WEBVTT 00:01.516 --> 00:04.176 Welcome to the Valley Baptist Church sermon podcast. 00:04.896 --> 00:08.256 We're so glad you're here, and we hope this message inspires you, 00:08.476 --> 00:12.016 builds your faith, and moves you toward a deep relationship with God. 00:12.576 --> 00:15.156 Today, you'll find great insight into the Bible 00:15.156 --> 00:17.856 and learn how you can apply it straight to your life. 00:18.236 --> 00:20.376 So welcome and enjoy the message. 00:20.916 --> 00:23.976 If you have your Bibles, I want to welcome you to open them, 00:24.096 --> 00:29.416 those joining us at Olive Drive and online, to Ecclesiastes chapter 11. 00:29.416 --> 00:30.962 Okay. 00:30.963 --> 00:34.603 Now Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes is talking about 00:34.603 --> 00:38.863 how to live life in a broken world. 00:38.863 --> 00:43.263 The Bible says that this world has been affected by sin. 00:43.263 --> 00:46.963 It is fallen from the way that God intended it 00:46.963 --> 00:49.263 and God created it. 00:49.263 --> 00:52.883 And two aspects of life in a broken world 00:52.883 --> 00:55.363 are that the future is uncertain 00:55.735 --> 00:59.295 and that things often go wrong within your life. 00:59.295 --> 01:02.015 Have you ever experienced those things? 01:02.536 --> 01:10.656 Well, one of the ways that we often cope with that reality is we begin to worry about the future. 01:11.356 --> 01:16.936 And Solomon is going to tell us in this passage that that's not a healthy or wise way to live 01:16.936 --> 01:20.616 because it keeps you from making good decisions within your life, 01:20.616 --> 01:25.616 but it also sucks out all of your emotional and mental energy, 01:25.616 --> 01:31.256 and it keeps you from really enjoying the life that God has given you. 01:31.865 --> 01:36.085 And so what Solomon is going to say, and I think it's really kind of the big idea, 01:36.085 --> 01:46.845 is that worry is born out of a desire to be in control, and it is born out of not trusting God. 01:47.645 --> 01:51.425 And so let's look in verse number 1. 01:52.638 --> 02:01.198 Solomon says, cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days. 02:01.198 --> 02:08.418 Now this is an old Arabian proverb related to commerce, that you would send your grain 02:08.418 --> 02:15.038 out on a ship in order to sell it in the international markets and you would make a profit. 02:15.038 --> 02:16.438 But there's a risk. 02:16.685 --> 02:20.785 I mean, the ship may sink, there may be a storm, 02:20.785 --> 02:24.225 robbers may steal your grain. 02:24.225 --> 02:28.225 But if you wait to act until there's no risk, 02:28.225 --> 02:31.425 well, then you'll never really act. 02:31.425 --> 02:34.805 Because there's always a risk to life. 02:34.808 --> 02:39.528 Now, sometimes uncertainty keeps us from taking action, doesn't it? 02:39.528 --> 02:47.988 But Solomon says there are times when uncertainty should motivate us to take action. 02:47.988 --> 02:53.788 In many ways, that's the difference between worry and concern. 02:53.788 --> 03:00.368 Worry focuses on uncontrollable difficulties and results in inaction. 03:00.627 --> 03:06.727 Concern focuses on probable difficulties and takes action. 03:07.546 --> 03:11.346 Now, worry is always asking what if. 03:11.346 --> 03:12.646 What if there's an earthquake? 03:12.646 --> 03:13.906 What if I get sick? 03:13.906 --> 03:15.726 What if I get cancer? 03:15.726 --> 03:18.566 What if the stock market crashes? 03:18.566 --> 03:21.546 Well, those are things that you can't control in life, 03:21.546 --> 03:23.306 are they, can you? 03:23.306 --> 03:28.306 The Bible says don't be stressed out about things 03:28.506 --> 03:32.586 that you cannot control within your life. 03:33.027 --> 03:41.027 Now, Solomon says don't wait around and wait for life to be certain because it never will be certain. 03:41.507 --> 03:43.127 There's always going to be risk. 03:43.547 --> 03:51.307 Instead, make the best calculated decision that you can and then trust God with the outcome. 03:51.307 --> 03:53.187 Look what he says in verse 2. 03:53.918 --> 04:02.998 He says, give a serving to seven and also to eight, for you do not know what evil will be on the earth. 04:02.998 --> 04:08.378 Solomon says, life is uncertain, so live generously. 04:09.410 --> 04:12.170 The stock market may crash. 04:12.170 --> 04:14.110 A recession may come. 04:14.110 --> 04:16.510 A war may start. 04:16.510 --> 04:19.590 Those are risks in life that sometimes can cause us 04:19.590 --> 04:22.990 to be stingy and become self-focused. 04:22.990 --> 04:26.730 But instead, Solomon says, do the opposite. 04:26.842 --> 04:28.602 Live while you can. 04:28.602 --> 04:30.522 Love while you can. 04:30.522 --> 04:32.522 Give while you can. 04:32.522 --> 04:36.042 Live the life that you can. 04:36.042 --> 04:38.982 Say what you need to say or what you ought to say 04:38.982 --> 04:42.002 while you can say it. 04:42.002 --> 04:45.782 In the movie Braveheart, William Wallace says, 04:45.782 --> 04:50.682 "'Every man dies, but not every man really lives.'" 