Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. The new series, Heaven Help Us. And how many of you know we need help from heaven?
Life can get chaotic. Life can get difficult. And last week... We look biblically about the subject help. I'm overwhelmed.
And we had a lot of overwhelming response from last week. And so today, our subject is help. I'm worried. I'm worried. How many of you would honestly Wouldn't mind admitting in front of all of us other sinners here today.
How many of you struggle with worry? You tend to naturally.
Okay, a bunch of you. And I do too. I don't know how this is going to go over. I'm worried about it. We all We all struggle at times.
There are other passages that we could go to, but today. Uh it makes sense. where we're going. You and I could almost quote these verses. If you've been in church very long at all, you're familiar with these verses.
I have preached on these verses, this passage, many times in the past. But I must say, I believe and I'm so thankful God can take a passage of scripture And I think that's part of the reward. For reading God's Word, for getting in God's Word, for studying God's Word. I believe with my heart that the Holy Spirit begins to open up passages to you. If you'll stay in it, now some of you are like, listen, I try to read the Bible preach, especially if you're a newer Christian.
I just don't understand all of it. Guess what? I don't understand all of it either. But I will tell you this: that the Holy Spirit, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, we believe that this Bible is God-breathed, okay? And that means that the Holy Spirit, Jesus, and God the Father are all involved in writing this, okay?
One God, three persons. And the Holy Spirit, when you get saved, the Holy Spirit moves inside. And I believe that part of the reward. For staying in God's Word, is that the Holy Spirit begins to give you understanding. You might have read a verse 10 years ago and you're going to understand it different now.
And today, I want to deal with this under this subject of help, I'm worried, because I really believe that of all times, I think we'll have a better. grasp today. of what this passage is really saying. I'll probably say the same thing 10 years from now. But there are some things I believe as God helped this week to break it down, and I really want to help you with this.
And this is a very applicable series. And many of you struggle with this. I struggle with this.
So let's look into God's Word tonight or this morning and let's ask God to do a special work. All right, let's pray. God? You know that we're human, you know that we're flesh, you know we struggle. And so, Lord, you've given us your word.
to help. to guide. God, I pray that as you've given understanding of this passage, even to a greater degree, That God, you would allow the listeners today. these precious people in front of me. To be able to grasp it, that you would open their eyes, that you would turn the light on in their minds, Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because we need this. In 2025 of all times, we need this.
So God, I pray that you would help. As we break this passage down, in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Number one, and if you keep notes, a lot of our folks do, number one, I want you to see the problem. of perspective.
The problem of perspective.
Now, let me show you the verses first. What we find here is numerous times in this passage, and I have the verses on the screen for you that I want you to see. Look at Matthew 6, verse 25. It'll be on the screen for you. Therefore, I say unto you, take no thought For your life.
Brother Frank just read it.
Now look at verse 27. Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? By taking thought. Look at verse 28. And why take ye thought for raiment or clothing?
Look at verse 31. Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? And what shall we drink? Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Okay, look at verse 34. Take therefore no thought for the morrow.
So apparently he wants us to understand and grasp this thing of taking no thought. What you might be interested to know is that phrase, take no thought, is one Greek word. And I want you to understand the word today, and we'll not give it to you in Greek, but in English in a sense, it is the word meremnao.
Okay?
Now, You have to understand this for you to understand what we're really saying here. What it means is, is to be anxious. to be distracted. To be overly concerned.
Okay?
Now, this Greek word, meremnao, comes from the word. Merizzo.
Now what does that mean? It means to divide. It means a mind. That is pulled. in different directions.
So when God says take no thought for the morrow, when God says take no thought how you take no thought for raiment, take no thought for this, what God is saying is don't allow your mind to be divided and pulled in different directions because you're concerned about your burdens, your problems, your circumstances. Everybody with me so far, say amen.
Okay, so take no thought for the morrow means don't allow your mind to get divided about your future. Don't allow your mind to get divided on how this need is going to be met. I want to read you another passage on the screen for you, Philippians 4:6. You're familiar with this same word here. Be careful for nothing.
