Speaker(s): Bob Colban
Sermon 12270
11:00 AM on 3/20/2022

P. Bob Colban –

Matthew 6:25-29,
Good morning. Two things happened as you walk from that chair to this -whatever it’s called –
pulpit! #1 is every drop of moisture in your mouth is sucked out and you’re like – ahh! And #2 is
everything you thought you knew in that chair is gone when you get up here! Honestly. That is
the honest truth. I don’t know. Scotty Dubay has some kind of machine up there?! It’s
frightening. What is it? Twenty steps maybe, P. Hadley? Twenty steps at the most. And a lot
goes on.

How is everybody this morning? Isn’t it nice that 2022 is such a calm year? You know, you get
up in the morning, man, I’m so glad there’s nothing going on in the world! We can just relax and
worship God and go out and lay in our backyard in the daffodils and life is so simple and
uncomplicated! If that’s your life, God bless you! Really! I wish it was my life. Instead, it’s the
exact opposite, isn’t it?

Here we are. This is March 2022 literally two years ago to the day, life changed as we knew it at
that point with the whole covid thing. For two years we were bombarded with – I don’t have to
reiterate it. We all know what it was like. Every time it seemed like okay we’re seeing a path out
of this, the next strain would come in: the Delta strain, the Omicron, the who knows what. One
strain after another and you kind of like just start to breathe and all of a sudden another. Take
your mask off. Put it on. Take your mask off. Put it on. Get the vaccine. Don’t get the vaccine.
Right? Isn’t this what we went through for two years? And then, maybe like three, four, five, I
think four and a half weeks ago, you’re like this is looking a little better. And then war in the
Ukraine, in Europe, which hasn’t happened for the most part in over 70-75 years. It’s like can
we catch a break? Seriously? And now all of a sudden, there’s these little news reports some
new strain of the virus somewhere in the world. It’s like it’s everywhere.

I was thinking this morning and I don’t recommend – I grew up in the, when I was a kid, it was
newspapers that we read. I grew up in New York, so there were many newspapers. Every
morning, there would be two newspapers at the door and then in the afternoon, another
newspaper would come. On Sundays, all three of them would come at the same time and it was
like a four-foot stack of newspapers out there. My mom and dad would sit there all day and just
pour through the ads and tear out coupons.

Now, most of us get our news off of our phones, right? You thought this is different, you know. I
don’t recommend this but you can get up in the morning and pull out your phone. Okay, what’s
going on in the world, what happened overnight? And it’s like okay, here’s fifteen articles on
the war. Here’s an article on covid. Here’s gas prices $4.50 a gallon. Here’s an article on
inflation. Here’s an article on the price of groceries. Here’s an article on the world is going to
end in ten years. Ever seen those mind characters where they are stuck on a wall and they can’t
move? Isn’t that what it feels like, like we are in this box surrounded? This is us. We are
believers. We have another way of thinking.

I said this recently. Can you imagine being unsaved and going through this over the last
specifically talking about the last 2-3 years? Looking forward to the vaccine. This is not anti- or
pro-vaccine. I’m using it as an example. Looking forward to something that will be the savior
and give your life back, and it doesn’t meet up to everything it was supposed to be. This is what
you are trusting in and it just gets shot down. Things start to end and now there’s war. You
think that’s over and it’s not going to affect us, but it does affect us. You’re unsaved and you
have no idea how to think about this stuff, and it’s just like that’s why along with all those
articles about the things I mentioned, what are the other articles we’re reading? Anxiety levels
are off the charts. What does all of this produce? We’re human beings. We can only take so
much of this. We can only process so much information.

And after a while, it starts to cause anxiety, depression, despair, discouragement, hopelessness. We read even about suicide. We read about all kinds of things happening in homes and then also how does it affect us
personally? Maybe it’s our job. Maybe is my paycheck going to make it until the end of the
week? Can I go buy groceries? Can I fill my car up? How much of this can the human mind take?
This is like amazing. This is where we are at and this is what it has produced.
Have you ever done this? I’ve done this and I don’t recommend it. I could get up in the morning
– I’ve done it too many times – read the news and like twenty minutes later, I’m totally
depressed. Where’s Jerry? I heard Jerry say, “yes.” Don’t do it, Jerry! I’m telling ya! You know
what I mean? I’m depressed by 7:30 in the morning.

I haven’t even gotten to work yet. I haven’t stepped out of the house yet. I’m depressed. My wife gets up. Hey, how’s it going? Don’t talk to me! Do you have any idea what’s going on in the world? Then I’m ranting around the kitchen
like do you read about this and this and this? All of a sudden, I’m out of my mind? And it’s like
7:45 now! How am I going to make it through the rest of the day? It’s crazy, right? Then you
say, okay. It’s crazy. What does the Bible have to say about this?

