Are You Worried?

One thing we could say about Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount is that He doesn’t fail to hit any of the taboo topics, does he? From marriage and adultery and divorce, to finances, to anger. If you bring up just about any of those things in conversation you’re bound to have a lively discussion because opinions vary widely. But we’re not really after opinions when we approach God’s Word, when we approach Jesus’ teachings here. We’re after the truth.

Well, today’s topic is no less taboo, or personal perhaps, because it is the topic of worry, or as many translations have it, Anxiety. If we polled the room this morning and asked the question, how many of you have ever faced worry or anxiety, there would no doubt be a 100% response in the affirmative.

Worrying about things is a universal human experience. There is nobody alive today who is absolutely free from the effects of worry. Now, there are many reasons for that, reasons that we will get into this morning, although we cannot possibly cover them all.

Earlier this week, I did a little poll online among contacts that I have on social media, knowing that worry is a universal experience, and I asked people if they were willing to share, in simple and general terms, what most causes them worry or anxiety. In just a couple of days I got scores of responses. The responses that I got were very informative, but not really surprising at all, because they were almost all normal parts of life. Here are some of the responses.

My Children’s Safety

Health

My Children’s Spiritual Life

Financial Insecurity

Other people’s expectations

Changes in plans

Family trouble

Feeling over-commited or short on time

retirement

relationship problems

fearing that someone is upset with me

Covid

Problems that our children and grandchildren will have

Winter

Work

Fear of Rejection

Uncertainty of the future

Feeling unaccomplished

Parenting

Responsibilities

In-laws

Finances

Needles

Bills

Confrontation

The future

Health

Finances

Money

Finances

Feeling trapped

Health

Now, you may be asking yourself, “does he know that he’s repeating himself?” Yes, I do, and there is a reason for that. You probably noticed some themes in that list didn’t you? I didn’t give every answer, I tried to represent the array of answers accurately.

Somewhere on that list, no doubt, you probably found yourself agreeing with or feeling a sense of familiarity when thinking about some of those things. Perhaps, for some of you, hearing one or two of those things on that list caused you to worry right now.

And it is interesting what we think and worry about isn’t it? I mean nobody in the survey said they were worried about tornadoes, or sharks, or bears, or nuclear explosions, or drowning, did they? All the answers were regular, normal parts of life that we face on a day-to-day basis.

And there is a reason for that. If I had asked the question, what are you most afraid of, then we may have gotten some answers like sharks, or drowning, or fires, or disease. But we don’t worry and have anxiety over the things that are a slim possibility, we worry and have anxiety over the things that we are facing now.

On my poll, I didn’t share the passage that I was preaching on this week, although a few people guessed it or brought it up in conversation, but Jesus’ words in our text today are so fitting for all of these kinds of worries, because Jesus’ addresses not the big one-in-a-million chance fears in this passage, but the regular, daily worries that people face on a normal basis. Let’s read his words together.

Matthew 6:25–34 ESV

“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? 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? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

In simple terms, Jesus shows us that we are not to worry, we don’t need to worry, we don’t have to worry, and we should not worry. He ties this back to faith, He ties it back to providence and God’s faithfulness, He ties it back to creation and the order of the universe, He ties it back to our priorities.

So I ask you today, are you worried? And maybe you are not worried right now. But I ask you still, do you worry? If so, listen to the Words of Jesus and seek to follow His instruction in this passage.

As believers, Jesus assures us that we must not worry. God our Father who feeds the birds and clothes the lilies cares much more about you. Seek Him and His Ways.

Why Must we Not Worry? - 25

Matthew 6:25 ESV

“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?

Again, like last week, Jesus gives us this very clear “do not do this” warning. “Do not be anxious about your life.” Or like I have it memorized from when I was a kid, “Take no thought for your life.”

A working definition of what it means to worry or be anxious in this sense, is to be unduly concerned for something, to meditate on it, to overthink something, or to be cumbered by something.

Now, before we can even get into the rest of Jesus’ words here, we have to address the “therefore.” The word “therefore” in scripture often answers a lot of questions for us, and the question that this one answers is “why must we not worry?

