The Truth About Worry Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

CrossWay Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

We are coming to the closing of the sixth chapter of Matthew, taking us two -thirds of the way through the Sermon on the Mount. And as we conclude this chapter we come to the subject of worry. Jesus tells us that worry is a practice for the pagan that is a sin for the believer because it questions the very character of God and strikes at his promises.

It is no surprise that the issue of worry comes on the heals of the issue of money. Our culture is a climate of worry and much of the reason of that is that many in power try to use fear to control. And so many of the worries of the world are surrounding the economic stability. In fact, as I was writing this message, I received an email from a news source with the headline: “Urgent: U.S. Credit Downgraded Under Biden.” The culture of fear and worry over money and security will literally drive people to suicide. People worry over their stocks, their properties, their retirements, and rising inflation. It is that kind of fear that will compel many to willingly take the Mark of the Beast.

“For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27 “And who of you by being worried can add a single cubit to his life span? 28 “And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31 “Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ 32 “For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:25–34 LSB)

So our question before us this morning is, “What is the biblical response to worry?” There are many passages throughout the Old and New Testaments that exhort us not to worry, but what exactly does that look like? Does that mean we approach life with a Laissez-faire kind of approach? What was Jesus saying? Jesus’ teaching in 6:25 begins with the word “therefore.” That is, there is something in the previous passage that forbids worry. In Matthew 6:24 Jesus gave us a choice—“You cannot serve both God and Money.” And so the conclusion is that if your life is concerned with money, your life will be filled with anxiety over money. If you life is concerned with the things of God, you will no longer be concerned about temporal things.

Three times in our passage, Jesus tells us not to worry: Verse 25, verse 31, and verse 34. In verses 25 and 31, Jesus tells us not to worry about food, water, and clothing. In verse 25 it is a present imperative; stop, not. In verse 31 he is talking about worry over the future of these things. In verse 34, Jesus tells us not to worry about tomorrow. And all of this defines for the disciples the attitude with how believers should live our lives in a material world.

In first century Palestine, these were of great concern. ?n fact most people lived their entire lives trying to stay hydrated, fed, and clothed. There was no running water and in the heat of the summer, streams would dry up, food was a constant chore of life, and most people had a single set of clothes to live by. You either made a rare trip to the market to replace your clothes or you made your own. But Jesus gives us three reasons never to worry:

1. Worry is Unnecessary Because of Your Heavenly Father?

2. Worry is Uncharacteristic Because of Your Faith

3. Worry is Unwise Because of the Future

(main points adapted from John MacArthur's message from this passage)