Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: If I haven't gotten the chance to meet you or learn your names, I'll be here on Wednesday nights as well. So, looking forward to doing all of that fun stuff with y'. All.
Yeah. Like I said, I'm a member here at Arrow Heights. I have been at this church my entire life, so 25 years.
And shout out to Austin for inviting me out here this morning to talk to y' all about the end of Matthew chapter six.
So today in Matthew Chapter six, we get to talk about anxiety.
It's a massive word right now. You know, constantly swarming our social media, school halls, daily conversations. Everybody's talking about, oh, I have anxiety about this test anxiety. I'm sure you all have heard, so it's a pretty relevant thing. And it's even something that Jesus mentions directly in the Sermon on the Mount.
So, by show of hands, who here feels like they know what anxiety actually is? What's a good definition of anxiety? Anybody care to give a little definition?
Owen?
Worried about something?
Anybody else?
All right, so clinically speaking, anxiety is a totally normal human emotion.
It's marked by tension, worried thoughts, physical changes triggered by anticipating the future.
It's your body's built in flight or fight response designed to alert you to danger or focus you for a challenge.
In everyday language, I sometimes refer to anxiety as what if bad syndrome.
So what if I fail this exam?
What if I'm not good enough for the team?
What if I don't get a good job?
What if my fit isn't fresh?
So y' all do me a favor and give me some examples of things that are going on in your lives. And it can be silly or it can be serious, just of what is bringing you anxiety.
Some good examples.
[00:02:12] Speaker B: Asher, tomorrow I have a really scary science test, okay? And our science is so confusing, and I'm so cooked.
[00:02:20] Speaker A: What's it about?
[00:02:22] Speaker B: It's like physics. It's this weird formula thing. It's so weird. It's like distance equals. It's all. It's all stupid and weird.
It's all about, like, Newton's first, like, and second and third law. I barely know anything about his first law because I was really, really tired, like, the first week of school. And that's when we were talking about it. Yeah. So I'm, like, absolutely cooked for it.
[00:02:43] Speaker A: So you got some hardcore test anxiety. Yes, dad. That's real. Felt that. I got test, too. Yes.
[00:02:49] Speaker C: So I had a test in Earth science, like, on the first week of school, and it was due Friday on that first week. And I Got a.
And I got a.
[00:03:05] Speaker A: Okay. Were you anxious about it because it's test right out the first week.
[00:03:09] Speaker C: We got it on the first day of the school.
[00:03:11] Speaker A: Wow. But you got a 92.
[00:03:13] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: Nice. So you're scared about it, but it turned out all right?
[00:03:17] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:03:17] Speaker A: Awesome. Anybody else? Hadley.
[00:03:20] Speaker C: Guitar lessons on Tuesday.
[00:03:21] Speaker A: You start guitar lessons on Tuesday.
What are you anxious about?
[00:03:24] Speaker C: That.
That my fingers aren't long enough.
[00:03:30] Speaker A: They make guitars in all sizes for that, so it'll work out.
[00:03:33] Speaker C: I know. I got a new one.
[00:03:34] Speaker A: Nice.
So have you started like learning guitar at all before or have you picked up one, really played it around?
[00:03:40] Speaker C: Started it was like my dad's guitar and it was like the, like the size of me.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:03:46] Speaker C: So I was a little bit too big.
[00:03:47] Speaker A: Okay. So you're just worried about, you know, getting used to it, learning it, all that fun stuff. Okay.
[00:03:52] Speaker C: Yes. So once this country season ends, I'm going to meet you with another team because they were on the auction, but they practice three times a week and they're very like hardcore runners. So that's going to be fun.
[00:04:05] Speaker A: Worried if you're going to be able to make it? Do they have like tryouts for that and all of that or you can just join. Well, that's good at least. But you're just worried maybe you can keep up and be as good.
Gotcha. All right.
Yes.
That is a big one. Absolutely. 100%. Where do you think you want to go?
That's a big decision. So one, you have convenience, like NSU Broken Arrow or NSU in Tahlequah. Tahlequah. Okay, so you have a little bit more. One's financial. One's a little bit more convenience too. So there's a lot that goes into that. College is a big one. Yes.
