Mother's Day: Don't Worry

Matthew 6:25-34 New King James Version

Do not worry 3x (Matthew 6:25, 31, 34)

Four Reasons Not to Worry

1. Worry detracts from your life (Matthew 6:25, 27).

a. Matthew 6:25 “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?

b. Matthew 6:27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

2. Worry discounts our Heavenly Father’s care (Matthew 6:26, 28-30).

a. Matthew 6:26 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?

b. Matthew 6:28 “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;

c. Matthew 6:29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

d. Matthew 6:30 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?

i. Worry indicates a lack of faith (Matthew 6:30).

1. you of little faith - Jesus uses this phrase when the disciples doubt God’s ability to take care of them (Matt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8).[1]

e. People who do not know our heavenly Father worry (Matthew 6:31-32).

3. Worry chases the wrong things (Matthew 6:32-33).

a. Matthew 6:32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

i. Seek:epizeteo - “to seek after” (directive, epi, “towards”)[2]

b. Matthew 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

i. Matthew 6:32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

ii. Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

iii. Matthew 6:8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

4. Worry cannot change tomorrow but prayercan (Matthew 6:34).

a. Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

i. Matthew 6:9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

ii. Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.

iii. Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread.

1. following (day) adjs. — immediately following in time or order; especially of the impending day.

iv. Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

v. Philippians 4:7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

[1]Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., … Bomar, D. (2012, 2016). Faithlife Study Bible (Mt 6:30). Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. [2]Vine, W. E., Unger, M. F., & White, W., Jr. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Vol. 2, p. 558). Nashville, TN: T. Nelson.