04:50.922 --> 04:54.582 Solomon is saying, you don't know what's going to happen 04:54.582 --> 04:57.142 in your life, you don't know how long you have. 04:57.142 --> 05:00.262 In fact, he says life is like a vapor, 05:00.262 --> 05:02.722 it's here one moment and it's gone the next. 05:02.722 --> 05:05.442 So he says, be generous with your time, 05:05.442 --> 05:07.762 be generous with your treasure, 05:07.762 --> 05:11.102 be generous with the talents that God has given you. 05:11.102 --> 05:16.102 Instead of worrying, go and live a generous life. 05:16.602 --> 05:18.662 Live a full life, Solomon said. 05:19.728 --> 05:23.828 Now, if you seek to control your life, you will lose it. 05:24.628 --> 05:31.488 But if you surrender control of your life to God, then you will gain it. 05:31.928 --> 05:36.968 I have learned that when I try to be in control, I get what I can do. 05:36.968 --> 05:44.648 But when I surrender control to the Holy Spirit, then I get what the Holy Spirit can do within my life. 05:45.208 --> 05:47.708 Notice what he says in verse 3 and 4. 05:49.293 --> 05:51.773 He says that the clouds are full of rain. 05:52.093 --> 05:54.053 They empty themselves upon the earth. 05:54.793 --> 06:00.533 And if a tree falls to the south or the north in the place where the tree falls, there it shall lie. 06:01.233 --> 06:08.213 He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who regards the clouds will not reap. 06:09.340 --> 06:13.940 Solomon says anxiety has no advantage and worry doesn't work 06:13.940 --> 06:16.420 because it keeps you from doing the things 06:16.420 --> 06:18.200 that you know you need to do. 06:18.200 --> 06:22.080 You can't control the wind, you can't control the weather, 06:22.080 --> 06:26.100 and so just take action when you need to. 06:26.100 --> 06:30.220 You see, the anecdote for worry in many ways is action. 06:31.143 --> 06:39.343 We often worry because there's something that we know we need to do that we're ignoring or neglecting within our life. 06:40.083 --> 06:45.363 I know I need to confess this sin, but I'm afraid of the consequence. 06:46.243 --> 06:54.583 I know that I need to have that hard, courageous conversation with someone else, but I'm afraid of how they may react. 06:54.583 --> 06:59.323 Solomon says you need to move forward sometimes. 07:00.100 --> 07:04.400 My dad used to say that no decision is a decision. 07:05.560 --> 07:11.640 You know, sometimes we think, well, you know, I'm just not going to do anything because it might not be the right time. 07:11.820 --> 07:14.680 Well, you never reap if you never sow. 07:15.400 --> 07:18.260 At some point you have to make a decision. 07:18.260 --> 07:26.020 And sometimes a good decision made at the right time is better than the best decision made too late. 07:27.252 --> 07:31.932 Sometimes the best cure for our struggle with worry 07:31.932 --> 07:33.632 is action. 07:33.632 --> 07:35.432 You're worried about the test. 07:35.926 --> 07:37.686 then study. 07:37.686 --> 07:39.646 You're worried about your health, 07:39.646 --> 07:42.806 well then eat healthy and exercise. 07:42.806 --> 07:46.546 You're worried about dying and facing God, 07:46.546 --> 07:48.506 well then give your life to Christ. 07:48.506 --> 07:53.326 Be cleansed by his blood, be confident in his salvation. 07:53.326 --> 07:55.286 Don't just sit around worrying about things 07:55.286 --> 08:00.286 you can't control, take the action that you need to take. 08:00.866 --> 08:04.506 Look what he says in verse five. 08:04.765 --> 08:11.705 He says, as you do not know what is the way of the wind or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, 08:11.985 --> 08:16.285 so you do not know the works of God who makes everything. 08:17.465 --> 08:22.565 Solomon says, look, you don't know the way of the wind and you don't know what your child's going to look like before they're born. 08:23.965 --> 08:25.904 But God does. 08:25.905 --> 08:30.865 And so humility helps us to overcome worry, doesn't it? 08:31.765 --> 08:34.245 recognizing our own limitations. 08:34.245 --> 08:38.045 When I worry, I'm saying that I would like to know 08:38.045 --> 08:41.265 everything and that I would like to be in control. 08:42.245 --> 08:43.305 Well, what's that sound like? 08:43.305 --> 08:45.945 Well, that sounds like omniscience to know everything 08:45.945 --> 08:48.125 and omnipotence to be in control. 08:48.125 --> 08:51.385 Well, who is omniscient and who is omnipotent? 08:51.385 --> 08:53.065 God. 08:53.065 --> 08:55.785 And so kind of by definition, worry is saying, 08:55.785 --> 08:57.425 I would like to be God. 08:58.765 --> 09:01.305 I would like to be in control. 09:01.425 --> 09:07.925 Isn't that the very first temptation in Genesis chapter 3, that you can be like God? 09:08.805 --> 09:11.785 It's a desire to de-God God and take his place. 