Worry no More
Matthew: God's Promises Fulfilled • Sermon • Submitted
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Jesus knows that what we are most concerned with- that is what we will worry about.
Jesus knows that what we are most concerned with- that is what we will worry about.
He knows your deepest thoughts— he knows that what you are most devoted to, that is what fuels what you think about, what you worry about.
I think that works the opposite way as well— whatever we are worried about, that’s probably the thing we are most devoted to.
We don’t often think about it that way, but Jesus today wants to reveal the mystery and what’s at the core of our worry.
Another way to visualize this is to consider our own personal— tape measure. Do you know what this is? This helps us measure how long or wide or deep something is. It helps us to get an idea of how BIG something really is— it can look smaller or larger, but we measure it— and that’s how we know what we are really dealing with.
Let me share a little example— You may not want to hear this from your pastor, but just being real here— so don’t tell anybody— but I don’t worry about - your job.
Like really— I’m not devoted to your job, so I’m not really worried about your job. If you called me, or sent an email and told me you are losing your job, or you got fired, — I would sympathize, I would feel compassion and care— but I’m not what I would consider “worried” about your job.
Also— I’m never worried about your kids’ grades. Like ever. Do I care, Yes- of course I care— If you contacted me and told me your son’s failing math or English or whatever— I’m there, I’m joining you in prayer— but I’m not sitting at home worried about that. Why? Because I’m not devoted to your kid’s success in school. - My measuring tape for that is different than yours.
You see— I’m worried about the things that I’m devoted to.
What you worry about reflects your core devotion.
Here’s a little question for you.
What if you were able to shift your devotion— would that shift your worry also? That’s an amazing thought.
The bible is awesome, and our Lord Jesus is brilliant— and he is going to take us on a little journey of logic and thought provoking wisdom— and I think we’re going to end up at that destination— that if we can connect devotion with worry— we’ll understand a lot about the kingdom of God and how Jesus would want us to live.
Remember last week, we are coming right off a challenging part of the teaching— where Jesus is saying “I want you to see your possessions, your resources, in a whole new light”. Don’t be mastered by anything except Jesus himself. It’s like he set the whole thing up— and he follows that money discussion with even more compelling teaching.
Studies will show you over and over again that people’s number one worry— is money. We worry that we’re not going to have enough, or if what we have will be enough---if we’re not going to have any at the end of our life— or whatever— but that’s very true for many in our culture today.
Dr. David Richards, a mental health services researcher at the University of Exeter in England— revealed in a study that most all of our worry falls into one of four categories:
Money
Job security
Relationships
Health
Dr. David Richards, University of Exeter, 2020
Now let’s take a look at this passage, but just walking down through this, one verse at a time.— and I’m going to just include the last verse from last week:
24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.
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 than food, and the body more than clothes?
If you see a “therefore” you need to remember that this is connecting two thoughts. You’re going to have to choose who you will be fully devoted to— God or your stuff, and therefore, don’t worry about your life.
Don’t worry about your life. v.25
Jesus uses some very practical examples for the people who were there that day:
Don’t worry about what you will eat. (food was much more scarce)
Don’t worry about what you will wear. (clothing was not nearly as convenient or cheap as today)
We might have some different examples if Jesus were speaking to us today:
Worry about your retirement investments
Worry about your home, or your car
Worry about your kids going to college
Don’t (and this is Jesus talking so don’t email me…) worry about your life.
Ok- but how do I do that? Is Jesus just some sort of 1st century hippy or mountain man, proposing that we get off the grid and just live off the land? Is he saying that all these things aren’t important? No— we’ll see this later, but Jesus is NOT saying that retirement savings, or a house, or education are not important things— he is indeed saying that there is value in those things— and that there is uncertainty in those things— and it’s not going to work out the way you want it too— but you are not to worry about it.
However you define life today— Jesus is simply saying, stop worrying about that. And then he asks you a magnificent question— the end of v. 25:
Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothes? v.25
Follow me on this— He’s trying to snap us out of this hyper-focus:
Oh my goodness, how am I going to feed my family?
Oh my goodness, how am I going to be able to sustain myself through this health crisis thing?
Oh my goodness, fill in the blank---
We get so focused on these things— But he pins us down with these questions:
Is life not more than retirement?
Is life not more than getting into the school of your choice
Is life not even more than your health?
Is life more than getting married, or having a baby, or or or?
Pull back a little bit— and see a bigger picture.
And then — he’s pretty insensitive here actually, but he says this:
Matthew 6:26 (NIV)
26 Look at the birds of the air...
What?