What did P. Mark read? Mathew. 6:25, take no thought for your life. Then you read this and I don’t
know like take no thought for any of this stuff about your life. And again, I’m going to be
honest, so many times I’ve read this verse. So many times, I’ve heard people read this verse or
preach on it and so many times I’ve said that’s not practical. Don’t raise your hand because I
don’t want to know but I’m just saying I have done that. Like really God? Like with all that’s
going on in our lives personally in our family life, in the country, in the world and you’re answer
is to take no thought? It seems so unnatural. Is that the right way to say it? It seems so
unnatural.

God would say here’s the answer for all the cares that are weighing you down, that are
affecting you emotionally, that are causing despair or depression or whatever. Here’s the
answer. Don’t think about them. Don’t think about what you’re going to wear. Don’t think
about what you are going to eat. Don’t think about buying gas for your car. Don’t think about paying your rent. Don’t think about paying your mortgage. And I’m like come on, God! This is
not practical. Give me a practical verse, you know. Give me something. And God just says, take
no thought. Then he says it in Philippians 4. He says also. It’s interesting. What Jesus says here in Matthew
6:25, and what Paul says “be not anxious” in Philippians 4, is the same word in the Greek. Jesus is
saying take no thought for these things, your life, any of these things. And Paul says it in Philippians 4.
Take no thought for these things, also.

Be not anxious. It’s so hard to not be anxious. What is anxiety? I just looked it up in Webster’s Dictionary. “A state of being uneasy.” Well, gosh, I’m that way sometimes. “A state of being uneasy, apprehensive, or worried about what
may happen.” Isn’t that interesting? Anxiety is not worrying about what has happened. It’s
worrying about what could happen. Jesus is saying take no thought about those things. I
struggle with this verse. Take no thought. Be not anxious. because again, because we are
surrounded, in our face, bombarded with news and none of it – when was the last time you
heard a positive story on the news? Hey, Greater Grace went on outreach yesterday and five
souls were led to Christ. That’s the lead story on NBC News. I don’t know! I may have missed
that one. I’m not sure. Successful Eurocon. Greater Grace returns to Poland. Successful Eurocon
2022. Amen.

Tune in at 11 for details. And a full reading of P. Schaller’s message. I missed that
newscast, also. Where is this? Where is good news? We’re surrounded. We’re surrounded.
We’re surrounded and God says don’t be anxious about any of this. Don’t even take thought
about it. Don’t worry about yourself. Don’t worry about your situation.
And what is our response? God, you don’t know my situation, right? You, the omniscient God,
knows all. You’re the God who created me. You’re the God who is omnipresent. You’re the God
who is all-powerful. You’re the God who created the universe, spoke it into existence. You’re
the God that fearfully and wonderfully made me, but you don’t know my situation. My situation
God is so unique that in the thousands of years of mankind, nobody has ever had the problems
that I personally have.

We are unique and I don’t know what your problems are, and you don’t
know what my problems are. They are unique to us in that sense. But we’re talking about God.
We’re talking about an omniscient, all-knowing God who is so far ahead of us as far as our
thinking goes. The things that we are taking thought about that we’re anxious about, God
already has a solution.

I always loved this story. I think it’s in Exodus 2. The children of Israel cried unto God by reason of
their – they were slaves in Egypt at that point. They would cry out to God. While they are crying
out to God, God is preparing the answer to their cry which is Moses in the backside of the
desert. God, will you ever come? And God says, – he doesn’t say it to them but – he says I am
preparing the answer. The deliverer is being prepared as you speak and cry unto me. I love that.
We are crying out to God and God says I already have the answer. I already have the answer,
and it will be perfect in its time when it is delivered.

I want to look at this story if you want to turn to 2 Kings 6. This is actually one of my favorite
stories in the Bible. 2 Kings 6, this is the prophet Elisha as opposed to Elijah. It starts in vs. 8. I’ll
fill you in on the story. The king of Syria is attacking Israel. Syria is attacking Israel. The King of
Syria makes his battle plans. And he says okay. This is where Israel is. We are going to attack
Israel in this valley or this place. God reveals to the prophet Elisha – did I say that right? Why
couldn’t God make those names more different! Elisha. Every night, he reveals the plans of the
Syrian king to the prophet. The prophet tells the king of Israel. The king of Israel thwarts the
plans of the king of Syria. So, you’re either totally confused or you are with me on that. You
understand what I’m saying? And the king of Syria in vs. 11, like who is the traitor in this room?
Somebody is telling the battle plans to the enemy. Which one of us is the traitor? Vs. 12-15.
Okay. Did you follow that? So here they are.

