Power in the Pulpit | Matthew 6:25–34

Intro: We will continue chugging along in the book of Matthew this week. Have you ever thought about how when you read a chapter book, how what is found before different sections or chapters is relevant to what is in that chapter or section. Sometimes because we split the Bible up in the way we discuss it and talk about it, we seem to forget that. Who remembers what we talked about last week? We talked about investing in God’s Kingdom and not material possessions. That’s one of those things that sounds good. But once you start thinking about doing that, and the sacrifices that come with it, there then comes the process of what that looks like. Of thinking of what we will give up. The what if questions of various needs. Sometimes it’s not even a real need, but something we have convinced ourselves we need. In today’s text Jesus tells us to avoid anxiousness and to instead focus on His Kingdom.

Verses 25-27

Exposition: So the passage starts with Jesus saying in verse 25 Matthew 6:25 ““Therefore I tell you, 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?” Jesus says that we should not be anxious about our lives. He then goes on and lists some pretty basic needs. Food, water and clothing are all things we list as needs. But Jesus goes on and he says something in verse 25 that is almost shocking. He says, Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” Well if one doesn’t have food, there is only so long that person can survive. If a person doesn’t have clothes, he or she is probably going to be cast out of society, because let’s be honest, nobody is going to be able to have a normal conversation with that person. But even beyond that, our clothing protects us from the sun. It protects us from things that scrape and bruise. It keeps us warm when it is cold. Clothing is a basic part of the human experience.

Application: So why does Jesus say the life is more than these things. Let me put it this way. I don’t know everybody’s story. But I know there are some of you who have not had to live a life where you did not have food to eat. You have not had to worry about what clothes you are going to wear. And I bet there have still been times in your life where you felt like there should be more. I bet there have been times where something is missing. Some of you may have had these things and still felt anxious. You may know better than anybody what Jesus is getting at.

Exposition: Jesus then goes on and addresses the idea of being without food. He says in verse 26 Matthew 6:26 “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?” There are two truths we see in this passage. The first has to do with birds. Have you ever seen a bird waiting around trying to see if food is going to fall from the sky. I mean, have you ever seen a lazy bird. No. Birds are constantly working to gather their food. But at the same time, a lot of things have to go right for that bird in order for there to be food to eat. The weather has to cooperate, there has to be nothing infecting the things it eats. It is still dependent ultimately on God’s provision for it to even be able to do the work that it needs to do in order to get the food it needs. But God does provide. And God loves us a lot more than he cares for the birds.

Application: What this means is that a freedom from worry over if we will have food is not a freedom from the work that is required to have food. This is not a pass to laziness. No, Jesus intentionally picks an animal that people can watch and see how hard it works in order to have food to eat. In the same way, we have to work to eat. Even before the fall of man, Adam worked the garden. Work has always been a part of being human. But a part of being human is also that God provides the things we work for. And we need to trust that if he cares for the birds, he is going to care for us as well. This doesn’t mean that every physical need will always be met right when we think it should. It doesn’t mean that we won’t ever feel in need. But it does mean we should not worry about whether or not God loves us enough to provide for us. We know that Romans 8:28 says Romans 8:28 “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” That doesn’t mean every situation is good. But God will bring good from it. Why, because he loves us so greatly.

Exposition: Jesus then moves on to a point of logic. He says in verse 27 Matthew 6:27 “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?” There is no single way that anxiety makes your life better. According to healthline.com, anxiety can cause headache, insomnia, fatigue, chest pain, indigestion and abdominal pain among other symptoms. One thing that anxiety and worry cannot bring is a solution to whatever problem in your life has you so anxious.

Application: So often when it comes to anxiety, we focus so much on what we perceive as a problem, instead of ever looking to a solution. We get paralyzed by the fear of whatever trial is in our life. Anxiety will never be a solution to the problem you have in your life. Dwelling on the problem you see in front of you is never going to make your life better. But God doesn’t just tell us to dwell on them. In fact, he tells us to be faithful in the tasks he has given us, as we see the bird do. And trust that he loves us and will provide as he as done for the bird.

Transition: The first example Jesus uses is that of somebody that is worried about what he or she is going to eat or if he or she will have food. He then turns to the fear of not having the right clothing.

Verses 28-32

Exposition:Jesus goes on in verse 28 to say Matthew 6:28–29 “And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” As we mentioned last week, cloth at this time was considered a luxury. It wasn’t as easy to just go buy clothes. There was a lot that had to go into it. One did not have a surplus of clothes that some if not many of us have today. Just having clothes would have been a much more common source of anxiety than what we know today. But Jesus tells his listeners that this shouldn’t be the case. He says that did not work in the field. They did not gather the means to provide the clothing for themselves. They didn’t go through the process of spinning cotton or whatever clothes were produced from at that time to make the clothes. But a field of lilies was dressed more beautifully than Solomon who had all the wealth the world could bring someone. Jesus then goes on to say in verse 30 Matthew 6:30 “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?”

Explanation: Wildflowers, like what Jesus is describing here, were not worth very much. They were beautiful, but they were also an easy fuel for kitchen fires so that people could cook. Jesus is saying, these wildflowers which grow and then are taken up the next day to be thrown in a fire, are made to look that beautiful by God. If God does that for wildflowers whose main purpose is to be burned, how much more is he going to do for us. We are made in His image. He cares for us greatly. He does not wish that kind of fate for us.

