God's Provision
Notes
Transcript
Today’s text is from Matt 6:25-34. It’s big theme is anxiety - worry. Something that is front and center in our culture today. In fact, it’s such a prominient feature that we spend a lot of our time talking about and even worrying about worry.
“The reason why anxiety is so common is a very important reason: anxiety helps us survive. Thus, although it may sound surprising, experiencing anxiety is necessary to our preserving our physical inegrity and to maintaining our overall well-being....Anxiety’s primary purpose is to keep us safe. In a nutshell, anxiety works as our body and mind’s alarm system. It constantly surveys our internal an external environments for threats/stressors/triggers, which can present in the form of thoughts, mental images, physical sensations, physical environments, specific people, places, and things, events, etc. When any of these stimuli are detected, we may experience anxiety, which prompts us to respond and mobilizes us to act.”
Ashley Butterfield PSyD “theocdandanxietycenter.com”
So, anxiety or worry in it’s proper context has a function for survival. “I hear some rustling in the bushes…it might be a predator. I should run.” “Winter is coming…I should prepare some food and shelter in advance.”
From a psychological perspective these kind of worries are normal and healthy. They recognize realistic threats and move us to positive action in a way that helps us take control of our future.
Clinical anxiety is another mental state altogether where worried thoughts are more generalized, not always rooted in realistic threats, and experienced much more physiologically in a way that can become debilitating. This is a reality for many people - and probably requires some medical supports. This is not what Jesus is talking about in this passage. So, although in many translations you will see the word “anxiety” used. I am going to read from the NIV translation which uses the word “worry” so that there is no confusion between the clinically anxious state and the kind of mental rumination and anticipation that Jesus is challenging us to confront.
In fact, the word use here to describe worry - “mer-im-nah’o” is used in other places in a more positive context where it just means “take care for, or have concern for”. Like in this verse from Philippians where Paul desribes Timothy’s faithful devotion to nuturing the believers.
Philippians 2:19–21 (ESV)
I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you.
For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare.
For they all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.
And we will see, as we go through our text today that what we are investing our care in - and the degree to which we take responsiblity to shoulder the full weight of that care are the key factors in deciding whether what we fix our minds on in care for the future is fruitful or not.
Matthew 6:25–34 (NIV)
“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?
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?
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin.
Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
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?
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Well - first of all this passage starts with a “therefore” and, as the preaching adage goes - “when you see a “therefore” you have to find out what it’s THERE FOR.
So we need to look back to the passsages that Bill worked with last week and see that Jesus has already laid out for us the reasons for our worry. You’ve heard of the four horsemen of the apololypse - well these are their lesser known co-horts - the three ponies of worry.
Author Darrell Johnson categories them like this:
Treasures
Vision
Masters
Treasure:
Treasure:
The first pony of worry is Treasure. Worry is caused by finding our security in the wrong kind of treasures. We all have treasures - we are all investing in some form of security for the future. Jesus warned that if we choose wrongly about what to treasure and how to invest it will will experience loss.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.
But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Notice here that your heart follows your treasure. We can’t help it. The thing we value most - will also capture our affections and drive the purpose of our lives. And we can decieve ourselves about this. We can believe that our treasure is God but live as though our treasure is our family, our financial security, or our reputation.
Worry is the warning light on our true treasure - what we worry about, what we spend our time preparing for and thinking about, that is probably our true treasure.
But Jesus’ warning is that there are some kinds of treasure that are very temporary - treasure that only matters for the short time we’re living in this world.
He warns us not to invest heavily here because our heart follows our treasure.
Instead he gives us a view of God’s generous provision and care for his world.
“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?
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?
And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
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.
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?
So Jesus acknowledges that a lot of what we worry about is survival basics. Food, clothes - basic provision. Legitimate needs. To this concern Jesus points us to his perspective of a world that is full of the generosity of God.
He asks us to observe the birds - have you ever actually done that? Paused on a walk for a bit just to observe the interactions in the natural world all around you?
It is facinating. Just walking along the Brunette River very near to here yesterday we observed a Great Blue Heron - still and stealthy - waiting on a rock in the river for something delicious to swim by, there was a noisy Kingfisher in search of much smaller fish, Bald Eagles - enjoying the carcasses of salmon left behind after spawning, small songbirds like chickadees, and spotted towhees enjoying the extra insects invited by the rotting fish, and a gaggle of wood ducks and geese slurping up water plants in the calmer waters of Burnaby Lake.
None of them seemed particularly worried - but they aren’t idle either. They are existing - each with their diverse nutritional needs - in a world where enough food exists - but they secure the food through daily effort in keeping with their nature.