It's the same word, merem na'o, okay?
So, this word careful is the same word as take no thought. Be careful for nothing. In other words, don't allow yourself to get confused and divided and overly concerned for things. Instead, but in everything by prayer. And supplication, let your request be made known unto God.
Are you starting to understand? God is saying: instead of letting yourself get bent out of shape, divided, minds messed up, overburdened, instead you should resort to going to God through prayer. And dependence on him. You with me so far? Secondly, say amen.
Okay, now.
So I want to give you a list. Just this first point. But you need to understand what is God saying here? I love this.
Now it's quite a list, but I want you to follow. I'm going to give it to you quick. Number one is this, he is not saying do not care. He is saying do not be consumed. Listen, you wouldn't be a human if you didn't care about what happens tomorrow.
You wouldn't be normal if I don't care about my children, if I don't care about my retirement, if I don't care about paying my bill this week, if I don't care if I'm going to be able to get back to work, if I don't care. Listen, you wouldn't be normal, you wouldn't be human. That is not what God is saying here. He is not saying don't care, he is saying don't let yourself be consumed. Secondly, he is not saying, do not be wise.
He is saying, do not worry.
Now listen, other places in the Bible, God says, listen, prepare. For harvest. Prepare for this. Listen, there's some things coming up in your life tomorrow and next week and next month. God is not saying that we shouldn't be wise about that, He's just saying we shouldn't get to the point that we begin to worry about that.
Amen. Are you are you understanding? Number three. He is not saying don't be aware of it. He is saying don't be anxious about it.
God's not saying don't be aware of what's going on in your life. How can you not be aware of what's going on in your life? He just says, while you are aware of what's going on, don't let yourself get anxious about it. Notice this, he is not saying, do not be discerning. He is saying do not be distracted.
You and I are to discern things happening in our life, but those things should not distract us from what God's main purpose is for our life. We're going to explain that in just a minute. Notice this, he is not saying do not think about it. He is saying, do not lose your trust in God about it. It's okay to think about things.
In fact, if you're like me, I can't stop myself sometimes. Have you ever told yourself, no, you need to stop thinking? Oh yeah, that really works.
Now you're thinking even more about it. Because now I'm trying not to think about it, so I'm thinking about it. You ever been? You know, they ought to write songs about that. I almost started in on some songs.
See, the filter is working today. Amen. Listen to this. He is not saying, do not strategize about it. He is saying, do not stress.
about it. See, somewhere over the thing, we've gotten this idea that, man, I can't even think about tomorrow. I can't even think about next year. If I do, I don't have faith. That's not what God is saying.
When He says, take no thought for the morrow, He's not saying don't even think about it. He is saying, Don't let yourself get distracted, torn, and anxious, and confused, and worry about it. God's saying, No, no, no, no, don't let it get out of balance. That's what God is saying. Listen to me this morning.
Your problem. Your problems. It's not the issue here. It's your perspective. That is the issue.
The burdens you're going through in life, the things that are making you anxious, the things that are causing you to worry, listen, those really aren't the problem. The problem is how you're looking at them. The problem is your perspective. About it. And in this passage, listen to me, Kerwin.
God is trying to change your perspective. God is showing us how we're supposed to view these challenges and burdens and issues and problems and all these things in our life that begin to make us worry. Listen, God is not trying to change your problems, He's trying to change your perspective. Listen to me. Take no thought literally means This is going on in your mind.
It literally means the real war here is not your problems. The real war here is how you're seeing it in your mind. It's how you're viewing this burden. It's how you're thinking about this burden. It's your perspective, and it's my perspective often that is the issue.
You can either be the victor or you can be the victim. And what depends on that is not whether or not you have problems, it's how you look at them. Amen. It's the same problem, same circumstances, same burden, same situation. The only thing that's different is your perspective.
Now listen to me. This morning, I'm not going to say anything during this message that is going to change your circumstances. Did you know that? Yeah. Hey, we got some people here.
We've been praying this week, Brother Stanley. got injured at work, been out of work, came back to work. They fired him. And we got other people here. Just things like that.
