A "Respectable" Sin

Would you take your Bibles this morning and turn to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6. I'll be reading from verses 19 through 34. I'm going to remind you that in the allotted times I have for speaking, we're going to be talking about anxiety. And I think it's worthwhile because I know this congregation, and I know there's too many anxious people in it.

And we want to look at the scriptures to see what God says about that. I think it is something worth pursuing just because I know from personal experience, anxiety, worry can keep you from doing what God wants you to do and makes you lose sight of a gracious God. And so we will continue that study today. You follow as I read Matthew chapter 6, verses 19 through 34.

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. 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 that darkness. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. you cannot serve God and money. 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. And 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 oh you of little faith therefore do not be anxious saying what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear for the gentiles seek after all these things and your heavenly father knows that you need them all but seek first the kingdom of god and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious about itself sufficient for the day is its own trouble let's pray our god we come now to the text of your of the scriptures in order to understand some of these very real issues of life we are thankful for the word of god given to us by you breathed out by you, which is capable of giving us understanding and giving us how we ought to act in far more robust ways than any other system that we may encounter.

Help us now to look into your word, to find it sufficient for us as it is. And we will thank you for what you're going to do in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. You hear the word anxiety or worry, what videos play in your mind? For me, it's my first year of ministry here, a mind of ceaseless, unstoppable, perpetual activity. I thought about the board meeting coming up on Tuesday.

I thought about the couple I was meeting tonight. I sat at the kitchen table with my wife and three little boys, yet they were invisible to me because my mind was searching constantly for threats on the horizon. A constant theme of my anxiety was, I'm going to do something to mess this church up. I've got to be really careful. I know I can do something really bad.

I would arrive on Sunday mornings anxious. and I'd be anxious because I'd been worrying all week and to deal with my worry I would distract myself but this is pre-internet days by reading the latest issue of Newsweek or something something to get me off of worry and so I'd be cramming by Friday trying to get my sermon done and I figured you know what I walked in here anxious because I figured this is going to be a real bomb and everyone's going to know that I haven't been doing what I should do. Anxiety held me fast by reminding me that my responsibilities had increased from working on the docks, making sure the parts kits made it up to shipping, to being responsible for the eternal destinies of souls. That was quite a jump of responsibility.

And I was eaten up with anxiety. What anxious thoughts grip you? What keeps you awake at night? What are the images playing on the screen of your mind? Maybe you're worried that you'll never make ends meet. Is it that you might lose your job Could it be that you lay awake wondering if your children will be saved Are you tortured every evening as you worry about what work is going to be like tomorrow And you know what It usually not just one of those It's all of those that are playing on your mind.

And for many, you catch yourselves in moments where you're not worrying, and so you start worrying that there's something I should be worried about. you you worryers out there you know exactly what I'm talking about some might think it's okay to worry well you see I can see how fear might be a sin because that can lead you to cowardice and cowardice will keep you from doing what God calls you to do but worry's not sin certainly worry's not a sin it's getting prepared for tough situations no no, no, no, no, I'm not worried, I'm just concerned. And so worry or anxiety, they're interchangeable terms, worry or anxiety becomes a respectable sin. First we excuse worry as the ability to prepare for future troubles, or we redefine it merely as concern.

Now, there's a lot of books, a lot of systems out there. On my shelf is the DSM-5. You say, what in the world is that? It's the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5th edition. It is the psychiatric bible. It's that thick.

It has all the disorders you could possibly think of, page after page after page of disorders, mental disorders. And too often, we go there to those sources, and we look up general anxiety disorder, right? By the way, if I took the DSM instead of the Bible, I would see that all of you have terrible mental health. However, I have the Bible, and I know this, your disciples struggling against sin, which is a much better place to start.

But I want to say to you, the Bible is sufficient. The Bible can explain things and give you answers in a more robust way, in a deeper way than anything in the DSM could give you. And so I'm making a plea here to listen to the Scriptures as they define for you what we're talking about, as they tell you what it really is, all right? Well, what is the difference between concern and anxiety?

Well, first of all, recognize that there is concern. By the way, you should, unusual for me, you should have notes in the bulletin that go with this sermon, so you can take notes. If you want to look that up, it's, I know we published a book this week in the bulletin, but the notes are in there if you're interested. Recognize, first of all, that there is concern.

Now the word of the New Testament translated concern is the exact same word that is translated anxious or worry in other places. The word merimna can be translated either way. It can mean concern. It can mean anxiety or worry. The translation depends on the context. For example, let's look at concern.

