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? 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? At which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his lifespan? 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 his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so closed the grass of the field, which is today alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, oh you of little faith. Therefore, do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek all 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 about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Father in heaven, as we come to your word, we pray that you would open our hearts and minds to see the world as you see it and to be changed in Jesus' name, amen. What are you anxious about? What are you worried about? A recent article out of the United Kingdom said that there are 10 things that people worry about the most. See if you recognize any of these. Money and finances. Now you might think, well that's limited to the poor but the rich people, they worry about keeping what they have and getting more. Poor people worry about their needs going unmet and wanting some of what they'll have and blaming them that they don't have it. Health and safety of our loved ones is another worry. Job and career worries. Relationship problems. Relationship with your children, with your parents, with your siblings, with your spouses, with your coworkers and your friends. All of these can cause people to be anxious and worry. Anxiety and depression was fifth on the list which is interesting, it's anxious about being anxious. Appearance and weight, people worry about that. World events and politics. What's going on in Ukraine, Israel, coming in the United States and here in Canada. COVID-19 and pandemic worries. Sleep problems. Death and dying. It's interesting, that's 10th on the list. I heard one person say one time that people's biggest fear is speaking in public which means if you're at a funeral, you'd rather be the guy in the box than the one giving the eulogy. But this generation of young people are prescribed anti-anxiety medications at an unprecedented rate. Depending on the source you read, it's between 18 and 31% of adults suffer from an anxiety disorder. Let's just split the difference and call it 25%. Which according to one person means that 75% of us are going around undiagnosed. Has it always been like this or are there factors that make anxiety more prevalent today than in years past? One factor is the 24-7 news cycle. When I was growing up, which granted was a long time ago, there was local news at 6 and 11 p.m. And national news at 6.30 for half an hour, not counting commercials, so really about 22 minutes. Today there are any number of news outlets that are 24-7 and competing for viewers. And the way you tend to compete for viewers is you have to have drama. You have to have sides. The conservative side, the liberal side, the in-between side, there aren't many of those. So that you can keep the foment actually, the conflicts going because that's what drives ratings. That's what gets the most viewers. All of these things drive anxiety. In the past if something terrible was happening on the other side of the world, you didn't know about it. In the distant past you never knew about it. In the more recent past you might know about it in a week or two as an article in a page five or six of a newspaper. Now you know about it in a matter of minutes. And supposedly we're all supposed to care and be concerned and worry about all of these things. And we're just not built for that. As Jesus said, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Another contributor to the anxiety in young people according to several studies is the use of the cell phone. Jonathan Haight in his new book, The Anxious Generation, How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, he insists that smartphones and social media are fueling a surge of suffering that's inundating teens all across the Western world. By Haight's account smartphones and the addicting social media apps were downloaded onto them have lured the world's youths away from those activities that are indispensable to a healthy childhood. Such as outdoor play, face-to-face conversations with friends and sleep. And trapped them in a digital realm that saps their self-esteem, drains their attention spans and forces them to put on a perpetual high-stakes performance of their own personalities. Smartphones have even hurt kids who don't use them very much according to Haight because they restructure the communal life in harmful ways. Teenagers rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide have skyrocketed as a result. So when Jesus talks about anxiousness and worry, his words are just as relevant today as they were when he first spoke them, maybe even more so. So what does he say as the antidote, is the cure for being anxious? He begins by saying therefore do not be anxious and as you've probably heard me say on more than one occasion whenever you are reading the Bible, studying the Bible and you run across the word therefore, you're supposed to ask the question, what is the therefore there for? Jesus is intentionally tying this section to the previous verses where he talked about laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven and not on earth where rust and moth and thieves break in and steal. He says no one can serve two masters. For he will hate one and love the other or he'll be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life. Now assuming you have some concerns for yourself and for someone close to you, what is the answer? What's the answer to all of these concerns, to all of these causes of anxiousness and worry? First on the list Jesus said was money and finances for where your treasure is, your heart will be also. The first antidote to anxiousness is believing Jesus. To believe Jesus, you'll have to put him first in your life. You'll have to have faith in him. Believing that he is the son of God, that he came here and lived a perfect sinless life in our place, that he died the death that each of us deserves to die in our place. And then he was raised again on the third day as the Bible says in rules and reigns over heaven and earth. If we trust him, then we will believe him when he says that our life is worth more, more than the birds of the air who neither sow or reap or gather into barns. And he says, how can you even by your worry and your anxiousness all of your life even add one day to your lifespan? Winston Churchill said when I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who sat on his death bed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened. We worry about things that are never going to happen. We worry about things that are happening and we blow them out of proportion. And Jesus tells us that we're worth more. We're worth more than the lilies of the field. We're worth more than the birds of the air that he takes care of, that he arrays in all the splendor. He tells us we're a great value to him. So much value that he gave us his son, Jesus. Romans eight says in verse 31, what shall we say to these things if God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he also not with him graciously give us all things? To see Paul's point, if we're worried about being short shrifted by God, all we have to do is look to Jesus. That's the answer to all the questions, all the concerns, all the worries and the anxiousness, is to look to Jesus, who God has given to us as our Lord and our Savior, as our friend and our brother, so that we might be with him for all of eternity. Jesus tells us in verse 27 that our anxiousness is futile. It can't accomplish anything. Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his lifespan? And if you can't accomplish such a small thing by worrying, why worry? Instead, he says, trust your heavenly Father. So what does Jesus say is the cause of our anxiousness? What does Jesus account for our lack in this area? In this area. He says, God so closed the grass of the field, which today is alive tomorrow, and tomorrow is thrown in the oven. Will he not much more close you? And here's the answer, oh, you of little faith. I know this is hard to hear, but worrying is unbelief. Being anxious is a lack of faith. So worrying and being anxious about these things is actually sin. I know that's surprising to some of us because worrying is second nature to you. It's as natural as breathing. My grandmother was like that. My grandmother on my mother's side, she worried all the time. Anytime you had a conversation with her, it wasn't too long before something came up that she was worried about. It seemed like she wasn't happy unless she was worried about something. That was passed down to my mom. I don't know where my dad got it, it wasn't from them. But I know that I struggle with it, especially early on in my life as a parent. When John was born, our oldest, I was worried all the time about his life. Was he healthy, was he going to be okay? I think parents of first born are like that. We tend to worry more about the first one than the rest of them. I may have told you this before, but one indicator of how it goes, we had six kids. One indicator of how it goes is what you do with a pacifier or, what do people call it here? Soother, yeah, a soother. Well, when John had a soother, if it got dropped on the floor, we threw it out. When David's was dropped on the floor, we boiled it. When Daniels was dropped on the floor, we washed it off. When Jessica's was dropped on the floor, wiped it on her pants, gave it back to her. When Joe's was dropped on the floor, we told him to pick it up. And Sam didn't even get one. But when John was born, I was not sleeping well. We had him in a bassinet right next to our bed on my side. And if I heard him jostling or moving around or something, I would wake up and check to see if he was okay. And worse, was if I didn't hear anything for a long time, I would wake up to make sure he was alive. And you know, babies breathe so softly. I would put my hand on his chest to make sure that he was breathing. And of course that woke him up and then I would hand him to Tracy. Well, I was driving her crazy and I wasn't getting any sleep. And I remember going for a walk and talking to God and saying, I can't keep this up. I'm not getting any sleep. I'm gonna drive my wife crazy. And it wasn't an audible voice, but I got the impression that he's fine. And if anything goes wrong, I will give you the grace to handle it then. You don't need it now. So that's the Churchill quote, worrying about things that never happened. So we can talk ourselves into worry, into complaining about how things are going. And anxiousness and worry can be debilitating. It can paralyze you. It can stop you from doing anything you might think is unsafe. It stops you from living the life that God has intended for you. My dad was a worrier as well. So that was quite a thing when my mom and dad were together if they got rolling on their worries. But my dad, he missed out on a lot because he was worried. One thing that got him sort of out of it, I mean, he flew in an airplane in the 1940s about the time that World War II was ending. He didn't fly on an airplane again until 2014 because he wanted to come and see me. He came here twice on an airplane because he wanted to come and see me. But all that time in between, he could have gone places, flown places, done things, and he wouldn't do it. He was afraid of flying. Well, my mother retired from her job as the CFO of a tool and die company. They gave her a two week cruise in Alaska. And my dad talked her out of it. They cashed it in. Because he was worried about too many things that could go wrong, too many things that could happen. He'd read about cruise ships where everybody got sick. It can be debilitating. So what do we do to combat worry? How do we not be anxious? Jesus says, trust your heavenly Father that he loves you and knows what you need. The passage of scripture that Edward read from Philippians gives us instruction. The first way to combat anxiousness is to rejoice. Even some non-Christian psychological authors are calling on people to express gratitude, to every day write down three things that you're grateful for. We have so much to be grateful for as Christians that we are in Christ, what Christ has provided for us, and we can rejoice in him. And Paul says, rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. How do you rejoice when you're thankful? You can make a list, like I just mentioned, of all the blessings in your life. Rejoice with other Christians in regular worship. And when do you rejoice? Always. Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say rejoice. Rejoice even when you don't feel like it. Rejoicing is obedient. The second way to combat anxiousness and worry is through prayer. Paul says, don't be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Again, with gratitude. Let your request be made known to God. Now, bringing your concerns, desires, and requests to God in prayer is vital in combat, excuse me, in combating worry. And the wording here might be a little confusing to make your request known to God as if God doesn't know what you need, if God doesn't know you're making your request known to God, really, you're making your request known to you that you're telling God. I mean, Jesus makes it clear that is not the case when he says, your heavenly Father knows all that you need, all of these things. So, rejoice in Christ, bring all of your concerns to him in prayer. Bring everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. Let your request be made known to God. And the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. What