09:13.185 --> 09:20.245 Timothy Keller said that worry looks at the future and says, God's going to get it wrong. 09:21.925 --> 09:25.685 Then he said bitterness looks at the past and says, God got it wrong. 09:27.773 --> 09:32.773 You see, humility begins by realizing that God is in control 09:33.793 --> 09:36.973 and that I am not in control and that's a good thing. 09:38.053 --> 09:42.253 That God is good and God is wise and God is working 09:42.253 --> 09:45.113 and in your life you might not be able to see it all 09:45.113 --> 09:49.053 but he is working his plan and his purpose in your life 09:49.053 --> 09:52.773 that everything in your life is father filtered. 09:54.149 --> 09:56.829 That there are no accidents in your life 09:56.829 --> 09:59.369 when it comes to God's perspective. 09:59.369 --> 10:02.349 Yes, there's accidental pregnancies, 10:02.349 --> 10:04.249 but there's no accidental babies. 10:06.689 --> 10:11.649 God's providence usually makes more sense looking back 10:11.649 --> 10:13.909 than looking forward, doesn't it? 10:13.909 --> 10:14.989 You look back and you say, 10:14.989 --> 10:17.889 okay, now that makes a lot more sense. 10:18.415 --> 10:27.075 Because I can see what God did and how God worked and what God brought out of that, the fruit of that in my life. 10:27.175 --> 10:28.835 That he brought me closer to Christ. 10:28.975 --> 10:31.055 That he made me more like Jesus. 10:31.255 --> 10:33.955 That he did so many things within my life. 10:34.035 --> 10:37.615 But in the moment, it doesn't really make sense. 10:37.615 --> 10:40.815 And so we have to humbly trust God. 10:41.375 --> 10:42.775 Look what he says in verse 6. 10:44.690 --> 10:46.430 He says, in the morning, sow your seed. 10:46.810 --> 10:48.850 And in the evening, do not withhold your hand. 10:49.290 --> 10:55.070 For you do not know which will prosper, either this or that, or whether both alike will be good. 10:56.070 --> 10:57.350 Here's what Solomon says. 10:57.350 --> 11:03.450 He says, commit your worries and your actions to God. 11:05.800 --> 11:10.920 Make sure that you're trusting the Lord, that He's working in all of these different ways, 11:10.920 --> 11:17.400 He says in verse 5, and so just move forward and trust the Lord. 11:17.400 --> 11:23.740 Andrew called me on Tuesday and he told me about his foot and he asked me if I could 11:23.740 --> 11:26.860 preach on Sunday and I said yes. 11:26.860 --> 11:33.600 And then after I got off the phone I started to think, well, I've already lost a day. 11:33.880 --> 11:35.860 And it took me five days to figure out 11:35.860 --> 11:38.400 some of the verses last week, you know? 11:38.400 --> 11:43.400 And so I started to get a touch of worry and anxiety. 11:46.480 --> 11:48.480 And so I prayed, I said, 11:48.480 --> 11:53.480 Lord, I'm not capable of preaching a good sermon 11:53.660 --> 11:55.180 three weeks in a row. 11:59.520 --> 12:01.560 I haven't done that in a long time. 12:03.614 --> 12:06.474 And so I said, Lord, I know you're capable. 12:07.774 --> 12:09.514 Would you help me? 12:10.654 --> 12:14.654 And suddenly the peace of God flooded my soul. 12:15.614 --> 12:19.974 And this confident trust in the Lord came over me. 12:20.754 --> 12:24.034 If it's small enough to worry about, it's big enough to pray about. 12:25.034 --> 12:28.474 And when you're not in control, trust who is in control. 12:29.585 --> 12:33.005 When you're not capable, trust who is capable. 12:33.005 --> 12:35.185 Paul says, I glory in my weakness 12:35.185 --> 12:37.725 because in my weakness I depend on God 12:37.725 --> 12:41.105 and his strength is made perfect in my weakness. 12:41.105 --> 12:43.165 When you don't know the future, 12:43.165 --> 12:46.105 commit the future to the one who knows it 12:46.105 --> 12:47.845 and is in control of it. 12:49.305 --> 12:55.145 You know, sometimes worry is an insult to God. 12:55.960 --> 13:01.960 A dad promises his family that he's going to take them to Disneyland on Saturday, and 13:01.960 --> 13:04.340 his eight-year-old boy says, well, what if we run out of gas? 13:05.240 --> 13:06.680 What if we can't find it? 13:06.720 --> 13:07.800 What if we get lost? 13:09.180 --> 13:10.660 What if we don't have enough money? 13:11.958 --> 13:15.438 It's kind of an insult to the capability of the Father. 13:15.438 --> 13:17.238 And the Father may say, well, I am a Father. 13:17.238 --> 13:20.898 I can take care of all of those things, Son. 13:20.898 --> 13:25.198 Of how much more is our heavenly Father capable 13:25.198 --> 13:26.578 than our earthly Father? 13:28.038 --> 13:32.178 And when we are filled with worry within our heart 13:32.178 --> 13:35.918 and within our mind, then we're calling God a liar. 13:36.950 --> 13:42.530 God says, I will supply all your needs according to my riches in Christ Jesus. 13:42.770 --> 13:44.690 And worry says, well, what if he doesn't? 13:45.410 --> 13:47.049 What if he doesn't do that? 13:47.050 --> 13:49.790 God says, I won't allow you to be tempted beyond what you're able, 13:49.890 --> 13:52.930 but I'll make a way of escape so that you might be able to stand. 