Philippians chapter 2 verses 19 and 20, if you want to turn there. Philippians 2 19 through 20 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be cheered by news of you for I have no one like him who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare first Corinthians 12 24 and 25 but God has so composed the body giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the, here's our word, they may have the same concern for one another. So what is concern?

Concern scans the horizon with vigilance, and when it identifies a possible threat or difficulty, it makes plans appropriate for facing it. Let me illustrate it this way. We call it the move from Iowa to Indiana. In 1981, most of you weren't even born yet, I graduated from seminary. And my dear wife, who was at that time eight months pregnant, said to me, your education isn't complete until you go through harvest time. so we moved to Iowa figuring that I'd go through harvest time and a church would snap me up somewhere along the line but a whole year later no one had snapped me up and we had had a baby there and Becca was expecting our second child and we said you know what, we cannot stay here with her parents and we got to go back home to Indiana, where we actually owned a house.

So with my wife and newborn son, we thought it's time to move back to Indiana, where we'd lived for seven years before. Now here were the difficulties. I have no job, the house we own is rented out, and I don't have a lot of money. So we make plans. save some of the money from what I'm earning to at least buy food when we get there. A couple of weeks previous to the move, I take my father-in-law's 1956 Ford pickup, load it with our few possessions, and go to Indiana.

Talk to my friend who renting our house that he needs to find a place And then my plan was to spend every day on the streets looking for work until I find a job Taking the first one that will take me That was the plan. Good. That's concern. What about anxiety? What is that? Well, look at Luke chapter 12 look at Luke chapter 12 verses 11 and 12 and when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities do not be anxious there's our word do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say Now drop down to verses 25 and 26, same chapter.

We read these words. And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you're not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Right? So there's anxiety. Philippians chapter 4, verse 6.

Philippians 4 verse 6 Do not be anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. So what is anxiety? Anxiety scans the horizon with vigilance looking for possible threats. But it's vigilance out of control. You continually scan the horizon. You're always looking to the horizon.

In fact, I can tell you from my own experience, I was looking so much at the horizon, I didn't see the things in front of me, like my family. So it continually scans the horizon. You're always asking the what-ifs, constantly, what if, what if, what if. it is a vigilance trying to maintain control in an attempt oftentimes to protect yourself. I go, what if this happens?

Well, I'll do this. What if he says this? Then I'll say this. What if he does this? Then I'll do this. It's a constant what if.

And what it is is an attempt, it's oftentimes to protect myself. I'm going to try to control the future. Right? You try to control that which cannot be controlled. which is what might be coming up. So let's look at the move to Indiana. I showed you what it's like to plan.

What is it like to be anxious? Here are the difficulties. I have no job in Indiana. The house we own there is rented out, and I don't have a lot of money. The plan, save some of the money for what I'm earning to at least buy some food when we get there. But what if we can't save enough money before we leave?

And are the prices in Indiana, are they comparable to what they are in Iowa? And if we can't buy what we need, who's going to help us? A couple of weeks previous to the move, I take my father-in-law's 1956 Ford truck and move our little bit of possessions. But should I take his truck? What if I wreck it? What if I wreck his truck?

I mean, it's already a classic vehicle. And what would he think about me if I wreck his truck? And what if I put the wrong gas in it or something? What will happen then? And can I move everything in one trip? And if I can't, I'm going to have to make two trips, and I don't think we can afford that.

I'm going to talk to my friend who's renting a house that he needs to find a place what if Dave and Lori, our friends, don't want to move and they get mad at me then what are we going to do? I don't want them to be mad at me especially if he can't find another place to live in and what if he can't find another place to live that he can afford then what? should we find another place and let them stay? or should we say, tough, you've got to do something I mean, what are we going to do? All those things.

Spend every day on the streets looking for work until I find a job. Taking the first one that will take me. What if there aren't any jobs? What if there aren't? And by the way, this was 1981. Yeah.

No. This was 83. Anyway, it was during the time when Reagan became president, and he said, we're not going to do all the things we did before, and the economy tanked. I mean, we were down. It looked like there were no jobs to be had. But we thought, we can't stay here.

It's not right. So we moved, and I'm thinking, what if there, and I could worry, what if there aren't any jobs? And what if I look every day, and I just can't find anything? And what I would do is go out at least six hours a day, in the old days, going to the industrial parkway, going from place to place to place to place. Do you have a job? No?

