Do Not Be Anxious About the Necessities of Daily Life

Matthew 6: 25-34 Do Not Be Anxious About the Necessities of Daily Life

Everton Community Church. Sunday November 25th 2007.

During a Funeral this week in GLIWICE, Poland, large photographs of Robert Dziekanski's final hysterical moments were displayed before dying in the grip of Taser-wielding Mounties in Vancouver.

Four Mounties using Tasers subdued an anxious and agitated Dziekanski at the Vancouver airport in October. Dziekanski died soon after being shocked with the weapons.

At the funeral, Dziekanski’s mother looked at the photographs and said: "He looks like a terrorist in these pictures, but he was scared," she explained. "Robert was at a breaking point. He could show his desperation in no other way. He wanted someone to help him." (National Post: Peter O'Neil, Europe Correspondent, CanWest News Service: Published: Monday, November 19, 2007)

Anyone who knows and loves Jesus Christ is capable of handling pressure. The wrong way to handle the stresses of life is to be anxious and worry about them. In Matthew 6, Jesus Himself said three times, “Do not be anxious” (Matt. 6:25, 31, 34). Anxiety and Worry at any time is a sin because it violates the clear biblical command.

We allow our daily concerns to turn into anxiety and therefore sin when our thoughts become focused on changing the future instead of doing our best to handle our present circumstances. Such thoughts are unproductive. They end up controlling us—though it should be the other way around—and cause us to neglect other responsibilities and relationships. That brings on legitimate feelings of guilt. If we don’t deal with those feelings in a productive manner by getting back on track with our duties in life, we’ll lose hope instead of finding answers. Anxiety, left unresolved, can debilitate one’s mind and body—and even lead to panic attacks.

(MacArthur, J., Jr. (1993). Anxiety attacked. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

The heart of Jesus’ message in our present passage is: Don’t be anxious-not even about necessities. He gives four reasons why worry, being anxious, is wrong: it is 1) Unfaithful because of our Master; 2) Unnecessary because of our Father; 3) Unreasonable because of our faith; and it is 4) Unwise because of our future.

1) Anxiety is Unfaithful Because Of Our Master (Matthew 6:25)

Matthew 6:25 [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? (ESV)

Therefore refers back to the previous verse, in which Jesus declares that a Christian’s only Master is God.

In Matthew 6:19-24 Jesus focused on the attitude toward luxury, the unnecessary physical possessions people store and stockpile for selfish reasons. He talked about the man with the misplaced heart (Verse 21) and misdirected mind (Verses 22-23) who also suffers from a misaligned will, a will not in line with God’s will (Verse 24). In what we are looking at this morning in verses 25-34 Jesus focuses on the attitude toward what people eat, drink, and wear, the necessities of life that they absolutely must have to exist. The first passage is directed particularly at the rich and the second particularly at the poor.

Both being rich and being poor have their special spiritual problems. The rich are tempted to trust in their possessions, and the poor are tempted to doubt God’s provision. The rich are tempted to become self-satisfied in the false security of their riches, and the poor are tempted to have anxiety, worry and fear in the false insecurity of their poverty.

How important is this topic to God for our understanding?

Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables of Jesus deal with money. One out of ten verses in the New Testament also deals with that subject. Scripture offers about five hundred verses on prayer, fewer than five hundred on faith, and over two thousand on money.

In Matthew 6:25, Jesus is therefore saying, “Because God is your Master, I tell you, do not be anxious.” A bondslave’s only responsibility is to his master, and for believers to be anxious and worry is to be disobedient and unfaithful to their Master, who is God. For Christians, worry and anxiety are forbidden, foolish, and sinful.

In the Greek, the command do not be anxious includes the idea of stopping what is already being done. In other words, we are to stop worrying and never start it again. For your life makes the command all-inclusive. Psuchē (life) is a comprehensive term that encompasses all of a person’s being-physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Jesus is referring to life in its fullest possible sense. Absolutely nothing in any aspect of our lives, internal or external, justifies our being anxious when we have the Master we do. Life in the Kingdom of God is not just related to prayer or what might be relegated to “spiritual service” but all of life

Definition: Anxiety and the resulting worry is the sin of distrusting the promise and providence of God, and yet it is a sin that Christians commit perhaps more frequently than any other. The English term worry comes from an old German word meaning to strangle, or choke. That is exactly what worry does; it is a kind of mental and emotional strangulation, which probably causes more mental and physical afflictions than any other single cause.

Quote: 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,

Philippians 4:11-12 [11]Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. [12]I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. (ESV) (cf. 1 Tim. 6:6-8).