I don’t have time for this— I’m trying to figure out my life, Jesus— I don’t have time to look at the birds of the air, my kids failing the 9th grade,
I don’t have time, I’ve just been told that I’ve got cancer or arthritis, or a bad knee that’s driving me crazy----
I don’t have time, I’m lonely and I just want to be loved by someone, when will my ship come in?
I don’t have time—my spouse says they don’t want to be with me anymore, my kids are going ff the deep end---
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I think Jesus would then look at me, and say— “are you finished?”
He actually is not going to discount how important all that is— (we’ll get there in a minute)— he’s simply trying to show you that you’re so worried because you are so hyper focused, and where your deepest devotion is— that is where you worry the most.
Your emotion follows your devotion.
— and you’re in a tailspin here— Just listen to me.
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?
Basically he is saying— Look— the birds don’t have a 401K retirement plan, they don’t even go to college, they don’t work a job for a cranky boss, they don’t walk their kids all around making them wear helmets and stuff so they don’t get hurt— All the birds I’ve ever seen just build that nest as high as they can, and just PUUUUSH em out— good luck! There’s a parenting model...
They don’t sow or reap— but don’t misunderstand what Jesus is saying here— because you might think he is making fun of all our hard work--
he’s simply pointing out that the birds don’t even try. They just sit around, and all of a sudden, they say— oh, it’s kinda cold… Maybe we should go south? They don’t even know why.
They see a little bit of string, and they go build a nest with it— and they aren’t like— HMMM? Didn’t I just do this last year?
He says look, the birds— they don’t have a phone, or a budget, or social media, or anything of the responsible, high level stuff you’re doing! Birds just kinda go about it wherever, however, whenever…and yet— your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are you more valuable to God than the birds? (Ask another way:)
Does God love you more than a bird?
Did God send his son as a sacrifice to save and restore you? Because you are made in His image--
Did he send his son in the form of a bird, or a goat, or a cow, or a lion?— no— a person.
Do you think that God loves you more than the birds? v.26
I’m just tracking with what Jesus is teaching us— This is so powerful. Don’t miss this. He’s saying “I get it— you are worried about some things— “ and I know those things are uncertain. You don’t know the future of those things...
But I’m here to tell you that you can be uncertain if your kids are going to graduate and not worry, not know if you’re going to be able to retire and not worry, you may not know if you’ll ever get married and not worry, you do not know if you’ll survive this health crisis and not worry---
You can have uncertainty and still not worry.
He understands the uncertainty of today and tomorrow—
His point isn’t to just trust in fate—like Oh well— whatever happens, happens, --- NO! he wants you to trust in Him!
He will show us here that he does indeed want and encourage you to do what you can— go to work, set a budget, make plans and goals, love your family by providing for them— ask people out on dates, go see your doctors and do everything you can— BUT
When you’ve done all that you can do— you’re going to take a really deep breath—
and you’re going to say— “God loves me more than the birds”. And “I’ve done what I can do”.
And you’re going to Trust GOD.
But— if that’s too simple, or you still aren’t convinced— He goes on with another great question.
27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
He says, ok— do it your way… Does that work? It’s like he wants us to just go with our original thought—
What if? What about? What if ? And if we just get super hyper focused on all the details—
Does that really help our situation?
He challenges us with a powerful, transformational, and clarifying question?
Can worrying in the present bring certainty in the future? v.27
No— I guess it really can’t— so Jesus just says— if worrying actually can’t help your situation, I got an idea---
Settle in on this revolutionary idea:
God loves me, and I’ve done my part. I actually have no choice but to trust him for the future.
We refuse to worry, not because we are certain about the future. We refuse to worry because we trust in the One who can do anything about the future.
We can’t just stop worrying by just trying harder to stop worrying. What’s he really getting at here?
It’s a faith issue. Our faith is too small. We aren’t willing to allow God to grow our faith, by truly trusting Him for things we can’t control.
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers 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—you of little faith?
He presents another similar illustration: Do you think God values you more than the flowers or grass of the fields?
Yes. As hard as that may be for some of you to believe— Yes Yes, Yes again. You may not believe it, but he does. You’re still here, right?
31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
Remember these were the tender points— the pressure points for their culture— we have our own set of worries here in our day— you can point to those things in our day.
But HOW Pastor Charlie— How do I actually---stop worrying?
Psychologists would tell you that worry is actually the “cognitive” part of anxiety. There is a “physical” part- like your heart rate increasing, your blood pressure rising, etc.
Worry is in our minds. Our minds can get caught in a fixation loop.
In her book called “The Stress-Proof Brain”, Dr. Melanie Greenberg, states that one of the most helpful things we can do instead of worrying is problem solving. This basically turns the brain onto a new task— preparing and when its appropriate working to prevent the worst from happening.
