Seek Ye First
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Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
We are on our last few verses of the sermon on the mount. Remember Jesus is teaching the true disciple here how they are to behave as a follower of Him. We can learn a lot about our behavior as believers from this text. Since we have already covered chapter 7 and the end of the sermon on the mount on Wednesday nights we will stop at the end of this chapter and head into something else next week.
Introduction
Introduction
One day John Wesley was walking with a troubled man who expressed his doubt as to the goodness of God. He said, “I do not know what I shall do with all this worry and trouble.”
At the same moment Wesley saw a cow looking over a stone wall. “Do you know,” asked Wesley, “why that cow is looking over the wall?”
“No,” said the man who was worried.
Wesley said, “The cow is looking over the wall because she cannot see through it. That is what you must do with your wall of trouble—look over it and avoid it.”
Faith enables us to look past our circumstances and focus on Christ.
As the old say goes: “Worry is like a rock chair. You spend a lot of energy going nowhere.” A lot of people in our society spend a lot of energy worrying about things they have absolutely no control over:
What other people think of them
Getting sick
The Weather
People just worry about every possible circumstance. In fact, worry and anxiety can break down the human body. No wonder the major cause of sickness can be traced directly to an over - abundance of stress. God has much better solution for the believer than to worry. God’s counsel for us in a few practical commands. This counsel meets one of the greatest needs of men, the need to be delivered from worry and anxiety.
Do Not worry about Necessities
Do Not worry about Necessities
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
The believer is not to worry about needs in life, about food and drink, or about body and clothing. This counsel is so needed that it is given three times in this text.
Jesus is not suggesting that a man not prepare for life, that he is to be lazy, and thoughtless with a careless attitude. God will not indulge slothfulness and lack of effort or planning. A person has to look after his responsibilities.
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, And look well to thy herds.
For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state.
For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
I love that last verse, but the world and really missed the truth of the fact that we should not be lazy.
But Jesus is talking about the thought of placing all of your thoughts, worry, and efforts on your possessions of life. Many fall into the trap of centering their minds, thoughts, energy, and efforts on the necessities and luxuries of life. A believer is not to be wrapped up and entangled in the affairs of this world.
Young people and you start to age you will be really tempted and drawn by the fact that you “have” to make as much money as you possibly can in this life to have a good living. We already mentioned not to be lazy and if you don’t work nether shall he eat. But don’t allow yourself to get wrapped up in chasing the dollar, because it will never be enough.
People who spend all their time worrying about how to provide for their needs will find themselves bound to an early grave.
“In a cemetery in England stands a grave marker with this inscription:
‘She died for want of things.’ Alongside that stone is another which reads: ‘He died trying to give them to her.”
In a tragic manner these stones suggest the folly of living and working only for this world’s goods.
Seek The Kingdom of God
Seek The Kingdom of God
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
The word “seek” means to go after; to strive; to pursue. The believer’s life is not to be preoccupied with material things, as necessary as some things are. The believer is first of all to be seeking the Kingdom of God, and he is to seek His righteousness. He is to seek to become citizen of God’s kingdom, and he is to seek others, encouraging them to do the same. This is to be the first pursuit of his life.
People worry so much, when all they need is Jesus:
In her autobiography, My Life, former Israeli prime minister Golda Meir tells the story of her devout Jewish grandfather who lived in Russia. He was required to serve in the Russian army for sixteen years. During that time he tried to keep every Jewish law and custom even though it meant that he faced intense persecution—even being forced to kneel on a stone floor for hours.
When he was released, he feared that he may have somehow broken the Law and for the rest of his life he slept on a stone floor using a stone for his pillow to try to makeup for any sin he may have accidentally committed.
It is tragic that he went to such lengths to pay for his sin when Jesus has provided the atonement.
And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
Live One Day at a Time
Live One Day at a Time
Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
The believer is not to be caught up with worrying about tomorrow and its affairs. He is to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness today, leaving tomorrow and its needs to God. Christ is not forbidding a man to take care of tomorrow. He is striking at man’s obsession with getting more and more, with ignoring and neglecting God and His righteousness.
Duke University did a study on “peace of mind.” Factors found to contribute greatly to emotional and mental stability are:
1. The absence of suspicion and resentment. Nursing a grudge was a major factor in unhappiness.
2. Not living in the past. An unwholesome preoccupation with old mistakes and failures leads to depression.
3. Not wasting time and energy fighting conditions you cannot change. Cooperate with life, instead of trying to run away from it.
4. Force yourself to stay involved with the living world. Resist the temptation to withdraw and become reclusive during periods of emotional stress.
5. Refuse to indulge in self-pity when life hands you a raw deal. Accept the fact that nobody gets through life without some sorrow and misfortune.
6. Cultivate the old-fashioned virtues—love, humor, compassion and loyalty.
7. Do not expect too much of yourself. When there is too wide a gap between self-expectation and your ability to meet the goals you have set, feelings of inadequacy are inevitable.
8. Find something bigger than yourself to believe in. Self-centered egotistical people score lowest on any test for measuring happiness.
Conclusion
Conclusion
A person who does not trust Christ will find it impossible not to worry about the future or anything in their life. The opposite can be true for the true disciple of Christ. The person who trusts wholly in Christ has no need to about what is already in God’s firm grip.
Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.