The needs that Jesus mentions here are the most basic-what we eat, what we drink, and what we put on. Those are things that every person in every age has needed; but because most western Christians have them in such abundance, they are not often worried about.

Look at the billions invested in the fashion industry and the focus from TV and magazines to what some particular star is wearing.

Throughout Bible times, however, food and water could seldom be taken for granted. When there was little snow in the mountains there was little water in the rivers, and inadequate rainfall was frequent. Shortage of water naturally brought shortage of food, which seriously affected the whole economy and made clothes harder to buy Yet Jesus said, do not be anxious for any of those things.

Those things are important, and the Lord knows and cares about our need of them, as Jesus goes on to explain. But, He asks rhetorically, Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? All three of those necessities pertain to the body, and Jesus says that the fullness of life is more than merely taking care of the body.

Quote: One Author noted: Taking care of the body has always been a common obsession. Even when we are not starving or thirsty or naked, we still give an inordinate amount of attention to our bodies. We pamper the body, decorate it, exercise it, protect it from disease and pain, build it up, slender it down, drape it with jewelry, keep it warm or keep it cool, train it to work and to play, help it get to sleep, and a hundred other things to serve and satisfy our bodies.

(MacArthur, J. F. (1985). The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Mt 6:25). Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books.)

1) Anxiety is Unfaithful Because Of Our Master (Matthew 6:25) and

2) Anxiety Is Unnecessary Because of Our Father (Matthew 6:26-30)

The basic thrust of these verses is that a believer has absolutely no reason to worry, because God is his heavenly Father. To illustrate His point Jesus shows how unnecessary and foolish it is to worry about food, about life expectancy, or about clothing.

a) worry about food

Matthew 6:26 [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? ESV

There are many birds in northern Galilee, and it is likely that Jesus pointed to some passing birds as He said, Look at the birds of the air. As an object lesson, He called attention to the fact that birds do not have intricate and involved processes for acquiring food. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns

Like every creature, birds have their life from God. But God does not say to them, in effect, “I’ve done My part; from now on you’re on your own.” That’s the concept of Deism. God created the universe, and left it on its own. The Lord has provided them with an abundance of food resources and the instinct to find those resources for themselves and their offspring. Your heavenly Father feeds them. It is God:

Job 38:41 [41]Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food? He “prepares for the raven its nourishment, when its young cry out to God” (cf. Ps. 147:9).

God is the creator of all including birds, but only Your heavenly Father for the redeemed.

The form of this argument is from the lesser to the greater. Since God so carefully takes care of such relatively insignificant creatures as birds, how much more will He take of those who are created in His own image and who have become His children through faith? Are you not of more value than they?

Jesus does not suggest that birds do nothing to feed themselves. Anyone who has observed them even for a little while is impressed with their diligence and persistence in foraging for food. Many birds spend the greater part of their time and energy finding food for themselves, their mates, and their young. But they do not worry about where their next meal is going to come from. They gather food until they have enough, and then go about whatever other business they may have until time for the next meal. In their own limited way they illustrate what we should know: that the heavenly Father feeds them.

The misinterpretation and misapplication of this concept is a license to falsely presume upon God by not planning, preparing or working. This is not “faith”, it is laziness.

From a a) worry about food we see:

B) worry about longevity

Matthew 6:27 [27]And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? ESV

The second illustration has to do with life expectancy. Our culture is obsessed with trying to lengthen life. We exercise, eat carefully, supplement our diets with vitamins and minerals, get regular physical checkups, and do countless other such things Many do this in the hope of adding a few years to their lives.

Please turn to Psalm 39

Exercise, good eating, and other common-sense practices are beneficial when done in a reasonable way and looked at in the right perspective. They no doubt can improve the quality and productivity of our lives, but they will not force God into extending our span of life?

Psalm 39:4-6 [4]"O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am![5]Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! [6]Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!

You can worry yourself to death, but not to life.

Quote: Dr. Charles Mayo, of the famous Mayo Clinic, wrote, “Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands and the whole nervous system. I have never met a man or known a man to die of overwork, but I have known a lot who died of worry.”

From a a) worry about food , B) worry about longevity to a:

C) worry about clothing

Matthew 6:28-30 [28]And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29]yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

[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? (ESV)

The third illustration has to do with clothing, using flowers as a model. Some of the people to whom Jesus spoke perhaps had little clothing, no more than one set of coverings for their bodies. He pointed again to their surroundings, this time to the flowers, to assure them of God’s concern and provision.

Jesus tells us to consider the lilies of the field: To notice carefully, study closely. The term for lilies is a general term used of the wild flowers that in great variety and beauty grace the fields and hillsides of Galilee.

