Earlier in the service several people were asked to hold cardboard boxes of various sizes as a prelude to the sermon illustration. They found worshipping and greeting each other was impeded

Psalm 145:

1 A psalm of praise. Of David. I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever.

2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever.

3 Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

4 One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts.

5 They will speak of the glorious splendour of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works.

6 They will tell of the power of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds.

7 They will celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

10 All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your saints will extol you.

11 They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,

12 so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.

13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.

15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time.

16 You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.

20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name for ever and ever.

1. his greatness is unfathomable (145:3);
2. he does mighty acts across many generations (145:4);
3. he is full of glorious splendor and majesty (145:5);
4. he does wonderful and awesome works (145:5-6);
5. he is righteous (145:7);
6. he is gracious, compassionate, patient, and loving (145:8-9);
7. he rules over an everlasting kingdom (145:13);
8. he is the source of all our daily needs (145:15-16);
9. he is righteous and loving in all his dealings (145:17);
10. he remains near to those who call on him (145:18);
11. he hears our cries and saves us (145:19-20).

So we have a God who is able and longs to help us

Do we have a right or wrong image of God?

If you are bending under a burden and feel that you are about to fall, turn to God for help. He is ready to lift you up and bear your burden.

 

Matt 6: JESUS SAID:

19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

…

24 "No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and Money.

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes?

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?

28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.

29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.

30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

34. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

No man ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow’s burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a man can bear. Never load yourself so.

One is given strength to bear what happens, but not the one hundred and one different things that might happen. C. S. LEWIS (1898–1963)

Why do we need to deal with worries/anxieties?

• Burdens / worries can get in the way of our worship and stop us relating properly to each other (BOXES ILLUSTRATION)

(anything that comes between us and God is sin – the first commandment is ‘God first’)

We must distinguish between the burden-bearing that is right and the burden-bearing that is wrong. We ought never to bear the burden of sin or doubt, but there are burdens placed on us by God which he does not intend to lift off. He wants us to roll them back on him.

OSWALD CHAMBERS (1874–1917)

• So how should we respond?

Matt 11: 28-30 JESUS SAID "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Jesus frees us from burdens.

The rest that Jesus promises is love, healing, and peace with God, not the end of all labour. We will still have burden – but it will be a Godly burden to help us mature and help His kingdom come

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,

The falling of a tear;

The upward glancing of an eye,

When none but God is near.

JAMES MONTGOMERY

As a family we can help each other take these burdens to Christ – prayer ministry later!

• The result?

Matt 7:

24on "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Our burden of worries & anxieties can take many forms:

Which will you choose?