13:53.010 --> 13:55.230 And worry says, well, what if he doesn't do that for me? 13:56.630 --> 14:00.490 God says, all things will work together for good to those who love God 14:00.490 --> 14:03.030 and are called according to his purpose. 14:03.170 --> 14:05.610 And worry says, well, that might not be true in my case. 14:07.882 --> 14:11.022 Jesus said, God cares for the birds 14:11.022 --> 14:13.362 and he cares for the flowers and he says, 14:13.362 --> 14:16.782 you are of much more value than them. 14:16.782 --> 14:19.662 Don't you think that he can take care of you 14:19.662 --> 14:21.542 and that he will take care of you, 14:21.542 --> 14:23.922 oh you of little faith. 14:26.062 --> 14:30.202 But notice Solomon encourages us to trust in the Lord, 14:30.202 --> 14:32.962 but he also says that trusting in the Lord 14:32.962 --> 14:36.122 is not an excuse for an action. 14:37.497 --> 14:42.157 God's sovereignty is meant to comfort us, not to excuse us. 14:43.177 --> 14:45.997 And so the purpose of God's sovereign control 14:45.997 --> 14:49.057 is not so that you will lean against a shovel 14:49.057 --> 14:50.497 and pray for a hole. 14:54.257 --> 14:57.877 The purpose of God's sovereignty 14:57.877 --> 15:01.257 is not so that you will pull out without looking both ways. 15:02.877 --> 15:06.377 Solomon says, do what you can 15:07.754 --> 15:12.054 And then he says, trust God is in control of the outcome. 15:12.774 --> 15:14.114 Look what he says in verse 7. 15:15.174 --> 15:19.414 Truly the light is sweet and is pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun. 15:20.034 --> 15:24.754 But if a man lives many years and rejoices in them all, 15:24.754 --> 15:30.194 yet let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. 15:30.374 --> 15:34.054 All that is coming is vanity. 15:35.699 --> 15:38.499 Solomon says there's some wonderful gifts 15:38.499 --> 15:39.619 that God has given us. 15:39.619 --> 15:42.059 He's given us the sun and he's given us light 15:42.059 --> 15:44.399 and he's given us warmth and all of that 15:44.399 --> 15:46.739 is a matter of his goodness and it's a matter of his grace. 15:46.739 --> 15:50.179 But he says, recognize that even with all of this good 15:50.179 --> 15:51.179 that you experience in life, 15:51.179 --> 15:54.519 that there's gonna be a lot of bad as well. 15:54.519 --> 15:59.099 In other words, expect to experience suffering, 15:59.099 --> 16:02.979 but also expect to experience God's grace in your life. 16:04.252 --> 16:09.152 Now, Solomon says the only way to really enjoy life 16:09.152 --> 16:14.152 is to be a realist about how hard life is. 16:15.092 --> 16:18.172 And then he says, you also have to be a realist 16:18.172 --> 16:22.292 about how good God is. 16:22.292 --> 16:26.092 Now, if you expect that your life is always gonna be easy, 16:27.033 --> 16:31.593 You know, you're always going to be sleeping in a room of cotton balls, you know, under you or something. 16:31.673 --> 16:32.813 I don't know what it is. 16:32.873 --> 16:37.573 But when you start thinking that life is going to be easy, then you're going to be miserable. 16:38.491 --> 16:39.551 Because that's not real. 16:40.351 --> 16:47.791 That's not the world that the Bible describes that's broken by sin and affected by the fall. 16:48.191 --> 16:57.491 And so if you feel entitled to an easy life, then you will never enjoy the grace of God within your life. 16:58.851 --> 17:01.171 Because you'll feel like God betrayed you. 17:04.276 --> 17:08.436 You know, I think it's important that we start simple and start small. 17:09.576 --> 17:14.816 Because if we can't be grateful for the small and simple things in life, 17:15.376 --> 17:18.596 then it's really hard to be grateful for anything in life. 17:19.316 --> 17:20.916 We have to start small. 17:21.976 --> 17:27.576 So Solomon is saying, if we are suffering, it doesn't mean that God is not gracious. 17:29.065 --> 17:33.665 Grace does not mean that your life is going to be easy and comfortable. 17:33.665 --> 17:38.145 It means that God is going to be with you in the difficult and dark days, 17:38.265 --> 17:43.165 and he is going to get you through those days within your life. 17:44.265 --> 17:46.205 And so don't be entitled to an easy life. 17:47.265 --> 17:52.565 So that when the good things in your life come, you can enjoy them for what they really are. 17:52.745 --> 17:56.405 And that is a gift of God's grace. 17:58.124 --> 18:04.284 You see, if we feel entitled to an easy life, we can't really enjoy life because that's not real. 18:05.284 --> 18:12.284 We have to face reality, and we have to live it in light of the grace of God in the midst of our sin. 18:12.704 --> 18:15.664 Notice what he says in verse number 9. 18:16.604 --> 18:17.703 He says, 18:17.704 --> 18:20.524 Rejoice, O young man, in your youth. 18:21.209 --> 18:24.149 and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. 