Living For Today

Introduction

Good morning. A few days before I started writing this sermon, I heard the phrase, “sleep like a baby.” I’ve always wondered were that come from, and what was its real intended purpose. First, I thought, does that mean waking up every two to three hours all night long, because I’m hungry, then I’m thirsty, then I’m bored and want to be entertained. Oh now I need to the bathroom. Some of us might even feel like that now. When I started looking into this, there were all sorts of meanings to the phrase “sleep like a baby.” The consensus was to have a night of very well sleep with peace of mind that allowed you to either wake naturally or crash to the first sound of the alarm.

So whats keeping us awake? Well I can tell you we don’t have enough time to cover the whole scope. But, one piece of the common demonstrator has its roots set in anxiety and stress. The weight of mental stress can be heavy. You’ve heard throughout the years that “Jesus knows what you’re dealing with.” Have you every asked the question — does he “really” know what anxiety and stress feel like. Aside from being God, does Jesus “really” know what the weight of anxiety and stress can do to a person. I want to let you the answer is — Yes! In Luke 22:44, Luke records where Jesus was in agony, and was praying so hard, “ his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” So, Yes, Jesus knows what this feels like.

Our passage this morning comes to us from the 6th Chapter of Matthew’s gospel. Our entire passage are the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you have your Bible’s with you, I’d like to invite you to open your Bible to Matthew - 6. We’ll be reading verses 25 through 34.

Matthew 6:25–28 ESV

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? 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? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,

Matthew 6:29–30 ESV

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?

Matthew 6:31–34 ESV

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. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Pastoral Prayer

Some of the greatest battles of the Christian life are fought in our minds. There are different levels of stress. There are levels of stress that helps to keep you motivated. These low levels of stress keeps us focused on the tasks at hand. Then there are what I like to call mid-levels of stress. These are the levels of — Oh, I better get this done, because I have a dead line approaching. Then there are high levels of stress. These levels can cause a person to continually dwell on the issue, or continually keep hitting the rewind button on what is pushing your buttons. If we’re not careful, this could push a person into sin. That’s because this can introduce symptoms of doubt and unbelief.

[Display Verses 25 through 29]

We have the cure right here beginning in verse 25. Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” Another word for anxious is worry. This simple statement does something phenomenal for us. It introduces change! I know some of us resist change, while other embrace change. This causes us to change our perspective, or looking at it from a different point of view. It helps our thinking remain flexible and not rigid.

Some of you will remember back about twenty years ago, this thing called Y2K. This was when we thought the world was going to end, because the thought was computer did not “know” how to deal the date change over. You had people withdrawing mass amounts of cash, stocking up on food of all kinds. I remember hearing a story of a person who stocked up on 10,000 can of baked beans. Well as you can imagine, the world did not end, it kept on turning, and we’re all still here. When this issue was brought forward, it carried with it the undertones of actions.

That’s what Jesus is saying here when He tells us “don’t worry.” You could think of this as an order from our Commander in Chief, it’s a call for constant and continuous action. The simple way to think about this is to “stop worrying about it!” This also begs the question — what are we to stop worrying about? Folks, in a single word that captures what Jesus is referring to here — that word is LIFE! Jesus is telling us to stop worrying about life. Many of you here today are believers in Jesus Christ who trust him with your eternal security. So if you’re trusting in Jesus Christ for eternity, why it is hard for some to trust Jesus with the things in this life?

As Jesus asks, “is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” We all need food, shelter and water to survive. Jesus addressed the issue with an illustration specifically related to food. Jesus talks about “the birds of the sky.” The birds of the sky do nothing that we would consider to be “productive,” or being in a type of trade where one thing can be exchanged for something that is needed or desired. The birds just go around doing their own thing day-after-day. The are not worrying where the meal for the day will come from, or water, or shelter. God provides all of that to them. Think back to when the Israelites were in the desert. There were times when they need things, food specifically. Exodus Chapter 16 talks about how God provided manna and quail. There was no way God would allow the Israelites to perish in the desert sands. The journey was not easy, yes challenges did arise. But! God was right there at every step with them. That means God is there with you at every step.

