WEBVTT 00:00:37.679 --> 00:00:38.399 Awesome, awesome. 00:00:38.479 --> 00:00:40.640 Well, good morning and uh welcome again. 00:00:40.799 --> 00:00:51.759 If I haven't had the chance to meet you, my name is Nathan, and uh I'm one of the pastors here, and we want to say a special welcome uh to everybody that's in the room with us here this morning at our Social Circle campus. 00:00:52.000 --> 00:00:56.719 And uh for those of you that are joining us online this morning, we want to say a special welcome to you as well. 00:00:56.960 --> 00:01:03.759 If you're watching at home or if you're at the lake or at the beach, we're jealous of you, but we are welcoming you as well uh this morning. 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:10.560 And uh we're continuing a series uh called Build Your House this morning, week two of this series. 00:01:10.719 --> 00:01:16.400 And uh we started it last week talking about building our lives upon the truth of Jesus. 00:01:16.560 --> 00:01:32.799 And we said ultimately that we wanted to be people that built our lives on the words of Jesus, and that Jesus himself said that if we built our lives upon his truth, um, that when the storms of life came, that our house can stand firm. 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:40.719 But if we are people that just hear his words but don't actually put them into practice, then our houses are like shifting sand. 00:01:40.879 --> 00:01:46.239 When the storms come, our houses are washed away with the surge of the storm. 00:01:46.480 --> 00:01:48.319 And so we said we wanted to be a people. 00:01:48.480 --> 00:01:54.159 We wanted to be a church that built our lives on the firm foundation of God's word. 00:01:54.480 --> 00:01:56.719 And so that's what this series is really all about. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:08.240 And this morning is ultimately all about this subject that is such an important subject because so many people in our world and our culture today struggle with this, and it's a subject of worry. 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:16.639 Um, this has become an epidemic of sorts in our world and our culture today, worry and anxiety for so many people to struggle with. 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:31.599 Now, um, when I was thinking about this message, there was uh one of my favorite movies of all time kind of popped into my mind, and I wish I could tell you it was uh Braveheart or Gladiator or The Patriot, like some great, like manly movie, but it really isn't. 00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:35.360 Um my favorite movies of all time is uh The Lion King. 00:02:35.439 --> 00:02:36.960 Um I I love The Lion King. 00:02:37.039 --> 00:02:38.319 I grew up with The Lion King. 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:57.120 It's the best Disney movie, you can't convince me otherwise, but The Lion King is this incredible movie about Simba, this little Lion Cub that's growing up in the shadow of his father, and his father is brutally murdered by his brother Scar, who is Simba's uncle, and Simba believes that it's his fault. 00:02:57.280 --> 00:03:10.960 And so Simba leaves the pride land and he runs into the wilderness, and it's there that he's met by the kind of comedic figures of the movie, Timon and Pumba, a warthog and a mirror cat. 00:03:11.360 --> 00:03:16.000 And uh there they kind of teach Simba their mantra in life, which is what? 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:18.159 Akunamantata, right? 00:03:18.400 --> 00:03:28.080 And they begin to sing this song, and I'm gonna not sing the song for you because I don't think that you want me to sing the song, but it's this it's akuna matata, what a wonderful phrase. 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:34.800 Akuna matata ain't no passing craze, it means no worries for the rest of your days. 00:03:34.960 --> 00:03:39.360 It's our problem-free philosophy, akuna matata. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:47.599 And so they teach this to Simba, and Simba begins to take on this mantra, and they begin to live out this way of life. 00:03:47.759 --> 00:04:02.400 And so they are kind of living in this wonder, wondrous jungle, and they're kind of going through the, kind of swimming through the waters, and they're swinging on the swings of the vines, and they're kind of going hunting grub, and like they're just kind of having the time of their lives. 00:04:02.479 --> 00:04:06.159 There's not a care in the world, they're just kind of living life. 00:04:06.319 --> 00:04:09.439 It's just having fun, no responsibilities. 00:04:09.599 --> 00:04:12.479 It's kind of like a never-ending vacation. 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:18.000 And you kind of look at Timon and Poomba's life and you go, man, wouldn't that be nice, right? 00:04:18.160 --> 00:04:26.240 Like, all I can kind of think of is like sitting on a beach with the ocean roaring in and listening to like Jimmy Buffett music, or you're sitting on the beach. 00:04:26.399 --> 00:04:31.360 Like, that's kind of what I'm picturing when I think of Tamon and Poomba and this song Akuna Matata. 00:04:31.519 --> 00:04:32.639 Like, that's what I think of. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:43.199 And I think of like how great would that be if that was what real life was like, where there was just no worries, no responsibilities, and we could just enjoy life. 00:04:43.360 --> 00:04:46.160 It's a problem-free philosophy. 00:04:46.480 --> 00:04:51.279 But then let's come back to reality for a second, because we don't live in an animated cartoon. 00:04:51.360 --> 00:04:53.759 And so, what is real life like? 00:04:54.160 --> 00:04:59.360 Well, just this past week, let's just look at some of the things that we've had to encounter. 00:04:59.600 --> 00:05:20.959 Um, this evening, um, it's projected that a category four hurricane is going to hit the coast of Louisiana, um, that is going to be the size and scope of something similar to Hurricane Katrina that was devastating for the city of New Orleans and the uh Mississippi coastline uh 20 years ago. 00:05:21.120 --> 00:05:23.600 Um, and that's that's something that's on our minds. 