They’re in this city. I picture them being in a house somewhere. They’re spending the night
there. During the night, the king of Syria finds out where they are. He sends his troops, chariots,
horses, soldiers, etc. And surrounds the whole village. Surrounded every side. The servant gets
up early and I picture this in my mind and walks outside kind of like maybe it was a day like
today or yesterday. He goes out and kind of stretching. Great day. It’s awesome. Wow. Wonder
what God has for us today? And he hears a chariot. Oh, a chariot. Oh, chariot. Chariot. Soldiers.
Chariot. Soldiers. Chariots. Chariots everywhere surrounded totally. No way out. This is a
difficult situation, kind of like the way we feel sometimes. We were describing earlier.
Surrounded. Everywhere you look, it’s the same thing. Some kind of trouble. Something going
on. This servant goes out of the house just a regular day and this is what he sees.

Master, what shall we do? That panic, that anxiety. What’s going to happen? Gosh, we’re going
to die. This is awful. I don’t want to die in this city. My parents will never know that I died here.
All of this kind of stuff. You know how your mind – you scratch your finger and you say, oh,
gosh. I could die from this! Is that the way your mind goes? Look at it. It’s a little red. If I lose my
finger, then it could go to my hand, my arm, my heart and I’m dead. This is our mind. This is my
mind. I’m sorry! My wife can attest to this. She knows I’m not making any of this up! This is
what happens.

So, here’s this guy. He walks out of the house and it’s like surrounded on every side. No way
out. He says what shall we do? And you would think the prophet would jump out of bed, peer
out the window and say, oh my gosh! We’re in deep trouble. But what does he say? Vs. 16. Fear
is another thing that all of this produces, isn’t it? All this uncertainty produces fear. All that
covid news produced fear, right? Natural, unnatural fear. Crazy. There are probably people that
haven’t left their house yet in two years because of fear, and it’s real to them.

What does the prophet say? Fear not. First thing. Vs. 16. Listen. You’re the servant. You’ve seen
that. He hasn’t. What does he say to you? No problem. Those who are with us are more than
they that are with them. I’m the servant and I’m like one, two. There’s more than two of them out there. Do you understand what I said? We are surrounded? Fear not. Take no thought,
right? Couldn’t you say that? Take no thought. Be not anxious. What do you mean prophet?
Come on! Come with me out the door. Fear not. Those who are with us are more than those
who are with them. Vs. 17. Wow! This is our God! You know, wait a second. By sight, we are
surrounded. By sight, we are in trouble. By sight, I see no way out. By sight, my finances aren’t
going to make it. By sight, my paycheck is not going to make it. By sight, I don’t know what is
going to happen in the world. By sight.

By sight. And this is what the prophet says. Lord, open his eyes that he may see what? What is real. This stuff is real. But I call it the real reality. Like what is the real reality? Is it that we are surrounded by these guys? That’s reality. That’s real. But there is a greater reality that is revealed here and that is that those that are with us are
more than those that are with them. Those guys think they have the advantage on us, and God
says they have nothing. I got them surrounded with chariots of fire. What does he do? He blinds
them and leads them into captivity, the enemy. And it’s like but wait. The young man, the
servant, could say gosh. I was so worried about that and look what God did. I was so stressed by
that. Look what God did. And God would say they were there all the time, right? It wasn’t like
this was just a show for them. They were there all the time. It’s just that he couldn’t see them,
right?

That’s the way it is with our lives. God is in control all the time. God has a provision for us
all the time, but we just can’t see it all the time until God chooses to reveal it to us. And this is
where it takes – what is it? It takes faith. It takes believing that God has everything in control. It
really does. Knowing that, knowing that – and again. Evidence says this. The real reality, the real
reality says this that God is in control of that situation and every situation.

I love when Jesus said this: when the disciples were – Peter in particular. When Jesus was
getting arrested in the garden and he cut off the servant’s ear. I didn’t look this up but I think it
was in that situation where he said know ye not that I can call down what was it? A legion of
angels. They could come and rescue me. I’m thinking the reality is that Jesus is being arrested.
What you see, the disciples are like oh, gosh. We have to save him. We have to defend him.
We’ve got to do this. Pick up our swords.

But Jesus sees the real reality and he knows. It’s one of those times when God peels back the
curtain and we get a chance to see what is really going on. Jesus says, don’t you know I could
call down a legion of angels? He could have said I don’t even need a legion. He could send down
one angel, and I’m free. But that’s not God’s will in this situation. This is what our lives – so
knowing this, what we just talked about, and we could say well that happened for Elisha. That
was then. That was the Old Testament. God doesn’t do that stuff anymore. I don’t know if
you’ve ever heard that. That was then. This is now. It’s different.