I'll fill out an application. Filled out countless applications. He says, but what if no one hires me? Then what? Well, should I go to the deacons of our church for help then? We've been gone for a year now, and we're coming back, and they may be hesitant about helping us.

And can I sign up for unemployment? And if I can, should I sign up for unemployment? Because what is my family going to think if I'm on the government dole? Now, see, that's not planning. That is anxiety. That's what anxiety is all about.

Anxiety is this vigilance constantly on the horizon, constantly asking the what ifs. It's not concern, it's out of control. Well when does concern become worry When does concern become worry You need to be concerned You need to make plans. You need to think, okay, something's coming up. I need to plan for that. Well, when does concern become sinful worry or anxiety?

Well, it becomes sinful worry when it damages your body. It damages your body. You know, spasms, nervous stomach, spastic colon, asthma, skin rash, headaches, all kinds of things can happen. Always remember that we are not a soul encased in a body. We are a unity. And what happens in your spirit can affect your body.

All right? It can affect your body. I remember one time I was feeling these pains. And it's getting really uncomfortable. At the same time, I was counseling a couple, and it was really difficult. This was really a difficult one.

And I'd wake up in the middle of the night thinking about it. The first thing on my mind in the morning was that couple. All day long, I'd be thinking about that couple. What was the last session like? Oh, my goodness, what's the next one going to be like? This is going to be hard.

So I went to the doctor, and he said to me, you have a spastic colon. It was like a knife in my heart. I knew exactly what the problem was. The problem was I was worried. I was out of control. You know, it becomes worry when thoughts become unproductive.

Your thoughts become unproductive. You're not getting anything done. Your thoughts aren't leading you anywhere. They're just totally unproductive. They don't take you anywhere. it becomes sin when it controls you rather than you controlling it when you're waking up at night and you're thinking about it when you get up in the morning and you're thinking about it all those things when it it just controls you rather than you controlling it it causes you to when you know it's sin when it causes you to neglect other relationships and other responsibilities so as I described for you before I was so I was so uh enslaved by worry that I didn't even see this lovely family sitting at my kitchen table at that time I had three little boys and a wonderful wife and I didn't even see him right I'd be sitting there at supper thinking about all kinds of other things.

Right? So, I was not taking care of my responsibilities. Okay? It becomes sin when you lose hope rather than finding answers. You're hopeless now. And it becomes sin when your thoughts are focused on changing the future.

On changing the future. That is, that's kind of an idea idea of when concern becomes sinful worry. Why is that sinful? Why is that sinful? Turn back to Matthew 6. If you want to deal with worry, this is a primary text that helps us when it comes to understanding what this is.

All right? let's read verses 19 through 24 again 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 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 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 therefore I tell you so all that follows about being anxious is connected to verses 19 and through 24 with these things true I'm going to say to you, therefore do not be anxious. And so verses 19 through 24 gives us a clue. And here's one.

Worry is idolatry. Worry is idolatry. Worry says that you seek and trust competing treasures, verses 19 through 21. You seek and trust competing treasures. So many of your worries involve earthly things, your job, your marriage, your money, your possessions, your health, your children, rather than heavenly treasures. Your heart, your heart is bound up in those treasures.

Verses 22 and 23, where he says that you look at life with competing eyes. When you fail to have a good eye, that is, the idea there is a focused eye. A focused eye. When you set your sights on Jesus and his kingdom, you'll be filled with the darkness of chronic worry or acute worries. If you don't have a single eye devoted to this one thing, then you're going to be worried.

Worry says that you serve competing masters. Okay? You can't serve two masters. You can't serve two masters. So worry, to begin with, is idolatry. Let's move on.

Verses 25 through 31. 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. It's not, 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 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 all right worry is unbelief worry is unbelief now notice verse 30 it's the root of remaining unbelief he isn't talking to pagans here he's talking to what his children he's talking to believers and so it's the it's that remaining unbelief it's not that you're all in unbelief but it's the fruit of remaining unbelief. It's the problem, he says, is little faith. So don't walk out of here thinking, I worry too much.

I must not be a Christian. He's addressing his children here. And he says, oh you of little faith. So worry is unbelief. It's the fruit of remaining unbelief. And it denies, listen, it denies God's power, wisdom, and love for you in your situation.

It's denying that. I love what Robert Jones writes, Jesus also gives reasons not to worry and those reasons center on the character and promises of God as your father. To worry is to deny in practical ways God's power, wisdom, and love for you in your situation. To worry is to forget the full implications of your identity as one of God's chosen, adopted, and deeply loved children.