18:24.149 --> 18:27.549 Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, 18:27.549 --> 18:29.889 but know that for all these, 18:29.889 --> 18:33.849 God will bring you into judgment." 18:35.289 --> 18:40.289 Solomon says, know that God is going to settle all accounts. 18:42.789 --> 18:46.209 That you ought to live life to the fullest 18:46.522 --> 18:52.562 You ought to go out and live as full of a life as you possibly can, 18:52.662 --> 18:56.182 but recognize that in the end, God is going to settle all accounts. 18:56.502 --> 19:01.322 And that gives meaning and purpose to our life because it's not just here and then gone, 19:01.322 --> 19:07.962 but it's an eternal life, that it matters not just now, but it matters for all eternity. 19:09.382 --> 19:14.522 You see, part of the way that we deal with worry is we look past this life to the next life. 19:15.935 --> 19:20.935 In fact, Solomon says it doesn't increase our enjoyment, 19:21.215 --> 19:24.455 it increases our enjoyment because it keeps us 19:24.455 --> 19:28.015 from making foolish decisions within life. 19:28.015 --> 19:30.715 We live a full life without a stupid life. 19:30.715 --> 19:32.155 That's a pretty good deal. 19:33.375 --> 19:37.055 And so live your life to the fullest, Solomon is saying, 19:37.055 --> 19:39.195 so that you can talk about what you did, 19:39.195 --> 19:40.495 not what you should have done. 19:41.804 --> 19:46.464 So that you can look back in eternity and say, you know what, I lived a full life. 19:46.624 --> 19:50.124 I pursued God. I lived for the Lord. I loved the Lord. 19:50.404 --> 19:54.424 And I'm so grateful that I made that choice. 19:56.844 --> 20:02.144 You know, some people are anxious and worried because there's so much injustice in the world. 20:03.764 --> 20:05.564 The world's a broken place. 20:07.015 --> 20:14.135 And so Solomon's trying to help us grapple with the reality of the brokenness and injustice of the world. 20:14.415 --> 20:17.935 And what he says is he says, God's going to settle all accounts. 20:20.275 --> 20:24.555 You can't look for justice in this world completely. 20:26.435 --> 20:30.735 I mean, where is the justice for someone who kills a bunch of people and then kills themselves? 20:31.335 --> 20:32.895 It's not in this life. 20:34.395 --> 20:36.655 You have to look to a good God. 20:38.318 --> 20:40.398 to find justice. 20:40.398 --> 20:43.678 And so wisdom says, I don't have to settle 20:43.678 --> 20:46.238 every account within my life or within the world. 20:46.238 --> 20:49.318 I don't have to handle every situation 20:49.318 --> 20:52.658 of injustice within my life or within the world. 20:52.658 --> 20:54.098 I don't have to carry that weight 20:54.098 --> 20:56.878 because I know God can and I know that God will. 20:57.938 --> 20:59.658 Look what he says in verse 10. 21:01.572 --> 21:04.692 And then the first verse of the next chapter, he says, 21:04.692 --> 21:07.152 "'Therefore remove sorrow from your heart 21:07.152 --> 21:09.452 "'and put away evil from your flesh, 21:09.572 --> 21:11.352 "'for childhood and youth are vanity. 21:12.072 --> 21:15.432 "'Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth 21:15.432 --> 21:16.932 "'before the difficult days come 21:16.932 --> 21:18.852 "'and the years draw near when you say, 21:19.052 --> 21:21.692 "'I have no pleasure in them.'" 21:22.432 --> 21:24.452 I love what Solomon does right here. 21:24.512 --> 21:25.972 He goes from worry to worship. 21:27.532 --> 21:30.392 He says, when you're worried, go to God. 21:31.762 --> 21:35.982 When you're anxious, spend some time in worship 21:35.982 --> 21:39.642 of who God is and what God has done within your life. 21:39.642 --> 21:42.922 Pursuing God is the greatest antidote 21:42.922 --> 21:44.902 to worry within our life. 21:46.162 --> 21:50.322 Now the reason that we get worried about the unknown 21:50.322 --> 21:54.442 and the future is because we don't know God well enough. 21:56.482 --> 21:58.562 Our view of God is too small, 21:59.682 --> 22:01.342 and our view of man is too big. 22:03.419 --> 22:05.339 We need a bigger view of God. 22:06.699 --> 22:08.719 That God is bigger than our suffering 22:08.719 --> 22:10.519 and that he's better than our sin. 22:12.039 --> 22:15.859 That God is capable and God is caring. 22:15.859 --> 22:18.579 You see, in the Bible, God is both ultimate 22:18.579 --> 22:19.799 and he is intimate. 22:20.733 --> 22:25.373 He is above all and he is ruling all and he is over all. 22:25.373 --> 22:27.973 And so the first thing that you need to know 22:27.973 --> 22:30.973 to fight worry is that God is big, 22:30.973 --> 22:34.253 that God is in control and that God is good. 22:35.933 --> 22:38.613 The second thing you need to know to fight worry 22:38.613 --> 22:40.333 is that God cares for you. 22:42.873 --> 22:44.593 Some people believe God is big, 22:44.593 --> 22:46.673 but they don't believe he cares. 