The Worries that Trouble You, and Seeking The Kingdom

We live in an anxious world. A concerned world. And the Church is not immune to this.

I’ve been asking myself this week of I think I struggle with anxieties…Truth it, I’m in denial.

My anxiousness looks different than my wife’s. It looks different than yours. But whatever it looks like, Jesus has nothing good to say about it.

The word used here for anxious is pretty straight forward.

The Greek word means to be troubled with cares.

Are you troubled with cares today? What are you concerning yourself with that has moved beyond reasonable, and into obsession, fear, and control?

Can I just say to each of you right now, that I’m not hear to condemn anyone for anxiety, or the depressions that comes from anxieties. That’s not the heart of Christ, nor is it mine.

But I do want to be clear that worry and anxiety stand in opposition to the Gospel.

Nobody likes to hear the words “Don’t worry.” or “Stop being anxious.”

SO it’s nice to see that Jesus doesn’t just tell us not to worry, but he gives us concrete truths to believe in.

As we work our way through the text, take notes of the anchor points, and tell yourself, I’m going to walk in these instructions from my King.

Don’t lose sight of that, brothers and sisters. There is no King like Him.

And that’s the first anchor point I want to give you...

Jesus does not rule with fear.

Can we just rejoice in this for a moment? Think about how the world seeks to bring its rule over its citizens. The kings of the earth rule through fear and dread, manipulation and coercion.

Remember who has been speaking and teaching this whole time…He’s the King and creator of all. And why did he come to this world? To establish a Kingdom, to build a citizenship for that Kingdom through the preaching of the truth, then to deploy the citizens of that Kingdom as ambassadors into other kingdoms.

As we begin to tackle this prevalent issue of anxiety in our hearts, that’s the thought to begin with. The King of our Kingdom is in control, gives freedom, and ultimate peace.

Notice what we see right away in this text...

“Therefore I tell you.” connects what he’s about to say, to all that he previously said.

In other words, in light of what I’ve already said to you, and have been teaching you, “do not be anxious about your life.”

That’s another anchor point...

2. All that we know about Christ and His Kingdom points us away from worry

What came before the “therefore”?

It boils down to His superiority over everything! Over the law, the temptations from the Devil, over the rewards of the flesh, over earthly treasures that fade and rust.

When He is King over our lives we are different from the worlds ways and can conquer the sins that rage in our heart - hatred, lust, divorce, anger, not in order to be righteous, but because He fulfilled the law’s demands, and He’s given us new hearts to obey the greatest law, love God above all.

He is superior to all, therefore...

“do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”

Let’s not miss this, that it IS a command…do not be anxious.

These disciples would have undoubtedly had worried minds, having given up everything to follow Him from town to town preaching the Kingdom.

What are we going to eat and drink with no income? What will we wear when these old clothes wear out from following His around Galilee, and there’s nothing to replace them?

Similarly, you can be sure that as Jesus looks at you, he sees you. Even if your worry tends to have nothing to do with food and clothing, he still knows you personally. And no matter what the particulars of our cares this morning, we all need to hear this challenging question...

Is not life more than that?

Don’t forget that life is more than the physical.

The word used here for life is literally speaking of the breathe of life. Remember that you’re breathing because God breathed life into Adam, and human life us unique from all other life on earth. We’re not just animals.

so in v26 Jesus asks us to examine the natural world to observe how He cares for it.

v26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Not everyone likes this analogy because it would seem to imply that Jesus will feed everyone on earth equally, and no one will go hungry. But we know that is not true at all. People do go hungry, and not every species of bird is equally thriving like the other, in fact birds do starve and go extinct. But we shouldn’t miss the point of what Jesus is telling us.

He’s asking us to look at natural observable life, and when you look out the window and see a bird picking up seeds, or worms, that they did not work for, and they do not have the privilege of storing away in storage facilities, you are to remember in that moment who vastly different God’s love for you is that that bird.

For the environmentalist, notice this doesn’t say, value humans and devalue animals. Jesus is simply stating that the Father’s care for His children greatly exceeds that of the birds. And in their worry free lives the Father feeds them.

So how does this help us not to worry?

3. Worry is rooted in the belief that God does not care, but the birds prove otherwise.

The Father’s sovereign care for His lesser creatures is proof that He cares for those of greater value.

He uses a similar method to address their worry about clothing by asking them to consider the lily’s of the field.

Similar to the simple observation of the birds, that they’re not out plowing the fields, and reaping harvests…so also a simple observation of the flowers of the fields and we all have to admit that we’ve never seen an exhausted and frustrated wild flower toiling and laboring even for one second, worried about its care.