In considering how they grow, those beautiful decorations of nature make no effort to grow and had no part in designing or coloring themselves. They neither toil nor spin, Jesus said, stating the obvious; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Even the naked eye can see much of the amazing detail, shading, and coloring of a flower. Under a microscope it shows itself to be even more marvelous and intricate than ancients could ever have imagined. Yet even Solomon, one of the most resplendent kings the world has ever known, Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these little flowers which anyone there that day could have picked by the dozen.

Along with the grass of the field, the lillies are alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven

Such ovens (Klibanos) were made of hardened clay and were used primarily for baking bread. When a woman wanted to hurry the baking process, she would build a fire inside the oven as well as under it. Fuel for the inside heating was usually composed of dried grass and flowers gathered from nearby fields. Once the fiower’s beauty was gone it had little use except to be burned up as fuel for baking. Then it was gone.

The form of this argument is from the lesser to the greater. Since God bothers to array the grass of the field with beautiful but short-lived flowers, how much more is He concerned to clothe and care for His very own children who are destined for eternal life? This is how Paul remarked:

Romans 8:32 [32]He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? (ESV)

To be anxious even about things which we need to survive, Jesus says, is sinful and shows little faith. A person who worries about those things may have saving faith, but he does not have faith that relies on God to finish what He has begun. It is significant that each of the four other times Jesus used the phrase “O men [or “you”] of little faith,” it was also in relation to worry about food, clothing, or life span (see Matt. 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 12:28).

In essence Jesus is saying: “You believe that God can redeem you, save you from sin, break the shackles of Satan, take you to heaven where He has prepared a place for you, and keep you for all eternity,” “and yet you do not trust Him to supply your daily needs?” Look at the Irony: We freely put our eternal destiny in His hands, but at times refuse to believe He will provide what we need to eat, drink, and wear.

This is not a rebuke for the absence of saving faith, but the inadequacy of that faith.
God does not want us to confine our faith to so called spiritual things, but understand the true nature of faith that spiritual things encompass all of life.
These is a tremendous difference between knowing the promises of God and taking hold of them and incorporating them into all of life.
It is a tragedy to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, but fail to believe him in His promises.

Worry is not a trivial sin, because it strikes a blow both at God’s love and at God’s integrity.

Quote: As one author said: Worry declares our heavenly Father to be untrustworthy in His Word and His promises. To avow belief in the inerrancy of Scripture and in the next moment to express worry is to speak out of both sides of our mouths. Worry shows that we are mastered by our circumstances and by our own finite perspectives and understanding rather than by God’s Word. Worry is therefore not only debilitating and destructive but maligns and impugns God.

(MacArthur, J. F. (1985). The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Mt 6:25). Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books.)

Please turn to 1 Peter 5

Why then if anxiety and worry is so serious do we do it, and sometimes almost incessantly?

When a believer is not fresh in the Word every day, so that God is in His mind and heart, then Satan moves into the vacuum and plants worry. Worry then pushes the Lord even further from our minds.

1 Peter 5:6-7 [6]Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7]casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (ESV)

1) Anxiety is Unfaithful Because Of Our Master (Matthew 6:25) 2) Anxiety Is Unnecessary Because of Our Father (Matthew 6:26-30) and

3) Anxiety Is Unreasonable Because of Our Faith (Matthew 6:31-33)

Matthew 6:31-33 [31]Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'

[32]For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33]But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

Anxiety is inconsistent with our faith in God and is therefore unreasonable as well as sinful. Worry is characteristic of unbelief.

The elements mentioned in Verse 31, Worrying about what to eat, drink, and wear are things the Gentiles (eagerly) seek.

In Verse 32 , Ethnoi (Gentiles) literally means simply “peoples,” or “a multitude.” In the plural form, as here, it usually referred to non-Jews, that is, to Gentiles and, by extension, to unbelievers or pagans. Those who have no hope in God naturally put their hope and expectations in things they can enjoy now. They have nothing to live for but the present, and their materialism is perfectly consistent with their religion. They have no God to supply their physical or their spiritual needs, their present or their eternal needs, so anything they get they must get for themselves. They are ignorant of God’s supply and have no claim on it. No heavenly Father cares for them, so there is reason to worry.

Quote: One commentator mentioned: that the gods of the Gentiles were man-made gods inspired by Satan.

They were gods of fear, dread, and appeasement who demanded much, promised little, and provided nothing. It was natural that those who served such gods would eagerly seek whatever satisfactions and pleasures they could while they could.

(MacArthur, J. F. (1985). The MacArthur New Testament Commentary. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Mt 6:25). Winona Lake, IN: BMH Books.)

