God Helps Those Who Help Themselves

Key Elements

In Matthew 6:25-33, Jesus commanded His followers to stop striving, worrying, and scrambling to meet their own needs but instead to seek God first in all they do trusting that He will provide for them.

Main Idea: God invites us to trust Him fully—not to depend on our own strength or striving—because His help comes to those who rely on Him, not themselves.

I want my audience to let go of the false notion that “God helps those who help themselves” and embrace the truth that God calls us to be fully dependent on Him seeking Him first in all we do. This transformation in our lives leads us to worry and stress less because we place all of our confidence in God for His provision.

Intro

All of us are gifted in different ways. There are things that you are skilled at that I’m not and there are things that I’m skilled at that you are not. In all of us there exists strengths and weaknesses. And this morning, I’ll confess that one of my many weaknesses is in the area of repairing things. When things break or malfunction around our house, I’m not the type of guy that’s going to be able to repair it. Now, there have been times in the past that I’ve tried. Just being transparent, I would love to be the guy that could do that kind of stuff, but I have come to the realization and embraced the reality that I’ll never be that guy. Especially, when it comes to car repairs. I can change the oil if I have to, change a flat tire if need be, but major car repairs are not something I can do nor want to do. And I realize that I could save a lot of money if I knew how to do that kind of stuff but the truth is me trying to do those things would cost us more money. The truth is no matter how many Youtube videos I watch or how many articles I read online giving me step by step instructions on how to repair a car, it’s better for me to not attempt it myself and just call an expert. Because the expert has the knowledge and the resources and the tools to diagnose the problem and repair what’s wrong. Unlike myself, who would spend hours trying to figure out what’s wrong and make things worse in the process.

And this morning, as we begin this new sermon series entitled The Bible Doesn’t Say That. We are tackling a common misconception that we all have and that is that we are totally dependent on ourselves in this life. That our happiness, security, comfort, and well being all rest on us and our ability to achieve and accomplish those things on our own. This morning we are looking at the phrase “God helps those who help themselves.” You’ve said it, I’ve said it and whether or not we really believe that, most of the time the way we live our lives indicates that we do. Because what do we do? We spend most of our lives trying to solve our own problems. We spend most of our lives worrying and anxious about the current situations we are facing and what the future holds. We try and we try, in our own effort, to solve problems and fix things in our lives that we do not have the skill or the resources to make right. Because here’s what happens, the belief that “God helps those who help themselves” often leads to and feeds an unhealthy mindset that we alone are responsible for fixing our lives. That we are on our own when it comes to the daily situations of life we are facing. And the truth is this, we don’t have the ability or the skillset to do that. Just like I have no business trying to repair my car, we have no business trying to tackle life alone. And when we do, it leads to worry and anxiety and stress that God never intended for us to have. So, what’s the solution? We look to the One who has the answers. We look to the One who is the expert. We seek the One who knows what we need before we need it. And when we do that, what we come to realize is that it’s not that “God helps those who help themselves, but it’s that God helps those who trust in Him.”

History behind the statement: So, “God helps those who help themselves.” Where did that come from? The original quote on which this belief is based can be traced back to ancient Greek culture. Even though the phrase may sound spiritual, the actual concept isn’t found anywhere in Scripture. And over the years, it has worked it’s way into our thought processes as a sign of something good and necessary.

Message

So, as we explore this misconception this morning and look to the truth of God’s Word, here’s our main idea for today: God invites us to trust Him fully—not to depend on our own strength or striving—because His help comes to those who rely on Him, not themselves.

In a world that is constantly emphasizing self reliance, Jesus offers us a radically different way to live, it’s a life of surrender not self sufficiency. This morning, as we walk through this passage of Scripture in Matthew 6, we see three life changing truths that free us from the misconception that “God helps those who help themselves” and anchors us to a faithful trust in God:

1. Trust is God’s command; worry is our temptation. (vs. 25-27)

Now, we live in a culture that focuses on self reliance and self sufficiency. Think about it, we love stories about people who began with nothing and, through self determination and perseverance, became what we consider self made men and women. Stories like that inspire us. They encourage us when we feel like our dreams are slipping away. They cause us to think that if we hold on tight to our goals and don’t give up, then we can experience the same “success” in our own lives. And don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with being successful. God is not against that at all. There is nothing ungodly about working hard to achieve our goals in life. What Jesus points us to is the source of that success. What Jesus is leading us to is reliance on God and not trying to do things totally on our own. What Jesus is ultimately leading us to is trust.

