Living In the Kingdom Part 17
Scripture: Matthew 6:25-34; Psalm 90:12; Psalm 139:23-24
This is a continuation of my series, “Living in the Kingdom.” This morning I want to share what Jesus said about worrying. We will be looking at verses twenty-five through thirty-four of Matthew chapter six which says, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take you thought for clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. 29And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘How shall we be clothed?’ 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. 33But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6:25-34)
Before I get into the message this morning I want you to think about how much time you spend worrying about something that has not taken place yet. Do you know that 100% of the things we worry about are things that have not happened yet? For example, you get a doctor’s report that says you have a serious illness. Well we know we have the illness but we begin to worry about the outcome. Then we find out that the illness is treatable but the treatment is costly and the side-effects could be bad. So what do we do? Do we stop and thank God that there is a treatment that will cure us or do we go into the worrying of how we are going to pay for the treatment and how bad the side-effects are going to be? We spend a lot of time worrying about something. If you lived to be 80 years old, you would have walked this earth for 29,200 days. Think about it? If you were to find yourself worrying only a total of 48 hours in one week (equivalent of 2 days a week), if you lived to be 80 years old you would have spent 8,320 days worrying. That’s the equivalent of worrying every day for almost 23 years and we know some people worry more than this. That’s 23 years out of 80 that is possibly spent doing an activity that one, is not healthy for us, and two, is an activity taking us away from simply believing in God and what His word says. I used the term “possibly” because not all acts of concerns is because we do not believe that God has us, but in this message I am focusing on those activities that do demonstrate that we are struggling having faith in God in our situation.
Moses prayed the following as recorded in Psalm 90:12, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” What Moses was asking for was for God to help us understand that our days are few on this earth so we need to use our time here wisely – choosing to serve Him faithfully. Think of the average child today. The first ten years of their lives are spent playing and having fun (even though they have to go to school.) The next ten years of their lives are spent playing, having fun and managing their hormonal changes and impulses. If this is accurate, the first twenty years of their life is spent doing what they want to do and enjoying themselves. For some people this continues into their thirties, forties and fifties. If the average child lived to be eighty years old, then twenty-five percent of their life was spent having fun and doing what they wanted. This time is not necessarily spent with a focus on God and the fact that Jesus died for them. Moses’ request of God was to help the people understand that they have a limited amount of time here on this earth and hopefully by understanding this they would make wise decisions as it related to their walk with God.
David stated the following in Psalm 139:23-24, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.” When you read the verses preceding these you find that David understood that before he was even born that God knew him. He understood that God was aware and knew him at the point of his conception and that there were days that had been ordained for him. He asked God to search him and know his heart and his “anxious thoughts.” Consider what he was asking God. He wanted God to know his anxious thoughts so that at those moments God could intervene. We are all aware of what worrying can do to us physically so when David made this request of God and then ended the request with “and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way” he was requesting help. He wanted God to remove anything within him that was hurtful to him. If you have not picked up on it yet, worrying is hurtful for us.
Now let’s go back to what Jesus said in Matthew chapter six. In these verses Jesus made a difference between those who are children of God and understand what God is doing for them and those who are either not children of God or, if they are, are not living like they know what God has promised them. Jesus spoke of those who are worrying about the things of this world. They worry about clothes, food, jobs, etc. They worry about the things that the world tells them to worry about. Their health; their 401K; their home; their car; their job; their kids; and the list go on and on. While this is a normal response for all of us – it is also a learned response. And, just as this is a learned response, we can also choose to learn a new response. Jesus said the children of God do not worry about these things. Why? Because God has them! Because God knows what we have need of and is already providing for us, even BEFORE we ask. Because God is proactive!!! As Children of God Jesus said we should not be worrying about the things the world worries about.
In verses 25-27 Jesus says, “Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall put on. Is not the life more than food, and the body than clothing? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” The very first thing Jesus says is “Take no thought.” New Light, He’s telling us that we can choose to take and accept a thought or we choose not to take and accept a thought. It’s our decision. As we continue reading this passage, I want you to think about the thoughts you are choosing to take and accept that are making you worry and whether or not they agree with what the Bible says – agree with what God has said. In these verses Jesus address our distrustful anxiety pertaining to our “needs.” He stresses that God, who has given life, which is more than food, will take care to provide food for the maintenance of life, and He, Who framed the body, which is more valuable than the clothes adorning it, will also provide needed clothes. Jesus stresses that if God provides food for the birds of the air then most certainly He will provide for His own children. In verse twenty-seven Jesus tells us that our worrying will not add anything to our stature. He said that our worrying cannot produce any good effect for even when a man has eaten he still cannot make himself stronger or taller.