00:05:23.839 --> 00:05:41.519 We we've got uh hospitals all across our country that are at max capacity because of COVID-19, where people have no beds, there's no rooms for people in these hospitals, where people are literally in the hallways of hospitals because there's simply no room. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:58.800 Um, if you talk to people that are in the medical profession, if they're working in the ERs and the ICUs, your uh heart just immediately goes out to them because they are having to deal with uh this uh crisis and it's almost like a warlike situation that they're having to work through. 00:05:59.040 --> 00:06:06.560 There's family members and friends that we hear of that have passed away from COVID or other related diseases. 00:06:06.720 --> 00:06:12.560 Um, just this past week, we've lost people in our church, friends and family members of people in our church. 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:15.759 Terrible, sad, sad state of affairs. 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.759 Um, we've seen sad uh state of affairs in Afghanistan. 00:06:19.920 --> 00:06:36.160 We've seen the resurgence of the Taliban, we've seen work shortages, we've seen earthquakes in Haiti, we've seen issues in our economy, and none of this even takes into consideration the normal things that people worry about and are anxious about on a normal, everyday basis. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:42.800 And as the old reggae say, reggae song says, don't worry, be happy. 00:06:43.199 --> 00:06:43.839 How? 00:06:44.959 --> 00:06:46.160 How is that even possible? 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:57.279 When you look at the world around us, when we look at everything that's going on around us, and you look at the news for just a few short moments, how is it possible for us not to worry? 00:06:57.519 --> 00:07:02.480 How is it easy for us just to be happy and just forget about all of our troubles? 00:07:02.720 --> 00:07:05.279 Is that even humanly possible? 00:07:05.680 --> 00:07:17.120 Well, that's what we want to talk about this morning because as scientists and researchers say that worry and anxiety is becoming a health epidemic in our world today, and we've all been there, right? 00:07:17.519 --> 00:07:21.600 At one extreme or another, we've all struggled with worry and anxiety. 00:07:21.680 --> 00:07:29.839 We've all probably laid our head on the pillow at night and we've struggled turning our mind off because we've worried about what is coming the next day. 00:07:30.000 --> 00:07:41.040 We worried about relational issues, we worried about our kids, we worried about our job situation, we've worried about the future of some situation that was going to come and something that was going to happen. 00:07:41.199 --> 00:07:50.240 We've woken up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and we've had to come and sit back, get back into the bed, and you know you just can't go back to sleep, even though your body is tired, right? 00:07:50.319 --> 00:07:52.319 Because you can't turn your mind off. 00:07:52.560 --> 00:07:53.439 We've been there. 00:07:53.680 --> 00:07:56.000 We've all been there at one point or another. 00:07:56.399 --> 00:08:00.240 Sometimes it's irrational, sometimes it's logical, sometimes it's not. 00:08:00.399 --> 00:08:03.120 And our minds wonder and worries abound. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:10.959 We know that worry and anxiety not only have emotional consequences, but they lead to all types of physical issues as well for our body. 00:08:11.120 --> 00:08:23.759 They can lead to panic attacks, depression, headaches, irritability, breathing problems, heart palpitations, loss of libido, upset stomach, extreme fatigue, increase in blood pressure, muscle aches, and other pains. 00:08:24.319 --> 00:08:27.360 So we know that worry and anxiety are not good for us. 00:08:27.600 --> 00:08:33.039 And we all struggle with it, probably to some degree to others, more extreme for some and less for others. 00:08:33.360 --> 00:08:34.799 So, what is the solution? 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.120 How do we overcome worry in our lives? 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:39.039 Is it even possible? 00:08:39.200 --> 00:08:41.759 Well, that's what we're gonna talk about this morning. 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:51.759 And I would argue that worry at its root is not an emotional issue, it's not a physical issue, it's not even a mental issue. 00:08:52.080 --> 00:08:56.879 Worry at its most fundamental level is a spiritual issue. 00:08:57.120 --> 00:09:07.919 And what we're gonna talk about this morning is not addressing the symptoms of worry, but we're going to address the root cause of worry in our lives, which again comes from a spiritual issue. 00:09:08.000 --> 00:09:09.919 So here's our big idea this morning. 00:09:10.000 --> 00:09:15.759 If you want to take notes, or if you have our Church at the Grove app, you can uh use that to take notes for you this morning. 00:09:16.000 --> 00:09:21.759 But worry begins and ends when we realize we aren't in control. 00:09:22.080 --> 00:09:29.200 Now, even in that sentence, for some of you, hearing the words you aren't in control, causes you to worry. 00:09:29.360 --> 00:09:38.000 Again, because worry, it begins with you understanding you are not in control, but it also ends with you understanding that you're not in control. 00:09:38.159 --> 00:09:41.519 And that's what we're gonna see this morning as we look at the words of Jesus. 00:09:41.759 --> 00:09:46.639 Now, Jesus is going to tell us this incredible passage of Scripture in Matthew chapter 6. 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.200 If you have a Bible, you can go ahead and start turning there. 00:09:49.360 --> 00:09:53.519 But Matthew chapter 6, Jesus is in the middle of this teaching called the Sermon on the Mount. 00:09:53.600 --> 00:10:12.480 And the Sermon on the Mount is this remarkable teaching where Jesus is laying out the foundation of what his kingdom is like, what his followers are going to be like, the disciplines that they are going to have, the DNA that they are going to be uh they that they're going to be about, the characteristics that they're going to have. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:17.919 And so he's laid out this incredible thing already, and we've looked at this really since the beginning of the year. 00:10:18.080 --> 00:10:22.960 And now he's coming to a section where he talks specifically about worry. 00:10:23.120 --> 00:10:28.720 And this is what he says in Matthew chapter 6, starting in verse uh 25. 00:10:29.200 --> 00:10:40.399 He says, That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life, whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear. 00:10:40.720 --> 00:10:42.879 Isn't life more than food? 00:10:43.120 --> 00:10:44.720 Your body more than clothing? 00:10:45.039 --> 00:10:46.080 Look at the birds. 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:52.000 They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly father feeds them. 00:10:52.320 --> 00:10:56.879 And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? 00:10:57.200 --> 00:11:01.200 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 00:11:01.519 --> 00:11:03.679 And why worry about your clothing? 00:11:03.919 --> 00:11:07.200 Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:15.360 They don't make, they don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon and all of his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:25.120 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. 00:11:25.679 --> 00:11:28.480 Why do you have so little faith? 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:34.240 So don't worry about these things, saying, What will we eat? 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:35.360 What will we drink? 00:11:35.519 --> 00:11:36.480 What will we wear? 00:11:36.639 --> 00:11:40.320 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. 00:11:40.639 --> 00:11:45.840 But your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 00:11:46.559 --> 00:11:54.480 Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:57.120 So don't worry about tomorrow. 00:11:57.440 --> 00:12:00.080 For tomorrow will bring its own worries. 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:04.720 Today's troubles is enough for today. 00:12:05.120 --> 00:12:15.519 So Jesus starts off this teaching talking about worry, and he tells us three different times, don't worry. 00:12:16.000 --> 00:12:18.799 Now, anytime Jesus speaks, we should listen up. 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:23.519 We should tune in our ears to what Jesus has to say to us because it's important. 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:34.879 But if Jesus is going to repeat a teaching or a saying three different times in a few short verses, then we should definitely tune our ears in and listen to what he has to tell us. 00:12:35.120 --> 00:12:39.039 And he's telling us, do not worry. 00:12:39.360 --> 00:12:41.759 So what is the worry that he's talking about? 00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:43.759 He's telling us not to worry. 00:12:43.919 --> 00:12:44.799 So what is worry? 00:12:44.960 --> 00:12:52.320 Well, worry, as we're defining it here today, is this worry is the will to control the uncontrollable. 00:12:52.639 --> 00:12:56.960 Worry is the will to control the uncontrollable. 00:12:57.200 --> 00:13:05.679 It's when we try to step in and control areas of our lives that are not ultimately controllable by ourselves. 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:08.320 Now, this is something that's put in our DNA. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:16.720 Ever since the very beginning of time, when God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He gave them the ability to control the garden. 00:13:16.879 --> 00:13:24.960 He gave them dominion to control all other living things, and he placed them there to have dominion and control over it. 00:13:25.200 --> 00:13:27.679 And so this was the gift that God had given them. 00:13:27.759 --> 00:13:44.879 But the enemy comes and the enemy turns that gift into a curse because the people take the gift that had been given and they manipulate it and they turn into not just having control, but they begin to want to take the place of God and be the ultimate authority. 00:13:45.039 --> 00:13:49.200 And so they want to take the place of God and they're trying to be like God. 00:13:49.279 --> 00:13:53.840 They want to usurp God's authority in the midst of the garden. 00:13:54.000 --> 00:14:09.039 And so we see that this is passed down from generation to generation to generation, where we have this need, this desperation where we want to be in control, where we want to control even the uncontrollable situations in our lives. 00:14:09.279 --> 00:14:11.679 We see this even from a young age. 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:13.120 We've got three kids. 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:24.080 And as I was writing this message a few weeks ago, um, I was uh our middle son uh Ben, who's uh four, um he still takes naps. 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:26.159 Praise the Lord that we can get him to take naps. 00:14:26.240 --> 00:14:29.759 And so it's around two o'clock, 2.30, and I'm like, okay, Ben, it's time to take a nap. 00:14:29.919 --> 00:14:31.039 And he's like, I don't want to take a nap. 00:14:31.200 --> 00:14:32.320 And I'm like, I don't care. 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:33.120 It's nap time. 00:14:33.200 --> 00:14:36.240 You're at least gonna go in your room and you're going to rest, right? 00:14:36.399 --> 00:14:45.519 And so um we say um it's time to go and take the nap, and he says, No, which I'm like, that's not an option. 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:47.600 Like, this is not it up for discussion. 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:50.399 This is not, I didn't ask if you wanted to take a nap. 00:14:50.559 --> 00:14:51.679 You're going to take a nap. 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:55.200 And I finally say, Ben, who is in charge? 00:14:55.759 --> 00:14:57.840 Me or you? 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:01.200 To which he responds, me, right? 00:15:01.600 --> 00:15:06.960 Um, and so we have this desperate need to be in control. 00:15:07.120 --> 00:15:09.919 This is something that is given to us at birth. 