What I'm going to say today is not going to change those circumstances. Everything I could try to say today is not going to change your problems. It's not going to change the people that are giving you problems. It's not going to change your job situation. Listen to me: what I'm going to say today is not going to change your circumstances.
I'm not going to be able to say anything that's going to take away your sickness, take away your disease. I'm not going to say anything that can change the hurts that you have from your past and even your mistakes from the past. I can't take that away. But what I want to do today is say some things from God's Word that will give you a different perspective about it. You see, you can't change your problem.
Worrying constantly can't change your problem. But God can change you. You can't change your problem, but today... you can change your perspective. While today you and I often worry and stress about how we can change what's going on, what I'm saying today is you need to stop trying to worry about how to change what's going on.
You need to start trying to change your perspective. about it. I want you to notice number two. We see the pointlessness. of preoccupation.
So God is saying here: listen, don't get yourself to the point that it's dividing you. That you can't even enjoy today because you're so worried about tomorrow. Your mind can't be here, you can't focus here. And how many dads do we know you're trying to pay bills and you got insurance and gases out off the roof and to pay bills and pay a mortgage and pay power bill? And how many of you notice what power bills are lately?
Goodness gracious. And the problem is, what happens is, you're so stressed over it. How am I going to pay next? How am I going to do this? That you sit at home and you can't even focus on your family.
Because your mind's divided. Moms? Wives. How many times do we miss out on something going on today because we're so stressed? about what's going to happen next week.
What God is saying is this, that means your mind is divided. You can't be here now because your mind is trying to be there and you can't do anything about there and now you're ruining where you are.
So notice this, look at verse 27. Which of you by taking thought Can add one cubit unto his stature. This is God making a point. Don't let yourself get this way. And by the way, if you do get this way, it doesn't change anything.
Can any of you, by really worrying about something, add A cubit to your stature? Listen, if that could work, I would be skinny today. Because if you could add a qubit You could take away some pounds. Listen, what is God saying here? You stressing about it, you worrying about it, is not going to change anything.
in your future. You worrying about it isn't going to fix the problem. Listen, if you stress about it, you can't add to your height, you can't change tomorrow, you can't change the circumstance.
So, you stressing over it, getting all been out of shape, worrying to death about it, is not going to change one thing.
So let me give you some points out of this. Little verse here. Number one is this: Worry cannot add to your life, but it can take away. from your today. Worry cannot add to your life, but it can take away from today.
Your worry, listen, your worry can't change the problem, but it can sure ruin your day. Number two, worry cannot change God's plan, but it can reveal your lack of trust in His sovereignty. See, when you're worrying about it, you're not changing anything, but you're also showing that I'm not trusting God. Notice number three, worry cannot fix tomorrow, but it can ruin today. Corey 10 boom, many of you Know who I'm talking about when I say that.
She said this: worry. does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow. It empties today. of its strength. Worry is like a rocking chair.
It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere. To worry is to live tomorrow before it comes, and to live today without joy. When we worry about what we cannot control, we miss the blessings of what God is already controlling. The pointlessness. of being preoccupied.
with our problems. We're not changing anything, God says. but you're ruining the peace that God has promised you for the day. Number three. In this passage, we see, number three, the priority of pursuit.
Listen, I've read this, I'm 53. I memorized these verses when I was probably six. Six or seven. In my mom and dad's revival meetings, I used to get up, and some of you know, and some of you who are new wouldn't know, but. I used to get up, quote scripture on nights, you know, of our revivals, and I would quote chapters at a time and different things.
And one time I tried to quote, I think it was the book of James, I think it was. I messed up a few things there, but as a kid, and so it got to the point that my dad saw that this was a real good way for him to profit off of my ability. And so he bought me a Lone Ranger outfit. And so I had a blue Lone Ranger outfit with the mask and the white hat, and I'd come out with my six guns and I would quote scripture. That's child labor.
And thank God. Oh, they loved him. Let's give him the offering. You know, dad had it figured out. I'm going to tell you that right now.
