YOUR Heavenly Father (Matthew 6:25-34)
Gary McManus, 07/25/2021Part of the God's Love; Beyond Belief series, preached at a Sunday Morning service
Does Pastor need to demonstrate that Americans are anxious? Even American Christians are anxious.
Then, we often tell ourselves, we should not be
anxious and maybe we lack faith.
Wrong!
Many mental health conditions (illness, dysfunction, mood change) may have little to do with faith.
Kevin Hines was and is faithful, before and after.
Still, he was hospitalized several times and requires
medications.
Not everyone has the same amount of the right
chemicals flowing across the brain.
That can change as a person grows/ages.
Anxiety, for some folks, might be chemical.
Maybe “the gate is stuck open.”
THIS sermon is NOT intended for all
with brain chemistry problems.
This is for everyday people, like Jesus spoke to.
But their concerns are not like our modern ones.
Can Jesus still speak to us? Yes!
There was a poll taken on what Christians worry about.
Jesus has too much compassion for us
to simply say, “Stop being anxious.”
Everyone worries about money—everyone!
Jesus said,
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life. . .
Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?
Jesus’ first response: aim higher.
Know that saying?
“Sorrow looks back, worry looks around,
and faith looks up.”
Jesus said: you’re too focused on what is around
you. Look up.
The Pharisees didn’t care about the people.
Jesus has told these same people:
“God cares about you and you can pray to God about this.”
Verse 26: YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER
In the Gospel books. . .more than 30 times!
Jesus calls the crowd to focus on
YOUR relationship with God. . .
And your worry? Is it helping?
God knows your concerns BEFORE
you share them with him.
That is how valuable you are to your God.
Growing up, Pastor heard: “don’t be anxious.”
But what about. . .
It was pretty hard for 9 year old Gary
to do “Kingdom thinking.”
Anyone could have said:
“YOUR Heavenly Father knows what you need. . .
talk to him.”
Jesus’ words reflected in the letters:
1 Peter 5: 7, Hebrews 13:5
quoting from Deuteronomy 31:6.
“YOUR Heavenly Father knows what you need”
Amen.
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