Look at vs. 25-27...

So, this teaching from Jesus on worry and anxiety falls right in the middle of His most famous sermon He ever preached, The Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5,6,7. And what’s interesting is that in the context of our passage today, leading up to this, Jesus has just told us “Don’t store up for yourselves treasures on earth…, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” He’s basically saying that the priority of our lives must be the things of heaven and not the things of earth. Because when the things of earth become our priority and our focus, we are robbed of the life that God is calling us to live. We lose sight of the purpose that God has created us to fulfill. And instead of our lives being filled with trust in God, our lives become filled with anxiety that robs us of the joy and peace that God wants for us.

And then, Jesus follows that with a command in vs. 25, He says, “Don’t worry about your life!” Easier said than done, right? This is not a suggestion. This is not Jesus saying, “Just a thought here, you may not want to worry; May I offer you some advice, worrying is not good.” No, this is Jesus commanding His followers to “stop worrying!” And why is He commanding us to do this? Because He knows that worry is a temptation we all have. Actually, worry is our default go-to in life. But to stop worrying means that we trust in Him. To not worry means that we intentionally choose to trust in God and obey His command to us and we resist the temptation that is put before us to choose to worry. But that’s a hard choice to make. Again, that’s easier said than done. It’s a part of the spiritual battle that we face every moment of every day against the sinful nature we have in ourselves. And I don’t want to stand up here and pretend that I don’t struggle with this myself. I’ve told you this before, the worst thing I can do is pretend like I don’t struggle with these things we are talking about on a weekly basis. If anyone in here struggles with worry and anxiety, it’s me. I am the king of worriers. And daily, probably moment by moment, I have to stop when I feel that worry and that anxiety coming on and I have to say, out loud sometimes, that “God is in control. That there’s no reason to worry because God knows what I need and what my family needs.” And when I choose to trust God and I’m obedient to that command He gives me, eventually that worry begins to fade away. And when it tries to come back, I do it all over again.

You see, there are a couple of realizations that drive this home for us:

a. Worry is the result of self-reliance. (vs. 26)

I love what Jesus does here to drive His point home. In vs. 26, He gives a common example, He says…

He says “Look at the birds,...” Now that’s a little bit of a weird thing for Jesus to refer to but think about it for a moment, Have you ever seen a bird outside your window or in the woods and thought “that bird looks hungry?” I mean we don’t see skinny birds flying around that look like they haven’t eaten in days. Now, I’m being silly but here’s the point, birds do what they do. They have what they need to survive. They have enough for themselves and they have enough to take back to their nests. And why is that? It’s because God provides for them. He provides for them everything they need. They are not reliant on themselves they are reliant on God. I’ve never seen a bird that looked worried and that’s because God provides what they need. And Jesus says something important here, He says, “your Heavenly Father feeds them.” Notice He didn’t say “their Heavenly Father.” Which leads to a question He asks that sums it all up, “Aren’t you worth more than they?” And this is where we need to focus in. If God cares so much for the birds to provide for their every need, that are of so little value, will He not provide and care even more for us who are created in His image? Will He not provide for us who are re-created through His Son Jesus Christ? Will He not care for us for whom He sacrificed the life of His only Son Jesus? The answer is a resounding YES!!!

You see, Jesus is not advocating for laziness here. He’s not saying we should sit around and do nothing. He’s saying that as we walk through life, we avoid worry and anxiety as we do our part and are obedient in waiting on God’s provision. When we worry, we are experiencing the result of being self-reliant.

A second realization is...

b. Only God is in control of the outcomes of our lives. (vs. 27)

And when we realize this truth, it is so freeing for us. Worry is not only the result of self-reliance but it is also the result of believing the illusion that we are in control. Look at vs. 27...