22:46.673 --> 22:50.033 Others believe that he cares, but he's not big. 22:50.905 --> 22:55.845 But the Bible teaches both, that he's in control and that he cares for you. 22:56.045 --> 22:59.845 The Bible teaches that God has a mighty hand and he has a caring heart. 23:02.025 --> 23:06.625 You know, worry is meditating on the wrong things. 23:08.625 --> 23:11.725 Faith is meditating on the right things. 23:13.705 --> 23:16.445 Worry is meditating on the future minus God. 23:18.732 --> 23:20.492 And that's a scary thought, 23:20.492 --> 23:23.032 to think of the future without God. 23:23.032 --> 23:26.892 But faith is meditating on the future with God. 23:28.272 --> 23:31.392 And that brings a great comfort to our heart. 23:32.312 --> 23:36.092 Now, Solomon gives us three ways 23:36.092 --> 23:39.572 that we pursue God within our life. 23:39.572 --> 23:41.052 And the first, he says, 23:41.052 --> 23:44.792 is that we release our worries to God. 23:45.867 --> 23:49.367 Often our worry and our lack of trust in the Lord, 23:49.367 --> 23:51.867 trusting God with our problems, with our sorrows, 23:51.867 --> 23:55.007 with our hurts, keeps us from really having 23:55.007 --> 23:57.487 an intimate relationship with God. 23:57.487 --> 23:59.627 And so as he says, the first thing you need to do 23:59.627 --> 24:02.327 is you need to remove sorrow from your heart. 24:02.327 --> 24:06.427 You need to release your anxieties and your worries to God. 24:06.427 --> 24:11.227 Now this word sorrow is sometimes translated vexation. 24:13.880 --> 24:21.700 And sometimes we experience vexation because we're trying to control our existence instead of trust God with it. 24:22.880 --> 24:24.940 Now, this word is kind of hard to translate. 24:25.100 --> 24:26.599 It could mean bitterness. 24:26.600 --> 24:27.840 It could mean fear. 24:27.940 --> 24:28.940 It could mean worry. 24:29.360 --> 24:36.380 But really, I think the idea is anything that is troubling your heart, you need to give it to God. 24:37.960 --> 24:42.120 In fact, the Bible says, cast your anxieties and your cares upon him. 24:42.180 --> 24:42.479 Why? 24:42.480 --> 24:43.740 Because he cares for you. 24:45.065 --> 24:49.945 Now, 365 times in the Bible, we are told to fear not. 24:50.605 --> 24:54.345 It's the most repeated command in all of the Bible, 24:54.525 --> 24:57.245 and it's just another way of saying, give God your anxiety. 24:58.185 --> 24:59.405 Give God your worry. 25:01.245 --> 25:05.245 Now, if we don't give God our anxieties, if we don't give God our worries, 25:05.345 --> 25:07.465 and we don't give God what's troubling us, 25:08.265 --> 25:11.725 then we end up trying to find a functional Savior to deal with them. 25:14.309 --> 25:21.309 The reason so many people struggle with alcohol, number one abused drug in the United States 25:21.309 --> 25:25.449 is because they're trying to deal with their anxiety. 25:25.449 --> 25:27.769 They're trying to drown it in alcohol. 25:27.769 --> 25:29.149 They're trying to bury it. 25:29.149 --> 25:31.469 They're trying to deal with the hurt that they have. 25:31.469 --> 25:37.089 They're trying to deal with the troubles that they have, the bitterness that they have. 25:37.089 --> 25:41.369 Instead of going to God and releasing those things to God, they're just trying to numb 25:41.369 --> 25:42.369 the pain. 25:43.773 --> 25:46.013 Or maybe it's not alcohol, maybe you just sleep a lot 25:46.013 --> 25:47.873 because it's too painful to be awake. 25:50.433 --> 25:51.953 Or some other addiction, 25:53.193 --> 25:55.393 where you're seeking to escape reality 25:56.969 --> 26:04.629 If we want to really pursue an intimate relationship with God, then we need to confess our worries 26:04.629 --> 26:09.569 and we need to confront our worries, our sorrows, and our pain. 26:09.569 --> 26:18.009 And then we need to voluntarily and incrementally surrender them to God by faith and by His grace. 26:21.252 --> 26:26.732 And as we give those to God, he begins to heal our heart, 26:27.192 --> 26:32.272 and we begin to draw closer to him because we finally trusted him, 26:32.272 --> 26:36.712 not only with our soul, but we started to trust him with our life. 26:38.279 --> 26:44.579 So he says the first thing you need to pursue God is you need to release your sorrows and your worries to him. 26:44.639 --> 26:48.479 The second thing is you need to run from sin in your life. 26:48.559 --> 26:55.599 You need to deal with the sin that is obstructing your fellowship with God. 26:55.599 --> 26:58.739 See, we think that we can get away with sin. 26:59.919 --> 27:04.459 But what we learn from Scripture and history is we never really get away with anything, do we? 27:06.950 --> 27:13.350 Sin will sear your conscience and it will quench the Holy Spirit within your life, 27:14.710 --> 27:19.250 which will keep you from really enjoying God, and it will keep you 27:19.250 --> 27:22.930 from really pursuing God within your life. 27:23.830 --> 27:30.450 Now, the third thing that he tells us is he says, stay connected to God. 27:31.590 --> 27:34.750 He says, remember your Creator. 