Matthew 6 Verses 25 to 34 Trust or Anxiety May 26, 2024

Matthew 6 Verses 25 to 34 Trust or Anxiety May 26, 2024

Lesson 8 Sermon on the Mount

Class Presentation Notes AAAA

Background Scriptures:

Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV) 3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.

Luke 12:22-31 (NKJV) 22 Then He said to His disciples, "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. 23 Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing. 24 Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 25 And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 26 If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? 27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28 If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 29 And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. 30 For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. 31 But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.

Philippians 4:6 (NKJV) 6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

Main Idea:

· Worry is like a rocking chair. It keeps you occupied but won’t get you anywhere. However, trusting in God’s provisions frees us to experience God’s plans for our lives.

Study Aim:

· When we see first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, we can trust God to supply all our needs.

The Biblical Truth:

· Because of God’s promise to provide, believers do not have to be overcome by worry.

Create Interest:

· Stress is part of life. People live under constant pressures of all kinds. Those who leave God out of their lives are left to cope with these pressures on their own. Factors such as the breakdown of social structures and economic uncertainties make people subject to worry. Worry shows itself physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually in a multitude of ways.

· In the biblical worldview, worry is often the result of misplaced priorities. Believers do not need to worry about the necessities of life because God has promised to provide all we need to do His will. We can choose between worry and trust in God.[1] Note the next comment describing a disciple.

· A true disciple of Jesus trusts God; he believes God will provide for his every need, even if in ways he least expects. Moreover, a true disciple is convinced that his value to God, the meaning of life, the purpose for being, the joy in living, and his ultimate security reside in exercising unwavering trust in God and His truth, not in the things of this age or this earth.[2]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· As we left our study last week, one of our questions was, “Who is the master of your life?” The follow up question was “What evidence do you point to as support for your answer?

· Since serving God rules out serving money, the logical conclusion is that followers of Christ should not be anxiously concerned about food and clothing. God takes care of the birds who neither plant nor gather a harvest into barns. He also dresses the flowers of the field in garments more beautiful than Solomon with all his wealth could secure. Children of the kingdom are certainly of greater value than birds! And wild grass is here today and gone tomorrow. When you worry about such things not only are you like the pagans, but you dishonor God as well. He is fully aware of your needs. Worry is practical atheism and an affront to God. Discuss!

· In this passage we see Jesus drawing upon nature for analogies that will illumine and strengthen spiritual truth. Birds rely upon God’s providential care. They do not busy themselves with anxious human pursuits. Flowers do not spin garments for themselves. They just grow, and God adorns them with color and beauty. The argument is from the lesser to the greater: if God does all this for birds and flowers, won’t he also take care of you?[3]

· This counsel meets one of the greatest needs of humanity, the need to be delivered from worry and anxiety. Jesus addressed this most important point as we will explore in the following outline.

o Do not worry about necessities (v. 25).

o Do not worry about your life and body (v. 25).

o Do not worry about food and shelter (v. 26).

o Do not worry about your life span: worry is pointless (v. 27).

o Do not worry about clothing (vv. 28–30).

o Do not worry at all: Do not be constantly thinking & talking about food, drink, and clothing (vv. 31–32).

o Do not worry: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness (v. 33).

o Do not worry about tomorrow: live one day at a time (v. 34).[4]

· Jesus is not advocating a shiftless, thriftless, reckless, thoughtless, reckless attitude to life; he is forbidding a care-worn, worried fear, which takes all the joy out of life.

o The Jews themselves were very familiar with this attitude to life. It was the teaching of the great Rabbis Simeon that a man ought to meet life with a combination of prudence and serenity. They insisted, for instance, that every man must teach his son a trade, for, they said, not to teach him a trade was to teach him to steal. They believed in taking all the necessary steps for the prudent handling of life. But at the same time, they said, “He who has a loaf in his basket, and who says, ‘What will I eat tomorrow?’ is a man of little faith.”

· Jesus is here teaching a lesson which his countrymen well knew—the lesson of prudence and forethought and serenity and trust combined.

o In these ten verses of our study, Jesus sets out different arguments and defenses against worry.

Bible Study:

Matthew 6:25-26 (NKJV) 25 "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 life not more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 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?

· The Gospel texts concern the unnecessary anxiety experienced over daily needs such as food and clothing. God will take care of His children (Matthew 6:25ff.; Luke 12:11ff.; cf. Luke 10:41 of Martha’s anxiety). Moreover, one’s anxiety will not change anything(e.g., Luke 12:25).

o Paul used merimnaō (together with another member of the word group, amerimnos, “not anxious; free from care, worry, concern”)

o As fellow members of the body of Christ we should have concern for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25; cf. Philippians 2:20). Paul’s advice to the believers at Philippi echoed Christ: “Do not be anxious about anything” (Philippians 4:6, NIV). God is the God of peace (4:9); He will guard the believers’ hearts and minds and grant them peace (verse 7).[5]

· Jesus begins by pointing out (verse 25) that God gave us life, and if, he gave us life, surely we can trust him for the lesser things necessary to support life.

o If God gave us life, surely we can trust him to give us food to sustain that life.

o If God gave us bodies, surely we can trust him for raiment to clothe these bodies.

o If anyone gives us a gift which is beyond price, surely we can be certain that such a giver will not be mean, stingy, meager, careless, and forgetful about much less costly gifts.

