Living a worry-free life

25 “Therefore I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Consider the birds of the sky: They don’t sow or reap or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren’t you worth more than they? 27 Can any of you add one moment to his life span by worrying? 28 And why do you worry about clothes? Observe how the wildflowers of the field grow: They don’t labor or spin thread. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was adorned like one of these. 30 If that’s how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and thrown into the furnace tomorrow, won’t he do much more for you—you of little faith? 31 So don’t worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 6:25-34

Why are you worried?

Most of you would agree with me that worry is not a stranger to your heart… It sits with you in the quiet hours of the night. It walks with you into your workday the following day, reminding you of responsibilities that you cannot escape. And when you look into wallet, worry gives you a list of monthly stack of bills, including the ones that are unnecessarily due in the next 6 months. It turns every conversation you have with your partner and your employer into a crisis. It threatens to end your marriage and your job.

For many of you seated here today, peace feels like a luxury that you just can’t be able to afford in this day and age.

I want to remind you this morning that worry is not a new problem. Neither is it a respecter of persons. It is as old as humanity itself. It has plagued humanity ever since the fall of mankind in Genesis 3. It affects the young and the old. The rich man and the poor alike. Worry affects the educated and the uneducated. It affects the teacher and the student, the pastor and his congregant. They face this problem.

A young teenager is thinking about so many options to choose about the most successful career that he will take to make him live up to his dream, therefore he worries… The young lady wonders whether the man who wants to marry her is ready to build a secure future with her, furnish their home, afford a decent apartment, and build a stable life, therefore, she worries. The elderly man walking by the dam worries about his health and asks himself whether his years of hard work have been enough to secure the best retirement that so many of his peers seem to enjoy, and so he worries. Have you observed the manager of a flourishing business lately? He is concerned about how the profits will double up in the next phase of the financial year, therefore he worries. Worry has become one of the defining characteristics of a busy modern day life. If you check the statistics today, millions of doses of medication for anxiety and depression are taken every day around the world to keep people from the realities of their own worries. And it never gets any better.

The Scriptures provide something better to cope with this morning…

Propositional statement: The sermon is going to expose what you worry about and why you as a disciple of Christ need not worry but instead it will guide you on how to respond to your worry so that your heart may rest in the Father’s care and be free to pursue His kingdom.

I have divided the passage into three sections to make it possible for you to remember the message.
1. The problem- what you worry about (verse 25-31)
2. The reason- why you shouldn’t worry at all(verse 32)
3. The response- how you can respond to worry (verse 33-34)

I want to draw your attention to the context of the passage,

This is a section of the sermon of Jesus, famously known as the Sermon on the Mount where the Lord Jesus Himself is preaching to His disciples. If you look at the surrounding verses in this passage, Jesus has been addressing the two masters that seek control over the human heart. A person will either be mastered by money or be mastered by God. Either money will rule the heart or God will rule the heart. And how we speak about our possessions reveals weather the eyes of our hearts are fixated in heaven or on earth. The person who treasures earthly things and seeks security in material possessions will inevitably become anxious when those things are uncertain, it to this context that Jesus is addressing the problem of worry.

Notice the word “therefore” at the beginning of verse 25. Jesus is drawing a conclusion from what He has already said.

Let’s tackle our first point.

The problem: what you worry about

According to our text, you can be able to recognize that worry revolves around at least three things; we worry about food, drink and clothing according to verse 25 and 31. (read verse 25a)

When the Lord Jesus is speaking these words, his words are landing on the ears of ordinary men. These are people who do not enjoyed financial security, they have no retirement plans or modern healthcare system. These were people who were living under the Roman rule. Many of his disciples were daily labourers, some were fishermen, others were farmers and craftsmen. Their next meal would often depend on the next day’s work. The heavy taxation by the Roman rule and religious taxes would place an enormous pressure on their wages.

And this would place a huge financial burden on men and their families. In the event of a poor harvest or a sick bread winner who might go a few days without work, this could mean hunger for an entire family. Therefore, these circumstances would definitely create the temptation to worry whether they would have enough for tomorrow.

Verse 31 exposes what ideally runs into your mind whenever you find yourself this circumstance, (what will we eat, what will we drink, what will we wear?) And so we worry too much.

When Jesus commands His disciples, “Do not worry, stop worrying,” He is not dismissing their needs or pretending that life is easy on them. He is addressing the deeper issue behind their worry. It’s a spiritual problem.