27:36.312 --> 27:41.892 Another way to say that is put God first in everything and every area of your life. 27:43.852 --> 27:46.172 Whatever's troubling you, put God first in it. 27:47.472 --> 27:51.912 Whatever's going on within your life or the world, put God first. 27:53.792 --> 27:57.612 Recognize the creator and the creature distinction. 27:58.192 --> 28:02.892 And so Solomon, I think, is saying live with a sense of utter dependence upon God. 28:02.892 --> 28:04.472 And he says do it while you're young. 28:04.552 --> 28:05.712 In other words, do it now. 28:08.257 --> 28:10.017 Don't wait to pursue God. 28:11.057 --> 28:13.456 Do it today. 28:13.457 --> 28:16.677 Solomon, I mean, it's as if he's saying, what are you waiting for? 28:17.637 --> 28:19.917 Are you waiting for everything to be just right? 28:20.537 --> 28:22.857 Well, that's never going to happen in your life. 28:23.977 --> 28:27.377 Are you waiting to have enough things and possessions? 28:27.637 --> 28:28.276 Well, guess what? 28:28.277 --> 28:30.217 It's never going to be enough, Solomon says. 28:31.717 --> 28:33.797 You're always going to need one more dollar. 28:35.017 --> 28:37.577 No matter how much you make, you're always going to want more. 28:39.222 --> 28:44.302 Are you waiting until you achieve certain things within your life? 28:44.502 --> 28:46.922 He says, look, it's never going to be enough. 28:47.022 --> 28:49.482 You're never going to do enough. 28:49.842 --> 28:52.342 And so what Solomon says is don't wait. 28:52.522 --> 28:54.482 Put God first now. 28:54.962 --> 28:58.202 Put God in the driver's seat. 28:59.542 --> 29:02.742 Solomon's saying, look, if you leave God out of your life, I can't help you. 29:04.102 --> 29:06.562 There's not enough Proverbs. 29:06.695 --> 29:08.055 There's not enough wisdom. 29:08.735 --> 29:11.615 There's not enough advice that I can give you. 29:11.755 --> 29:16.515 Because the meaning of life is to be connected to God. 29:17.095 --> 29:19.034 That's it. 29:19.035 --> 29:21.954 That's it. 29:21.955 --> 29:27.535 Now there is no one who is as wise as Jesus. 29:29.408 --> 29:32.368 There's no one who is as humble as Jesus. 29:32.528 --> 29:34.068 Jesus humbled himself. 29:34.308 --> 29:37.248 God the Son humbled himself to become a man. 29:37.348 --> 29:39.628 That's a tremendous amount of humility. 29:39.908 --> 29:41.608 But then he lived as a servant. 29:41.988 --> 29:43.368 He said, I didn't come to be served. 29:43.408 --> 29:44.207 I came to serve. 29:44.208 --> 29:49.728 And then he went to the cross and he humbled himself on the cross to pay for our sins. 29:51.802 --> 29:56.122 Jesus, nobody trusted the Father as much as Jesus did. 29:56.202 --> 29:58.242 Nobody ran from sin as much as Jesus. 29:58.622 --> 30:03.862 Nobody stayed connected to our Heavenly Father as much as Jesus did. 30:04.102 --> 30:07.962 You see, Jesus took all of our sin and paid for it on the cross. 30:07.962 --> 30:13.222 Why? So that he could release us from the burden of sin and the burden of sorrow. 30:14.582 --> 30:17.722 He died for our sins. He also died for our worries. 30:19.477 --> 30:21.997 He died for our sins, but he died for our future. 30:23.757 --> 30:26.037 And not only that, but he settled every account. 30:26.757 --> 30:29.537 Sometimes we worry, well, what about this sin or that sin? 30:29.617 --> 30:34.457 Well, Jesus paid it all, and all to him I owe. 30:35.457 --> 30:42.017 The Bible says if you will trust in Jesus today, he will give you an eternal future, 30:42.857 --> 30:48.217 and you will forever be connected to God. 30:50.341 --> 30:56.041 Let's bow our heads as we prepare for God to move in our hearts. 30:58.521 --> 31:00.421 Would you be praying right now? 31:02.241 --> 31:04.421 Let me ask you, what's troubling your heart? 31:07.021 --> 31:08.101 Is it worry? 31:10.041 --> 31:12.201 Is it uncertainty of the future? 31:12.201 --> 31:15.621 Is it the pain of the past? 31:18.472 --> 31:24.292 Is it some injustice in life or some problem that you are not in control of? 31:24.512 --> 31:27.232 I want to encourage you, whatever is troubling your heart, 31:27.272 --> 31:30.912 right now to go to the Lord in prayer and say, 31:30.972 --> 31:32.872 Lord, I want to give these things to you. 31:32.952 --> 31:34.572 I want to trust you with these. 31:35.912 --> 31:39.312 Maybe it's sin that's troubling your heart and you need to run from it. 31:40.212 --> 31:43.052 The Bible says resist the devil, but it says run from sin. 31:44.527 --> 31:45.687 You can't fight that battle. 31:46.807 --> 31:47.847 You're going to lose. 31:48.887 --> 31:51.307 So maybe there's some sin that you need to give to the Lord, 31:51.387 --> 31:53.487 and you need to confess, and you need to confront, 31:53.687 --> 31:56.107 and you need to cast at Jesus' feet. 31:59.287 --> 32:05.627 Whatever it is that's keeping you from pursuing Christ, 32:06.327 --> 32:08.607 I want to encourage you to give it to God today. 