does that mean to guard your hearts? That means that our enemy, the world, the flesh, and the devil are always trying to get us to not trust God. They're trying to get us to worry and to be anxious and to lack faith. But if you rejoice and you pray, the peace of God will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Bringing your concerns, desires, and requests to God in prayer is vital in combating worry. Telling God these things is an expression of our dependence on him. Now again, most of us do not view worry as sin or anxiousness as sinful, yet that's what Jesus says. You have little faith. Our anxiousness is a lack of faith in God that is care for us. It's a belief that he won't come through. Remember when the disciples were in the boat and the storm came up and Jesus was asleep in the boat and they woke him up and they said, don't you care that we are perishing? They said to Jesus, don't you care? And that's the accusation in our hearts when we are anxious about something and we're not sure how it's going to turn out. And so we are accusing God of falling down in the job and not coming through for us, of doubting whether or not he will care for us. Now this doesn't mean that we shouldn't be concerned about things. He tells us, seek first the kingdom of God, so we should be concerned about that. But how do we resist temptation? The temptation to worry or to not be anxious. Well, 1 Corinthians 10 beginning in verse 13, actually verse 13 is very instructive. I'm gonna read it to you. No temptation has overtaken you. That includes the temptation to be anxious or worry that is not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. But with the temptation, he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it. So let's go, there's five things there in that one verse. No temptation has overtaken you. It is not common to man. In other words, you aren't unique. I know we all wanna think we are. We all wanna think, well, if you knew my situation, if you knew what I was going through, if you knew what I was concerned about, what I'm anxious about, what I'm worrying about, you would have a different view of these things. You would understand why. No, you're not unique. No temptation, including the temptation to be anxious or worry is overtaken you that is not common to man. Sorry to say it, but you're common. Will you worry? Second thing is God is faithful. God is faithful, just like Jesus said. Your father knows that you need all of these things and he will provide for you. But he's faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability. So that's the third thing, it won't be too much for you. Which is really a difficult judgment on us, on me, on you. Because when we sin, we like to say, well, I was just overwhelmed. Again, the unique thing, you just didn't understand or you don't understand, but it won't be too much for you. And the fourth thing is that God will provide a way of escape. And the fifth thing is you will be able to endure it. So when temptation is overtaking you, you aren't unique. God is faithful, it won't be too much for you. A way of escape will be provided and you'll be able to endure it. Especially if you're rejoicing in the Lord and bringing things to him in prayer. Seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. One commentator explained that in Jesus' day, there were merchants who would add a little extra to whatever the customer was buying. So if you're buying flour, for instance, and you asked for a pound or whatever the measure was then, an omer or whatever it was, and the merchant would give you what you asked for and he would add a couple of ounces. Since you might say, well, that merchant's wonderful, next time I need anything, I'm going to go back to him. That's the idea that Jesus is expressing here. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these other things will be added to you. C.S. Lewis put it like this, aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you'll get neither. We shall never save civilization as long as civilization is our main objective. We must learn to want something else even more. This is because the Lord desires to do good to us and for us. Maybe you remember from 1 Kings chapter three, Solomon was asked by God, whatever you want I'll give to you or told by God. Just ask me. Solomon in reply, give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people. He was taking over for David. That I may discern between good and evil for who is able to govern this your great people. And it pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. And God said to him, because you've asked this and you've not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right. Behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind so that none like you has been before you and unlike you shall arise after you. I give you also what you've not asked both riches and honor. So that no other king shall compare to you all your days. And if you will walk in my ways, keep my statutes and my commandments. As your father, David walked, then I will lengthen your days. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Peter learned that when the rich young man came to Jesus and said, what must I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus told him to keep the commandments and the man said, I've done all that. He said, one thing you lack, sell everything you have and give it to the poor and then come and follow me. And the young man went away sad because he had great riches, which as we talked about last week is interesting because he had a choice. He asked, what must I do to have eternal life? And it seems to me that no answer could have been too much if what you really want is eternal life. We're talking about life everlasting in the presence of God. But he wanted his money more and he turned and walked away. And Jesus said, it is difficult for a rich man to go into heaven. It's easier for a camel to pass through an eye of a needle. Peter said, then who can be saved? Jesus said, with God all things are possible. Then Peter said, see, we've left everything and followed you. What then will we have? Jesus said, truly I say to you in the new world when the Son of Man will sit on the glorious throne, you who have followed me will sit on 12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel and everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for my name's sake will receive a hundred fold and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last and will be last first. In another version, Jesus says, you'll receive these things in the next life and this life as well. So he's not stingy, he's not greedy. He will overflow you with good things if you seek first his kingdom. Let's pray, Father in heaven thank you that we can come to your word and learn how to not be anxious. We pray in Christ's name. Amen, please stand.