Matthew 6:24-34 Security

Matthew 6:24-34

Matthew 6:24-34

You all know that I like to preach through books of the Bible instead of jumping around from place to place finding something to preach about. In other words I like to follow the themes of Scripture straight through the Scripture. But I told you a while back that we would do 1 John then go to 2nd and 3rd John then on to Revelation and complete our study of the writings of the Apostle John. But here we are not being able to meet together and I really do not want to start another book series of sermons until we can all meet back together in person. So I guess I am reduced to preaching a few topical sermons until that time comes. So today we are going to look at the topic of worry. We are going to look at 6 reasons not to worry and what to do instead. No, this is not 6 steps to a worry free life. There is no such thing because of…well life. We will be in Matthew 6:24-34 a part of Scripture we know as Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. Let’s pray then we will get started.

First let me make this very clear. Many people read the Sermon on the Mount and believe that if they live up to Jesus’ explanation of the Law of God (that is what the sermon is) then they will be a Christian; a disciple of Christ. But the truth of the matter is this is not “if you do this, this will happen”. It is “because of this, this” because you are a disciple of Christ you will do this. This is what a disciple of Christ looks like. Now let me give you a little background that leads up to our passage this morning; especially what Jesus says in verse 24 of Matthew 6. In this part of the Sermon Jesus has been telling His disciples to watch what they treasure, what they determine is of great value. He tells them not to store up the treasures of this world because they will rot out, rust out, wear out or fall out (that is my translation). He makes certain they know that where their treasures are that’s their hearts will be. You will serve what you love.

This leads us to our passage this morning starting at verse 24: Matthew 6:24-34 24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.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 not life 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? 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?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.[1]

The reason I started this sermon passage with verse 24 is because verse 25 starts with “therefore” and we need to know what the therefore is there for. Jesus tells those who are His disciples that they cannot serve two masters. They will serve Him as their master or they will serve something else and He calls it mammon. Usually we interpret “mammon” as money but that doesn’t really cover it. Mammon means treasure or riches, what you value. That can be anything from money to the security or the comfort money can afford. So it is not simply money but all that you value that riches can bring you. I can remember back a lot of years thinking that if I could just make $15,000 a year I would have no more problems. I would have everything I needed; I would be secure and comfortable. I also remember back when I was making $40,000 a year thinking that if I could only make $50,000 I would have no more problems, my life would be secure and comfortable. The point being that no matter how much money or riches you acquire you will still be looking for the security that more riches bring. So what Jesus is saying is that His disciples cannot serve God and the security and comfort that the things of the world bring you.

Therefore, since you are a disciple of Christ then don’t worry, don’t be anxious about your life, what you put in your body (eat and drink) or what you put on your body (clothing) because your life is worth so much more than those things. That does not mean that you don’t need food and water or clothes to wear. Please wear clothes. I joked a few weeks back that I was indeed wearing pants while I was sitting at the table with you. I saw online that in one city the police put out an advisory that everyone needs to put on pants to go to the mailbox. I know you are in quarantine but you still need clothes. Most people are eating more food than they really need during this time, but you do need food. But if that is what you are basing your life on, if that is what you are valuing as life then you have really discounted you life as an image bearer of God.

From here Jesus goes on to give us 6 reasons not to worry. These are not numbered in the passage but they can be drawn out from the Scriptures. The first of these reasons is found in verse 26 and Jesus uses birds to explain it. 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? Birds don’t worry about where they get their food and you are worth more than a bird. Don’t fret the necessities, God takes care of the birds they don’t worry about their food or shelter. They just simply go about doing what God designed them to do, they peck around on the ground eating seeds or they catch worms and grasshoppers but God provides all of the seeds, the worms and the grasshoppers, and by the way He provides food for the worms and the grasshoppers, and even nourishment for the trees and plants to produce seed. If God cares so much for the birds and the worms, (and the grasshoppers for that matter), would He not care even more for you since you are created in His own image? But make sure you understand this: Just because God provides for the needs, food and clothing or shelter, and we are not to chase after those things as our life, disciples of Jesus Christ are still required to go and do what he finds his hands to do. The birds are designed to search for bugs, worms and seed and mankind and especially the disciples of Christ are designed to work for his and her needs. God provides the skill, the energy, the mentality and the job itself. Whatever you do though do it for the glory of God not to attain stuff seeking the security you may think it affords.

The second reason not to worry is found in verses 28-30. 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? God loves to adorn His creation. It is Spring time, just look outside! Some rose bushes are blooming; the redbud trees are beautiful along with the dogwood trees. Beside that beauty you have dandelions and red clover. Each flower and plant is adorned in just the way the Creator wanted them. Not everyone is a rose or a redbud but there is beauty in the dandelion. Not every one of us is going to be a Solomon in his clothing but God provides all that we need to be beautiful in His eyes and covered in the eyes of man. God clothes the plants in His beauty and He cares more about you than He does the plants.

