Message From the Mount (24)
Message from the Mount • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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A God focused life
A God focused life
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry 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? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?
“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Marco Polo is one of the most famed explorers of history. It seems he inherited the travel bug from his father. In 1260, when Marco polo was 6, his father and uncle traveled to Mongolia (part of modern day China). When they arrived there the Mongol emperor revealed an interest in Christianity. He asked the brothers to take a letter to the Pope requesting as many as 100 wise men to spread the Gospel among his subjects.
Three years later the brothers arrived home, and two years later set out on their return trek. Did they take the 100 wise men with them? No. Just two friars, for this was all the church felt they could spare. And even those two didn’t make it, turning back shortly into their journey.
What a tragedy! Imagine if the Kublai’s request had been fulfilled. Perhaps the whole history of China may have been changed.
Source: Information found in National Geographic, May 2001.
Worry. It’s a temptation that is common to us all. We all have things we fear may happen, or things that we fear may not happen. We don’t know the future and there are things that are out of our control, and so we worry. We are tempted to worry about big things and small things – things that matter a lot and things that really don’t matter all that much.
But in Matthew 6 Jesus calls on the people of God to stop worrying. In fact, He says it three time in ten verses – Do not be anxious. And His repeated command should get our attention. Jesus is showing us that our worry reveals something significant about our hearts and about our trust in God.
Thankfully Jesus doesn’t simply tell us to stop worrying. He doesn’t simply acknowledge anxiety as a problem, but He goes on to help us see the solution or the answer for our anxiety. Jesus turns our attention to God and helps us recognize that as those who are in the care of the Father, we have no need to worry. We can replace our anxiety with a deep and steadfast confidence in God.
Context – Matthew 6:19-34
While Jesus begins talking about anxiety in verse 25, He’s carrying on the main idea that began in verse 19. In verses 19-24 Jesus discusses the temptation to value and love the things of earth over the things of God. This is the same temptation that drives our hearts to worry. In both cases we love, trust and rely on the things of earth more than we do on God.
It’s important to recognize that Jesus isn’t calling us to ignore the things of earth. The Bible has a lot to say about wise planning. But there is difference between careful thinking and anxiety. Anxiety is when we allow uncertainty or fear to grip us and consume our hearts and minds, leaving us restless and unsettled.
Do not be anxious – Trust God, He cares for you (6:25-30)
In order to teach us, Jesus uses two things that all people are tempted to be anxious about. Food and clothes are basic necessities all of us may be tempted to worry about not having.
Life is more than food and clothes. Worry takes one aspect of life and makes it seem like the whole. If we trust God as the sustainer of life – we can also trust Him for the things of life (food and clothes).
In order to show us the care that God has for His people Jesus turns our attention to His care for the birds, reminding us that they have no lack, and God values us more than He values the birds.
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
While we cannot gain anything through our worry, God is the One who is over all. We should rely on Him, knowing that He can be trusted.
God has created flowers that are dressed more beautifully than kings, and yet they are temporary. How much more will God care for us, those who have been made in His image and given eternal life?
We are worth so much more to God than flowers. But even still we are given to worry. Jesus says that our anxiety is a sign of small faith. We can put off worry when we truly believe that our God knows us and cares for us.
To fix our minds on the things of the world is to live like those who don’t know God, forgetting that God knows our needs. Luke says this...
Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.
Throughout this passage Jesus is lifting our eyes to heaven. He’s helping us see God and to remember that He can be trusted with the details of our lives.
Seek His Kingdom and righteousness – While the world seeks the things of the world, we are citizens of a different kingdom (Matthew 6:9-10) and we are called to a different standard (Matthew 5:6; 5:20). These are the things we must seek and pursue first (Psalm 27:8).
When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”
And as we do – this focus will kill the temptation to anxiety.
This is the promise of God, that He will provide for those who are His, we can trust Him.
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
***VIDEO***-Don’t Worry, Be Happy
Do not be anxious – God is sovereign and gives enough grace for each day (6:34)
While each day will bring its own cares, we can trust that God will give us grace, wisdom and strength for each day – and He will do the same with each new day. I want to close with this passage of scripture found in the book of Lamentations...
Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
