Why Pray when you can Panic
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As we start this new series, I want to encourage us to commit to three things over the next 8 weeks.
A - Attend regularily
B - Bring a Friend to join this sermon series. C - Connect with those in your Core group.
1. Opener: Do you have a short story where you have forgotten (lost) something that made you panic?
A couple years ago, at the Thrive conference, Ray Johnston talked about the idea for a book that was writing--it was going to be about Reintroducing Jesus to the American Church... This began what was called the Jesus project -
The book is finished and it is entitled - "Jesus called and wants his church back." Quite an enticing title... the premise of the book addresses a trend in the church in America over the past several years.
A Recent Pew research has showed that Christianity in America is in sharp deciline, while at the same time atheism had doubled..
Ray says that...Even though these statistics are troubling, there is a deeper truth here ...
These people who have left church also left Christianity.. Why this is happening .... what are we to do as churches and leadersers. Getting back to the Gospels.
Jesus project is about being reintroduced again to the Jesus of the Bible.
The Jesus of the Bible was kind of radical... remember what C.S. Lewis said in Mere Christianity.
"A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice"
Jesus came claiming to be the son of God and having the power to forgive sins. He is the only Rabbai of the day who discouraged people from following him...
Read:
2. What do you find most challenging about Jesus call to Discipleship?
One day a scribe came up to Jesus and said to him that he would follow. Jesus did say come and join us... we need extras...
And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.”
Another came up to Jesus and said, Iwant to follow you but let me first go and bury my father.. Jesus said to him let the dead bury thier own n dead.
Jesus taught that his disciples would do great things..
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
The Jesus project is about getting back to the Bible -- and rekindling the hope that comes with the proclaimation of Jesus in our churches..
it's putting Jesus front stage again of lives.
One of the wonders of the world is the TAJ Mahal.
The shah who built the Taj Mahal in 1629 was hearbroken over the death of his favoite wife.
To commemorate her, he ordered this magnificent memorial to be built. Before he started the building, the shah place his wife's casket in the middle of the construction site so the memorial would be built on top of her remains.
As he built, he became enamored by his project. He worked on it with great passion, making it better, bigger, grander and more expensive than anything ever imagined.
During the construction, workers excavated portions of the land to sink the foundation. As the story goes, the shah stumbled over the corner of a box in the dirt. Irritated, he had it removed to make room for more construction.
The result was the building was erected, but when it was finished the womans remains were nowhere to be found. He'd built the building , but he forgot to hang onto the woman it was meant to commemorate.
The very thing that the Taj Mahal was meant to celebrate was forgotten... We need to keep Jesus as the centerality of our message... Christ in the center of our lives..
T/S This morning we are going to look at our text in Matt 6 one of the greatest speaches ever given.
There are some Great speaches in History one of the most famous address was given during the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln - gave the Gettysburg Address - which lasted a whole 2 minutes reinterating the principes of equality in the Declaration of Independance.
then..there was
Winston Churchill's speach during second world war - "The Finest Hour" It was at the house of parlament at the beginning of war that united the nation.
Martin Luther King Jr - "I have a dream" - That called for an end to racisism in this country.
Forest Gump "Life is a box of Chocolates"
Each of these were impactful... and remembered in History...
But, One of the greatest addresses every is found was given by Jesus and is found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6.
One of our Presidents Harry Trueman said
"I do not believe there is a problem in this country or the world today which could not be settled if approached through the teaching on the sermon on the Mount." President Harry Trueman
The Sermon on the Mount -- Basically the "how to manual" how to live out Faith n the real world.
T/S When it comes to our approach to life ... there are basically two paths we can take..
A. The Path to Panic
A. The Path to Panic
Stress is a huge issue in this country... It really is an epedemic. The American Institude of stress has these statistics.
44% of Americans feel more stressed thant they did 5 years ago.
1-5 Americans experience Extreme Stress (shaking, heart palpitations, depression)
3-4 Doctors visits are for stress- related ailments.
Stress is the basic cause of 60% of all human illinesses and disease.
We are going to first look at thath way to PANIC.
Step 1 - Deceived by Self-Sufficiency vs19-21
Step 1 - Deceived by Self-Sufficiency vs19-21
We think we can do it on our own..this is what Jesus warns against in Matt 6.
