Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

Do Not Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)


 

²⁵ 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?

²⁶ 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?

²⁷ Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

²⁸ And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

²⁹ And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

³⁰ 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?

³¹ Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

³² (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

³⁴ 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.

 

Intro)

1. A life insurance company surveyed 952 men and women in the Seoul metropolitan area and found 62% lived in constant worry and anxiety. Most were concerned about health and medical issues for themselves and their families (48%) followed by day-to-day finances (36%), sudden accidents (27%), and old age (18%).

 

Of course everyone lives with some degree of worry in their lives. A healthy concern helps us be prepared but too much can affect us mentally and physically.

 

2. Everyone faces trials and obstacles that cause us worry. But Jesus tells us to overcome these harsh realities with faith. Today’s scripture tells us this as well. Jesus tells us, “Do not worry! Trust in me! Trust in God!” Why shouldn’t we worry?

 

Body)

 

A) We Should Not Worry Because Worrying is Never Helpful

 

What does worry and anxiety bring us? Nothing. Research found that most of us worry for no legitimate reason. Nearly 40% of our worries are about things that are impossible, 30% are about things that have already happened, 22% are about trivial matters, and 4% are about things we have no power to change. only the remaining 4% are worries about things that could actually happen or are fixable. 96% of our worries are pointless.

 

Worrying rarely benefits or bears fruit. Hence Jesus said in verse 27 of today’s scripture, “Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?” We can’t grow taller just because we worry about our height.

 

A British businessman, Arthur Lank, constantly worried about his business. one day, exhausted by his own anxiety, he had an idea to escape his worry. He designated every Wednesday and “Worry Wednesday.” Whenever he had a concern, he would write it down and collect them in a box.

 

Every Wednesday he would open the box and reread the worries he wrote. As he did this he realized that many of the fears he wrote during the week became trivial as time passed. In the moment it felt like a grave concern, but in reality it wasn’t a big deal at all. We worry about things that don’t actually require or deserve our energy.

 

A woman lived for 40 years worried she would die of cancer. She didn’t actually have cancer but she feared she would one day and she let this fear consume her. At the age of 70 the woman finally died, but is wasn’t because of cancer. She died because of pneumonia. This woman spent half of her life worried about an illness she would never have.

 

B) We Should Not Worry Because We have Faith

 

Jesus tells us to have faith in him and God. They are the reasons we do not need to worry.

 

Evangelist George Müller said, “The beginning of anxiety is the end of faith, and the beginning of true faith is the end of anxiety.” We must have faith in Jesus. Jesus is someone who has experienced human weakness. He knows and experienced firsthand the worries, concerns, and struggles of humans.

 

Hebrews 4:15 says, “¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.” Jesus went through all that we are, thus he has empathy. He understands.

 

We as mankind are weakened by sin. This is why worry and anxiety overwhelm us. But because Jesus understands our weaknesses, he knows why we worry, and he wants to help us. Have faith in Jesus and eternal home our Father prepared for us. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.”

 

Psalm 42:5 recounts, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Have faith in Jesus; believe that he understands; trust in his empathy.

 

C) We Should Not Worry Because We have Prayer

 

When we have a concern, it’s helpful to talk to someone about it. Keeping fears and anxiety to yourself and bottling it up will strain your mind, body, and soul. For Christians, God is always there when we need to talk to someone.

 

Philippians 4:6-7 says, “⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” We can pray, therefore we should not worry.

 

The following things happen when we pray to God about our anxieties:

 

1. Our Spirits Open

In other words, our hearts open to God. When our hearts open to God, the problems that were in it, festering in our souls, are released. When our hearts are closed to God, they have no where to go.

 

The biggest problem with anxiety is not the topic of worry itself but rather the effect anxiety has on our ability to pray. Worry and fear often smother our desire to pray and turn to God. But we must fight through, for our anxieties will go away only when we lift them to God in prayer.

 

2. Our Spirits our Healed

Those who pray don’t let things pile and fester in their hearts. They do not let worries turn into resentment and bitterness. All of the things that weighed them down are lifted with sincere prayer. That is the grace of prayer.

 

3. God is with Us

God is with those who pray. This is our greatest gain when we pray. God will be with us when we pray to Him.

 

A pastor met a Korean woman who grew up in China by the name of Choon-ae Jang. When she told the pastor she believed humans were spiritual beings and she sought spiritual guidance, the pastor shared the Gospel with her and they spoke for 2 hours.

 

He explained how our physical beings are not all that exist and that we must believe and follow God and His son Jesus to nurture our souls. Choon-ae listened and said she too wanted to serve God. Her first question was, “Does this mean if I pray to God, I will no longer get sick or face hardships?”

 

The pastor told her that she would still get sick and face troubles. Seeing her surprised face, the pastor continued to explain that the difference, now that she was a Christian, was that Jesus would be with her through all of it. Christians face trials and illness, but they have God beside them.

 

They are not alone. God, who loved us so much He sacrificed His own son will be watching over us. Jesus, who willingly died on the cross for us, will never leave our side. At this the woman was overjoyed. Prayer will not eliminate our problems. But it will ensure we are never alone when we face them.

 

Exodus 14:10-20 is the story of the Israelites running away from the Egyptians when they were stopped by the Red Sea. The people were terrified when Moses, a man of prayer, heard God’s instructions: “Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” (Exodus 14:16). Prayer gives us the answer to our worries.

 

Once again, Philippians 4:6-7 tells us, “⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”

 

People, communities, and nations that pray are victorious. Prayer seeds words of blessings. Those who do not pray spout words of jealousy, anxiety, and contempt.

 

An American pastor had laryngitis and decided to see his doctor friend. The doctor examined the pastor and asked if he had any worries. The pastor replied, “Just the usual as always: My sermons. What should I say next week? What should I preach during my visitations? What should my sermon be about tomorrow?”

 

Hearing this, the doctor’s prescribed solution to the pastor’s laryngitis was simple: Stop focusing on the problem and focus on God.

 

Con)

In today’s scripture, Jesus tells us to look at the flowers in the fields and birds in the sky. They do not live in worry. Don’t let anxiety take place in your heart. Give that worry up to God and pray. When we focus on God rather than the problems, we think are important, He will bring us relief. God will be with us through it all. Hallelujah!

IK SUN AHN