July 14, 2019
Evening Service

This morning Jesus magnified the law for us according to forgiveness.  We have been forgiven much and now we are expected to follow suit and also be forgiving to others.  He taught us that when we fast we are to do it just as we do our giving and our prayer life, in secret keeping it something that is between the Lord and ourselves.  We finished up this morning talking about “laying up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”  He warned us to be careful to keep our eye upon what is good and not get caught up in the treasures this world offers because “where you treasure is, there your heart also.”  It is a choice that we must make God and His ways or the pleasures of this world.  We cannot serve both.  Tonight, as we finish chapter 6, Jesus continues the idea of trusting God for our needs and placing Him first upon our list of priorities.

Mat 6:25-26 "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?

            Jesus still with the thought of materialism in our minds ask us a question that really addresses our faith.  Materialism clouds our thoughts about heavenly treasure, obscures our spiritual vision, and enslaves us to pursue something other than God.  We are commanded to not become obsessed with worldly goods.  God supplied all the needs of the children of Israel as they wondered the wilderness for 40 years.  He gave them manna to eat and made sure their clothes and shoes never wore out.

 To obsess over the things, we need, or worry about them, means to “have anxiety based upon perceived or real impending misfortune.”  Worry or what we now call stress can damage our physical health, disrupt your productivity, negatively affect the way you treat others, and it reduces your ability to trust in God.  Worry basically immobilizes us where sincere concern would move us to action.  Worrying about something shows a lack of faith on our part.  Jesus gives the example of the “birds of the air” and how God feeds them; “Are you not of more value than they?”  He now continues.

 

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

            Jesus asks the obvious question about worry; what good does it do?  Here He asks if by worry we are able to add one inch to our height or it could be interpreted as adding one minute to our life?  The answer is obviously no.  Why do we spend so much time and effort doing something that reaps us nothing but negative results?   Our favorite phrase worry becomes “What if?”  We play out every scenario that could possibly go wrong in our minds and let it consume us on what “might happen.”  Again it is okay to be concerned and make plans or take actions in an area where we lacking, but it shows a lack of faith to worry and obsess about it. God is in control and we need to learn to trust Him in everything.  How many times in your life have you worried and fretted over something blowing it out of proportion and in the end God worked it out perfectly and you said to yourself “Why did I worry so much about that?”  It never ends the other way where you say “I am so glad I worried about that!”  This is another one of those things that is easy to understand, but difficult to put into daily practice.  Jesus continues this thought.

 Mat 6:28-32 "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.

            Jesus also brings out this point with us to “Consider the lilies of the field” stating that even “Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as these.”  God always goes far and above what we need and provides us with more than enough and sometimes even grants us our wants and desires; making something ugly into something beautiful.  He then straight forwardly commands us not to worry about food, clothes or anything we need but to simply trust God to meet our needs.  Our loving heavenly Father knows the needs we have and will provide them to us in His time, trust Him at His Word to come through for you.  He now gives us a simple truth that is one of the greatest pieces of wisdom along with being one of the foundations or our faith in God.

 

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

            In my commentary it stated this about this verse: “To make the kingdom of God your primary concern means to put God first in your life, to fill your thoughts with His desires, to take His character for your pattern, and to serve and obey Him in everything.”  We have surrendered our heart totally to Him holding nothing back; just as we sang this morning “I surrender all.”

  When we do this Jesus promise that “all these things will be added unto you.”  So when we put God first and foremost in every aspect of our lives, God Himself will make sure everything else falls into its proper place.  When we worry then, we show a lack of faith that God will come through for us or he needs our help.   We also may be admitting to ourselves that we know we are not putting Him first in our lives.  I like how Paul explains the need for true faith in Hebrews.

 

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

            God really spoke into my life with this verse as it forced me to examine the reality and depth of my faith.  Do I really believe this or not?  Am I all in with God or not?  Am I diligently seeking Him so He can reward me?  Do my actions prove my faith or bring doubt to them?  Worry shows my lack of faith.  When I trust God with my future and am living out my faith as He designed it.  Jesus closes this chapter and summarizes His teaching on worry with this thought.

 

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

            Don’t worry about tomorrow, there are enough troubles to deal with today and we are to trust God for them both.  This does not mean we are to be carefree and just “don’t worry, be happy.”  There is a difference between worrying and planning.  Planning for tomorrow is time well spent, but worrying about it is time wasted.  Careful planning is thinking ahead about goals, steps and schedules as we seek God’s guidance in them through prayer.  Planning done well can eliminate a lot of worry that we bring on ourselves as it makes us much more prepared when tomorrow arrives.  Worry on the other hand, consumes us with fear and anxiety making it difficult to trust God on even the simplest levels.  Make your plans, but always add in “if God wills” because He sometimes has a different plan than the one we make.

            Our walk with the Lord is one in which we totally surrender to Him and His Will for our lives trusting that He knows best.  It is not always the path that we would choose for ourselves, but we must yield our will to His.  Whose hands would you rather hold your future than those of the very Creator of the entire universe?  You must believe that He is and that He will do what He says He will do.  Diligently seek Him and you will be rewarded greatly!  Living in this manner will lower our stress levels and empower us to live up to the full potential God has planned for us.

 

Heavenly Father forgive us for our lack of faith when we worry and please build our faith to trust in You for our wellbeing today and every day in the future.