Trusting God In Everyday Living

Trusting God in Everyday Living

Matthew 6:25-34

July 3, 2005

Introduction

Before I get into the message for today, I want to extend a special invitation to make sure you’re here next week. We’re going to look at that all-important hot topic so important to our society, the issue of judging.

Back in the day, the most quoted verse was John 3:16 -

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

But now the most quoted verse is Matthew 7:1 -

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged."

How do we handle that? What was Jesus really talking about there? Can you give a good answer to someone who accuses you of being judgmental?

Believe me, the world sees Christians as being very judgmental, and we need to be able to respond to that charge in a reasoned and reasonable manner.

So be sure to come back next Sunday as we tackle that very sensitive issue.

But today, as we finish Matthew 6, I want us to look at the words of Jesus regarding how we can trust God in our everyday living.

So many people think God is just interested in your Sunday mornings, and that outside of that he’s either just waiting to strike someone down or giving them a free pass to heaven.

And the reality is that none of these perceptions is true. The fact of the matter is that God cares about you and me as individuals, and he cares about every single part of our lives.

And one of my hopes today is to reinforce that by looking at these words of Jesus.

I’ve told you that I’ve been thinking and praying through some phrases that we could use when describing how I’d like to our church to be viewed by those in the community and in the church.

One of those phrases is this: Real faith in a real God for real people in the real world. I want people to see that we believe God operates in and through the lives of his people in the everyday world that we all live in.

The truths of Scripture are timeless, folks. And this passage we’re going to cover today is a great example of the practicality of the Bible in our current time.

I’d like you to follow along with me as I read this passage. I’m reading from the New International Version, but you can read from whatever version you might be carrying with you today.

If you don’t have a Bible with you, you can use the blue Bibles in the seats in front of you. Our passage is found on page 685 of those Bibles.

Matthew 6:25-34 (p. 685)

MT 6:25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

MT 6:28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Let’s pray.

In this passage of Scripture, Jesus hits home with his talking about one of the most basic areas of everyday living: making ends meet.

We live in the greatest country in the world, and tomorrow we celebrate the birth of this country 229 years ago.

God has blessed our country, and we’ve become the richest nation in the world, and the only remaining super-power.

But in spite of that, we still have many thousands who live in poverty. And there are lots of people who work like dogs day in and day out, and still can’t pay the bills.