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:13.120 We want to be in control of our situation. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:17.840 This is why I think it's so hard for so many people to jump on airplanes. 00:15:18.080 --> 00:15:30.639 We know statistically that you're much more likely to get in a car accident on the way to the airport than get into an injury or die on an actual airplane. 00:15:30.799 --> 00:15:35.919 But people don't think twice about jumping into a car, but then they hyperventilate getting onto an airplane. 00:15:36.000 --> 00:15:36.559 Why? 00:15:36.799 --> 00:15:39.759 Because they're not in control of the airplane. 00:15:39.919 --> 00:15:46.320 Their hands, their lives are in the hands of a pilot and the integrity of the actual plane itself. 00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:52.879 It's when we lose control that we begin to let worry invade our lives. 00:15:53.120 --> 00:16:09.440 And I bet the things that keep you up at night, the things that you spend the most time worried about, the things that you spend the most time with anxious thoughts about in your life, are the things that you really have no control over in your life. 00:16:09.759 --> 00:16:18.080 It's about the future, it's about the the some type of relational issue, it's something that you can't truly change. 00:16:18.480 --> 00:16:26.159 And so we worry because worry begins and ends when we realize that we're not in control. 00:16:26.799 --> 00:16:30.639 And so Jesus comes and Jesus says, don't worry. 00:16:30.879 --> 00:16:33.120 Now, here's what we know about the human brain, right? 00:16:33.200 --> 00:16:38.480 We know that anytime someone tells us not to do something, we just do the exact opposite, right? 00:16:38.559 --> 00:16:39.840 That's just kind of how we work, right? 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:43.919 If I say, don't think about a pink elephant, what are you thinking about right now? 00:16:44.159 --> 00:16:45.120 A pink elephant. 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:46.559 That's what we're all thinking about. 00:16:46.720 --> 00:16:51.360 And so Jesus says, don't worry, but he doesn't just leave it there. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:17:01.039 He then begins to give us kind of a formula or a pattern of sorts to help us overcome worry and anxiety in our lives. 00:17:01.200 --> 00:17:08.400 And there's two really practical steps that I see in this passage that can help us overcome worry and anxiety. 00:17:08.480 --> 00:17:13.839 And listen, before we jump into this, I don't want to give trite solutions to complex problems. 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:20.079 We know that this is something that's deep and that some people struggle with anxiety and worry much more than others do. 00:17:20.160 --> 00:17:45.279 And so I don't want to try to make this a simplistic thing, but I do want us to stand on the foundation of the Word of God, and I do want us to take the principles of Scripture and apply them into our lives, because we do believe that Scripture is true, and that when we take the words of Jesus and apply them to our lives, that we building our house on the firm foundation, and that house stands, all right? 00:17:45.440 --> 00:17:53.920 And so I'm not trying to make this simple solutions for complex problems, but I do believe there's value in what Jesus is saying here. 00:17:54.160 --> 00:17:56.640 So how do we overcome the worry in our lives? 00:17:56.799 --> 00:18:00.640 The first thing is this we think true thoughts. 00:18:00.880 --> 00:18:02.319 We think true thoughts. 00:18:02.400 --> 00:18:05.039 Listen to what he says again in verse 26. 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:06.079 He says this. 00:18:06.720 --> 00:18:08.559 He says, Look at the birds. 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:14.880 They don't plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly father feeds them. 00:18:15.119 --> 00:18:18.559 And aren't you far more valuable to him than they are? 00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:23.039 Can you can all your worries add a single moment to your life? 00:18:23.279 --> 00:18:25.359 And why worry about your clothing? 00:18:25.519 --> 00:18:28.079 Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. 00:18:28.240 --> 00:18:35.359 They don't work or make their clothing, yet Solomon, in all of his glory, was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 00:18:35.599 --> 00:18:45.440 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. 00:18:46.000 --> 00:18:50.880 So Jesus tells us to look at the birds and look at the flowers. 00:18:51.039 --> 00:18:58.079 Now the word look there is not just a glance, it's not just a casual uh glancing at the birds and the flowers. 00:18:58.160 --> 00:19:01.200 What he's actually telling us there, that word means to consider. 00:19:01.920 --> 00:19:11.839 It's it's to meditate on, it's to stop and to really uh meditate or look or consider the birds and the flowers. 00:19:12.000 --> 00:19:24.559 So what Jesus is really telling us to do is to slow down and look at the world around us and how the Lord is taking care of the world around us. 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:27.839 And that's a problem that we have a lot of times in life. 00:19:28.079 --> 00:19:41.519 I think that in our current culture and our current society, where we're constantly moving so fast, where we're constantly bombarded with technology and noise, and it's constantly coming at us from one ear to the other ear, right? 00:19:41.599 --> 00:19:51.440 It's the it's the radio here, it's our phone here, it's notifications coming here, it's a phone call, it's text messages, it's email, it's different TV shows and programs that we're watching, right? 00:19:51.519 --> 00:19:53.839 It's news uh feeds that are coming in. 00:19:54.000 --> 00:19:59.519 There's all of this stuff coming at us, and we're constantly going and we're constantly moving. 00:19:59.680 --> 00:20:06.880 That rarely do we take a moment to actually slow down and to consider the birds. 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:11.200 To slow down and to look at the flowers. 00:20:11.279 --> 00:20:13.039 Now that sounds cheesy, right? 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:14.720 Especially as a man, right? 