Application: There may be some of you who struggle or have struggled to have clothes to wear. You may know that anxiety of having to wear the same thing every day or the same nice clothes for a nice occasion because that is all you have. Some of you may not have that problem, but you feel like you have to wear what everybody else is wearing. Maybe you don’t have a certain brand of clothing or shoes. And you walk into a group of people and you wonder if everybody is looking at you. You think that everybody is judging what you are wearing. Maybe some of you, when you get dressed every morning you look in the mirror and you worry what everybody is going to think about what you are wearing. Maybe you wish you had what everybody else has and you don’t understand why God has not given your parents the means to get you that thing you want so badly. Maybe then you finally got what everybody else has and then you start worrying that everybody is going to think you are copying them and you work yourself up into a frenzy about that. If any of those describe you, let me ask you this. Is what God has given you enough? If God clothes the wild flowers with such beauty, and he loves you the way He does, don’t you think he’s given you what you ultimately need. Or do you think you need more than what God has given you. Do you not trust that his love is what he says it is? Jesus says at the end of verse 30, Oh you of little faith. This phrase he uses doesn’t mean the person has no faith. It means the person has a deficient faith. Our problem isn’t that we don’t believe in God. It’s not that we don’t think God loves us. But the problem is that we have an end of the faith and belief we have in an infinite God. We limit what God is not only capable of. But what He has already done. We think we want more from God, but it’s not that we to get more from God. We want something other than what God has given us. We must remember that God knows best and that he is enough.

Exposition: Jesus then says in verses 31-32 Matthew 6:31–32 “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” When Jesus refers to the gentiles, he is referring to the fact that to not be Jewish was to be pagan. Pagans believed that they had to satisfy the Gods in order to get what they needed.If they made the Gods angry then they would be punished with famines, droughts, floods or fires. All of which are a threat to food, water and clothing. But Jesus said we should not be the kind of people that are marked by anxiety because we know that God already knows are needs. We don’t have a God that withholds what we need unless we do certain things. We have a God that loves us so much he gladly provides for our needs. That is something we must remember.

Transition: I imagine a lot of you are thinking, this doesn’t even address my anxiety. These aren’t the kinds of things I worry about. That’s not what we as teenagers are dealing with. As Jesus has the habit of doing, he finds a way to address that too.

Verses 33-34

Exposition: Jesus says in verse 33 Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” John Stott, whose commentary on TSOTM is something insightful, writes this, “The Kingdom of God refers to the specific rule over his own people which he himself inaugurated, wand which begins in anybdoy’s life when he humbles himself, repents, believes and submits. To seek first this Kingdom is to desire as of first importance the spread of the reign of Jesus Christ. Such a desire will start with ourselves, until every single department of our life… is joyfully and freely submissive to God.” To seek God’s Kingdom is to seek to live under his authority because we know that our eternity has been secured because Jesus Christ paid the ultimate price for us. And it is a desire to be so focused on that Kingdom that we long and work to see others submit their lives to God’s awesome Kingdom. To seek his righteousness is not to justify whatever means possible to have people know you are a believer in Jesus, but to walk obediently with him. To even when nobody is watching, to be obedient to The Father by obeying His Word.

Illustration: In preparing for this message, I looked up the main things that are causing teens anxiety. The top three things that teenagers worry about according to the Child Mind Institute are their performance, whether its academic or athletic or really any other areas. Students want to perform well and they get so worked up when they don’t or fear they won’t that it causes anxiety. I think this is why testing anxiety is through the roof right now. The second was how they are perceived. I don’t think this surprises anybody or is new. Teenagers have always cared what people thought about them. But this leads to extreme anxiety. I think as we talked about last week, the rise of social media has made this worse. And the last is one’s body. A lot of changes start happening when you get to this age. And not everyone grows at the same speed. And not everyone looks the same. This leads to extreme anxiety. I imagine some of you have heard your very own struggles in this list. But let me ask you a question, do any of those involve seeking the Kingdom first. Do any of those demonstrate a dependence on God and a seeking first His kingdom? I don’t think so. Young people, please hear me when I say this. So much of what causes you to be anxious is as Jesus said at the beginning, you are distracted from the things of God. My guess is that if we were to allow ourselves to believe that the most important thing in our lives is seeking God’s Kingdom, a lot of the things we worry about, wouldn’t seem so big anymore.

Verse 34- Jesus closes it out by saying in verse 34 Matthew 6:34 ““Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” It’s so easy to look at everything that could go wrong. In fact, I think sometimes we all drive ourselves crazy with what if questions. But what good does that do.

Illustration: One of the biggest struggles of being a youth pastor with your age group has been the extreme amount of FOMO, fear of missing out, that your age group has. I mean it’s crazy. So often when I ask about trips that are really far out, this is the response I get. “I don’t know what I’m doing then.” or “I don’t know, I need to wait and see what I’m doing.” Young people are so worried that if the commit to something that they may miss out on an opportunity that didn’t come up until later, that they end up not doing anything if an opportunity doesn’t arise. And I think that has led to some anxiety in your lives. Don’t worry about what may go wrong in the future and then lose sight of what God has in front of you. Focus on what God would have you to do now. And be obedient to that.

Verse 33

If our first desire is the submission of our lives to God and walking obediently to him. He will take care of the rest.

Our desires change

We are in a corporate Body that takes care of each other

God provides

Our focus changes

Verse 34

We cannot live our lives worried about the what ifs and lose sight of what God has in front of us.

Conclusion: I don’t have to assume that there are students in here that struggle with anxiety. I know for a fact that in a room with this many people, there are people struggling with anxiety. Where in your life have your replaced fear with worry? Where have you taken your eyes off God and placed it on that worry you have? When you came in there was a notecard and a pen on your seats. I want you to write on there two things. What is something that you are anxious about, and how focusing on The Kingdom can help take that fear away. Then on the back, I want you to write a prayer asking God to help you with that fear. Then when we are done, I want you to come up and place it in the box up here. If tonight you realize that maybe your worry is because you have never truly believed in who Jesus is, but maybe you are ready to talk more about that, place that on your card.