I've had this passage, but I'm going to be honest with you. I've never really understood it as much as I do today. The point of this whole patch is look at me. The point of this whole passage is not just trying to keep you from worrying. It is trying to make you start pursuing.
You see, your worry is what's keeping you from pursuing God. See, we always say, well, you got to read this. This will help you stop worrying. No, no, no, no. It is true.
And God says, listen, worrying about something means that your mind's divided and you're pulled in all these different directions. And then He tells us, secondly, that's not going to change anything in your life. It's just going to ruin today. But the whole point of this, the whole priority of this passage is what we pursue in our life. Look at verse 33.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things that you've been worrying about will be added unto you. You got to get me today, okay? Listen, I know you're hungry and whatever the case might be, but you've got to listen to this real quick, okay? One of the clear purposes of this passage is to instruct us: don't worry about everything, but instead keep the kingdom of God top priority. We are going to seek something in our life.
We are going to pursue something. And the main purpose of our life is to seek God first. What we pursue is our main focus. The preoccupation with our problems. takes us away from our pursuing Christ.
The reason all these things are given, he's like, listen, instead of worrying and fretting about all these things, the problem with that is not just your worrying. God knows we worry. He knows we're flesh. The problem with it is when we're so busy worrying about tomorrow, we are not seeking God first. And that's the real problem.
First, just two points into this. Number one is this, worry challenges our priorities. What does that mean? When you and I are overburdened with worry, it distracts us. From our main purpose.
That's why he said, but instead of seek ye first the kingdom of God. In other words, when you're taking thought for the morrow, and you're taking thought, how am I going to get clothes? How am I going to eat? How am I going to do this? How am I going to meet needs?
What is happening there is that is now challenging your mind, your focus, and your effort. It's taking it away from seeking God first to now it's being challenged by all your worry. And I don't know about you. When I worry about things, I'm not seeking God. I'm focused on me.
I'm focused on my problems. And the whole problem is it's taking us away from what our main purpose should be, and that's to seek the kingdom of God first. Secondly, worry doesn't just challenge our priorities. The problem is, worry changes. our priorities.
Our main priority is to seek God. for his kingdom to be first. Listen to me. But worry begins to make us seek something else.
Now, listen to me. My purpose of my life is to seek God first. But when I let my mind get so consumed with my problems, that maramna'o word, it gets distracted and divided, and now I'm overburdened, I'm anxious, I'm worried, listen to me. God saved me for me to seek him first. The problem is when I get so consumed with worry, look at me, please get this, Kerwin.
Instead of seeking God first, I'm now seeking. Answers? I'm seeking a change in circumstances. I'm seeking security. I'm seeking comfort.
I'm seeking provision. Instead of seeking God. See, I'm worried about something and now I want a fix to that worry. I want that problem to be fixed. And what I should be pursuing in my life is not an answer to my problem, not even a fix to my problem.
What I ought to be pursuing in my life is Christ. Please tell me, is there a light bulb going off in your mind? The whole focus isn't here. I need to feel guilty because I worry. No, the whole focus here is to get your mind off of worry so you can begin to do what God called you to do, and that's seek Him first.
And when you do that, God says, I take care of everything else. The priority of pursuit. What you're pursuing is the whole point here. Number four.
So he tells us. If you get your pursuit... Correct. Number four, we see the provision of the Father.
Now this is great. Look at verse 26.
Sorry, I'm dry this morning. Behold, the fowls of the air. Look at the verse on the screen for you. They sow not, neither do they reap. They don't even plant and reap.
And they don't even take what they planted and reaped and put it into barns. They don't do any of that. Notice this, yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Notice what it says: Your heavenly Father feedeth.
Look at verse 30. Wherefore, if God so clothed the grass, notice God clothes the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you? Think of verse 31. Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or wherewithal shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles say, Notice this: for your heavenly Father knoweth.
That ye have need. Yeah. Listen to me, did you get it? Notice the description here. Our Heavenly Father feeds He clothes And he knows.