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:15.839 Here's what I want you to do. 00:20:15.920 --> 00:20:18.319 I want you to go out, I want you to look at the flowers, right? 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:20.400 That's not a very manly thing to do. 00:20:20.480 --> 00:20:23.440 Um, get you a good pair of binoculars and just go look at the birds. 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:38.960 Like that's not something that we would typically do, but Jesus is telling us that if we're gonna think true thoughts, that we've got to slow down and we've got to make sure that we're looking and considering how he's taking care of the world around us. 00:20:39.359 --> 00:20:50.720 Um last year, in the midst of uh the pandemic, when everything was kind of starting off, um, and no one knew what was going to happen, which we still don't really know what's going to happen. 00:20:50.799 --> 00:21:02.079 Um, but uh, you know, churches were closed down, people were, you know, sheltering in place, schools were closed down, you're homeschooling your kids, um, which, you know, that was a nightmare in and of itself. 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:10.640 Like you had like all of this stuff that was going on, you had the political issues when with the election that was happening, I mean, just all of this junk that was happening. 00:21:10.880 --> 00:21:14.240 And as a pastor, like, we had no clue what we were doing. 00:21:14.319 --> 00:21:20.720 Like, we would make a decision one day, and the next day, that decision would be null and void, and we'd have to go a completely different direction. 00:21:20.799 --> 00:21:26.640 I mean, it was just chaos, absolute chaos for about um three or four months straight. 00:21:26.799 --> 00:21:31.599 Like, just nothing but just up and down and all over the place, absolute chaos. 00:21:31.759 --> 00:21:49.279 And I think the one thing that I did that probably kept myself from going to the loony bin and just going completely bonkers was um every single morning almost, I got up before the sun rose and I would take my dog for a walk. 00:21:49.599 --> 00:22:04.319 And that seems so simple and that seems so trite, but I would get up, and we've got uh you know a pretty large dog, Golden Doodle, and I would put him on the leash, the sun wouldn't be Up yet it'd still be dark, and we would just go walk around social circle. 00:22:04.480 --> 00:22:08.640 And we would go to this little neighborhood over here called Squirrel Woods, which I absolutely love. 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:13.519 And as the sun was coming up, we would see, you know, squirrels that would be running all around the ground. 00:22:13.680 --> 00:22:17.200 You know, we would oftentimes see deer on the edge of the wood line. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:25.119 We would one time we walked up and there was a little baby fawn that was so close to us that we could have reached out and probably pet it like it was so close to us. 00:22:25.200 --> 00:22:30.799 We see would see rabbits, and Max, our dog, would take off trying to get them, and I'd have to restrain him, you know, like that. 00:22:30.960 --> 00:22:33.200 But every single morning we would do this. 00:22:33.440 --> 00:22:45.920 And some mornings I would listen to some worship music, some mornings it would be completely silent, but it was a just a, it was a it was an hour, hour and a half or so of just me being grounded to the world around me. 00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:53.680 Just to me, and I didn't know that I was really even doing this and putting this into practice, but it was just a moment where I was just going, consider. 00:22:54.880 --> 00:23:01.279 Consider the flowers, consider the birds, consider what's going on in the world around you. 00:23:01.519 --> 00:23:03.279 Think true thoughts. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:13.119 See, when we go at the pace of life where we're always moving and we're constantly going, we oftentimes lose sight of who God is and what he's doing in the world around us. 00:23:13.279 --> 00:23:26.799 And if we're going to be people that live with a non-anxious presence, if we're gonna be people that don't let worry and anxiety consume us, we've got to slow down and consider what God's doing around us and think the right thoughts. 00:23:27.039 --> 00:23:29.039 We have to take our thoughts captive. 00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:37.039 2 Corinthians 10, 5 says, uh, take, we take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ. 00:23:37.279 --> 00:23:55.920 That we make sure that we are taking every thought that is not, that it goes against the word of God, that we take it captive, that we take it prisoner, and that we replace it with the godly version, that we take it captive, and we replace it with a with the right thoughts, that we think the right thoughts. 00:23:56.160 --> 00:24:01.759 I heard someone say the other day that your feelings can ride, but they can't drive your life. 00:24:02.000 --> 00:24:05.680 And that's so true that we can't we have to think the right thoughts. 00:24:05.839 --> 00:24:12.160 We can't allow our feelings and those random thoughts that enter our brains to consume our lives. 00:24:12.319 --> 00:24:23.279 Um this is just kind of random, but uh just since we found out we were pregnant with our third, um, who's now two months old, um, started uh so you know, I guess it's been about a year ago. 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:26.640 Like I've had these just these irrational thoughts. 00:24:26.799 --> 00:24:37.680 Um and uh like just like I'll come home from work and like my wife's van won't be there, and like immediately the first thing that comes to my mind is something probably happened. 00:24:37.839 --> 00:24:39.680 Like they probably were in a car accident. 00:24:39.839 --> 00:24:41.599 Now that's that's crazy. 00:24:41.759 --> 00:24:47.680 Like we've been married 13 years, my wife's never been in a car accident in those 13 years that we've been married. 00:24:47.839 --> 00:24:50.079 Like that, but that's the first thing that pops into my mind. 