Don’t Worry
Matthew 6:25-34
Well, last week we talked about money. How do you look at money? Were you challenged at all this past week with your money? How was it this week when you decided how much was going to go in the offering plate this week? I hope that it was an act of worship this week if it hasn’t been previous.
Jesus follows his talk about money with a section on worry. This seems so appropriate to me since so many of us worry about money. I know that I do. I worry about if I will have enough money to pay all of the bills every month. I worry about what if we were hit by something catastrophic, where would the money come from. I worry about will Tyler have enough money to pay for his college and how much debt will my kids be saddled with when they graduate? I am sure that many of you can associate with these same worries about money.
We worry about the economy and the markets. What will the price of corn and beans do? There are more things we worry about then just economics. We worry about the future with all kinds of things. Will our kids follow Jesus, will they pass all their classes. We worry about things like are we good enough, are we pretty enough, do people like me and the list goes on and on. Maybe your worries even look like this…..
Show video “Worst Case Scenario” – From Worshiphousemedia.com
What is it that you worry about? Let’s see what Jesus had to say about this. Read Matthew 6:25-34
Don’t worry. Jesus was obviously talking to the people right then and there right and not to us. Jesus wasn’t staring at a broken political system with an upcoming election that looks like a mess. Jesus wasn’t in a time where traditional values are under assault right? He couldn’t possibly mean this for us could he?
I don’t know Jesus is telling the people to not worry. He himself will soon be facing death and all kinds of pleasantries and he says not to worry.
Most of us have a decision to make when it comes to meal time. It isn’t are we going to eat, it is what are we going to eat. In the morning when I get ready I stare at my closet and try to figure out what I am going to wear today. Am I feeling like dressing up a little bit more or am I going for a comfort look. What is the weather today? Do I need the warmth of a sweater or is it short sleeve weather. I don’t worry about not having clothes.
Jesus is telling the people here to not worry especially what you will eat and what you will wear. God had provided for these very necessities before in Israel’s history so why would he not provide for them again.
In the book of Deuteronomy Moses is reminding the people of how God has provided from them during their forty years of wandering. How do you pack when you are going on a trip? I remember when I was young and we would go on a trip my parents would pack sandwiches and food for us to eat. We would stop at a rest stop on park to eat our lunch. We had a pick-up camper and so we would fix all of our food along the way. When we ran out we simply stopped at the grocery store and restocked our supplies.
How does one pack for a forty year journey in the desert? And on a short time frame as well. The children of Israel went from slave to journeyer very quickly so there was not a lot of time to prepare. There was no store to stop and resupply. They did not have time to plant a crop to harvest. So what did they do in times of hunger?
God took care of their needs by sending them manna from heaven. They were out of food and they were crying out to Moses and he went to God and the Lord provided manna. The Lord was not leading them out of Egypt to only have them starve to death. God does not provide them with all kinds of food; no he provides them with manna. He provided for their needs. When the people would collect extra it would rot and become infested with maggots. The Lord also provided them at times with quail as well.
Days and years on end of manna I’m sure got quite old. God however was faithful, which couldn’t always be said for the people. I’m sure they did their share of complaining about the manna. God however had allowed them to go hungry first before he provided for their needs. God had a way of reminding them just how much they needed to rely upon their Heavenly Father. Without this manna from heaven they would starve. Moses is taking time in Deut. 4:8 to remind the people of how the Lord provided and to not forget how they needed to rely on him.
I would think one of the first things they did when they entered the Promised Land was to enjoy the bounty of food that was there. Moses was giving them a warning to not forget how the Lord provides even in time of prosperity and the need to continue to rely upon God and give him thanks for it all. When we have all we need we run into the danger of thinking that we did this all for ourselves.
Not only did God provide for their physical need of food but he also provided for them in clothing them. Again how do you pack for a forty year journey? Many of these people didn’t have much to start with so how were they to stay in clothing. The Lord took care of this as well. Their clothes did not wear out and neither did their sandals. Moses reminds them again of this in Deut. 29:5-6
During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet. You ate no bread and drank no wine or other fermented drink. I did this so that you might know that I am the Lord your God. So the people knew the stories of God’s provision.
Fast forward to Jesus now making these same types of statements to the people gathered there to listen to him. Just like today there was plenty to be worried about in Jesus time. Life under Rome wasn’t that great. Taxes were oppressive and yet many were prosperous. I’m guessing though that many that have come to hear Jesus are from the poorer sector of the economy. With all of the uphill challenges that are facing them Jesus tells them to not worry.
God cares about us. What kind of God would he be if he went to all the trouble to create us only to then let us fend for ourselves? God cares for all of creation and we are his most prized of all creation and so he will most definitely take care of our needs. Not always all of our wants but all of our needs. Our essential needs of food and clothing.
Even knowing how powerful God is how can we not worry about such things? I think Jesus knows that we are going to worry about things that are in front of us. Maybe it isn’t so much about not worrying and maybe it is more about not letting the worry consume our thoughts and lives.
Can we replace the word “worry” with “concerned”? As we look to our future we are naturally going to be concerned and wonder what lies ahead and yet what can we do about it. If we worry and let it become our focus it will soon consume us and our thoughts, kind of like the video we watched. Our minds race and we begin to think the worst. Worry immobilizes us, but concern moves you to action.
What do we do next? We begin to figure out ways to avert these disasters that we are so concerned about. What is wrong with that?
We race to what are we going to do, right past what is God going to do? That doesn’t mean that we just sit back and let everything come to us. When we are concerned we fall on our knees in front of Jesus and give it to him. We ask for Jesus to show us a way to provide a solution to what comes next. We have a part to play in our lives and God gives us the wisdom and ability to go out and provide. He shifted the people of Israel from a total reliance upon God for their daily bread to reliance upon God to provide for them as the raised a crop.
When we are “hungry” or unable to provide for what is needed God will be there to provide should he choose to do so. This is so hard to understand because yes there have been Christians who starve or who are killed because of their faith. It is not ours to question but out of obedience to follow God. Remember this faith of ours in God still comes with some mystery because we don’t always know all of God’s ways. He has demonstrated though that he will never leave us.
Jesus is telling them all that everyone has these questions in life even the pagans. What separates us from them though? Jesus is telling us to seek the kingdom and his righteousness first. What separates us from all others is that we go to God first. We are not called to live our lives like those who do not believe. Our lives to be devoted to God and his ways for us. We are to trust in God that he will provide for us. Those who don’t believe rely upon themselves and are so often left empty.
Jesus life would so be given for all of those that were listening. If God cared so much to send his son to die for us why do we think that God would not care about our everyday needs? The difficulty still comes with our needs verses our wants. Where are we storing up our treasures?
When we worry or when we try to do everything on our own we are saying that we really don’t trust God. When we worry and let them consume us we are saying that we know and that we have a better handle on what is going on in our lives than God.
It is good to plan ahead for the future. When we let God guide our thoughts and help us plan for our future it will help alleviate the worry about what is next. When we do this it will strengthen our relationship with God because we are constantly in communication with him about what comes next.
Don’t let the world pull you in. Don’t listen to all the noise and gloom that the world tries to throw at us. Are we facing hard times ahead? Absolutely, but with Christ we can conquer all. Rely upon God to shield you from the storms of life. Trust that he will always care for you. God loves you, Jesus died for you and the Spirit guides you. Trust that God has a plan and that you are a part of it.
Amen
May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that the great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen – Hebrews 13:20-21