“Therefore” goes back to something that Jesus just said, particularly what we looked at last week.

Last week we learned this: “Our life does not consist in our treasures, but in our Lord. May we treasure and look with a single eye to our true Master.” The teaching last week was “don’t treasure treasures.”

We learned that what we treasure, what we value and focus on, is very revealing. We learned that the most wealthy people alive cannot secure that wealth and treasure beyond their final breath, and that the only things we are to treasure are Godly things, and things that God treasures.

Now, it is totally unironic that Jesus speaks one paragraph about treasure and money, and then in the next paragraph talks about worry and anxiety. Remember that list I read you of all the things people worry about? Well, finances and financial security were on that list at least one in every 7 or 8 answers.

Jesus’ teaching on treasure was all about focus, all about our master. What masters us? Is it our treasure? Or is it our One master, our true Lord Jesus Christ?

So with that, Jesus says “therefore, do not be anxious...”

Why? Because you should not treasure earthly treasures, do not be anxious. Because we must not focus on temporary and fleeting things, do not be anxious. Because you cannot serve two masters, do not be anxious.

Let’s just look at that last one, because that is the direct antecedent of verse 25. Because you cannot serve two masters, do not be anxious. Do not worry.

I want to say something here that may not come across as gentle, but I have found it to be true in my life, and we see it in Jesus’ words here.

In most cases, worry and anxiety is allowing our situation to be our master. Worry and anxiety often reveal a problem with the location of our treasure, and worry and anxiety tell a story about our faith and our focus.

Because you cannot serve two masters, do not be anxious. Do not worry.

So I ask you, do you serve the master of worry and anxiety? And I’m speaking to myself here as loudly as I am to you, because I face this. I deal with this. And in those times, I know that I am allowing my situations, my finances, my commitments to master me in stead of allowing my heart and focus to be fixed on our true master.

So why must we not worry? It’s not just because “Jesus said so.” We must not worry because we cannot serve two masters. Jesus’ used the illustration of “money,” but it can be anything. Just like we can make anything our treasure, we can worry about anything too, can’t we?

Again, it’s not just the big fears - its the normal fears. Jesus addresses the daily things. As we read this passage, these are the things that Jesus’ says not to worry about.

Your life

what we eat

what we drink

our bodies

what we wear

our lifespan

tomorrow

trouble

Now, that pretty much covers it, doesn’t it? Jesus understands that people worry about the things that they face every day, and He addresses it in a way only He could. Because you cannot serve God and your anxiety, don’t be anxious. Do not worry.

How Can we Not Worry? - 26-32

Jesus’ is the best teacher, and a big part of his teaching is illustration or analogy from creation.

He points our attention to the animals and the plants here as a picture of contentment and provision.

“look at the birds” he says. We have a birdfeeder, and we enjoy watching many different varieties of songbirds from our dining room table. I picked up that hobby from an early age with my grandmother.

Birds are wonderful creatures, but gardeners they are not. Now, they inadvertently spread seeds to other places, but they don’t plant crops for themselves, and they don’t harvest large harvests into their barns. They don’t even have barns, yet, they eat.

They live their life, and they have provision, why? Jesus says it is because our heavenly Father feeds them. And how does He do that? Well, He does it naturally through things like flowers, bugs, worms, seeds. He does it by people like you and I planting gardens, and having birdfeeders. God works through means, sometimes you and I, to feed His creation. But whatever the means, they are provided for, and God sees to it.

What about the plants? Look at verse 28.

Look at the lilies, Jesus says. Lilies are beautiful flowers, but they are not weavers. They do not make thread and yarn and weave beautiful garments for themselves. Yet they have a beautiful existence, why? Because God clothes them as such. Even more beautiful than Solomon in all his glory. Now, that is saying something, because Solomon was the richest person to ever live. And He did have a lot of worry. Yet, he was no more beautifully clothed than the lilies of the field.

Now, Jesus asks a question after each of these illustrations. After the lilies, H asks “Will he not much more cloth you?”

And after the birds, he asks “are you not more valuable than they are?” Now, this is not the main purpose of this text, but the comments Jesus makes there are very helpful for our worldview.