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:53.440 And and I might be crazy, no one else might ever think something like this. 00:24:53.599 --> 00:24:57.119 And then the thoughts start to spiral way out of control if I'm not very careful. 00:24:57.200 --> 00:24:59.279 And so I'll think, man, they were in a car accident. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:00.559 I wonder if they're okay. 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:01.839 Maybe they're at the hospital. 00:25:01.920 --> 00:25:02.880 I wonder if somebody died. 00:25:02.960 --> 00:25:09.839 Like, I'm not I'm not joking, like, and this is something that's never really happened for me, this is something that I've never really struggled with, but this is how my mind began to process. 00:25:10.000 --> 00:25:14.240 And I had to be very cautious to go, no, that's not right. 00:25:14.400 --> 00:25:17.200 That's not logical, that's not the right way to think. 00:25:17.279 --> 00:25:24.400 I had to take those thoughts captive and bring them back into reality and go, that's not what is going to work here. 00:25:24.480 --> 00:25:26.640 That is not what God's word says. 00:25:26.720 --> 00:25:29.920 That's going way outside the bounds of reality. 00:25:30.079 --> 00:25:35.119 I've got to bring that back into what is logical and what makes sense here in this moment. 00:25:35.279 --> 00:25:42.480 And a lot of times when we let our thoughts spiral out of control, we worry and anxiety invade our lives as a result. 00:25:42.720 --> 00:25:56.240 Romans 8.28 is a verse that we quote and we memorize and we oftentimes say out loud, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those that love him and who have been called according to his purpose. 00:25:56.480 --> 00:26:09.279 And so we say that oftentimes that, man, even in the hard times, even in the difficulties, man, I have a God that loves me, and he is working this out for the good of those that love him and are called according to his purposes. 00:26:09.359 --> 00:26:14.559 And so we take our thoughts captive, we think the right thoughts, and we put that into action. 00:26:14.799 --> 00:26:23.039 Tim Keller said it this way faith is not passing peaceful thoughts through your mind, and faith is not turning your mind off. 00:26:23.279 --> 00:26:30.319 Faith is position of confidence towards the world based on what God says in his word. 00:26:30.799 --> 00:26:36.000 So faith is about putting confidence in the word of God and putting that into action. 00:26:36.319 --> 00:26:38.960 So Jesus in this passage tells us two things. 00:26:39.200 --> 00:26:43.839 He tells us one that he provides, that he gives the birds what they need. 00:26:44.240 --> 00:26:50.000 Over and over in the scriptures, we hear that our God is a God that provides. 00:26:50.559 --> 00:26:58.240 Never once, never once do we have a God that never once does God not come through for his children. 00:26:58.480 --> 00:27:00.240 He always provides. 00:27:00.480 --> 00:27:04.720 He always gives what his children need in the moment. 00:27:04.960 --> 00:27:06.720 And then we also see that he is loving. 00:27:06.880 --> 00:27:10.160 He clothes the flowers of the field because he wants to. 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:13.440 And how much more will he take care of his children? 00:27:13.599 --> 00:27:17.920 He knows the number of hairs on their head, he knows the number of tears that have been shed. 00:27:18.240 --> 00:27:19.359 He loves us. 00:27:19.519 --> 00:27:26.880 And so from this passage, we see that we can think the right thoughts, that he is a God that loves us and that he provides for us. 00:27:27.039 --> 00:27:43.839 And so anytime our thoughts begin to go out of control, anytime worry begins to invade in our lives, anytime anxious thoughts begin to consume us, we can always go back to the truth of God's word, that he provides for us, that he loves us, and that he is going to be there for us. 00:27:44.079 --> 00:27:57.599 It's crazy for us to think, Father, you've emptied heaven of your greatest treasure, and you executed your son voluntarily for me, and I'm not sure that you know what you're going to do and how you're going to arrange my week. 00:27:57.839 --> 00:28:00.240 It makes absolutely no sense. 00:28:00.559 --> 00:28:01.839 So we think right thoughts. 00:28:01.920 --> 00:28:06.160 The second thing we do is this, is that we commit to right priorities. 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:13.599 Verse 31, it says, So don't worry about these things, saying, What will we eat, what will we drink, and what will we wear? 00:28:13.759 --> 00:28:16.400 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers. 00:28:16.480 --> 00:28:28.880 So here Jesus is saying, listen, if you allow these things, if you allow worry and anxious thoughts to consume your life, then you're taking on the traits and the nature of an unbeliever. 00:28:29.119 --> 00:28:39.440 An unbeliever is someone that would be full of worry and anxiety because they don't have the hope that we have as followers of Jesus that our Heavenly Father is going to provide what we need. 00:28:39.680 --> 00:28:42.720 But your Heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 00:28:42.960 --> 00:28:49.119 Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:54.319 So he tells us to seek the kingdom of God above everything else and to live righteously. 00:28:54.480 --> 00:28:59.039 That's where our priorities need to be set, to commit to the right priorities. 00:28:59.200 --> 00:29:16.000 Our commitment is not to provide for ourselves, the commitment is for us to set our gaze, to focus on the kingdom of God, seeking that above everything else, living righteously, and then he says that he will give us everything that we need. 00:29:16.240 --> 00:29:20.799 If your priority is your profession, then you will always have anxiety. 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:25.200 If your priority is your relationships, then you will always have anxiety. 00:29:25.440 --> 00:29:29.440 If your priority is your material comfort, then you will always have anxiety. 00:29:29.599 --> 00:29:33.599 If your priority is money, you will always be filled with anxiety. 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:39.680 Anything other than Jesus at the center of your life will result in anxiety. 