Yeah, but I got something going on in my life. Either he is going to feed, he's going to clothe, or he already knows about it. Your worry, why are you worrying? You think he's forgotten about it. Why are you worrying?
I don't think he's doing anything about it. This verse says: wait a minute, you need to remember: your Heavenly Father can feed, he can clothe, and he knows. that you already have this need. Are you with me?
Now, notice this.
Now, you've got to take this passage, and we're not far from being done, but you've got to get this. Notice number one about this passage. He provides for the lesser. He will provide for the greater. The whole purpose, listen, why does God bring up the fowls of the air?
Why does He bring up the lilies? Why does He bring up the grass? Do you understand the whole purpose here is this passage teaching us if God will do it for the birds and God will do it for the lilies and God will do it for the grass, they're not even eternal. They don't even have a soul. And grass is going to grow, it's going to get reaped, it's going to go into wheat, it's going to be turned into other stuff.
If God will do it for that, if God does it for the temporary, and God does it for the non-human, and God does it for the animal world, and in this passage over and over, he says, you're greater.
So, the whole point is, I don't have to worry about tomorrow because if he's taking care of the lesser, He says I'm greater. And that means if he takes care of the lesser, he is going to take care. of the greater. I love this.
If he feeds the birds, he'll feed his children. If he clothes the grass, he'll put clothes on those who have been made in his image. If he takes care of the sparrow, he won't forget his sons. If he dresses the lilies, he won't neglect his little ones. Stop trying to make this whole thing about your problem and realize that this whole thing should be about your father.
Not your problem. You know why we worry? Because now we have focused on the problem. Instead of the father. Do you understand what he's doing here?
I want you to know how I provide. If you really get a grip on how I provide, you won't worry about all this stuff because you'll trust your father. If he'll take care of the birds and the lilies and the grass and all those things that are kind of meaningless as compared to you, then God will take care of you. Notice secondly. Not only will he provide for the lesser, he will provide for the greater.
Notice from this passage. He knows what you need before you ask. Look at verse 32. Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. He already knows.
God's provision is not reactive, it's proactive. God doesn't wake up one morning like, oh man, Daniel Hodge, oh, he needs some. I didn't even realize he needed that.
Well, let me try to formulate a plan about that. No, no, no. He knew I had the need before I ever had the need. Listen to me. Worry assumes.
that God forgot. Worry assumes. that God forgot. Look at this passage, Matthew 6, 7. You know it.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions as the heathen do, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them, for your Father. Knoweth what things ye have need of before you ask him.
So, what are we learning about how our Father provides? If He'll take care of the lesser, He'll take care of the greater. Second, He already knows what you need before you even tell Him. Notice number three. He distinguishes between needs and wants.
I love this.
This isn't just an open check. Because God knows what you and I would put on that if we had an open check. And we would call them needs. Look at the verse. Look at verse thirty-one.
Therefore, take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? What shall we drink? Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Do you notice that? What are real needs in your life? Food, drink, clothing. The essentials. God promises to meet needs, not greeds.
God promises to meet needs, not greeds. Can I help you a little bit? All of us should be at this altar more. But don't come to this altar and cry and just say, God, I'm really struggling that you didn't get me a new car this year.
Some of us think that we are martyrs because We haven't had a raise in two years. Wait, what listen to me? God said, I'll take care of your needs. Look at 2 Corinthians 9.8. And God is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye...
Always having all sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work. God's going to make sure that you have sufficient of what you need. If you say, Preacher, that's what I have, and I don't have enough, and I'm that means you've mishandled. what you were given. Don't blame God that you mishandled your money.
Don't say God didn't meet my need when He gave you money for your need, but you went and got a big screen TV instead. Thank you for listening today. We hope you received a blessing from our broadcast. The Kerwin Baptist Church is located at 4520 Old Hollow Road in Kernersville, North Carolina. You may also contact us by phone at 336-993-5192.
or via the web. at Kerwin Baptist Church.com. Enjoy our services live and all our media on our website and church app. Thank you for listening to the Kerwin Broadcast today. God bless you.