Spurgeon put it this way...

“Lovely lilies, how you rebuke our foolish nervousness.” - Spurgeon

This is not to say that we should be careless about clothing, or providing for ourselves. And Jesus is not promoting an attitude of laziness and unpreparedness. That’s not the point of this teaching. The point is that worry and anxiety are simply not fitting for God’s children.

Unfitting, and unproductive. Which he’s clear about in v27.

v27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

There is nothing produced by it. Literally this…

4. Worrying adds nothing to your life. It only takes away.

So, look at the birds, look at the grass that is temporary, and yet still so beautifully arrayed, so much so that the clothing of the worlds greatest kings can not compare to it. And let worry wash away as you trust your Father.

v29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

And here’s another point that needs highlighting in our fight against the worries of our hearts.

Worry is distrust. I know we have many things we want to say that the world has told us...

“Worry is just something I live with...”

“I’m just an anxious person...”

That’s the wisdom of this world, not God.

And I say none of this to belittle the deeper depressions that many face and cannot establish a clear cause or cure…but the majority of what the world will excuse, I believe we need to be able to look ourselves square in the face, and be willing to admit the truth. If worry is distrust in the Lord who clothes the flowers and feeds the birds…and we are much more valuable than both, isn’t there some shame in that? There needs to be, because it reminds us that something isn’t right.

That phrase, “O You of little faith” has a simple meaning.

You trust too little.

If in light of the Sovereign God of heaven and earth, the creator of Angelic beings and humans, the very source that put’s life into our lungs…you still put your focus on the thing of earth as though God has ceased being God, you trust too little, as if you’re not even a Christian at all.

Jesus used this as another truth to anchor their trust. He reminded them the difference between His followers, and the gentiles of that time who’s god’s were earthly, pagan, and promoted a worldview for the senses. What will I eat, what will I wear, what will I drink were the primary concerns of the heathen…while as disciples of Jesus we have a Father who knows our needs.

5. Worrying is the way of the world, and a worrying Christian is the wrong witness.

Jesus began talking about anxiety right after telling the disciples that they cannot serve God and possessions. Then comes the test.

And the test has so much to do with where we put our attention. Is it on this life and this kingdom, or is it on the Kingdom of God?

The solution of all of this is found in v33.

v33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

This is it, church family…this is this focus of the Christian life that is truly at peace and without fear. These are the ingredients of hope in a world that wants us anxious, and a devil that wants us dependent on everything EXCEPT Jesus Christ.

Seek FIRST. It doesn’t say seek it perfectly. Or seek it better than others. Just Seek it first.

Make the Kingdom of God your focus at put it above other things and your anxious heart will subside. To seek the Kingdom of God means that eternal souls, both yours and others, will be more important than mortal bodies.

It means that the glories of heaven will win your affections.

It means that the things that are most important in God’s Kingdom will be most important to you…your marriage, humility, hard work, stewardship, generosity, forgiveness, love, obedience to His Word…and we will be pursue these things, not to the neglect of our physical care, but above what our physical bodies need, because God knows those, and will add them to us as he desires, and when He desires.

Jesus doesn’t just say “Stop worrying.”

He gives us the very truth that we need in order to conquer what fills our hearts with trouble, and robs us of peace.

6. Make your life about believing the Gospel and spreading His reign, and worry will subside.

Moth, rust and thieves are the enemies of man’s kingdoms. Not much of a kingdom really.

Treasure God above all, trust Him to provide your earthly needs for today…he’ll take care of you tomorrow too. There is no King like Him. He has proven superior over all, and this world’s treasures are fading, so you need to answer this question right now in your heart…what Kingdom will you choose to seek first, and what worries are you casting down today?

If you’re listening to this and your point of view is that you are not worried, and you are also not seeking Christ, so what’s in this message for me?…here’s the problem with this.

Until Christ is King in your life, Scripture is clear that Satan rules over you right now…and he’s never going to make you feel anxious as he’s luring you and deceiving you into hell and separation from God forever.

He’s totally fine with you storing up treasure here, making your life all about what money can buy and what feels good to you. It’s called sin and selfishness. But when you come to Jesus the King, and believe the Gospel, and repent of sin…you step into the fight of your life. It’s not easy…there’s going to be pain and heartache, because you’ll finally be living for what matters the most. But here’s the best part…in Christ, we are forgiven, and in Christ we live forever, because death has been defeated at the cross of Jesus Christ.

Luke 12:2 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.