Again, the answer is no. Worrying about our lives is pointless. We cannot add one moment to our lives by worrying but we can sure take away moments. When we spend time worrying we miss the moment we are in and the opportunities God is giving us. But when we come to grips with the truth that our life is in God’s hands. That He has sovereignly numbered our days and no matter what comes into our lives, the outcome will be used for our good and His glory, there’s such a freedom in that. There’s such a peace in that.

But the opposite of that is true as well. When we choose to give into the temptation of worry in our lives, we basically are saying that we don’t believe in the sovereignty of God. We actually are saying God is not powerful and mighty. Without saying it, we are proclaiming that we don’t believe God is who He says He is.

Pastor Danny Akin says this about worry, “Call it what you want: tension, anxiety, worry. But we need to call it what God calls it: unbelief. At its core, worry is practical atheism, practical deism, or practical theism. Either we think God is not there (atheism), that he is there but does not care (deism), or that he is there but is not powerful enough to be counted on (theism). Jesus equates worry with idolatry. What I eat, drink, and wear becomes my primary concern and my first priority. These become things I “eagerly seek.” These become my gods, which makes them idols.”

But when we truly realize that God is in control of the outcomes of our lives. That He is sovereign over it all. It drives us to choose trust and faith in Him instead of giving into the temptation to worry.

So, are we choosing to trust God, even in the midst of situations we may not understand, or are we giving into the temptation to worry, trying to control everything ourselves, depending totally and completely on ourselves?

Trust is God’s command; worry is our temptation.

A second truth we see today is that...

2. God’s care is personal, constant, and greater than we can imagine. (vs. 28-30)

In our church, we have some families that have newborn babies and small children. And when I look at those parents, especially the ones where this is your first child, it reminds me of when Kristi and I started having kids. For those of you who have children or are around small children in your families, you can relate as well. There are so many things that go on behind the scenes that that child has no idea about. You’re warming bottles, constantly checking monitors all night long, constantly washing and folding tiny clothes, not getting much sleep, worrying throughout the night about your child. And all these things are going on without the child even knowing about them. The child cries not knowing that help is already on the way. The baby sleeps peacefully totally unaware that someone else is staying awake.

And that’s a perfect picture of God’s personal and constant care for us. We may not see everything He’s doing. We may not even realize how many ways He’s been protecting us and providing for us. But just like a parent who watches over their child, God never stops caring for you and for me and most of the time we are unaware of all the ways He’s doing that. And here’s the difference between us and God-God never gets tired in His care for us. He never doses off and misses something in our lives. He’s invested in us, and His care for us is personal, constant, and greater than we could ever imagine.

And that’s what Jesus is pointing us to in vs. 28-30, what does He say?

Jesus here is reminding us of His care for us. And He brings into view another common example, He says, “Observe how the flowers of the field grow,...” He says they just grow. They don’t have to work or labor to be beautiful, they just are. God has ordered them naturally and created them to be beautiful and He provides what they need for that to happen. Jesus even says that King Solomon, who spent lavish amounts of money to create and build up the city of Jerusalem with beautiful structures, in fact, this would have been the time that Jerusalem would have been in its prime, Jesus says that all of that beauty doesn’t compare to the flowers of the field that God cares for. And those flowers are here one moment and gone the next, they are used to fuel the fires in the homes of the Hebrew people. Jesus says if God spends this kind of care on what’s alive today and gone tomorrow, if God is so detailed and careful about these things and how beautiful they are, how much more valuable are we to our Heavenly Father? If God does that for them, then why are you worried and anxious?

Which brings about two revelations for us: It shows us...

a. The depth of God’s care.

Look at the end of vs. 30. There’s a phrase there that jumps out- “you of little faith.” It sounds harsh, it sounds like Jesus is scolding His disciples and those sitting on the hillside in Galilee that day. But that’s not what Jesus is doing here. This phrase is not confrontational, it’s actually Jesus coming alongside His followers, putting His arm around their shoulders, drawing them close and saying “do you trust your Father or not?” He’s pointing them to the depth of God care for them.

And this morning, Jesus does the same thing for you and for me. He puts His arm around our shoulder, He draws us close to Him, and He points us to the depth of God’s care for us. You are more valuable than the flowers of the field, you are more valuable than the birds of the air, there is no need to worry, there is no need to be anxious, there is no need to lack faith, because God’s care for you runs deep. Rest in the deep care of your Heavenly Father.

