Introduction

(Read vv. 25–34) I love this passage. In fact, there is no passage of Scripture that I use more when I am counseling myself and counseling other people. I include myself because I am a pessimist and a worrier. I naturally assume the worst, not the best.

I’ve joked many times, though it’s only partially a joke, that during the first few years of our marriage, I planned Heidi’s funeral many times. If she didn’t answer her phone after a couple tries, I just assumed that she was dead, and I planned for the worst.

By God’s grace, I’ve made a lot of progress in overcoming worry. I’m thankful for how the Lord has grown my capacity to trust him through the pressures and uncertainties of life. And this text is one of the means that God has used to sanctify me. It confronts my struggles so well, and it gives the perfect prescriptions for them. So, I am very grateful for this passage.

And I’ve counseled others enough to know that I’m not the only one who struggles with worry. Life is filled with pressure and uncertainty, and it’s easy to be consumed with our cares and to assume the worst. So, this text provides invaluable perspective for worry warts but also to the most optimistic among us.

Today, we are going to cover vv. 25–30. We’ll begin by reflecting on the command not to worry, and then we will consider 3 problems with worry that Jesus identifies and 3 solutions. Let’s begin with…

I.  The Command

Verse 25 begins with the command, “For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life.” And notice that Jesus repeats the term for worry 6xs in this paragraph in vv. 25, 27, 28, 31, 34 (2xs). He is clearly very concerned about our tendency to worry.

But why? Verse 25 begins with “for this reason.” So, we must ask what reason Jesus has in mind? The answer is that Jesus concluded the previous paragraph by declaring, “You cannot serve God and wealth.” We saw last Sunday that you cannot serve the true God and also give your heart to the things of this world, what we call materialism.

Based on this reality, v. 25 commands us “Do not be worried about your life,” meaning material concerns like food, drink, and clothing. You cannot be wholly devoted to the Lord while obsessing over material cares.

As such, Jesus is specifically confronting a type of worry that springs from worshiping the things of this world instead of “seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness” (v. 33). This is an important clarification because Jesus is not saying that really godly Christians never carry burdens or that super spiritual people are immune to the pressures of life in a sin-cursed world.

We know this because the Gospels say many times that Jesus felt the pressures of this life, the pinnacle of that pressure being what he endured in the Garden of Gethsemane before his arrest. The Apostle Paul also confesses that his care for the churches weighed heavily on his heart.

Therefore, Jesus is not saying it is sinful to endure the legitimate burdens of life. Rather, he condemns a specific type of worry that is rooted in materialism, in worshipping earthly treasures instead of God.

Now, what Jesus will say in this paragraph challenges other forms of worry as well, but we do need to recognize his main concern. So, Jesus begins, “Do not be worried about your life.” Then he follows in vv. 25–30 by confronting 3 wrong philosophical assumptions that stand behind worry. 1^st, worry springs from…

II.  Wrong Priorities (v. 25)

I’d like to structure our discussion of all 3 wrong philosophical assumptions around the contrast between how a worrier thinks and how a healthy disciple of Christ thinks. So, on the one hand…

A worrier believes that life consists of things. Verse 25 mentions 3 basic concerns that we all have. We all need food, water, and clothing. However, we don’t experience the same pressing need for these things that many in Jesus’ audience felt.

Yes, food and even water has grown increasingly expensive, and they may be increasingly straining your budget. But none of us are facing starvation, and we have more than enough water to drink with the turn of a nob. And maybe you feel at times like “I have nothing to wear!” but it’s not literally true.

But in Jesus’ day, daily bread was a real thing. Many people worked day jobs so that they could buy the next day’s food. And if you depended on a nearby stream for your water, what do you do if it dries up during a famine?

And most people only had one, maybe two changes of clothing. They were so precious that it was a big deal to inherit a garment when a relative died.

So, v. 25 doesn’t list wants; it lists needs. You can’t live, and your family can’t live if you lack without them. Just imagine how you would panic if you had no food and no money to buy any, or if it was wintertime and you had no means to get your small child a garment to keep him warm. You’d probably feel the panic that’s expressed in v. 31.

