A Messiah Who Provides Series

A Messiah Who Provides

Text: Matt. 6:25-34

Introduction

1. Illustration: Corrie Ten Boom spoke of the unraveling effects of worry, when she said, “Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, but it empties today of it’s strength.”

2. The Mayo Clinic claims that 80-85% of their total caseload is due directly to worry and anxiety.

3. Jesus tells us not to worry because He will provide for us. He does so because:

a. He values us

b. He cares about us

c. He has a purpose for us

4. Read Matt. 6:25-34

Proposition: Instead of worrying we should place our faith and trust in God.

Transition: We need to recognize that Jesus...

I. Provides Because He Values Us (25-27).

A. Far More Valuable to Him

1. Jesus assures us that he is in control when he says, “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?"

a. He doesn’t just tell us not to worry, but gives a good reason why we shouldn’t worry.

b. That is why I tell you refers back to the previous verse, in which Jesus declares that a Christian’s only Master is God.

c. He is therefore saying, "Because God is your Master, I tell you not to worry" (The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-7).

d. God is not only the Master of you, but he is master of the universe and everything is in his control.

e. In the Greek, the command do not worry includes the idea of stopping what is already being done. In other words, we are to stop worrying and never start it again.

2. Furthermore, it’s not just the big issues of life that we shouldn’t worry about, but every aspect of our lives should be free from worry.

a. Everyday life makes the command all-inclusive.

b. The word life is a comprehensive term that encompasses all of a person’s being—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Jesus is referring to life in its fullest possible sense.

c. Absolutely nothing in any aspect of our lives, internal or external, justifies our worrying when we have the Master we do.

d. Worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other.

e. You heard me correctly, worry is a sin! "Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God" (Mounce, 58).

f. The English term worry comes from an old German word meaning to strangle, or choke.

g. That is exactly what worry does; it is a kind of mental and emotional strangulation, which probably causes more mental and physical afflictions than any other single cause (The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-7).

3. The needs that Jesus mentions here are the most basic—what we eat, what we drink, and what we put on.

a. Throughout Bible times, food and water could seldom be taken for granted.

b. When there was little snow in the mountains there was little water in the rivers, and inadequate rainfall was frequent.

c. Shortage of water naturally brought shortage of food, which seriously affected the whole economy and made clothes harder to buy.

d. Yet Jesus said, do not worry about any of these things.

4. Jesus twice uses a standard type of Jewish argument traditionally called qal wahomer-"how much more?" (vv. 26, 30).

a. Not only is life more important than food which sustains it, but it also consists of much more. A life which is dominated by worry about food is missing out on the more of life (France, 267).

b. Jesus is saying that there are more important things in life than these seemingly indispensable things, and the thing that is most important to him is you.

c. It is amazing that we value things, but God values people.

d. You have heard both Tina and I talk about our favorite Hebrew term segullah, which was term that described a kings most prized possession. You are God’s segullah - his most precious treasure.

e. So why should you worry?

5. Jesus illustrates this point by saying, "Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?"

a. There are many birds in northern Galilee, and it is likely that Jesus pointed to some passing birds as He said, Look at the birds.

b. As an object lesson, He called attention to the fact that birds do not have intricate and involved processes for acquiring food (The - MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Matthew 1-7).