Anxiety Matthew 6:25-34

Matthew 6:25-34
“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? 
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? 
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his 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 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 we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 
For the Gentiles seek after 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.

Anxiety

Why is Jesus so concerned with Anxiety? Because anxiety or worry is so prevelant in us. All people worry to some extent, but for 40 million people over 18 suffer from an anxiety disorder. That is 18% of the population. Anxiety disorder is when unreasonable anxiety or worry causes a signifagant alteration to the way you live.

Anxiety happens when you focus on the negative side of the what if equation.
Anxiety is the driving force behind political campains.

General Anxiety Disorder
Social Anxiety Disorder
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Panic Attacks

Past experances like people who went through the great depression
Physical or sexual abuse
Confilict
Physiology and genetics

1.      What you often hear

a.      This to shall pass

b.      Give it to the Lord

c.       God will not give you more than you can handle

d.      Have more faith

e.      Get over it

f.        The Accountant “if you worry it means you suffer twice”

g.      “Don’t worry, be happy”

2.      Jesus’ answer

a.      Sounds like “don’t worry be Happy”

b.      Focus on God’s provision

c.       Focus on living for God.

3.      Focus on God’s provision

a.      God takes care of the flowers and the birds, He will take care of you!

b.      Romans 8:31  “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

c.       Romans 8:38 & 39 “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

d.       Moses at the red sea, people in the desert without food or water

e.      The disciples in the boat

f.        Focus on what God can and will do.

4.      Focus on seeking the kingdom of God.

a.      set a goal and work toward that

b.      put your energy into kingdom work

5.      what can we do for our friends as indiviguals and as a church?

a.      Do not down play their feelings

b.      Do not ridicual their faith

c.       Create a safe zone, with me you are safe, in this place you are safe

d.      I’ve got you!, We’ve got you! Rest here my friend.

e.      Jesus has got you!

Job 17:6-16 “Rise From the Dust”

Job 17:6-16 “Rise From the Dust”

We may all struggle with blue days, but Job represents those of us who struggle with or have struggled with depression. 7% of people over 18 in the United States suffer from depression. It is also one of the suicide. Depression is a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Feeling hopeless, inadequate, lost, even smothered.

What causes depression? Physical changes that effect your bodies chemical balance, hormonal changes that come with age. Physical exhaustion, running your body on high for too long, until it shuts down. We feel like we have been Ridden hard and put away wet. “To little butter spread on to much bread” Life events can trigger depression, death of a friend, loss of a job, divorce, failure at school, success at school. People in their 50’s and 60’s when they reached the top of their profession. When the children are grown and out of the house. These can trigger a chemical change in our brains that leads to depression.

Sometimes, after a while our bodies will settle out on their own, or through theory we can get past the thoughts that keep triggering depression. There are medications that can restore your balance. Some of us, like myself will be on medication for life.

Depression is not a weakness or a lack of faith, nor is it something you can just snap out of, man up, get a grip on it.

So how do we deal with it.

1.      Realize that our strength and our goodness come from God not us.

a.      Zechariah 4:6  
Then he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.

b.      Jeremiah 29:11-14  
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me. When you seek me with all your heart, 
I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

c.       1 Peter 5:8-11 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 
Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

2.      How the church can help

a.      By not shunning depressed people. They are not fun to be around

b.      The more isolated we are the more variable we are to depression.

c.       1 Thessalonians 5:11 ¹¹Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

d.       2 Thessalonians 5:14 ¹²We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,   ¹³and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.   ¹⁴And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, ^£ encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.

e.       Hebrews 10:25  
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

f.        Ecclesiastes 11:1-3  Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days.   Give a portion to seven, or even to eight, for you know not what disaster may happen on earth.    If the clouds are full of rain, they empty themselves on the earth, and if a tree falls to the south or to the north,

g.       Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

3.       Depression does not have to win

a.       Though you are weak, you are valuable to God

b.       Your strength does not matter our strength comes from God

c.       Don’t be afraid or feel ashamed to ask for help.

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 “He Gives us Victory”

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 “He Gives us Victory”

One of the troubles in the Corinthian Church that is alive today is confusion about the resurrection. Some were saying there is no resurrection, while others were being baptized for dead people. Many Christians today are as confused as the Corinthians. There are many Christians who don’t believe there is a resurrection. No heaven, No hell, and when you die you just are gone. Here Paul tells us the importance of the resurrection.

1.       The Corinthians problem

a.       Those who say there is no resurrection

b.       Those being baptized for dead people

c.       Hebrews 9:27 appointed once to die.

2.       Resurrection truths

a.       (51) we shall not all sleep

b.       We all will be changed

c.       (53) Perishable to imperishable

3.       Death is defeated

a.       The sting and power of death (judgement)

b.       Forgiveness and Grace have taken it away

c.       The shadow of death.

d.       Our faith, our life, our struggle, is not in vain

Live your life for Jesus with confidence. Live your life of faith boldly. We will all face death, but only it’s shadow and none of it’s power. Your Sin’s have been forgiven, your judgment overturned, victory given to you. Physical death in Jesus is a step into life as God meant it to be.