It also shows us...

b. The capability of God’s provision.

God has proven His capability to provide, Jesus says, the question is do you believe it? You see, it’s not a question of whether or not God cares for us or whether or not He can provide, He proves that every day. The question is do we believe He is capable? Is our faith in the sovereign and all powerful God great or is it small and puny? Do we have “little faith?” Because when we worry and we are anxious and we are trying in our own ability to control everything, that equals small faith in God’s capability to provide.

Listen to me, I’m not trying to make us feel bad today because we worry. I’m not trying to make us feel guilty because we deal with anxiety. We are human and those are struggles we all have. But when those struggles come knocking, we pause and we remind ourselves that God cares deeply for us and that He is powerful to provide all we need. And we trust in Him. God’s care is personal-He knows exactly what you need before you need it, God’s care is constant-He never leaves us or forsakes us but is always there, and God’s care is greater than we can imagine-His provision is far beyond anything we can think or imagine that we might need.

The final truth we see today is that...

3. God provides faithfully when we seek Him first. (vs. 31-33)

And this is the answer that Jesus is leading us to. This is the cure for worry and anxiety in our lives. The reason we struggle with all of that is we are dependent on ourselves and we are trying to do things on our own. But Jesus has called us to live differently. Jesus has called us to live by faith. He’s called us to live not trying to control everything in our lives but to live trusting Him with everything in our lives. And the only way this is possible is to seek Him first. Look at vs. 31-33...

This is the better way. Jesus says to win the battle against worry and anxiety, we have to...

a. Prioritize trusting God over controlling outcomes. (vs. 33)

And Jesus gives us two ways we do that. 1. We prioritize trusting God when we seek first His kingdom. When we pursue with all of our hearts the One who is in pursuit of us. When we allow God to rule and reign in our hearts and our lives. It’s a total and a daily surrender to Him. It’s a focus on Him and placing priority on God and the things of God in our lives. And Jesus says if we want to keep fear and worry at bay, then our hearts and lives must be centered on someone higher, someone greater, someone who is worthy of our trust and comes through every time, someone who is way better at controlling the outcome of the situations of our lives than we are. Our lives must be centered on God and God alone.

One theologian lays it out there for us, he says, “The cure for worry is found in three simple words: first things first. Stop worrying and start seeking. Stop worrying about your little kingdom, and start seeking God’s big kingdom first. Nothing about this is passive or indifferent. Be active and be aggressive. Go for God and his kingdom with all you have, and watch him take care of everything you need.” (Danny Akin)

2. We prioritize trusting God when we seek first His righteousness. Seek to live the way God has called us to live. Why? Because it is such a better way. You see, when we prioritize God’s Kingdom in our lives, it naturally leads to us prioritizing the pursuit of His righteousness. Which leads to a greater trust in God that drowns out a trust in ourselves. And because our focus is on God and His way of living our lives, the strength of our trust in Him grows and when we face the situations of life, that strength and that faith leads us to dependence on Him first.

So, we prioritize trusting God over controlling outcomes and we...

b. Prioritize relying on God over relying on ourselves. (vs. 33)

In vs. 33, Jesus says,… (all these things will be provided for you.)

Here we are back where we started. Jesus says when we seek His Kingdom and His righteousness, the result is faithful provision from God. We don’t have to worry about providing for ourselves (even though God expects us to use our gifts and talents for Him) but we trust and we rely on God. He says “all these things” meaning all we need. “All these things” are known by God already, “all these things” will fall into place as we rely on our Heavenly Father seeking Him first. Our lives are not to be spent worrying about the things of this world, our concern is to be His kingdom and His righteousness in our lives, and what does He promise, faithful provision.

Closing

It’s not “God helps those who help themselves,” it’s “God helps those who trust in Him.” Who are totally dependent on Him. God’s not waiting for us to prove our worth, He’s inviting us to seek Him first and rest in His care. And this morning, if you find yourself at this place in your life where you are totally at the end of yourself, you are exactly where God wants you to be. As someone who needs to follow Jesus for the very first time and even as a follower of Jesus. Total dependence is where God wants us to be.

Salvation response.

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