Jesus also has some wonderful things to say as an alternative— he also provides us a way to break that cycle of worry and move forward in our faith.
Remember that worry is something that is happening primarily in your mind— so Jesus knows that and continues to use some wonderful logic to help us.
He is not saying that these things are not important. But watch what he adds to the mix now:
32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
Pagan is a term for someone who doesn’t believe, someone who doesn’t even know that God exists, or that he knows our name.
Follow me here— Jesus says: Do you believe there is a God? Yes, Do you believe that He created you, made you who you are— gifted you and has a future for you? Yes,—
I get it that you are stressed out about all these important things— but even the people who don’t believe in me at all act like just like that— they chase and strive and worry and run after all these things--- And you’re acting like them?
You are a functional atheist.
If we claim to have faith, but do not rely on it, we are “functional atheists”.
You say you believe— you say you are a part of the family of God, you say that you are on board— but when it really comes down to it— when the grind of real life— rubber hitting road moment comes— you defer back to yourself.
If you do that— you’re acting like someone who doesn’t even believe. He’s not trying to make you feel worse— he’s giving you a very good reason to think differently about whatever you’re worried about!
All of us have worries. We interact with people everyday that have worries— We could divide this room up by the different categories of our worries--
Struggle is common to all people; responding to struggle through faith is not.
Marriage troubles, Job stress, kids wigging out, financial woes, health struggles
As you bump into people who have the same worries as you—Jesus says you have an opportunity to be different— they can observe your life and say— “Why aren’t you worried about this?” What is the deal?
If you give in to worry— and if you just defer back to focusing on that— you are acting like there isn’t even a God at all. This is your chance to be the Salt and Light we’ve been talking about.
In my life, I’ve had a few experiences with people who were at the end of their life. I once worked as a phlebotomist. (That’s a person who draws blood)
There’s some assurance in the last part of the verse: (look at the end of 32)
“God knows.”
Can you imagine of an angel came to you in the middle of your crisis of worry— and just appeared to you in a dream or whatever--and audibly said: “God knows”.
Wouldn’t that be tremendously comforting. It may not take it all away— it may not give you any certainty or assurance of the future— but just that God knows. And that changes something for us, doesn’t it?
I pray that you have that understanding of your relationship with Jesus. That you can take all your cares and cast them upon Him, because he cares for you (that’s Psalm 55, and I Peter 5:7)
Because He knows— you don’t have to worry.
The bigger your faith— the smaller your worry.
God knows about my loneliness, my finances, my life, my job, my family--
And now— he brings this line of reasoning— this journey he has us on— to a wonderful powerful closing thought...
And it gets us back to the first thought— it has to do with our devotion, our focus:
The solution to worry is to redirect our devotion.
33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
What we have been seeking first— has been wrong— what we have been devoted to, it is the wrong thing.
Transfer your devotion to something different.
Seek His kingdom— first. Not retirement, schooling, finances, loneliness, kids, houses, cars, jobs— all those things are important, but not our primary devotion.
If these things are your primary devotion— than you end up struggling with the uncertainty in ways that are not health for you or for anyone… You will worry.
Jesus invites us to seek His kingdom and righteousness first.
But Jesus wants to invite us into a whole new way of thinking...
This is his invitation, for everyone of us— to surrender every part of our lives— to him.
I want you to seek my agenda for the world.
Thy Kingdom come— Thy will be done— On earth,— like in my business, in my family, in my school, in my relationship, in my dirt— everything in my life— devoted to you God.
Your kingdom first— my retirement second
- my schooling second.
-my finances second
-my marriage second
-my way second...
-my kingdom second.
When you make that powerful stand— something changes for us. It changes our worries— it changes our perspective on everything.
When you surrender all— when you trust God— you commit to His will and His kingdom first over all your worries. You exchange your uncertainty for faith in the one who knows all, and is all powerful.
Pastor C— man— that’s scary- That’s tough… Yeah— it is. And if you don’t want to do that, you don’t have to— you can just go back to worrying about it.
What if I open my hands and He takes it all? Yeah— but isn’t that why you are worrying in the first place? Let me tell you something:
You can’t control it anyway!
You have NO certainty in tomorrow. Jesus uses a great parable as an example— and it’s actually a situation that might be considered just the opposite of worry— it’s abundance.
Remember the story of the Rich Fool? His land produces a tremendous harvest, so he decides to tear down his barns and build bigger ones--
19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’ 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”
The man was trusting in himself— and even though it was apparently going well— he stopped trusting God.
Look how he ends this section:
34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
I’m inviting you— Jesus is inviting you today— Do you trust him?