00:29:39.920 --> 00:29:43.839 Real quick, the story of Mary and Martha perfectly describes this. 00:29:43.920 --> 00:29:49.119 In Luke chapter 10, Jesus comes into Martha's house, and this is how the story unfolds. 00:29:49.359 --> 00:29:57.119 Jesus and his disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, and they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 00:29:57.359 --> 00:30:01.039 Her sister Mary sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he taught. 00:30:01.200 --> 00:30:05.039 But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. 00:30:05.119 --> 00:30:12.559 She came to Jesus and said, Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? 00:30:12.799 --> 00:30:14.559 Tell her to come and help me. 00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:17.839 But the Lord said to her, My dear Martha, you are worried. 00:30:18.000 --> 00:30:25.440 The same word that he used before in this passage we just read, my dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all the details. 00:30:25.680 --> 00:30:28.640 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. 00:30:28.799 --> 00:30:33.440 Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her. 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:42.319 We seek the kingdom of heaven, we live righteous lives, and everything else will be given to us. 00:30:42.640 --> 00:30:55.440 And so we think the right thoughts, we commit to the right priorities in our lives, and the promise of Scripture is that our God will take care of us, that our God will provide everything that we need. 00:30:55.680 --> 00:30:56.799 Now, listen to me. 00:30:57.039 --> 00:30:59.920 I'm not saying that that makes life easy. 00:31:00.240 --> 00:31:04.160 I'm not saying that that makes your job great to go to. 00:31:04.319 --> 00:31:06.640 I'm not saying that that makes your boss easy to work for. 00:31:06.720 --> 00:31:14.240 I'm not saying that that perfectly puts your marriage back together and you and your spouse are gonna get together and everything's gonna be perfect and gravy. 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:19.279 I'm not saying that your kids and you are going to have a restored relationship and everything's gonna be perfect. 00:31:19.440 --> 00:31:23.599 I'm not saying that your life is going to be marked with rainbows and sunshines. 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:46.480 I'm just saying that when we put our focus in the right things, when we think the right thoughts, when we set our minds and we seek the right things, we commit to the right priorities, then our God tells us that we have no reason to worry because He is a God that takes care of his children. 00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:52.079 Worry begins and ends when we realize that we aren't in control. 00:31:53.839 --> 00:32:00.240 Worry is a sinful tendency that easily can come and consume our lives and our thoughts and our emotions. 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:09.039 And honestly, I think that worry and anxiety is a thing that is crippling the life of believers and the life of the church. 00:32:09.359 --> 00:32:20.079 Where people are so afraid and so fearful and so anxious to step out and to be the people, the men and women that God has called them to be. 00:32:20.559 --> 00:32:30.000 And as a result, the church has shrunk back in fear and they've shrunk back from living on mission and they've shrunk back from doing what God has called us to do. 00:32:30.160 --> 00:32:37.519 And if we're going to be the people that God has called us to be, then we've got to be people that trust our Heavenly Father to provide for us. 00:32:37.759 --> 00:32:45.039 Trust them in the good times and on the bad times, that we trust that he is going to be the God that gives us everything that we need. 00:32:45.200 --> 00:32:52.480 That we think the true thoughts, that we commit to the right priorities, that we understand that we're not in control, and that's okay. 00:32:52.720 --> 00:33:00.000 Because when we understand that we're not in control, that's where worry ends and freedom begins. 00:33:00.640 --> 00:33:08.000 I love making a practice of praying this scripture, and I would think it would be a great opportunity for you this week to even pray this together. 00:33:08.160 --> 00:33:16.559 In Psalm 139, verse 23, uh the psalmist writes this saying, Search me, O God, and know my heart. 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:20.079 Test me and know my anxious thoughts. 00:33:20.480 --> 00:33:27.440 Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life. 00:33:27.759 --> 00:33:33.200 I think sometimes we don't even recognize where we're being anxious and where we're worrying. 00:33:33.440 --> 00:33:39.039 And I think so for some of us, the prayer that we need to pray this week is, Lord, show me where I'm anxious. 00:33:39.279 --> 00:33:43.039 Show me where I'm worried, show me where I don't trust you. 00:33:43.440 --> 00:33:55.039 And Lord, let me come to a place where you can lead me and guide me to a place where I do trust you, where I do have my faith and my allegiance to you and to you alone. 00:33:55.440 --> 00:34:35.440 Our world is dying for people that have non-anxious presence, that in the midst of all the chaos that's going around us, that we can live in such a way where, not that we don't mourn, not that we don't recognize the gravity of the situations that are going on in the world around us, but that we can live in such a way where we still have peace in the midst of the hardships, where we recognize that the issues that are going on with COVID or the political issues in the world around us or hurricanes or earthquakes or whatever it might be are real issues, but that we can still live with confidence and peace. 00:34:35.840 --> 00:34:44.400 Because we know that we have a God that loves us, that cares for us, that provides for us, and that gives us everything that we need. 00:34:45.119 --> 00:34:51.039 We have to trust Him, we have to think true thoughts and commit to the right priorities. 