Jesus forbids worry. Three times he commands his followers to not worry.
For those who are already living in worry, he commands, “Stop the
worrying.” For those who are about to start worry, he declares, “Don’t
make that step. Don’t even begin to worry.”
Jesus’ command is
meant to keep his followers from getting hurt. Worry hurts. It affects
people and their relationship. It strangles people. It chokes them. It
affects even their sleep. It destroys faith. It leads to a lot of
trouble.
Jesus
provides three prescriptions for a worry-free life. Notice that these
prescriptions require attitude, life, value adjustments. These require
repentance, a seeking of divine help, and an honest to goodness
evaluation of our lives.
The
“therefore” in verse 25 refers back to the three decision issues that
Jesus pointed out in the previous paragraph. What we decide with
treasure, with condition, and who to serve determine whether we turn out
to be worriers or worshipers.
Jesus tells us that a worry-free life is a result of making the right decision.
Decision
to prefer non-perishable, durable, eternal and heavenly treasures over
treasures that are perishable, non-durable, temporary and earthly
treasures. With your treasures safe you can live a worry-free life (See 1
Peter 1:3-5).
Decision to live according to God’s revelation
or live on your own. This is the issue of the two “eye conditions” that
Jesus pointed out in 6:22-23. The good eye sees. It is acquainted with
the things of God. It refers to a life guided by biblical truth and
values. The bad eye is blind. It is incapable of seeing beyond itself.
It is a selfish eye. Knowing the truth and deciding to live by it keeps
you from worry.
Decision to serve the right master. To serve
Jesus leads to a worry-free life. To decide to live other “gods” means
you will have to trust someone else.
2. TRUST THE RIGHT FATHER (Matthew 6:26, 32)
Twice, Jesus points to the heavenly Father as reason for not worrying.
He
says, ‘to worry and have a heavenly Father” is inconsistent. How can
you worry when you have a heavenly Father? He also chides worriers by
pointing the obvious, “worry is useless.” It is a futile exercise, a
total waste of time, of effort, of energy. One cannot prolong his or her
life by worrying. In fact, worry shortens life.
There are
followers of Christ who need to rediscover the Father God. Some relate
with God as they relate to their earthly fathers. Absent, uncaring,
unable, undependable earthly fathers do not represent the heavenly
Father.
Our attitude is often similar to that of the disciples
in Mark 4:35-41. They’d just been with Jesus the whole day and were on
their way to another town when they encountered a “furious squall”. The
disciples, fearful and quite upset rushed to Jesus, sleeping at the back
of the boat, and accused him: “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”
Jesus of course cared. He also had power over that stormy condition.
See Psalm 103:14; 1 Peter 5:7, Matthew 6:26,31-32).
3. PURSUE THE RIGHT AMBITION (Matthew 6:33)
Matthew 6:33 is Jesus’ alternative for worry. Instead of worrying about food, water, clothes and the like, we are to passionately seek God’s kingdom and
righteousness. This is not a new theme that Jesus introduces here. This
is a theme all throughout the Sermon. To care for God’s business is to
be assured that God will care for your personal business.
So
Jesus offers an alternative, a Plan B. “People who do not know God run
after these things, but you are different. Pursue my kingdom, make it
your central priority, make it your dream – your ambition.”
The kingdom Jesus refers to is his personal reign. God’s rule in Christ. So what does it mean to seek His kingdom above all?
First,
it means to desire that one’s own life be placed under Christ’s rule. I
desire that my whole life, every department of my life – be placed
under His care, direction, and plan. To seek God’s rule in my life means
that I want above all things that His will be done in my life – my
home, marriage, family, ministry, relationships, finances, future, etc.
Second, it means an overwhelming desire to see people enter
God’s kingdom so that they too might experience the life-giving kingdom.
To seek God’s kingdom is to make evangelism our most important
responsibility as a church family and as individuals. Our ambition is to
see people come out of darkness into God’s marvelous light.
What
about “righteousness”? To seek God’s righteousness involves wanting
God’s righteousness. It is a gift given to God’s people. We should want
more of that. To live to please God. It also involves wanting to see
God’s righteousness demonstrated in our world. Ministering to the poor,
the weak, those displaced by poverty, sickness, and circumstances show
God’s care for people.
Right now we have church people who are
visiting hospitals, homes for the elderly, children that have
disabilities. These are all expressions of God’s righteousness.
“When you take care of God’s business you can rest assured God will take care of your personal business.”
Conclusion:
Worry is an attitude unbecoming of the child of God. Worship is better. To
fret is a useless endeavor. To believe is better. If you have lived in
worry, it is time to make some important changes. Make the right
decision. Trust the right Father. Pursue the right ambition. You will be
greatly rewarded now and in the future.
~Bits and Pieces of sermon by Daniel Villa
Father, I depart from evil and do good. I seek, inquire for and crave
peace. I pursue (go after) it! When my ways please You, Lord, You make
even my enemies to be at peace with me.
Lord, You have given to
me Your peace; Your [own] peace You have bequeathed to me. It is not the
peace that the world gives. I will not let my heart be troubled,
neither will I let it be afraid. [I refuse to be agitated and disturbed;
and I will not permit myself to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly
and unsettled.]
Instead of worrying, I will pray. I will let
petitions and praises shape my worries into prayers, letting You,
Father, know my concerns, not forgetting to thank You for the answers.
Your peace will keep my thoughts and my heart quiet and at rest as I
trust in Christ Jesus, my Lord. It is wonderful what happens when Christ
displaces worry at the center of my life.
Thank You for guarding
me and keeping me in perfect and constant peace. My mind [both its
inclination and its character] is stayed on You. I commit myself to You,
lean on You and hope confidently in You.
I let the peace (soul
harmony that comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in my
heart [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in
my mind]. I am thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to You always].
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Scripture References:
Philippians 4:6,7 message
Colossians 3:15 amp
Proverbs 16:7 amp
Psalm 34:14 amp John 14:27 amp
Isaiah 26:3 amp
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