· Jesus goes on to speak about the birds (verse 26). There is no worry in their lives, no attempt to pile up goods for an unforeseen and unforeseeable future; and yet their lives go on, yet they are all nourished without worry.

o Rabbi Simeon said, “If they, who are created to serve me, are nourished without worry, how much more ought I, who am created to serve my Maker, to be nourished without worry; but I have corrupted my ways, and so I have impaired my substance.”

o The point that Jesus is making is not that the birds do not work; it has been said that no one works harder than the average sparrow to make a living; the point that he is making is that they do not worry. There is not to be found in them man’s straining to see a future which he cannot see, and man’s seeking to find security in things stored up and accumulated against the future.[6]

Thought to soak on before moving on

· Jesus is not forbidding proper attention to these material needs but is forbidding improper attention. It is not ordinary, prudent foresight that Jesus forbids.

o Jesus is not advocating a shiftless, thriftless, reckless, thoughtless, improvident, lazy attitude to life.

§ He is forbidding a care-worn, worried fear, which takes all the joy out of life.

§ He is not forbidding foresight, but He is forbidding foreboding or worry.

o Jesus is not teaching here that we are not to think about and take proper action regarding food and clothes.

§ It is the inordinate, consuming concern about these things that is forbidden.

📷 We must eat to live, and we certainly need to be clothed, but it is possible to get so anxious about these things that we take our eyes and attention and interests off the more important matter of our spiritual needs. Discuss!

· If the word “thought” did not mean anxiety in our text, then we are left with a very unacceptable teaching which would encourage reckless neglect and carelessness in life which is hardly what other scriptures teach.

o In other texts of scripture, we are exhorted to industrious actions to supply our daily needs.[7] There is no contradiction here!

· The substance of worry is nearly always extremely small compared to the size it forms in our minds and the damage it does in our lives. Someone has said, “Worry is a thin stream of fear that trickles through the mind, which, if encouraged, will cut a channel so wide that all other thoughts will be drained out.”

· Worry is the opposite of contentment, which should be a believer’s normal and consistent state of mind. Every believer should be able to say with Paul,

o “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how-to live-in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need” (Phil. 4:11–12; cf. 1 Tim. 6:6–8).[8] Can you say that? Why not?

Matthew 6:27-30 (NKJV) 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? 28 So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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?

· Covetousness will not only cheapen our riches, but it will also cheapen us! We will start to become worried and anxious, and this anxiety is unnatural and unspiritual.

o The person who pursues money thinks that riches will solve his problems, when in reality, riches will create more problems!

o Material wealth gives a dangerous, false sense of security, and that feeling ends in tragedy.

o The birds and lilies do not fret and worry; yet they have God’s wealth in ways that man cannot duplicate.

§ All of nature depends on God, and God never fails.

§ Only mortal man depends on money, and money always fails.

· Jesus said that worry is sinful. We may dignify worry by calling it by some other name—concern, burden, a cross to bear—but the results are still the same. Instead of helping us live longer, anxiety only makes life shorter (Matt. 6:27). The Greek word translated take no thought literally means “to be drawn in different directions.” Worry pulls us apart.

o Until man interferes, everything in nature works together, because all of nature trusts God.

o Man, however, is pulled apart because he tries to live his own life by depending on material wealth.

· God feeds the birds and clothes the lilies. He will feed and clothe us. It is our “little faith” that hinders Him from working as He would. He has great blessings for us if only we will yield to Him and live for the riches that last forever.[9]

Thoughts to soak on

· Jesus had a strong, lively sense of the goodness of his father, the Creator of the world and shared it with us through his life😊.

o His whole spirituality is a long way from those teachers who insisted that the present world was a place of shadows, gloom and vanity, and that true philosophy consisted in escaping it and concentrating on the things of the mind.

o His teaching grew out of his own experience. When he told his followers not to worry about tomorrow, we must be confident he led them by example.

o He wasn’t always looking ahead anxiously, making the present moment count only because of what might come next. No: He seems to have had the skill of living totally in the present, giving attention totally to the present task, celebrating the goodness of God here and now. If that’s not a recipe for happiness, I don’t know what is.

· Jesus wanted his followers to be the same. When he urged them to make God their priority, it’s important to realize which God he’s talking about.

o He’s not talking about a god who is distant from the world, who doesn’t care about beauty and life and food and clothes.

o He’s talking about the Creator himself, who has filled the world with wonderful and mysterious things, full of beauty and energy and excitement, and who wants his human creatures above all to trust him and love him and receive their own beauty, energy and excitement from him. Discuss!

· So when Jesus tells us not to worry about what to eat, or drink, or wear, he doesn’t mean that these things don’t matter.

o He doesn’t mean that we should prefer (as some teachers have suggested) to eat and drink as little as possible, and to wear the most ragged and disreputable clothes, just to show that we despise such things. Far from it!

o Jesus liked a party as much as anyone, and when he died the soldiers so admired his tunic that they threw dice for it rather than tearing it up.

o But the point was again priorities.