READ:
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
3. What alternatives does Jesus propose with respect to treasures, desires, and matters?
Jesus is talking about treasure... treasure has value, importance and it often the way we organize our priorities... Descisons we make are often centered arround treasure...
a. The kind of car we drive
b. Were we shop
c. where we travel. d. what and how we celebrate.
The way we spend our money, our checkbooks are sure indicators of our spiritual condition.
We are accustomed to dividing life into the “spiritual” and the “material”; but Jesus made no such division.
Jesus gives us a negative command "Do not lay up for yourself treasures on earth"... what is followed by positive command "but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...
What are the treasures Jesus is talking about in this verse? He is talking about accumilating or haording wealth on earth.
Don't be decieved by self-sufficency because just because you have money in a bank somewhere doenst not mean its recession proof. ...
Remember the great depression... remember the recession in 2008.
We need to have a proper attitude toward material wealth.... One of the main causes of worry for people is money... this proberbly doesn't surprise us but statistics.
Seventy-two percent of adults report feeling stressed about money at least some of the time and 22 percent say that they experience extreme stress about money
Nowhere did Jesus magnify poverty or criticize the legitimate getting of wealth.
God made all things, including food, clothing, and precious metals. God has declared that all things He has made are good
And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
God knows that e need certain things in order to live.
Matt 6:32...your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
In fact, He has given us “richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17). It is not wrong to possess things, but it is wrong for things to possess us.
One of the battles that we have in our American culture is that of materialism. Materialism world view can be summed up in one word "MORE." People with a materialistic world view confuse their values with their valuables.
Jesus challenged conventional wisdom... which says that the more we have the happier we will become... we
What does it mean to lay up treasures in heaven? It means to use all that we have for the glory of God. It means to “hang loose” when it comes to the material things of life. It also means measuring life by the true riches of the kingdom and not by the false riches of this world.
second step towards Panic is ..
Step 2 - Distorted by Stinginess vs22-23
Step 2 - Distorted by Stinginess vs22-23
One of the quickest ways to get disgruntled is too look arround at what someone else has.... and make comparrisons...
There are 20 year olds earning six figure salaries.. What Jesus is talking about is something far more important than the temporary... This
When someone is blessed we need to learn to rejoice.. WE Panic whe
READ:
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
4. How is the eye like “a lamp”? How can “light be darkness”?
5. Is it wrong to worry? What point is the scripture making?
6. What are some typical actions people do today when they panic? What can be the negative results?
God’s Word often uses the eye to represent the attitudes of the mind. A Healthy eye is single, focused, and admits light
If the eye is properly focused on the light, the body can function properly in its movements. But if the eye is out of focus and seeing double, it results in unsteady movements.
What that means is very simple. We’re in this room, there’s light in this room, and if your eye works, if it takes the light in, you will by the light be able to move your body through the room. You’ll see where the aisle is, and you’ll move that way. You won’t stumble, and you won’t fall.
So if your eye is not working, your whole body is in darkness, whether or not the whole room is flooded with light.
Matthew 6:22 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
Matthew 6:23 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.
Let’s read it again with this in mind
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy[generous],[c] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy [stingy],[d] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
So Jesus is saying, "There is nothing like generosity for giving you a clear and undistorted view of life and of people; and there is nothing like the grudging and ungenerous spirit for distorting your view of life and of people.” W. Barclay
‘Blowing out someone else’s candle will not make your one burn brighter’
If our aim in life is to get material gain, it will mean darkness within. But if our outlook is to serve and glorify God, there will be light within. If what should be light is really darkness, then we are being controlled by darkness; and outlook determines outcome.
T/S another step along the path to PANIC
Step 3 - Deluded by Equality v24
Step 3 - Deluded by Equality v24
Jesus never put himself on the same line of PROVISIONS... It's not God and right next to it our work...
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Jesus illustrates the problem of trying to balance God and work like this....He compares it it to a servant who has two masters... You cant serve two purposes... You cant serve your own agenda and also serve the Kingdom agenda...
This is something that we have somehow bought into is that we can do both.. we can serve our own agenda and God's agenda.