[00:04:44] Speaker C: So I'm scared of Cantor.
[00:04:47] Speaker A: That is a very valid one.
[00:04:50] Speaker C: I'm gonna go back and I help off the horse. I was like, I try and be like, oh, yeah, I dressed too big. But I'm just like, my brain is just like going crazy so I can't turn.
Yeah, I didn't can to like four years.
[00:05:04] Speaker A: Okay. So. Yeah. So getting back up on the horse is a good way to put it. Yeah, that's. Yeah, I would be anxious about that too because there's real injury in that potentially.
You, Connor. Yeah, Connor.
[00:05:21] Speaker C: I'm anxious for like school and like whenever, like we have to go to pe, like we're doing like these, like, these like we have to like go against each other in like a certain sport.
[00:05:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:05:34] Speaker C: And I just got first place with one of my friends. We 2v4. Like, everyone.
[00:05:39] Speaker A: Nice.
[00:05:39] Speaker C: And like, we got first place for it. So. So then what were you.
[00:05:44] Speaker A: Badminton. Nice.
Oh, so you have to keep it going too. But you were nervous still about going into it. If you're going to, like, do well in the competition. All of that worked out all right. We'll get you. And then Owen at the end. Baseball tryouts. Baseball tryouts. Oh, so you have to do tryouts to make the team too. All right. That's totally be anxious about that basically, is it. Baseball team for fall ball car, never stop spring.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: Because that's when all the kids from football come back.
[00:06:15] Speaker A: Oh, okay. But maybe there's some obese kids that may be able. Oh, well, you said that obese kids can't play the baseball, so. Yeah, valid. No.
So it sounds like we've got a lot of sports and school to be anxious about, so that's kind of what's going on in Yalls world, so thank you for that.
So everybody gets anxious as we can see, whether about one thing or another. It's just wired into our anatomy today. We're fortunate enough to often worry about some lighter things, but historically, people were really worried about raw survival. What will I eat?
Where is the water in this freaking desert? My clothes are falling apart. What am I going to wear?
So as you transition toward adulthood and you grow older, real world pressure mounts.
Jobs, relationships, real responsibilities that are relatively applicable to this. If you don't make money, if you don't get a good job, if you aren't able to provide, you will be asking those questions, what am I going to eat today?
Where is water in this desert? My clothes are falling apart. What will I wear?
And so Jesus directly addresses these exact fears in the Sermon on the Mount. So if you're not already there, please turn with me to Matthew 6.
We're going to be looking at verses 25 through 34.
All right, verse 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?
Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather in the 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 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? What shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after 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 about itself sufficient, for the day is its own trouble.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this morning, for this great opportunity to be able to talk about you, talk about your word and to fellowship go under your name.
Lord, we pray for the week ahead of us, for the upcoming months, years, and just the rest of our lives, Lord, to face the anxieties of the day, day to day. Lord, trust that you are with us and to get us through everything that we may face God.
Lord, be with us this morning as we discuss you and hear your word later today going through James and Lord, be with us as we make it through this week. Lord, ask these things in Christ's name. Amen.
All right, so Jesus commands us to not be anxious.
But why?
Let's look back at verse 25, so part therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about the body, or what you will put on.
So here he begins and goes right after the very real anxieties of those living in ancient Israel.
Do not be anxious about them.
But why?
Well, he continues, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
And it gives us a practical illustration in verse 26.
Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
And here's the key part of this whole Are you not of more value than than they Point one if you're writing down points, you should not be anxious because you are deeply valuable to God, to your Creator.
So let's pause here and dig into this section.
Who here can tell me what makes us distinct from the rest of God's creation? There's a lot of things, but I'll give you a hint. We're going to go all the way Back to Genesis 2.
Yes, yes, exactly. We are made in the image of God, and on top of that, God spoke the stars the oceans, the animals, all of the plants into existence.
But humans, he handcrafted us from the dirt of the earth, and he breathed into his own breath into our lungs.
So we are set apart in that way as well, just in the way that he had created us. And look at how David describes this in Psalm 139, 1316.