32:10.907 --> 32:13.287 He wants to carry that burden for you. 32:15.104 --> 32:17.544 He wants to take that hurt and heal it. 32:18.424 --> 32:23.684 He wants to take that pain and carry the load. 32:26.384 --> 32:31.284 Maybe this morning you haven't given your life to Christ and you would come and you'd say, 32:31.664 --> 32:33.084 I need Jesus. 32:33.664 --> 32:37.424 I've been following all kinds of other functional saviors, but none of them work. 32:40.147 --> 32:46.987 I've been looking to myself to save myself, and then I get all worried and anxious because I realize that I can't do it. 32:51.387 --> 32:57.347 I've been looking to sin to bring me comfort and escape instead of running to God. 32:59.519 --> 33:01.919 I want to encourage you today to give your life to Christ. 33:02.099 --> 33:07.899 Jesus died for your sins and he rose from the dead to give you victory and eternal life. 33:08.859 --> 33:10.359 Would you give your life to him today? 33:11.999 --> 33:13.559 Maybe the Lord is leading you to be baptized. 33:13.859 --> 33:18.779 We want to invite you to come and to make that decision, set up a time for you to do that. 33:18.779 --> 33:23.559 Maybe the Lord is leading you to join this church, to be a part of this faith, spiritual family. 33:23.699 --> 33:25.059 We want to invite you to come. 33:25.139 --> 33:27.779 We would love for you to be a part of our family. 33:33.218 --> 33:38.158 But here in a moment, there's going to be prayer partners here at the front. 33:38.278 --> 33:41.018 There's going to be people, and we want to invite you to come and to pray. 33:44.038 --> 33:52.078 Sometimes we need the help and the encouragement and the example 33:52.078 --> 33:58.838 and the prayers of other people for us to take that next step in our relationship with God. 34:00.843 --> 34:04.543 So I want to invite you to come and allow someone to pray with you, 34:04.663 --> 34:06.323 someone to pray over you, 34:06.883 --> 34:12.363 to help you release your worries to the Lord 34:12.363 --> 34:18.283 and to begin to pursue God without inhibiting or quenching 34:18.283 --> 34:21.463 what God wants to do. 34:24.363 --> 34:25.603 Our Heavenly Father, 34:27.455 --> 34:30.095 We thank you for this time of worship. 34:30.315 --> 34:31.535 We thank you for your word. 34:32.655 --> 34:37.215 We thank you for prayer, Lord, that we can come boldly to the throne of grace 34:37.215 --> 34:42.015 because of the cross of Jesus Christ from which your grace flows. 34:43.235 --> 34:46.975 Lord, I pray if there's anyone that doesn't know Christ today that they would be saved. 34:48.115 --> 34:49.915 I pray, Lord, if there's anyone. 34:55.214 --> 34:59.014 that's bound up with the chains of worry, Lord, 35:00.614 --> 35:03.494 that today that you would just help them take that next step. 35:05.554 --> 35:08.794 And Lord, I know so often in my life when it comes to worry, 35:09.394 --> 35:10.934 it's incremental. 35:11.374 --> 35:12.594 It's not all at once. 35:12.674 --> 35:14.414 It's a little bit here and a little bit there 35:14.414 --> 35:17.434 until I get to that point by your grace 35:17.434 --> 35:22.334 to where I'm able to fully and completely trust you with my problems. 35:24.442 --> 35:29.542 And so, Lord, would you just help us take that first step or that next step? 35:31.662 --> 35:36.402 Lord, would you help us to give the load to you and you take a little bit of it off of our shoulders? 35:36.662 --> 35:40.842 And maybe we've been doing that, but there's still some there that we need to give to you, Lord. 35:41.082 --> 35:45.722 Help us to grow in our faith deeper and deeper and deeper in our heart 35:45.722 --> 35:50.322 so that we can trust you completely and we can experience your peace and grace. 35:53.045 --> 35:54.465 So Lord, work in this invitation. 35:54.725 --> 35:55.885 Draw us close to you. 35:56.005 --> 35:57.165 In Christ's name we pray. 35:58.605 --> 36:00.424 Amen. 36:00.425 --> 36:01.665 Thanks for listening today. 36:01.905 --> 36:03.485 We hope you enjoyed this message. 36:03.725 --> 36:06.865 And if you did, we would be so grateful if you left us a review. 36:07.505 --> 36:09.625 Also, go ahead and subscribe to the podcast 36:09.625 --> 36:12.485 if you would like to be notified when a new sermon is released. 36:12.885 --> 36:16.225 If you feel the Lord calling you to take the next step in faith 36:16.225 --> 36:20.105 through salvation, service, or giving, don't wait. 36:20.720 --> 36:24.160 reach out to us by texting podcast to 88988. 36:24.160 --> 36:30.080 That's podcast to 88988 or connect with us on one of our social media platforms. 36:30.080 --> 36:33.280 You can also visit our website valleybaptist.org 36:33.280 --> 36:38.080 to find even more great resources. No matter where you are in your journey, 36:38.080 --> 36:41.600 know that we love you, we're praying for you, and we can't wait 36:41.600 --> 36:43.720 to see what God will do in your life.