So when you're worrying, you're forgetting that. Right? It's unbelief. You're not believing to the core that God's love and power and wisdom is adequate for this situation. You're forgetting all about that. Right?

My mind's running a million miles an hour to solve this problem that's off there in the future, trying to control it, when you're forgetting completely, you know, does God love you? Yes. Is He powerful enough to deal with this situation? Yes. Is He wise enough that He put you in this situation for your good? Do you believe that?

You see, I've got to believe that. Look at verse 32 For the Gentiles seek after these things and your Heavenly Father knows that you need them all Worry is unbecoming. It's idolatry, it's unbelief, it's unbecoming. What do I mean by that? It's like the unbelievers. What's going to set you apart?

What's going to set you apart from your unbelieving neighbor? confidence in God right yeah it's unbecoming because it's like the Gentiles it's like unbelievers and then last thing I want to note is verse 27 jump back up to 27 which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life worry is unproductive it focuses on tomorrow not today and so it becomes a thief of time I remember those days I remember those days there was something coming up oh no I got to think about this I would waste an entire day no lie I would waste an entire day thinking about those things just running it over in my mind. A whole day I've lost my work for the day. The next day I've got more to worry about because I've got yesterday's work to do today along with today's work.

It is unproductive. It steals your time. I love what J. Adams says about worry. He says it's like expending your energy rocking in a rocking chair all day long. At the end of the day, you're tired, but you haven't gotten anywhere.

That's what worry is. That's what worry does. So, you see then that worry is sin. But we want to make it respectable. It is no such thing. It is sin, and we have to understand it as such.

Let's face it. Worry is functional atheism. or as I like to say sometimes worry is a mild case of atheism right when we worry we imagine a reality with no God in it have you had that thought when I worry I imagining a reality with no God in it I have forgotten that there is a God who loves me who is powerful and who is wise I denied that in my worry Now I'm not going to leave you there. Next time we look at this, we'll start looking at more of the answers. but this is what I want to say to you today.

There is hope in Jesus. The sacrifice of Jesus reaches even to our anxiety. There's hope in Jesus. He died, first of all, to free us from the guilt. His death pays the penalty for our functional atheism. If you leave here today thinking, I'm an atheist.

I must not be a believer. I'm saying to you, if you had entrusted yourself to Jesus and what he did on the cross, your guilt is paid for. Your guilt is not an issue. It's paid for. And his death sets us free from the tyranny of worry. Here's what you need to know.

Because Jesus died for us, not only does he rescue us from the guilt and the payment for our sin, he rescues us from the power of our sin. He breaks the back of that tyrant worry. He has won the battle. The only thing we have to do is just step out in obedience and it'll be gone. your hope is in Jesus you remember what we just sang a few minutes ago you remember what we sang I love that hymn Jesus is my hiding place my Jesus is my hiding place surrounding me with steadfast love and grace God love you any less because you're struggling with worry no because of Jesus he surrounds you with steadfast love and grace our passage before us has talked about a father who loves us you see here's the picture I want you to have in your mind when I worry I struggling against it I know it sin I confess it Right What does God do No.

No. You've got to deal with that worry. Is that what He does? No. He says, this is what you need to see. Our Heavenly Father says, look, my son paid for that.

You have the right now not to look back at it, Not to look back and just say, oh, I did a terrible, selfless, I'm an atheist. Oh, no. He gives you the right because of Jesus to say, I'm done. I'm not going to look back at that. And he comes along and your Heavenly Father puts his arm on your shoulder. You know what he says?

He says, look, my son paid for that. Now, what we need to do is to grow. Or what I need to do is to help you to grow. that's the vision of the Father that you must have because of what Jesus did because of what the Holy Spirit does as he is the Father's helper to make us become what he wants us to be I pray that God would bless our efforts in the coming times we're together bless us with the wisdom to know then how to navigate life without the chains of anxiety that can so easily shackle us.

Father, we're thankful for Jesus, the one who taught us about anxiety, the one who pays for the guilt of our anxiety, and the one who's broken the back of our tyrant. help us father not to candy coat what it is but to realize it is sin but also to understand that with jesus there is forgiveness as we lay before you our sins as we run to Jesus, we will find forgiveness and help. We will find, Lord, mercy and grace to help us in our time of need. Father, I pray that your people here today would recognize these things and follow with faith.

And we'll thank you for what you're going to do in our lives. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you.