For you formed my inward parts. You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works. My soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven into the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet, there was none of them.
So if God goes out of his way to feed the birds that live for a handful of years, how much more will he take care of you?
Every one of you, his image bearer, who he knitted together intentionally and planned out every specific day of your life, foreknew what would happen to you?
Do you truly believe that you are more valuable than to him, than the rest of creation?
Can I get some yeses? Nos? Anybody? Anybody? Does anybody disagree that you are more valuable than the rest of creation?
Maybe Asher?
[00:12:55] Speaker C: No?
[00:12:58] Speaker A: Okay, so we know that we are the most valuable piece of creation because God, we bear his image, and he formed us and knew each of our days before we were even formed.
So moving on to verse 27.
And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life?
So this gets us to point number two.
Anxiety is ineffective, unfruitful, and even harmful.
So does worrying fix the problem?
Does stress add time to your life at all?
Why'd you nod?
Oh, were you just agreeing?
I thought you were nodding. Sorry.
So, no, worrying does not fix your problems. Stressing does not add time to your life. Matter of fact, it does quite the opposite. Scientifically. Chronic anxiety can actually degrade your physical health. It raises blood pressure, stresses out your heart, and can weaken your immune system.
Fun little story about me. I know this firsthand, actually. Whenever I was yalls age on the younger side, I actually caught shingles. Anybody know what shingles is?
Yeah. So shingles you'd think is like an old people virus, but apparently you can just skip the chicken pox and go straight to shingles if your immune system fails.
And it wiped out my entire summer. That sucked. It was not fun at all.
Just little pock marks all over my arm and all that fun stuff and her hurt all the time.
And you know what triggered that nerve outbreak that's usually reserved for our older folk.
The doctors said that stress and anxiety had caused my immune system to fail.
So it's a very real thing that can be detrimental to your health.
So aside from your mental state, worry actually actively harms your physical body.
And it doesn't add an hour, so it can take away hours from your life.
So Jesus continues in verses 28 and 30 and why are you anxious about clothing?
Consider the lilies of the field and how they grow.
They neither toil nor spin.
Yet I tell you, even Solomon and 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?
So quick check.
Anybody here Tell me who Solomon was.
Do we know Solomon? Yes, David's son. David's son, yes. But why did Jesus call out Solomon here specifically? Because he was like really rich and wise.
Yes, yes. So Solomon's temple was actually world famous. I think it calls it out in second Chronicles. In that time, everybody knew about Solomon's temple with gold, gems, precious stones, all of that.
And even that world famous temple not arrayed like the lilies of the field within the grass.
So you know, Solomon had limitless wealth.
And Jesus points out that the natural flowers, they all outshine that manufactured royalty. Because here's the kicker. All of that gold and gems that Solomon used were created by God in the first place. Those are all his that he had just put that together.
If God clothes field grass, which is here today and burned out in an Oklahoma summer tomorrow, will he not provide for you?
And Jesus calls out, O you of little faith, that's us. None of us have perfect faith, yet God consistently looks after us because he knows us and he knows our sinful nature, and yet he loves us and he provides for us.
So let's look at verses. Let's move on to verses 31, 34.
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 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.
So worldly thinking drives us to hoard, if y' all remember Covid and the toilet paper thing and all of that, that was a very big time of anxiety as well for everybody involved.
But anxiety drives us to hoard, to panic, and to obsess over material security.
But God already knows your baseline needs.
He knows how we are, and he knows what we need just to get by.
And one thing I'd like to point out is that just by default, we already know that we need these things without God telling us that we need these things.
He Sundays here in 32. For even the Gentiles seek after these things. What shall eat? What shall I drink? What shall I wear? For your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
And so that brings us to point number three.
Overcome anxiety by shifting your primary pursuit.
So when we center our life on seeking God's kingdom, material worries fall into their proper secondary place.
Proverbs 3, 5, 8 echoes this.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways, acknowledge Him. You will make straight your paths.
Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord. Turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.
Also, I highly encourage reading proverbs daily. It's jam packed with this kind of stuff, and it's just raw wisdom.
The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. And to fear God, you must seek God. And when you seek God, you will trust God, because He will keep his promises to you every single time, for he is faithful and cannot deny Himself.
