Putting Worry in Its Place

                                                                     Sunday School Lesson
                                                                        November 27,2011
Lesson Focus:
Put worry in its place
Lesson Scripture:
Matthew 6:25-34

Introduction:
Faith vs. worry,Jesus gave several reasons why and what to do about worry,the sickness of mind. Jesus warns against being so preoccupied with material needs that the will of God is ignored.His response to worry is,"Don't do it!" It's directly opposite of believing in faith that God will always come through.Worry indicates a lack of trust in God or very little trust in His power.Jesus says to the worrier,"Take a look around.The birds and flowers are all taken care of by God."Instead of working and worring about material things,Jesus encourages His children to busy themselves with the activities to build up God's kingdom on earth.We must have a hunger for righteousness and close living with God.If that is the focus and desire of our daily actions,we never have to worry obsessively about such things as what we will eat and what we will wear.The heavenly Father will meet those needs.

Evidence of God's Care in Creation
Matthew 6:25-30KJV
²⁵Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
   ²⁶Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
   ²⁷Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
   ²⁸And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
   ²⁹And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
   ³⁰Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Footnotes:

The Lord had just admonished His listeners to keep their priorites straight when it came to true riches.What the world calls wealth is passing.Just as true riches are far more than worldly treasures,life is much more than simply food and clothing.Do not worry,He said;give no thought about your life.Jesus said don't worry about two things which seems to be top priority in our life. When Jesus said look at the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields,He let the people know that neither did absolutly anything to provide for themselves, and yet the Father in heaven took great care of them.Jesus tells us what good is it to worry ,it won't change anything,but we are to trust in the Lord with all our heart, soul and might.

God's Care for His Children
Matthew 6:31-34KJV
³¹Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
   ³²(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
   ³³But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
   ³⁴Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Footnotes:

Here is the culmination of the Lord's teaching on faith and provision for daily needs:Do not worry about what to eat,drink or wear.Now he is not saying  that we are not to work to provide for food and clothing, He is saying don't put the needs of this world before the will of God,for your Father in heaven knows we have need of these things.He said don't worry about the things in the future for those things will take care of themselves and only distract us from God's priorities in our lives.We are to cast all our cares upon Him,and trust that if we do as He commands, He will supply our every need.