And yet Jesus asks at the end of v. 25, “Is not life…” What is he saying? He is confronting the worrier for believing that life consists of things. As v. 24 says, he is serving wealth (even at the level of meeting basic needs) instead of serving God. To put it another way he lives for earthly treasures not heavenly ones.

That’s really convicting because it hits close to home. Take a moment to reflect on the sources of your worry. You might be anxious about work, finances, politics, health, and a busy to-do list. But your real problem is not your circumstances, and your real solution is not to fix your circumstances. The problem is that you have allowed yourself to believe that life consists of things—things of no eternal significance.

You may know the right answer in your head, but functionally, when Jesus asks, “Is not life…?” Your answer is, “No, I have to have these things.” That’s convicting for me and probably for many of you. So, what’s the solution?

A disciple believes that life is for eternity. We’ll spend more time on this next week, but v. 33 is the prescription (read). The only way I can have a right perspective about things is if my heart is fully devoted to God, and I am pursuing his kingdom purposes first and foremost.

There really is so much rest in this perspective. Just imagine what would happen to most of our worry if we really believed, “For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom 14:7–8). It changes everything.

So again, take a moment to think of the biggest stressors in your life and then honestly evaluate where they stack up compared to eternity. I’d about guarantee they aren’t nearly as important as you think they are. It is essential that we train ourselves to think rightly about the stuff of this life and that by God’s grace we embrace God’s priorities not worldly ones. The 2^nd philosophical assumption behind our worry is a…

III.  Wrong View of Myself (v. 27)

I must begin by mentioning that the NKJV translates this verse, “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature.” So, the debate among translators is whether Jesus is talking about getting taller or living longer.

The basic point of the verse is the same regardless, but most believe that the NASB makes more sense because very few people get an anxious about being taller. I did as a kid because I wanted to play college basketball but that’s not a very common worry, and Jesus’ audience certainly wasn’t worried about athletic measurables.

But we do commonly worry about how long we will live. Health and longevity are major sources of worry for many people. Therefore, Jesus’ question is so powerful (read). This statement confronts the fact that…

A worrier has a high view of self. In other words, one of our biggest sources of worry is that we try to carry the weight of the world on our own shoulders. We think it’s up to me to fix all my problems, or we think the world revolves around my ability or lack of ability to solve what is wrong.

For example, one of the reasons we stress about money is that we assume that I am the answer to my financial problems. If you are stressed about family strife, you probably believe it’s up to you to fix it. If you are constantly anxious about politics, you probably assume, “We must fix this.”

But Jesus says, “How arrogant of you to think that these things are in your hands.” We get so wrapped up in our schemes that we begin to believe, “I have the power to extend my life”; therefore, we worry and fret about how long we will live. Of course, the irony is that worry is known to harm your health. So, worrying about how long you will live will not lengthen your life, but it may shorten it.

And yet we do it all the time. I tend to think that every good thing that happens at Life Point is all because of me, and every bad thing is my fault too. It’s an exhausting burden to bear, and it is absurd and arrogant. The world does not revolve around me, and it does not revolve around you either. So, what is the solution?

A disciple has a high view of God. Jesus doesn’t say this explicitly, but v. 27 implies it. I need to stop trusting my abilities and instead trust the Lord to do what only he can do.

Now, this is much easier said than done, because God expects us to work toward solving the problems we can address. You should take care of your body, and you can work toward a better budget, reaching a goal at work, solving family strife, or reaching people with the gospel.

And there is legitimate pressure that comes with those responsibilities. That’s what Paul means when he says, “There is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern” (2 Cor 11:28–29)? We can’t escape that pressure and we shouldn’t.

But Jesus is saying that we must know where our strength ends and where we must rely on the Lord. And when I am able to work hard and then leave the results with God believing that he is good, wise, and absolutely sovereign, I can have rest even in the midst of tremendous pressure.

So Christian, don’t try to carry pressures that you cannot possibly bear. Keep a healthy sense of your limitations and learn to leave with the Lord the things that are his. The 3^rd philosophical assumption behind our worry is a…

IV.  A Wrong View of God (vv. 26, 28–30)

These verses are both deeply convicting but also very comforting. Notice first…

A worrier doubts the goodness of God. Jesus makes this point with two illustrations that are based on two of the basic needs of v. 25. First, v. 26 confronts how we worry about something like food by contrasting our worry with birds.