Jesus gives that we will have a divided heart...
1. We love one and the other and hate the other.
2. We be devoted to the one and neglect the other.
Our Devotion - devoted to one and neglect the other
You cannot server God and money
Step 4 - Distressed by Worries vs25-31
Step 4 - Distressed by Worries vs25-31
Reintroducing the terrible twins of worry and hurry.
Reintroducing the terrible twins of worry and hurry.
These are two joy suckers... worry and hurry...
None of us is going to come to the end of our lives and say, I wish I had spent more time worrying ... I think it will be the opposite, that our regret might be that we allowed something to grip our thoughts and our hearts... if we had let that think or person or problem occupy less of our thoughts..
if only we had been less stressful....
Nothing rushed has good results... Quicker doesnt always mean faster... sometimes slower means quicker...
If only I had slowed down and enjoyed the moments... If only I had not been so quick to get up... maybe reflected a little longer..
Hurry is the death of the spiritual life... The Bible tells us to wait upon the Lord and your youth will be renewed...
Interesting that what comes up several times in these verse is the biblical sense of-- being... It really is a state of rest.. everything flows from quality of being... it is a state OF MIND.. IT DOESNT MEAN DOING NOTHING... its a verb... action.. it's a place or space where you are going to experience the most peace... .
“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?’
Don't
This is another command here... DO NOT BE ANXIOUS..
There are three specific things that we can worry about.
1. Worry about your life - (Provisions) food and drink
2. Worry about (shelter) what we are going to where
3. Worry about the Future.
The Greek word translated take no thought literally means “to be drawn in different directions.” Worry pulls us apart. Until man interferes, everything in nature works together, because all of nature trusts God. Man, however, is pulled apart because he tries to live his own life by depending on material wealth.
God feeds the birds and clothes the lilies. He will feed and clothe us. It is our “little faith” that hinders Him from working as He would. He has great blessings for us if only we will yield to Him and live for the riches that last forever.
B. The Road to Rest
B. The Road to Rest
A lecturer was giving a lecture to his students on stress management. He raised a glass of water and asked the audience, "How heavy do you think this glass of water is?"
The students’ answers ranged from 20g to 500g.
"It does not matter on the absolute weight. It depends on how long you hold it.
If I hold it for a minute, it is OK.
If I hold it for an hour, I will have an ache in my right arm.
If I hold it for a day, you will have to call an ambulance.
It is the exact same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."
"If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, we will not be able to carry on, the burden becoming increasingly heavier."
"What you have to do is to put the glass down, rest for a while before holding it up again."
We have to put down the burdens periodically, so that we can be refreshed and are able to carry on.
So, before you return home from work tonight, put the burdens of work down. Don’t carry them back home. You can pick them up tomorrow.
Whatever burdens you are having now on your shoulders, let it down for a moment if you can. Pick it up again later when you have rested...
We need to be conscious of our own Soul care... You have to take personal responsibility for your own spiritual health. Everytime you get on a plane they tell you how to respond in an emergency... put on your own oxegyn mask first.. that is soul care.. If I am not taking time as your pastor to be refreshed guess what I am not going to be any good to you or my family..
George Muller was Christian evangelist and Director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England towards the end of the 1800's He is one of those Gaints of faith.--
He cared for 10,024[1] orphans in his life.[2] and educated more than 120000. Threre were days when there was literally nothing to feed these children.. and there was always a miracle.
"The greatest business to which I ought to attend everyday is to have my soul HAPPY in the Lord." George Muller
Is your soul HAPPY IN THE LORD. ..The book of Hebrews talks about entering into the Sabbath rest.
So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.
Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.
There is a transaction a change that takes place in our text -- its a movement from a place of works to a place of rest.. a place of entering into " God's rest." We are not talking about a vacation we are talking about THE SPIRITUAL MAN being AT REST... living life out of rest..
There is this Greek word called HOMEOSTATIS -- which means costant or stable - it's a biological term where things are balanced and working at its peak perfomance... The human body is contantly managing complex interactions to keep us on an even Keel.. Homeostatis is constanlty bringing this system into balance... Rest does this for our body both spiritualy and physically.