If you ask the question, “are humans more valuable than plants and animals?” to a general audience, you will probably get mixed answers, and you may get a loud section that says, “no they are not, the plants and animals are equally as valuable as humans are.” But interestingly, God says that humans are more valuable than plants and animals. Mankind is made in God’s image, we are the crown of God’s creation, and we bear a significance that, even in God’s eyes, is much higher than the plants and animals that He also created. This is why we value human life, from conception to the grave, and this is why we value the kind of righteous living that promotes human flourishing.

Back to the point, though. Do you see the aim of Jesus’ illustration here? If the birds and the lilies are taken care of in God’s providence, how much more will we be taken care of?

Now, you say, birds sometimes die, and lilies are only beautifully clothed for a short season. What does that tell us about God’s care of them?

It tells us that God, as the creator and provider, knows what His creation needs. He designed it, ordered it, and is sovereignly ruling over it. Not one bird dies without His knowledge, and not one lily blooms or fades without Him seeing.

Job 38:1–7 (ESV)

Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Dress for action like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

Tell me, if you have understanding.

Who determined its measurements—surely you know!

Or who stretched the line upon it?

On what were its bases sunk,

or who laid its cornerstone,

when the morning stars sang together

and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Job had a lot to worry about, He had a lot to fear. But God reminded Him by way of question. Were you around when I made all this, Job? Does your knowledge and understanding go back to before time began? Are you the one that planned all this out and rules over all these things?

Our God is all knowing, all seeing, and all wise. It is not that we can never question “why?” But when we don’t have that answer, we can know that nothing is left up to chance. None of our situations are out of control. They may be out of our control, but they are not out of control. There is one who is in control, and He sees, He knows, He cares.

Look back for a minute to Jesus’ teaching on prayer, specifically verses 7-8.

The Gentiles (in this case, those who are not in relationship with God) heap up empty phrases and repeat themselves loudly in prayer because they hope to be heard by God. But out Father knows what we need even before we ask Him.

In our worry, we cannot possibly be more aware of our need than God is. We cannot possibly be better acquainted with our circumstances than our Heavenly Father is. He sees, he knows, he provides.

Jesus is speaking here, but He is also known for His knowing, caring ways with us.

Isaiah 42:1–3 ESV

Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.

This is a prophecy about Jesus, and in it it says that “a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench...” These are pictures of gentleness. These are pictures of awareness. A bruised reed and a smoldering wick are seen as useless to most, but Jesus will not crush those who are weak and feeble. Rather He brings justice.

Are you weakened by your worries? Are you concerned that your life is dwindling? Are you worried about your health, the end of your life? Are you worried about your future? Jesus will not crush you in your worries, but He tells us strongly that we are not to worry. He who feeds the sparrow and clothes the lily cares much more about you.

Last week I said that Jesus often asks revealing questions. Well, there is another one in this passage.

Verse 27 says, “which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life?” Of course, the answer to that is none of us can extend our life by worry. In fact, if anything, worry does just the opposite.

And He also makes a very pointed statement. After saying, “if he clothes the grass of the field, will He not much more cloth you?” he says, “O you of little faith.”

Now, that is a sharp statement, but I don’t see it here as a statement of rebuke as much as a statement of warning and help. Jesus is telling us, warning us - if you are worried about these things, you must examine your faith.

Now, I know questions may be in your mind. What if my worry and anxiety is clinical, what if it is because of a mental or chemical imbalance?

And that is very possible. Our brains are organs that exist within a body that lives in a cursed world. We have disease of every other part of our body, we can certainly have disease that affects our thinking as well. If you are legitimately plagued with the kind of anxiety that can only be explained by medical means, then there is nothing wrong with seeking the appropriate medical means of relief.

However, most worry and anxiety, even severe, is not caused by chemical imbalance, but is just regular old worry. Even unbelieving doctors will tell you and agree that a large portion of psychotropic prescriptions do more harm than they do help, and many are not necessary.

If you are a believer, it is not a sin to utilize these things if you really need them, but if you don’t, you have to ask the question - am I seeking a means to forget my worries, or am I legitimately trying to walk by faith and not worry?It is to this that Jesus says, “O you of little faith, do not be anxious.”