And so whenever Christ calls out here to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, seeking God isn't just reading your Bible, but it's more or less actively trying to understand God and figure it out. And trying to understand the Lord is a deep well that you just continue to pull more and more water out, and it's never ending. And we can never fully comprehend God, which means that we can continue to actively seek God. And there's never a day where we can stop seeking God. It will never be fulfilled. But that brings us joy.
What do I mean by that? By seeking God will bring us joy and peace.
Anybody here enjoy puzzles?
Show of hands. Puzzles.
All right.
[00:20:51] Speaker B: Depends on the puzzle.
[00:20:52] Speaker A: Depends on the puzzle. But we enjoy putting puzzles together.
Who wants to tell me why they like putting puzzles together? Why you like doing puzzles?
[00:21:00] Speaker C: When we do puzzles, that means that we're on vacation.
[00:21:04] Speaker A: So you just associate it with vacation. That's fair.
[00:21:07] Speaker B: Asher makes you feel very accomplished.
[00:21:09] Speaker A: Yes, it does. It does.
[00:21:12] Speaker C: They're calming, I think.
[00:21:13] Speaker A: Huh?
They're calming. So yeah, you're taking the time and just like putting each piece together and then you find the right pieces that fit together.
That's pretty satisfying. We like to do that.
Well, seeking God is like that.
Think of seeking God like assembling a complex jigsaw puzzle.
When you only look at one piece, your current stressor, it makes no sense and it can cause anxiety.
But as you spend time in God's word, pray with patience and gather with other believers, the pieces begin to connect.
You begin to see the larger beautiful picture that God is designing the full size of the puzzle.
We weren't created to live in an endless cycle of doom scrolling test stress and survival panic.
We were created for a relationship with God.
We were created to walk in a garden and fellowship with our Creator.
To experience a love so grand, so incomprehensible, that words cannot describe.
That's our original setting. Our original setting was to walk in a garden with our God.
But sin broke that original design.
But through Jesus, death and resurrection, our connection to God is restored.
And with that same son of God who is telling us here to not be anxious, he's reminding us where we stand in God's eyes and that we are made in his image.
So when you view your current worries through an eternity perspective, the scale changes entirely.
Christ ends here in 34. Again, therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow. For tomorrow will be anxious about itself.
Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Tomorrow has enough trouble of its own.
But your eternity is secured in Christ.
So think about things the next time that something pops up. And this doesn't mean to not try or to give it your all or to because there's other commandments throughout the Bible. To work for man as you're working for the Lord. You are supposed to still try and do well in this life and live a holy life. But you think about the small things that are bringing you anxiety.
And I say small because whenever you put them into the perspective of eternity and what you have to look forward to and your hope in the future, everything is small.
And we can look forward to those days, to those years, to however long, to eternity when we finally get to spend that fellowship and walk with God. Just as our original design was made for.
Let's pray.
Father, we thank you for this day again.
And we thank you for your word and for your commandments. Lord, we thank you for you walking with us and for your death that paid for our sins, God, so that we can stand before you and worship with you.
Be just blameless and shameless in front of you, God and we thank you for your resurrection that a proved it all, but also shows that you are still alive. God Christ, you are with us. Your Holy Spirit is with us that we can walk with you today, even today, though we may not see you in the flesh. God, we know that you are with us and that we have Your Word with us to lead us through life.
Lord, you tell us to cast our anxieties onto you and to not be anxious about anything but to pray with petition and to cast them onto you, God, because you know that what we face is tiny, microscopic compared to what yout have prepared for us in the future. Lord Father, again, be with us and remind us that yout are here with us in times of trouble and times of need and times of anxiety. God, we pray for peace and hope and faith to where we can cast those anxieties onto you and know and be confident that all things work together for the good of those who love you. God Father, again we thank you for the day, for this time here on this earth. God Lord, be with us through this week, through the upcoming years and for the rest of our lives, God, and continue to remind us, be with us that you are here with us to lead us through and to make it to eternity to stand by your side.
We thank you, Lord. We ask all these things in Christ's name.
Amen.