00:34:51.440 --> 00:34:55.519 And so this morning, what is your next step? 00:34:56.159 --> 00:34:57.440 What is it that you need to do? 00:34:57.599 --> 00:35:04.239 For some of you, maybe your first step might be that you need to put your faith and your trust in Jesus for the very first time. 00:35:04.880 --> 00:35:23.039 The first step to trusting the Lord is by putting your faith and your trust in him, by recognizing that you're a sinner, that you've fallen short of his standard, and that you recognize that you need someone to step in to rescue, to save you, and that Jesus did that on the cross for you some 2,000 years ago. 00:35:23.199 --> 00:35:32.400 And that you put your faith and your trust in his sacrifice, and as a result, he'll come into your life and he'll make you into a new creation when you make him your Lord and your Savior. 00:35:32.639 --> 00:35:42.400 Not only that he saved you from your sins, but that you're now he's calling the shots for your life, and you're now following him as a disciple of his son Jesus. 00:35:42.639 --> 00:35:44.159 And so maybe that's the step that you need to take. 00:35:44.320 --> 00:35:47.360 And if that is the step, man, we'd love to have a conversation with you after. 00:35:47.519 --> 00:35:51.599 If you're watching online, we'd love to be able to have a conversation with you after the service. 00:35:51.760 --> 00:36:00.960 If you can just simply text, start to follow to 9700, and we'd love to have a conversation with you after the service and into this next week. 00:36:01.280 --> 00:36:04.079 Maybe for some of us, we're followers of Jesus. 00:36:04.400 --> 00:36:10.320 We put our faith and our trust in Jesus, but we're still battling anxious thoughts. 00:36:10.559 --> 00:36:16.480 Worry has invaded our mind, and it seems like it's a never-ending battle for us. 00:36:17.280 --> 00:36:19.840 What do we need to do to overcome? 00:36:20.159 --> 00:36:25.119 We need to think right thoughts, and we need to commit to the right priorities. 00:36:25.440 --> 00:36:34.079 And I believe that one of the best ways for us to live out those two principles is for us to do it in the context of biblical community. 00:36:34.159 --> 00:36:38.639 And this is something we harp on here at Church at the Grow, but it's something that's so important. 00:36:39.039 --> 00:36:46.719 And so many of our community groups will be meeting this week, and they'll be talking about this message, and they'll be talking about how we can apply this to our lives. 00:36:46.960 --> 00:36:58.000 And so they're going to be holding each other accountable and challenging each other and seeing how we can pray for one another to help overcome in these areas and help us to be the people that God has called us to be. 00:36:58.239 --> 00:37:14.960 Life is too short for us to walk through it full of worry and anxiety when we have an opportunity here to walk in freedom, knowing that we're not in control and that we have a heavenly father that provides for us and cares for us and gives us everything that we need. 00:37:15.280 --> 00:37:16.159 Let me pray for us. 00:37:16.320 --> 00:37:21.519 Lord Jesus, I thank you for who you are and Lord for what you have done. 00:37:22.800 --> 00:37:31.360 Lord, we thank you, Lord, that you're a God that provides for us, Lord, and that in the midst of that, Lord, we don't have to worry. 00:37:32.320 --> 00:37:45.920 Lord, that when we recognize that we're not in control, that you are sovereign, Lord, that you have the whole world in your hands, Lord, that we can look at the birds, we can look at the flowers, and we can recognize, Lord, that you clothe them and you provide for them. 00:37:46.079 --> 00:37:48.880 And so, how much more will you give to your son? 00:37:49.360 --> 00:37:52.000 How much more will you give to your daughters? 00:37:52.239 --> 00:37:54.800 How much more will you provide for your children? 00:37:54.960 --> 00:37:57.840 Lord, help us to understand that this morning. 00:37:58.079 --> 00:38:08.239 Don't let the enemy get into our minds and allow us to think thoughts that are not true, that allow us to think thoughts that are not wholesome, that are not biblical thoughts. 00:38:08.400 --> 00:38:13.280 But Lord, help us to be disciplined in our approach to think true thoughts. 00:38:13.599 --> 00:38:19.519 And Lord, help us to center our lives around seeking after your kingdom and your kingdom alone. 00:38:19.599 --> 00:38:23.280 Let us commit to having the right priorities in our lives. 00:38:23.519 --> 00:38:28.159 Lord, help us to focus after chasing after your kingdom and living righteous lives. 00:38:28.239 --> 00:38:33.519 And Lord, we just focus on the promise of Scripture, Lord, that everything is going to be given to us that we need. 00:38:33.760 --> 00:38:37.360 And so we just, we just we just praise you and we thank you for that, Lord. 00:38:37.519 --> 00:38:40.800 That's a hope-filled promise that we have in our lives. 00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:49.920 And so, Lord, I just pray for people that are struggling right now, Lord, who maybe have lost loved ones that are watching online or that are in this room this morning. 00:38:50.159 --> 00:38:53.920 And Lord, just anxious thoughts and worries are all consuming, Lord. 00:38:54.000 --> 00:39:08.639 I pray that you would help them to know that you are with them, that you are for them, that you love them right where they're at this morning, and that even in the midst of their grief, Lord, you're gonna take care of them and that they can trust you. 00:39:08.960 --> 00:39:17.840 Lord, I pray for the people that are going through work issues or financial issues, Lord, help them to trust you to meet all of their needs, Lord. 00:39:18.079 --> 00:39:22.079 Lord, I pray for people that are going through relational issues and frustrations. 00:39:22.239 --> 00:39:34.320 Lord, I pray that you would be with all of those relational issues, Lord, that you would work things out, Lord, that they have no need to worry, but Lord, that they can trust in you to provide and do what only you can do. 00:39:34.559 --> 00:39:41.199 Lord, we put our lives solely in your hands because, Lord, you are uh worthy of it all. 00:39:41.519 --> 00:39:44.639 You are the one that uh holds it all in our hands anyway. 00:39:44.719 --> 00:39:48.000 We are not in control, and so Lord, we give it all to you. 00:39:48.239 --> 00:39:48.960 Lord, we love you. 00:39:49.039 --> 00:39:51.519 We thank you again for this morning, for your word and for your truth. 00:39:51.760 --> 00:39:53.360 It's in your name we pray. 00:39:53.679 --> 00:39:54.320 Amen.