So Jesus is not saying: don’t work - just lay around and God will hand you everything. The natural world exists in a balance where God’s provision is present and we respond with grateful effort we to work and steward our time and energies in the world to bring honor to Him. To use our gifts, to invest our wealth in ways that provide for our daily needs but - we, unlike animals, have the image of God within us to cultivate, improve, and care for others. Participating in the Kingdom of God by stewarding resources in a way that reflects heaven’s priorities.
Another truth that Jesus might encourage us to draw from watching the natural world is that our time is short. God’s abundance and provision is there - so no need to worry - but also the time in this world is finite - for all of us.
I heard a comic describing the election process in the US - something that is giving a lot of people a great deal of anxiety right now - and in his description he described the term for a president as “one guinea pig life”. A very short period of time for us - and perhaps an ironic perspective on the very finite nature even of the most powerful and influential things.
Jesus says: “Don’t worry because worry cannot secure your future.”
Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
This is the part we hate - that control is not really in our hands.
But the good news is that it is in the hands of a Heavenly Father who loves us.
In another passage where Jesus is addressing the disciples fear of persecution - a very real threat for them - he uses the birds again as a reminder of his care:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
But even the hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,
but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
All of our lives are short. All of our lives are fleeting. That is an unavoidable reality.
Our response to this is probably an indicator of where our treasure is.
Jesus had a clear sense of another life - an eternal life - and much more abundant life beyond this one. This eternal perspective allowed him to hold loosely worldly wealth, power, influence. He didn’t chase those things. And it made it possible for him to face the suffering and death of the cross and to invite those he loved to do the same.
He knew there was something much worse than the death of your body - as Bill said last week - the destruction of your soul.
And so he didn’t worry about his investments on earth - he actually lived much like the birds - day by day off of the land - a transient existence surviving on and participating in the graciousness of the community.
Because he knew his time was short - and that only what was a Kingdom investment - a heavenly investment - would survive long term.
Imagine living your life now from that perspective…what would be different?
Value
Value
So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
In a world of fast fashion we don’t often worry about being literally naked. There is clothing to be had - cheap, quick, maybe second hand, but it isn’t too hard to come by.
However, in Jesus time clothing was handmade - and most people only owned a few basic pieces which were expected to last for many years. For the average person fashion wasn’t a thing. If you did have the wealth to have multiple items of clothes, and to be able to choose clothing with beautiful dyes and finely woven fabrics you were also advertising to the world a level of wealth and influence and status that was above the common person.
So for those of us who worry about our outward projection to the world - how others view us and whether we have influence Jesus sort of tongue in cheek says: “Well - what God clothes the lillies in is far more beautiful than anything you’ll ever acquire for yourself and it’s only for the sake of a delight that lasts a single day and dies.
It’s a reminder again - of God’s great provision but also the fleetingness of life and our investments here. The worry we expend on influence, beauty and how others see us is just as quickly lost.
There is a meaningful kind of influence God wants us to hold - that is to seek the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness.
Remember last week that interesting riddle about “the eye being good or bad”
“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light,
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
This has to do with Vision. And not just physical vision - the sense of purpose and perspective that you have on life. What you “see” will determine your goals, purpose, and the way you invest your treasure. Just as a healthy physical eye fills your body with light and gives sight to what is around you a healthy spiritual eye (wisdom, discernment, understanding from God as he reveals himself through Scripture) fills your values with light and good purpose.
But if what you value is actually not true - then it skews your whole vision and purpose for life.
So Vision is the second horseman of Worry.
If we have a Vision of life that says: we need a certain kind of home, a certain kind of job. If we believe that the things that will give our kids and our future security are found in the provision of a certain kind of lifestyle then we will be very worried about how to acquire and maintain that. Jesus says this is the pre-occupation of the pagans - those who worship something other than the living God.
Think of the sacrifices people make to dress in certain brands, live in a particular postal code, train their kids in sport, or acquire Taylor Swift tickets — the efforts expended on fulfilling our Visions can cause a lot of unnecessary pressure and worry that Jesus doesn’t intend for us to carry.
Worry is the canary in the coal mine that perhaps our Vision is skewed. When you find yourself overwhelmed with worry it’s time to sit down with God and ask: “What is it that you really want from me? What is my life actually about.”
I’ve had lots of conversations like this with Jesus.
“I’m so stressed about how messy my house is.”
“Yeah - maybe you don’t need so much stuff.”
“I’m so worried that I’m failing in my life and failing you God.”
“I never asked all this busyness of you. You only need to be a child.”