The problem with our worry is what we have lived to believe life is all about. We have believed a lie. Our society tells us that if you can get the right qualification, the right job, the right salary, the right house, and enough savings, then you will finally be secure. But even after people obtain those things, they still worry. What could be the reason? The problem was never a lack of possessions; the problem was a wrong view of life.

Jesus is challenging this view by asking, “Isn’t life not more than food and the body more than clothing?”

Put yourself in the shoes of Jesus’ disciples for a moment. If your next meal depends upon tomorrow’s work, and if one illness threatens everything you had, if you happen to experience retrenchment at your current work place, what question would naturally begin to occupy your mind?

The most obvious response is, “my world is falling apart, my life has come to an end, my dreams has been shattered”. You may not be asking a similar question today as to where you will get your next meal, but you might be asking something similarly different. Perhaps you are worried about the future of your children, perhaps you may be wondering about whether the saving that you placed into a business will survive. You might even be having sleepless nights wondering about the unpaid mortgage and credits.
Consider the birds of the sky (verse 26). The birds do not have the advantages that we have. They do not sow seed, reap harvests, or gather into barns. They do not have bank accounts, insurance policies, or resources stored away for tomorrow. You might easily dismiss Jesus by arguing that these are animals. But we need not to underestimate how billions of birds survive in the entire universe. It is God who feeds them. The birds do not look to themselves as the ultimate source of their survival; they depend on the One who feeds them. Therefore Birds naturally sing their praises to the Heavenly Father. The sing to glorify the one who feeds them.

If God faithfully cares for creatures that He has created, how much more will He care for those who bear His image and call Him Father? The problem is, we don’t see it that way.

When Jesus speaks about drink, His audience surely understood the concern, he meant water. They lived in a dry land, in what is now called the modern-day Israel and the Palestinian regions, where access to water is depended on wells, springs, and rainfall. Their concern was real. But Jesus is teaching a very important principle here by saying “your heavenly father feeds them”. Even in a world or country where resources are uncertain, the heavenly Father is actively in charge to sustain His creation. No one lies awake wondering how this world will be sustained except the Father who created all things.

And when he spoke about clothing in verses 27-30, they could tell what he is talking about. Clothing in those days were not cheap or easy to replace. It had to take a significant investment of time and resources to buy one. Clothes in those day were hand-made. It would cost time to grow and harvest wool and fibre in the field. As compared to today, there was no factories and industries to produce garments as we do today. A man with a wardrobe full of garments would be considered very rich man.

But Jesus would say, not even Solomon with all of his wealth comes close to the beauty of the wildflowers.

God has graciously made His creation a teacher for us. Through the things He has made, we can learn something about His wise care for his creation.

Observe, look, and learn. Jesus invites His disciples to pay attention to creation in order to discover something about the Father’s character. He is teaching them to look beyond his creation to the Father who sustains it. It reveals who is in charge of every breath that has life. The only one who can prolong your days is not a secure account balance or a good life insurance policy, it is God who determines the length of your days here on earth. And so this leads us to the second point.

We have looked at the problem, what exactly you worry about,

Now am going to explain to you the reason why you should not worry

The reason: why you mustn’t worry

For the gentiles eagerly seek all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

Other translations use the word pagans. To be a pagan or a gentile in this text means someone who lives without the knowledge of God as Father. These are people whose life exemplify that God has got no place in their lives.The pursuit of a secure life on earth is what dominates their thinking, it dominates their values, it is their ultimate purpose in life. The confidence of such a man is found in what he can earn and store up for himself. The desires of his heart is controlled by his pursuits and ambitions to secure a future that he is not sure if he will get there or not. He will get out of the way to double the income, he will compromise his integrity, he will exploit his employees. To him, spending only 30 minutes’ time his wife and children in a week is not a problem, he can decide to look for two employments. The reason is not that he has been found a worthy and faithful steward, but he wants secure his life. If you look at the kind of calibre of this man, his identity is built upon what he possesses. He is cruel and careless; he mocks the reality of God.

What does this mean to you, according to Jesus, a person who lives such a life is a Gentile. A godless person. You may not openly deny God with your lips, but your life can tell that you do know God yet. You’re blind to see that God knows and He provides. You might forget as well that what you possess and what you have achieved so far is because of the gracious hand of God. And so you worry.

1) How many times have you ended up sacrificing what matters most in life for the pursuit of a future that you have got no control over?

2) What motives drive you to neglect being faithful at the present with what God has entrusted to you?