Birds are a great illustration because they are not lazy. Small birds, in particular, are constantly busy. So, Jesus is not saying you should kick back in your Lazy Boy and wait for God to send you food.

But while birds work hard, they differ from us in the fact that they don’t stress over their needs like we do. They don’t “sow,” “reap,” or “gather into barns.” They aren’t worried about the future. Instead, they trust in the natural abilities God has given them and in the food that God leaves for them in nature.

BTW, some of the ways that God has designed birds to provide for themselves are pretty incredible. I enjoy watching wildlife shows, and it’s amazing to see how God has given various types of birds unique abilities to a wide variety of birds to live and thrive in all sorts of environments. God provides for them in magnificent ways.

Based on this fact, Jesus then asks, “Are you not worth much more than they?” What a question! God loves his children infinitely more than he does a bird. Jesus died for us. So, why would we worry that God will not meet our needs? The implied answer is that when we worry we doubt God’s love for us and his goodness to provide.

For example, many of you are parents. What would you think if one of your kids came to you and said, “Dad, I am really worried that you are going to let me starve.” You’d think, “That’s ridiculous! I would die before I would let that happen. Don’t you know how much I love you?” Jesus says that God has the same befuddled response to our worry. Why would we doubt the goodness of God when he has done so much for us?

Then Jesus reinforces his point in vv. 28–30. This time he mentions lilies and grass. He is probably thinking of something very similar to the desert blooms that we get in the spring.

First, he mentions how the lilies (i.e., wildflowers) grow up and bloom, and he notes that they don’t toil like men laboring in the field or spin, referring to ladies at home feverishly working to spin yarn. Instead, the flowers just stay in their place and let God do his work to grow them.

And v. 29 notes that God does a marvelous job. “Not even Solomon…” Solomon was a legend for his elaborate wardrobe and lifestyle. But Jesus says that even Solomon couldn’t compare to the beauty with which God clothes a valley of wildflowers.

That sort of beauty and many others in creation powerfully declare that God is good and kind. He didn’t just make this world functional. He’s not like most men. If we designed a home, it would be square, sturdy, and practical, but extremely plain. God has created a beautiful universe, and he cares well for every detail of that universe.

And v. 30 notes that he does so even for something as insignificant as grass, “which is alive…” The context here is that when Jewish women were starting a fire in their ovens, they would gather up dead grass and use it to get the fire going. Dead grass is pretty worthless, and it burns very fast.

Yet while it is alive, God marvelously clothes it with wildflowers. Therefore, Jesus asks, “If God cares this way for something as worthless as grass, ‘Will He not much more clothe you?’” Why in the world would we doubt him?

Then Jesus adds, “You of little faith.” Ouch! Jesus says that when I worry about material things that God has promised to provide, I have failed to believe that God is good, kind, and faithful. So, what’s the solution?

A disciple rests in the goodness of God. Now, I recognize that this is easier said than done, because God’s purpose is not always that we have bountiful blessings and a life of ease. Sometimes his purpose is very hard. Therefore, we worry because we don’t know what God has in store for us.

But didn’t Jesus already answer this concern in v. 25 where he asked, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” We worry because we demand the comfortable life that we want today, and we do not recognize that God has much higher and much better purposes. He is shaping us into the likeness of Christ, he is using us to impact others, and he is preparing an eternal inheritance in glory.

Now, I can’t fully comprehend the value of those things like I can a new car, but God tells me they are worth it. It’s up to me to walk by faith and to believe that God knows exactly what he is doing and his every purpose is good. Therefore, “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Pet 5:7). Humbly give it to him, and trust he will do what is good.

Conclusion

The challenge today is simple. Replace worry with faith—faith that God’s priorities are better than mine, faith that his strength can do what I cannot, and faith that God will be good.

It is a great blessing to serve such a loving heavenly Father. If you have never come to him for salvation, please believe on him today and leave knowing that he is your Father. If you are a believer learn to trust him more and more every day.