Jesus continues with, “And why take you thought for clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin. 29And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘How shall we be clothed?’ 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things.” Jesus said as God clothe the grass and flowers of the field with more colors than all the glory which Solomon's garments had therefore God’s children should not be worrying about food and clothes (as if God would not be providing for them.) He said that anxiously seeking the things of this earth is what unbelievers (Gentiles) who are deprived of the knowledge of God and ignorant of the heavenly things He has prepared for His children do. Therefore Christians, who are supposed to know and understand their heavenly Father, should avoid this godless worry because we are not fatherless, nor is our Father ignorant, unable or careless about caring for us!
Finally Jesus says, “But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for tomorrow: for tomorrow shall take thought of the things for itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” He said we should seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness - FIRST! We have the kingdom of God and His righteousness as our primary focus and if we are seeking those earnestly we will not need to be anxious for food or clothing because we remember that we have a Father looking after our needs. By seeking God and His righteousness first, everything that we need will be granted to us because our focus is on Him. Jesus said we should not spend time worrying about tomorrow. We should not spend our time today borrowing the troubles of tomorrow which may or may not happen. Tomorrow, should we see it, shall bring with it its own cares and will have sufficient trouble by itself. Therefore neither our time today nor our time to come should be made more miserable by anxiously anticipating trouble before they come.
In this powerful teaching Jesus tells us that while our worrying does nothing for our situation it does reflects our level of faith (vs. 30). Jesus states that our lives are much more than what we worry about on a day to day basis and compares us to the birds of the air that God takes care of. He stresses that we are much more important to God than the birds of the air and if God takes care of them He will surely take care of us. In verse twenty-seven Jesus asks the question if our worrying can add one additional hour to our lives and we all know that it cannot. What Jesus makes clear in verse thirty-three is that we should seek God’s kingdom first and then everything else that we need would be added to us. Based on this truth Jesus says that we should not worry about tomorrow for it will take care of itself as each day (today) has enough trouble of its own. When I read this (and have others to read it) I think about the times that I have spent worrying about tomorrow. When I am worrying about tomorrow, I am not focused on what I can do today because my mind is wrapped up in tomorrow. Is this how God wants us to live? I do not think so!
I want to offer this final thought. Jesus said “…seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” What is your definition of first? Does it mean after you have exhausted all other means of getting what you want? Does it mean after you have worried yourself sick that you reach the point of seeking God? How do you define first? The Encarta dictionary defines “first” as, “preceding or ahead of any others in order; forming a basis or foundation for something.” As it relates to seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, it means just that, before you do anything else. Before the worry. Before the stress. Before the sleepless nights. Before the back-up plans. Before the ideas you receive from friends and family or the internet. Seeking the kingdom of God and His righteousness first means just that, first! Before you do anything else! Why should you do this? Because what you find when seeking the Kingdom of God and His righteousness will become the very foundation for how you will respond to worries in the future! Actually, what you find becomes your foundation for not worrying at all. Remember, the foundation must be laid before anything can be built upon it. Nothing can be built without a foundation. In order for us to be able to not worry in situations when others will requires a foundation of knowledge of Who God is as our Father and that can only come through seeking Him. Seeking God and His righteousness should never come “after” ANYTHING.
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we will “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6-7)
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we know that “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4)
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we know that “….If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31b)
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we know that things will work out because “Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. 8For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreads out its roots by the river, and shall not fear when the heat comes, but its leaf shall be green; and shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we believe God when He said, “Fear not; for I am with you: be not dismayed; for I am your God: I will strengthen you; yea, I will help you; yea, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.” (Isaiah 41:10)
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we can “Cast your burden upon the LORD, and He shall sustain you: He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.” (Psalm 55:22)
When we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness first, then we know that “…..God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:19)
We worry because we do not have the answer to a situation. Because we do not know the answer as to how something will work out, we default to worse-case scenarios. We do this because if we can imagine the worse that can happen and we can formulate a reasonable plan for it, then things might be okay. If the worse-case scenario does not happen then by default we are able to handle the other potential situations. Now here is my point, it is easier to worry about what we don’t have an answer for than to believe in God Who does have the answer and that is what we must focus on changing. Jesus told us that we do not need to worry about the things of this life. What are we saying to Him when we do the opposite of what He said we should do? What does our worrying say about our faith or lack thereof? Seek the kingdom and His righteousness FIRST and everything we need shall be taken care of.
Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
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