We can unknowingly teach our children that life is all about getting a good education, finding a good job, earning a good salary, and living comfortably. And then we stop there. We fail to point them to the one who guarantees what education and a good earning salary cannot guarantee. We fail to introduce them to the gospel early. And our kids learn from us very well. Do they see a man who live like a pagan or a man who exemplifies a dad who trusts the heavenly Father?

Illustration A father once taught about how he deals with request from his children. Whenever his son or daughter comes to ask for a basic need, even though he might have the money, the first thing he will tell his kid is, let us take it to the Father in prayer. Let us ask him for guidance and provision. And then they will both pray.
This earthly father is teaching his children that there is Heavenly Father whom our jobs, our houses, our food and clothing comes from.

He is worth looking up to for basic necessities and direction in life.

We have looked at the problem, what we worry about, we have also looked at the reason as to why you mustn’t live a life of worry.
Now we will be looking at our last point,

The Response- how to deal with worry

33 But seek first the kingdom of God[k] and his righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you. 34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Instead of worry, what are you supposed to be doing?

There are three things that Jesus is not telling his disciples to do;
a) Jesus is not telling his disciples that they must never work.
b) Neither is he telling his disciples that they must never save.
c) He is not telling them that they must never plan.

All along, Jesus has not been saying birds are idle. Therefore be idle. That’s not the main message of the text. Anyone who has watched birds knows they are constantly searching for food, building nests, and caring for their young. Yet it is the Father who constantly meets their needs.

Or haven’t you read Proverbs 6:6-8 where it says,

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.”

What has he been trying to achieve then by saying seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness?

He is correcting our perspective. The kingdom of God and his righteousness is what should preoccupy our values, our plans. It should preoccupy the motivation of our striving in our occupations, and how we spend our lives.

By the kingdom of God and his righteousness I do not a physical place where people go to. That’s not what the text means. It means to making God’s rule, His purposes, and priorities our highest pursuit in life. And this applies to everybody. Whether you are young or old, it is possible to live each day for God’s purposes and priorities.

And this is evident by how we live and make decisions each day.

d) If you check your last week’s schedule, did it reflect a man or a woman who has God’s priorities in mind?
e) To husbands, have you led your families last week towards God by your family devotions and as an example of dependence upon God?
f) Young adults in the room, as you envision your future job and your future family, are you thinking about pursuing family God’s way and having your life spent accountablly to God?

And as he promises that all these things will be added to you, He promises that their Father knows what you will need and He will faithfully provide what is necessary for you to accomplish His purposes. And according to the text, he provides what you need at the moment.

Illustration. Think about a child preparing for school. A child may come to his father and say, “I need this new expensive item because everyone else has it.” But a wise father knows the difference between what his child wants and what his child actually needs.

Application for believers

What is the greatest compelling reason that God has proven that he cares about your life?

a. If you ever question whether God cares for you, look to the cross and learn from it. At the Cross of Christ, you will be thankful to learn that the Father did not just provide what sustains your temporary life; He provided His Son to atone for every debt of sin, that you may have eternal Life.
b. Work to be faithful with each days task, save as a wise steward, plan as you submit yourself to God’s sovereign rule. Trust your future in your father’s wise care.
c. If God has provided you with extra food, drink, clothing and other resources, make the most use of your life and resources to advance the Gospel in your home, the local church at your workplace.

Application for non-believer.

There are some that am worried that they have a reason to be worried about their life today,

1) You’ve got to be worried that you are not in the Kingdom of God in the first place. You’ve got to be worried that the wrath of God is still abiding on you. You haven’t sought out the Lord Jesus who is the true bread of life. You may have the most expensive robes in the world but am afraid that you are not clothed in the robe that makes you acceptable to God. You are still blind in your sins and living for your own achievements. And when you die today, there is no way that you will enter into the next world with your achievements and possessions. You need cleansing and forgiveness of sins to enter the kingdom of God. But I have good news for you, God has provided a way.

Call upon the name the Lord Jesus, ask him to cleans you and to forgive you of your sins, trust Him in life and death. He never casts away those who come to Him with a genuine heart.

Today is the day to come to the Saviour, it’s the day to ask Him for forgiveness of your sins, because tomorrow may never find you prepared.

Conclusion

As I conclude, Jesus is not promising that you will not face troubles that worry you. And so the question as to whether you will live a worry free life tomorrow is not whether you will have difficulties tomorrow? The answer is yes, even greater troubles. Jesus already tells us that tomorrow will bring its own troubles. The question is, “Whom will you trust when those troubles come in life and in death?”