On Sunday mornings we are going through Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). This week we will look at Matthew 6:25-34 where Jesus talks about “worry“. A parallel account can be found in Luke 12:22-34.
- Luke 12:25-26 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
Jesus commands us not to worry. It is good to plan and work responsibly; it is bad to dwell on all the ways our planning could go wrong. Worry is pointless because it can’t fill any of our needs; worry is foolish because God loves us and knows what we need. He promises to meet all our needs; but not necessarily all our desires.
Worrying is not the same as being concerned. There are times when we need to be concerned, Jesus doesn’t say not to be concerned, he says not to worry. What’s the difference?
What is the difference between worry and concern?
• Concern is when an issue arrests the attention of an individual where he would begin to care and feel distressed. This will be followed by trying to find solutions.
• Worrying is about being uneasy or anxious about something. This will lead the person to go to the same matter again and again without much luck at getting anywhere.
• Unlike concern, worry is a futile effort that drains a person as it is a process that does not benefit the individual but makes the person even more miserable.
• Concern leads an individual towards a solution whereas worry does not lead the individual towards a solution, but to the very place that he started at.
Simply put, the difference between worry and genuine concern is that worry immobilizes, but concern moves you into action.
Worry – To give way to anxiety or unease; to allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.
A state of anxiety and uncertainty over actual or potential problems.
Read Matthew 6:25-34
1. The same God who created life in you can be trusted with the details of your life.
- Matthew 6:25 “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 than food, and the body more than clothes?
2. Worrying about the future hampers your efforts today.
- Matthew 6:26 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?
- Psalm 139:13-14 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
3. Worrying is more harmful than helpful.
- Matthew 6:27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Elaborate
Ecclesiastes 8:8 says that no one has power over the time of their death; so why worry about it? In fact it’s more likely that too much worry will actually shorten a person’s life. Some research even suggests personality traits associated with chronic worrying can lead to an earlier death.
4. God does not ignore those who depend on Him.
- Matthew 6:28-30 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor 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—you of little faith?
Remember Elijah being fed by the Ravens and a widow (1 Kings 17). In a nation that was required to care for its prophets, it is ironic that God turned to ravens (an unclean bird) and a widow (a foreigner from Jezebel’s home territory) to care for Elijah. God has help where we least expect it. He provides for us in ways that go beyond our narrow definitions or expectations. No matter how bitter our trials or how seemingly hopeless our situation, we should look for God’s caring touch instead of worrying. We may find His providence in some strange places.
5. Worry shows a lack of faith in and understanding of God.
- Matthew 6:31-32 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. Elaborate
Jesus said do not worry; but how can we avoid it? Only faith can free us from the anxiety caused by being in the world. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. The 1984 NIV translation says that faith is being sure and certain.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
6. There are real challenges God wants us to pursue, and worrying keeps us from them.
- Matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
To “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness” means to turn to God first for help, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything. What is really important to you? People, objects, goals, and other desires all compete for priority. Any of these can quickly bump God out of first place if you don’t actively choose to give Him first place in every area of your life.
Seeking the Kingdom of God means making Jesus Lord and King of your life. He must control every area of your life – work, play, relationships. Is the Kingdom of God just one of your many concerns, or is it central to all you do? Are you holding back any areas in your life from God’s control? God is God and we are not, if we are willing to follow Him he will provide what we need and guide us in how to use what He provides.
- 2 Peter 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
7. Living one day at a time keeps us from being consumed with worry.
- Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, worrying about tomorrow is time wasted. Sometimes it’s difficult to tell the difference. Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps, and schedules, and trusting in God’s guidance. When done well, planning can help alleviate worry. Worriers, by contrast, are consumed by fear and find it difficult to trust God. They let plans interfere with their relationship with God. Don’t let worries about tomorrow affect your relationship with God and with others today.
Because of the ill effects of worry, Jesus tells us not to worry about those needs that God promises to supply. Worry may (1) damage your health, (2) cause the object of your worry to consume your thoughts, (3) disrupt your productivity, (4) negatively affect the way you treat others, and (5) reduce your ability to trust in God. We have seen some of the reasons not to worry but how do we stop worrying so much?
The key to not worrying is found in Matthew 6:19-21. ”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 treasure 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.
Therefore, the proper attitude for the Christian is to seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness. We must put into proper perspective the things of the world and the things of the Kingdom. Jesus simplifies life for His followers. There is a great temptation to become overwhelmed and enslaved to certain needs such as food, drink, and clothing. But Jesus liberates us from anxieties and calls us back to an eternal perspective . But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness (Matthew 6:33) doesn’t mean our basic human needs are not important, but it does instruct us to purge ourselves of any desire that may take its place before our affection for God. Few truly grasp this great reality and even fewer allow it to be the testimony of their lives. The ability to surrender one’s affection and focus on this command of Jesus will serve as a catalyst to have influence beyond what one could possibly imagine.