consider our Creator. Look at the Birds. Look at the Lillies.
    Give… because He’s got you and you don’t have to worry about having “enough.”
    Pray, to our Heavenly Dad.
    Fast and remember his provision.
    He is the ultimate treasure, your one and only Master.
    His eye is on the sparrow… and I know He watches me.
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      • Matthew 6:25NIV

      • Matthew 6:26NIV

      • Matthew 6:27NIV

      • Matthew 6:28–30NIV

      • Matthew 6:31NIV

      • Matthew 6:32NIV

      • Matthew 6:25NIV

      • Matthew 6:33NIV

      • Matthew 6:34NIV

  • Sparrows
  • His Eye Is On The Sparrow (Why Should I Feel Discouraged)
Next Step Christian Church
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