Obviously these are personal examples with their own contexts - and you have yours too. But I think that when we pause long enough to sit with God and tell him about what we’re worried about we often discover that the worry is of our own making and the freedom comes in reliquishing what we think we need and following God’s purposes without padding them with what Jesus refers to as: “the things pagans are running after”. And may cause us more suffering than blessing.
But godliness with contentment is great gain,
for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.
But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.
Contentment will mean we come to peace with having less. That there is simplicity in our lifestyle and a genuine trust that when we have a real need - not just a worldly desire - but a genuine need for provision God will be our provider.
Third Horseman - Master
Third Horseman - Master
This brings us to the final horseman of worry. “Master” - or rathar who our master is.
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
Bill dealt with this last week but just to note here that you have to choose. You can’t serve both masters. When God is our master money & wealth become a tool to serve Him - and our use of it reflects that. When money is our master we have to serve it - and that will bring with it many worries because it is an insecure master. We cannot control the factors that impact it: markets, famine, sickness, wars, politics - and so for each of those things we worry, worry worry.
It is a bondage that can be oppressive - so Jesus urges us to let our loving Heavenly Father who cares for us be our master instead. He is infinitely more trustworthy.
Seek First
Seek First
So, if we are not to invest our worry - our fixed, intentional thinking, our projections for how to fulfil desire, our heart - the center of our will and desire, our treasure - if these are not attached to worrying about our needs what will they attached to instead?
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Imagine all the energy of our lives directed to seeking the Kingdom of God before anything else. It’s a bit philosophical to say that.
What might that actually look like?
I think at different stages of our lives it might look different. Here’s a few ways I’ve experienced it.
Seeking the Kingdom could be about faith with our time:
Seeking the Kingdom could be abut faith with our time: ther I would stay at home to study or finish assignments instead of going to the evening service.
Seeking the Kingdom could be about calling:
paying down debt before training college - a whole month of not purchasing food.
Seeking the Kingdom could be about priortizing others
prioritizing attachment in motherhood over opportunities that required me to travel.
inviting people into our home for short term shelter
Seeking the Kingdom could be about rearranging your schedule
Currently feeling pressed to make space for intentional prayer. This can feel unproductive but is actually Kingdom productive.
Seeking the Kingdom is a lot of things - it could be forgiveness, it could be generosity, it could be how you deal with your enemies, it could be putting down one dream and taking up God’s dream - and we’ve been talking about many of these things in this series but one thing is for sure.
Jesus tells us that when we seek the Kingdom and His righteousness - the way of living that is right and reflects God’s nature and love to others - then all the rest of what we are worried about will be “added to us”. God has provision if we have faith for obedience.
One more thing...
One more thing...
But there’s one more thing I want to touch on here. I think one of the errors we often is viewing this text through an individualistic lens. This is our cultural default. So - we are reading -” if we make a relationship with god the first priority of our lives and do right we will get personal blessing....”
I think you could probably make a bit of an argument that these things might better position you to experience personal blessing to some degree - right relationships, good stewardship these are principles that help us avoid some of the problematic things in life, this is true.
I can definitely affirm that God has given me personal provision as I have prioritized the Kingdom.
But then there’s the argument: “Well, what about believers in famine or war who are geniunely seeking God and His Righteousness and still dont’ have what they need?
Well....
Seeking the Kingdom and His Righteousness is not just an inner reality. It a way of living. When we are seeking the Kingdom we are prioritizing God’s rule on earth. We are living in community with one another. We are living as though we are brother and sister even to those we don’t know personally because we are both in Christ. We are learning to sit with Jesus and listen. We are asking for what we need both alone and corporately. We are worshipping. We are learning truth through the Word. We are fanning our spiritual gifts into flame and using them through the Spirit to bring supernatural help to others as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world.
We are living as though we believe what Jesus said in Matt 25:40
And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
So seeking first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness creates not only a personal transformation but also a movement in the world through which God provides for his children.
A great example of this is The Silokwenthemba project where people on this side of the world provide needs for those on the other side of the world - moved through the love of Christ.
Another example is the person who has lovingly been sitting by Wilson’s bedside these past couple of days as his seizures have caused confusion and fear. Her presence is sacrificially - she is seeking the kingdom.
As a church - the more we are willing to enter into one another’s lives, to be vulnerable when we struggle, to respond when we have something to give - money yes, but also time, comfort, encouragement, hope — things that pour out of relationship and help each of us stand firm in difficult times.
This is why the reality that our busy lives and competing priorities often keep us apart from meaningful Kingdom community is a real concern.
Because part of how God provides for our future is through each other. God’s generous provision is here for us…but like the birds - we have to seek it.
If you are worried —
Are you seeking first the Kingdom?
How will you answer that question?