No, I believe it says that – Jesus said, in Hebrews it says Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today
and forever. Right? I am the Lord. I change not. The same God of the Old Testament who had
chariots of fire protecting the prophet, is the same God who has a provision for us no matter what our situation is. And therefore, now when we look at this verse in Matthew, and it says
“take no thought,” I mean hopefully we understand this gives us a little bit of an insight into
what God is saying here. Matthew 6:25-32. To me, that verse is the key to those previous verses.
Your heavenly Father knows. Is that enough for us? Is that enough for us to think with God no
matter what the situation is? Our Heavenly Father – I think I looked up “know.” What does he
say here? He understands, he pays attention to. God knows our situations and circumstances
better than we do.

So, God doesn’t want us – this is the thing. God knows that when we are consumed about
thinking about these things, that we are not consumed about thinking about him. That’s why it
says seek first him and all these things will be added unto you. But if we are consumed with
this, then we don’t have time for this. But if we are consumed with him, then these things will
be given to us and taken care of so we are not carrying around the burden of the unknown.
Isn’t that really what it is? It’s a burden of the unknown.

These things could happen. I could lose my job. I could kind of and before you know it, our head
is buried in the sand because we are so weighed down with this stuff. He says seek ye first me.
And I know you have need of this and this and this and this. I have it under control. [clap].
Thank you! It has nothing to do with me.

There’s another verse I want to read if I can find it here. 1 Peter 5:7, this is interesting. He careth
for you. Listen to what Kenneth Wuest says. It says that God has undertaken – listen. I love this.
God has undertaken the responsibility of caring for you. Wow! I love that. God has undertaken
the responsibility of caring for us. Like it’s his responsibility. I am a husband. I am a father. My
kids aren’t in the house anymore. I was responsible for caring for my children when I was
younger, my wife and I. But God has undertaken the responsibility of caring for us. And so, he
says to us, make a decision. This is what it says also in the Greek. I can’t find anything! “It’s a
definite act of the will. Casting is the act of our will committing to him our worries and saying I
am done worrying about this.”

In other words, we are saying in 1 Peter 5:7, that I am making a
definitive decision to give these cares that are burdening me and maybe bringing depression,
despair, whatever – I am making a conscious decision to give those to God and they are his
responsibility. God says I am taking responsibility for all of those cares, and you don’t have to
worry about them.

And therefore – go back to Matthew 6, take no thought for these things. Why? Cause God knows
about them and he’s taking responsibility for them. And this is the real reality of our lives. The
things that I’m talking about that’s going on in your life are real and I’m not saying they are not
real and they are unique to your situation. But God says I know what you are going through. I
know it. I know it. I know it. I have a provision. I’m taking responsibility for these things so you can be free of the burden of worrying about the unknown and what may come. This is
awesome. I love this.

I just want to close with, turn to Philippians 4:4-6, it says be anxious for nothing. Don’t be anxious for
anything. Kind of similar to what Jesus said, “take no thought.” The same Greek word. Same
message. Vs. 6. So, stop thinking about these things. In the Greek, it brings this perpetual
thinking about things you can’t control. Stop thinking about them, but through pray and
supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made know to God. Vs. 7. The peace of God
which passes all understanding. What does that mean? The understanding of my life and events
means I should not have peace, but this is talking about a peace that passes understanding. God
gives us a peace that is above our circumstances. It’s above what is going on in the world. It’s
above what is going on in our family. We have a peace that comes from God that is above it all.
That can rule and reign in our hearts.

People would say, hey, hey. Do you know what is going on in the world today? Did you see
what happened today? Yeah, I did. Well, do you know what that means? Yeah, I know what it
means, but I have a peace that passes understanding. I have a God – I don’t know the end of
this situation. I don’t know what it’s going to be, but I know that my God knows. I know that
God already has a provision for it. I know that God is well aware of it and whatever the
situation, however it’s resolved is in God’s hands and I don’t have to worry and be anxious
about it. I can have peace that passes understanding. It’s above it. It’s amazing that we can
have this with God.

Hopefully, this doesn’t sound like pie in the sky or unreachable but this is the life God has for all
of us. All of us. He wants us to live this way unburdened by all these things yet responsibilities
that we have, yes. This is not presumptuous, presumption. We don’t just go out and quit our
jobs and say God is going to take care – that’s not what we are talking about. That’s
presumption. That’s sin is what it says in the Bible. But we are talking about living a life before
God with a peace that is above all these circumstances. The devil wants to rob us of what? Our
peace. He wants to rob us of what? Our faith. He wants to rob us of what? Our joy. What does
it say? Rejoice in the Lord always. This is what he wants. He wants to reduce us to just an
unsaved type of life where everything that happens throws us into a – something. I don’t know
what. When I can’t think of a word, it means it’s time to be done! I’ll close with vs. 8. Amen?

Amen.