§ Put the world first, and you’ll find it gets moth-eaten in your hands.

§ Put God first, and you’ll get the world thrown in.[10] Agree/disagree?

Matthew 6:31-34 (NKJV) 31 Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

· Not only does God feed the birds, but He also clothes the lilies of the field (v28). Though they do not toil or spin, yet they are arrayed in greater glory than that of Solomon (v29). If God gives such care to the transient flowers—here today, gone tomorrow (for fuel in the baking oven)—how much more will He clothe His own children (v30)?

o It is unanswerable logic. So the disciple is not to be anxious about what to eat, drink, or wear (31); his Heavenly Father knows what he needs (32).

· Then comes the great passage on stewardship: But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (v33).

o One is reminded of the order of petitions in the Lord’s Prayer.

§ First we should seek God’s kingdom and righteousness for ourselves. Actually the kingdom of God is righteousness.

§ Pink observes: “Now by ‘the righteousness of God’ we are to understand two things:

📷 an credited righteousness and a communicated righteousness, one which is placed to our account or credit and one which is communicated to our souls.”

o In the second place, we should seek God’s kingdom and righteousness for others.

§ That is, our main concern as disciples of the Lord should be the salvation of souls and the building of His Church. (Big point)

📷 If we put these first, He promises to supply material needs.

· The chapter ends with a closing admonition not to worry about the future (v34). Each day has sufficient evil; that is, troubles and cares of its own.[11]

o Seek first the kingdom, and everything else will fall into place. Everyone is proof of this, for truly God has provided.

o We may have spent nights worrying, and yet the Lord has been faithful even when we’ve been foolish. That’s why Jesus told us not to worry about tomorrow.

📷 Today has enough challenges of its own. Just deal with today, and above all, seek first the kingdom.[12]

What are the lasting lessons from verses 25–34?

· Believers should not worry about the material necessities of life.

· We should do our part to provide these necessities but place our ultimate trust in God’s provision.

· Worry not only does not add time to our lives but can harm health and shorten life.

· What people worry about varies, but most worries are based on fears of an uncertain future.

· Obsessive worry is the opposite of faith in God. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm?

· We can cast all our cares on God, who knows our needs and cares for us.

· We should focus on God and the coming of His kingdom rather than on our own concerns.

· When we put God’s kingdom first. He supplies all we need to do His will.

· Each day has troubles enough of its own without adding the burden of worrying about what might happen tomorrow.

· We should live each day trusting in God for the present and future.[13]

In closing let’s wrap up what we have learned

· In this section, Jesus draws a contrast between earthly possessions and heavenly ones. All that we have here is liable to decay and may even be stolen from us. But if our hearts and our treasures are in heaven, we will have something solid and lasting that can never be removed from us.

· Jesus warns against a divided heart: it is impossible for both God and possessions to be our masters.

o The heart can be devoted to one master only.

§ To be devoted to Jesus Christ is to be freed from the anxiety and worry that so often characterize the fallen world in which we live.

· Commit your way to God. The evil, the trouble, the anxiety of each day as it comes, is sufficient without perplexing the mind with restless cares about another day.

o It is wholly uncertain whether you live to see another day. If you do, it will bring its own trouble, and it will also bring the proper supply of your wants.

o God was the same Father then as to-day, and will make then, as he does now, proper provision for your wants.

· The tomorrow will have anxieties and cares of its own, but it will also bring the proper provision for those cares.

o Though you will have wants, yet God will provide for them as they occur if they are in His will.

o Do not, therefore, increase the cares of this day by borrowing trouble from the future.

o Do your duty faithfully now and depend on the mercy of God and his divine help for the troubles which are yet to come.[14]

[1]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Winter 2002-03, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 57. [2]Ronald K. Brown, Bible Studies for Life, Summer 2016, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2016), 34–37. [3]Robert H. Mounce, Matthew, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2011), 60–61. [4]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, The Gospel according to Matthew: Chapters 1:1–16:12, vol. 1, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2004), 138. [5]Thoralf Gilbrant, “Μεριμνάω,” The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991). [6]William Barclay, ed., The Gospel of Matthew, vol. 1, The Daily Study Bible Series (Philadelphia, PA: The Westminster John Knox Press, 1976), 256–257. [7]Rod Mattoon, Treasures from the Sermon on the Mount, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2007), 172. [8]John F. MacArthur Jr., Matthew, vol. 1, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1985), 419. [9]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 28. [10]Tom Wright, Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (London: Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2004), 65–66. [11]Ralph Earle, “The Gospel according to Matthew,” in Matthew, Mark, Luke, Beacon Bible Commentary (Beacon Hill Press, 1964), Mt 6:25–34. [12]Jon Courson, Jon Courson’s Application Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2003), 34. [13]Robert J. Dean, Family Bible Study, Winter 2002-03, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, 2003), 64. [14]Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Matthew & Mark, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 74.