But He doesn’t say “O you of little faith” and then leave us hopeless. He says “O you of little faith” after describing to us the kind of providence and watchcare that our Heavenly Father exhibits in all of creation, and how much more he cares for us as His people.

Jesus doesn’t say “O you of little faith” as a discouragement against hope, but as an encouragement that there is hope! There is peace available when we trust our Heavenly father for our needs, for our fears, for our situations.

So do not be anxious, about what you will eat, what you will drink, what you will wear. The “gentiles” seek after these things.

That is, those who don’t know our Heavenly father worry about these things. That is the same language Jesus used about prayer. When we worry and ignore the care and providence of our God, then we put ourselves in the position of those who do not know God. But we do have a personal God who knows and sees.

How can you not worry? or Why can you not worry? Because we have a personal, all-knowing, all-seeing God who has created and ordered this universe, and He sees and cares for you.

What Must we Do Instead? - 33-34

So we started with “therefore” - because we cannot serve to masters, do not be anxious. And now we come to “but,” we come to the conclusion.

And what we are to do in stead of worrying is to “seek first the Kingdom of God.”

We’ve discussed this in detail before, but the “Kingdom” of God is the “Kingship” of God. It is God’s rulership, authority, sovereignty, and Lordship.

So in this case, to seek God’s kingdom or kingship in stead of worry is to make Him our master like were were instructed in verse 24. We are to seek His kingship and his righteousness. Rather than worry, seek God and His ways. Ways of peace, ways of faith, ways of trust.

Rather than worry, seek the Lord. This sounds much like last week. Don’t treasure earthly things, but treasure God and His ways. Likewise, don’t worry about earthly things, but seek God and His ways.

Now, what does it mean to “seek first?”

Well, “first” is not first on a to do list. It is not to say, when we wake up in the morning, we pray and have our bible reading, and then we can say “ok - I’ve sought the Kingdom today, now I can go on to my worry and anxiety.”

Not at all. Seeking “first” is first in priority, first in importance, first in an overarching sense. That is, in every area of life, we can seek God’s Kingship and righteousness.

As touching our health, we can seek God’s kingship and righteousness. As touching our finances, we can seek God’s kingdom and righteousness. As touching our clothing, we can seek God’s kingship and righteousness. As touching our future, we can seek God’s kingship and righteousness. As touching our relationships, we can seek God’s kingship and righteousness. As touching our children, our homes, our jobs, we can seek God’s kingship and righteousness.

Seeking God’s kingship can be as simple as saying “yes” to God and His ways rather than saying “yes” to our own feelings and desires.

And when we seek “first” or over all God and His ways, then all the things of life will come into place. Now, just like God uses means to feed the birds, he uses means to provide for us as well. If we are seeking God and His ways, we will be diligent to work and plan, we will be good stewards of our gifts, we will seek to raise our families well, and we will seek good relationships. All the things that we worry and dread are touched upon in God’s kingship.

Which leads to an important question. Do you tend to relegate all the physical and relational parts of life to your own control, and just leave the “spiritual” things to God? If so, I beg you to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness. All these things are under His rule and His care.

Finally, we are told to “not be anxious about tomorrow.” This comes into our thought life, for tomorrow only exists in our thinking right now.

“sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Is this to say we are never to plan? Of course not, but in our planning we are not to worry! We are to plan joyfully and always with an eye to “if God wills.”

Do you worry about tomorrow often? Does it cloud your thinking? Does it clog up your mind with dread and fear? May Jesus’ words encourage you, and also the words of Paul, who echoes Jesus’ teaching in Philippians 4.

Philippians 4:4–9 ESV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

That is a good note to end on, because perhaps the most wonderful way to describe the opposite of worry and anxiety is “peace.” Peace that goes beyond understanding, peace that is available only in God’s Kingdom as we seek Him, His Kingship, and His ways.

And as always, if you know nothing of this peace, may you run to Christ? May you learn to trust Him and follow Him.

As believers, Jesus assures us that we must not worry. God our Father who feeds the birds and clothes the lilies cares much more about you. Seek Him and His Ways.