.. We are designed to live from rest not live from works. Purpose that we wont fall into disobedience... When we fall into temptation and sin ... I believe that 99 % of the time is that we are at rest..
handling it by ourselves.. Jesus tells us how we enter into REST.
T/S we
Step 1 De-stress by Prayer
Step 1 De-stress by Prayer
The Bible has alot to say about prayer..
In all things Prayer and suppication... Someone once asked the spiritual giant.. Smith Wigglesworsth about his prayer life and he said life... I pray for 30 minutes... but I dont let a 30 minutes go by with out praying... what he is saying that he left and open communication line with God.
We are to pray with out ceasing.
We are to Pray and faith and expectation...that heavenly father giver of good gifts..
Now the answer to stess is Prayer...
Matthew 6:9-13
READ:
Pray then like this:
“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
7. What was said in this past weekend’s message about “Destress by Prayer”? Was there anything new that you learned?
8. How can praying for others help you with your relationships?
9. How would a strong prayer-life aid in stopping panic and help our “light” to shine bright?
This is the model prayer.
There is an order to Prayer:
FIRST...
FIRST...
1. Your NAME -
1. Your NAME -
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
The answer to stress is to understand you have a heavenly father who you call upon... I have a contact list on my phone has favorites..and it goes in order of priority the people that I am contact list.... YOU have all of God's contact information... He is accesable. His phone number is
Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Prayer doesnt have to be long... remember Peter sinking ... Lord help I'm sinking.
This Concept of God being our Our Heavenly father comes up 12 times in chapter... When you pray go into your room and shut the door... And meet with your Heavenly father.
Father who is in secret
Father whos sees in secret
Father in heaven who rewards
Father who knows what you need before you ask.
father will forgive you
the father who feeds.
When you get up in the morning before you get stressed about the day.. stop.. FATHER.. God you are my Father.... You got this day... Glorify yourself in this day. Hallowed be your name.
2. Your KINGDOM
2. Your KINGDOM
Your kingdom come.
Our Father comes with a Kingdom.. Kingdom speaks of purpose... Setting the priority of your life arround his Kingdom... Hey, its not about my inadequecies, about my worries, it's about your kingdom.
3. Your WILL be done
3. Your WILL be done
Worry inverts this model of rest.. worry says MY Name, MY Kingdom, MY will be done...
Kingdom priorities... the presenting our cares to God.
THEN
THEN
4. GIVE us -
4. GIVE us -
Give us our daily bread
Give us our daily bread
Notice that its not an advance... It's not a month out. It's being and resting int the momement.
When Israel is in the wilderness God feeds them with Mannna. Every morning they woke up and gathered this heavenly bread... they were not to hoard the manner it was a daily thing....
if they hoarded the manna the extra would rot and the worms would eat it.... we need to rest in God's provision for today.
5. FORGIVE us -
5. FORGIVE us -
And forgive us our debt, as we also have forgiven our dbtors
6. LEAD us
6. LEAD us
And lead us not into temptation
7. DELIVER us -
7. DELIVER us -
Deliver us from the evil one
Deliver us from the evil one
We have a real enemy..
An Exposition on Prayer in the Bible: Igniting the Fuel to Flame Our Communication with God A Profile in Prayer (9–13)
Jesus Himself experienced victory against the devil’s temptation by rightly utilizing God’s Word against this enemy (Matt. 4:1–11), so can His disciples. Later, Jesus even teaches that He prays for Peter that his faith will not fail (Lk. 22:31–32). And after that Paul gives a further word that Jesus prays for all believers that they will be kept safe in salvation (Rom. 8:34). He ever lives to make intercession for His own (Heb.
Step 2 Decide by PRIORITIES
Step 2 Decide by PRIORITIES
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Sermon Outlines on the Sermon on the Mount First Things First
B. The implications
1. We are to replace worry with spiritual action
2. What you really seek will be what you get
Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:
1. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
2. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
3. Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.
4. Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
5. Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
6. Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion and loyalty
7. Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
8. Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest in any test for measuring happiness. Source unknown
There are only three options in life
1. live to please YOURSELF
2. Live to please OTHERS
3. Live to please GOD
If we give God the place in our lives that he is due, then we will know his care of us and will be delivered from every anxiety and worry.