The third reason not to worry is found in verse 27. 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? Jesus is basically asking: “How’s the worrying working out for you, has it changed anything?” I was going to be a professional football player and be a millionaire by the time I was 30. I would have done it too, but I just didn’t have the genetic makeup. I stopped growing when I was 15 years old. I was a big freshman, an average sophomore, a smallish junior and a short senior. There was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Worrying has never changed anything, ever. It only makes you feel worse about what you are worrying about, especially if what you are worrying about is monetary or provisional in nature, it just draws attention to what you think you do not have. Don’t worry because it is futile. Some things you can do nothing about.

The fourth reason not to worry is found in verses 31-32. 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. Since God provides for the birds and clothes the plants and worrying does not change anything then you who are disciples of Jesus Christ don’t worry about those things because that is what those who are not disciples of Christ do. That is what they serve but you serve God therefore don’t chase those things in anxiety. Disciples of Christ must be different from the rest of the world.

The fifth reason not to worry is a duh reason and it is found in the last part of verse 32: For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Since you know that God already knows your needs then the only reason for you to be anxious is because you do not believe that He is a good God that desires to bless His people. Let me put it another way then we will move on. Your anxiety over the necessities of life believing they will bring you security shows what you really believe about God. Chew on that for a little while.

The sixth reason not to worry is found in the last verse of this passage; verse 34. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.[2] I think this verse and Lamentations 3:22-23 should be read side by side for both of them to be fully understood. 22Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not.23They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.[3] God’s mercy is sufficient for every day and the troubles we have are sufficient for each day. Don’t carry tomorrow’s troubles today because His mercy for tomorrow is not here yet, but it is a sure thing. How did Jesus teach us to pray in this area? “Give us THIS day our daily bread.” Don’t worry about tomorrow, His mercy will arrive on time.

In Matthew 6:24-34 Jesus gives us 6 reasons not to worry: 1) God takes care of the birds of the field and you are worth more than a bird because you are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. 2) God delights in adorning His creation. He has dressed you in the righteousness of Christ so don’t worry about the outside. 3) Worrying doesn’t accomplish anything anyway. Some things there is nothing you can do about. 4) The lost world has to chase after things that bring them security and comfort; that is all they have. You, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, have to be different. 5) God already knows your needs. What do you believe about Him? 6) God’s mercy is new every morning for the troubles of the day. Don’t carry tomorrow’s troubles today.

So we have 6 very good reasons Jesus has given us not to worry but what are we going to do with ourselves if we don’t worry about our own security and comfort; how will we fill our days without worry? I say that kind of tongue in cheek or perhaps a little sarcastically but the truth is, if we are honest, we do expend a lot of time and energy in worry or anxiety (you may want to call it concern if it makes you feel better but its worry). So what do we do instead of worry and anxiety? The key to this whole passage is found in verse 33. Many of you may have committed this one to memory but this is what Jesus says: 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. This is going to require a little bit of unpacking but to begin with let me sum it up “instead of worry we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness”. So let’s unpack what that means very quickly. When Jesus says to “seek” He is talking about a craving, a craving for what God has for us rather than what the world has to allure us with. So we are to crave first the kingdom of God. That “first” doesn’t mean the first among many it means the first in priority, the most important. Let’s face it that which is consistently first in priority will soon become only in priority. Your greatest craving must be for the kingdom of God. Jesus is not talking about heaven when He speaks about the kingdom of God. He is talking about the rule of God in your life exemplified by you living in His righteousness. So, putting that all together, Jesus is telling us that our primary craving should be that God rule and reign in our lives exemplified by our lives demonstrating His righteousness.

When we do that, when we crave to live under His righteous rule then all the other cravings; security, comfort, food, clothing, houses, cars…all change and He adds to our lives all the things we need and we are satisfied, not in what we receive, but in Him. As disciples of Jesus Christ we are never fully satisfied, never fully secure or fully comfortable as long as we are seeking our security, satisfaction, or comfort in anything other than the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Let me repeat that: As disciples of Jesus Christ we are never fully satisfied, never fully secure or fully comfortable as long as we are seeking our security, satisfaction, or comfort in anything other than the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

I don’t know if this changes you perspective on anything but let’s put this into a modern context then we will quit and eat lunch. We live in uncertain times. Would you agree with me on that? The corona virus, covid 19, SARS 2, whatever you want to call it has indeed caused us a lot of trouble. People have fallen ill from it, many in other parts of the country (not so much around here) have died, and along with all of that the economy that was booming just a few weeks ago has died. Some of your retirements, your 501k’s and small businesses have taken a hit. Iran is harassing our fleet in the Persian Gulf and to top it all off this is one of the most contentious political seasons I have ever personally experienced. That is kind of the big picture but each one of you has your own troubles that in your life exceed all the national and world problems; for you. There are a lot of reasons for mankind to be anxious or worried. It is indeed uncertain times. But it is always uncertain times and it will always be uncertain times. That is why what Jesus said over 2000 years ago applies as much to us, His disciples today, as it did His original disciples. If you are His disciple: Don’t worry, crave His rule in your life knowing that your security, your comfort is in Him not in what you get. He will provide your needs. Let’s pray.

[1] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 6:24–34). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[2] The New King James Version. (1982). (Mt 6:24–34). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

[3] The New King James Version. (1982). (La 3:22–23). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.