Sometimes when we worry over things, we do our best to try and redirect the train. This time of year is popular with ways where we can locate the fountain of youth. I heard of this new startup company that is working on a way to download you brain to provide a new perspective on eternal life. I thought WOW — earthly eternal life. I think many of you would agree that heavenly eternal life is better. Verse 27 talks about this. Worrying in any case does not achieve anything. Worrying cannot add sand back into the hourglass that has already fallen.

When Jeremiah was called by the Lord to give prophesy to the Nation of Judah, the Lord came to him sayings:

Jeremiah 1:5 ESV

5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

This means that God has already determined the day and hour of your birth, along with the day and hour of your transition into eternity. We cannot add a year, a month, a week or even a second worrying about that. Worry can certainly affect the quality of life, but it cannot add length. Theologically, God is sovereign, which means our life is in His hands. He is the creator, the potter, and sustainer. God has sovereignly mapped out our lives from beginning to end. He knows what we need. This means the He loves and cares for each one of us individually. God will be sure to supply us with everything we need to fulfill His purpose and will in our lives.

Matthew 6:28–30 ESV

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?

In verses 28 to 30, Jesus turns his attention to clothing, asking why worry about what they wear. While this question might not be as urgent as food, it’s still something important to consider. Many people can be found with some kind of clothing, as one of the basic necessities of life. Jesus is showing us to learn from the lilies. The wild vegetation shows the wonder of God’s provision for His creation. If God cares that much about the lilies of the field, clothing the grass of the field, only to pass tomorrow; He will give you provision. Yes, you are that important.

When you’re facing that tremendous uphill trek, and the starting point is 20-feet above your head — what do you do? Do you stop, and simply say — there’s no way. Or have your started something in your life where climbing is just too hard. Keep the faith. Keep your faith in Jesus. There has been sever times where I’ve, not in just my life, but in others, where God seem like 1) He’s going to run late, or 2) like He’s never going to show up. God’s provision is always measured just right. He’s never a dollar short, and He shows up at just the right time. The root of worry is unbelief! Which is what Jesus is getting at in verse 30. We’re being encouraged no to have little.

When Jesus healed a boy with a demon, toward the end of the story, “the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, why could we not cast it out?”

Matthew 17:20 ESV

20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”

The illustration of is that “The mustard seed is one of the tiniest, most insignificant seeds found in the Middle East. A fast-growing annual herb, the mustard seed grows up to 10 feet tall in just a few short months, demonstrating the striking example of the potential of a small, insignificant seed.”

When we look at the root of worry as unbelief. We can then say to that mountain — I’ve got a big God who’s bigger than you — I’ve got a mustard seed, and I’m not afraid to use it. We are not to worried or anxious of “what we are to eat, drink, wear.” In a recent survey, American’s said they were worried about the “lack of control, risks that outweighed benefits, health care, the government, loss of Independence, maintaining good health, sudden bills, accumulation of debt.” The list can go on. The one common attribute all of these worries have is that they are earthly. This means they are temporary, not eternal!

Conclusion

Jesus gives us the perfect solution right here in:

Matthew 6:33 ESV

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

We are to see God first, and everything else second.

Is God first in your life? Most of us bring the big stuff to God, but how about the little stuff?

Is God involved in your decision making?

When you are making a significant decision, is God the first one you involve?

When we come to God first, we allow God to work His will. Our Lord tells us in:

Matthew 6:34 ESV

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Jesus is telling us to live for today don’t worry about what’s going to happen tomorrow. God has already been hard at work, already dealing and working out the challenges.

Think back to when the Israelites were in the wilderness, and the bread of heaven was coming down. They were concerned what they were going to eat. The Lord heard them, and blessed them with manna. The Lord blessed in abundance where the command was given to “gather of it, each on of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.” Each gathered what they needed. But! Remember, what happened when they had leftovers into the next morning? It all went bad. This was a lesson to trust the Lord for the days provision.

We are to live for the day, not to be concerned with the challenges of tomorrow. We have the great promise that comes to us from a section of Lamentations that takes about how “great is the faithfulness of God:” We have the assurance of:

Lamentations 3:22–23 ESV

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.

AMEN Brothers and Sisters! God is already at the breakfast table before I get there!

[Call Attention To Handout]

What do you need help with today? Focus on living for today. God is already handling tomorrow. The alter is open. What do you need to bring before God?

Closing Prayer