The faithful, trusting, and reasonable Christian is directed:

Philippians 4:6 [6]do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (ESV)

Application: Here is the real test: Is there any difference in your actions from the time you weren’t a Christian?

Christ is calling you to rise to the level of your faith: be worthy of your high calling in Christ Jesus

Illustration: In the fourth century, the Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate failed in his efforts to suppress Christianity, largely because of the distinctive living he found among the believers. He told his officials: “We ought to be ashamed. Not a beggar is to be found among the Jews, and those godless Galileans (Christians) feed not only their own people but ours as well, whereas our people receive no assistance whatever from us”.

Imagine a world where a countries leader were forced to say today: “We ought to be ashamed. Not a worrier is to be found among those fanatics who call themselves Christians. They cope not only with the pressures faced by other men, but the pressures we put on them as well. And then they do and give comfort to some of us when we worry, whereas our people are constantly gulping down tranquilizers, visiting assorted psychiatrists, and mass-producing overweight ulcers.”(D.A. Carson: Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Global Christian Publishers. Grand Rapids, MI, 1999. p. 99).
We often lack an effective testimony because our conduct with worry sabotages our message.

Jesus has every right just to command us not to worry due to its extreme disobedience and detriment to our testimony. But within this series of rebukes Jesus gives a positive command coupled with a beautiful promise:

Mt. 6: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (ESV)

The cause of worry is seeking the things of this world, and the cause of contentment is seeking the things of God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

Please turn to Col. 3

The start of verse 33:

De is primarily a conjunction of contrast, for which but is a good rendering. In the present context it carries the idea of “rather,” or “instead of.” “Rather than seeking and worrying about food, drink, and clothing like unbelievers do,” Jesus says, “focus your attention and hopes on the things of the Lord and He will take care of all your needs.”

This is a command to be constantly seeking:

Colossians 3:1-3 [3:1]If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2]Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [3]For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (ESV)

Out of all the options that we have, out of all the things we can seek for and be occupied with, we are to seek first the things of the One to whom we belong.

2 Corinthians 4:17-18 [17]For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, [18]as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (ESV)

In Mt. 6:33, the Christian’s priority of priorities, a divine priority composed of two parts: God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness.

Basileia (kingdom) does not refer to a geographical territory but to a dominion or rule. God’s kingdom is God’s sovereign rule, and therefore to seek first the kingdom of God is to seek first His rule, His will and His authority.

We are also to seek ... His righteousness. Instead of longing after the things of this world, we are to hunger and thirst for the things of the world to come, which are characterized above all else by God’s perfect righteousness and holiness. It is more than longing for something ethereal and future; it is also longing for something present and practical. We not only are to have heavenly expectations but holy lives.

Linking with what we have talked about before, if a personal loves God, he or she will show this by being devoted to God, placing everything-money, time, talents, etc.- at God’s disposal, and service Him. It is clear therefore, that loving God is not merely a matter of the emotions but of heart, soul, mind and strength ( Mt. 22:37)

1) Anxiety is Unfaithful Because Of Our Master (Matthew 6:25) 2) Anxiety Is Unnecessary Because of Our Father (Matthew 6:26-30) 3) Anxiety Is Unreasonable Because of Our Faith (Matthew 6:31-33) and very briefly

4) Anxiety Is Unwise Because of Our Future (Matthew 6:34)

Matthew 6:34 [34]"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. (ESV)

This is not a mere repetition, or just a summary. This verse takes Jesus’ teaching one step further. So far, Jesus has been looking at the problem of anxiety and worry as it concerns us in the immediate present. Now He takes it on and covers the future also. He extends it, and applies it to cover the whole of life.

Making reasonable provisions for tomorrow is sensible, but to be anxious about tomorrow is foolish and unfaithful. God is the God of tomorrow as well as the God of today and of eternity.

Lamentations 3:22-23 [22] The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; [23]they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. ESV

It seems some people are so committed to worrying that, if they cannot find anything in the present to worry about, they think about possible problems in the future.

That is not the careless philosophy of the hedonist who lives only for his present enjoyment. It is the conviction of the child of God who knows that Tomorrow will be anxious for itself because it is in his heavenly Father’s hands.

Here Jesus is personalizing worry. He relates it to a person with an active imagination on everything that could possibly go wrong.

That Sufficient for the day is its own trouble is not a call to worry about that trouble, but to concentrate on meeting the temptations, trials, opportunities, and struggles we have today, relying on our Father to protect and provide as we have need.

God promises His grace for tomorrow and for every day thereafter and through eternity. But He does not give us grace for tomorrow now. He only gives His grace a day at a time as it is needed.

Isaiah 26:3-4 [3]You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. [4]Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock. ESV

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cf. confer (Lat.), compare