Message
Life Upside Down
Remedy for Anxiety – Part 2
Matthew 6:25-34
09-23-18
Introduction
Last week we began looking at a part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount that deals with anxiety. He began with the word “therefore in verse 25, indicating to us that the cause of much of our anxiety and worry was talked about in verses 19-24. Much of our anxiety is the result of what treasures we have our heart set upon and what we allow to be the master of our lives. In other words, it is a matter of the heart. Then in verse 25, Jesus gives us a simple command concerning this, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life.” Don’t be anxious even for the bare essentials of life like food, water, and clothing.
Jesus causes us to stop and think about this with four very thought-provoking questions. Why not be anxious?
1. “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (v. 25b). Just as our bodies are much more important than the clothes we put on them, so our eternal soul (life) is much more important than food. The rationale is simply this, if we trust God with our eternal souls, why on earth can’t we trust Him for even the bare essentials of food and clothing?
2. After Jesus points out God’s care for the birds of the air, He asks His second thought-provoking question. “Are you not of more value than they?” (v. 26b). The obvious answer is, “Of course we are!” We are made in His image and after His likeness. Jesus came to provide salvation for human beings, not birds. If we are the pinnacle of His creation, can’t we trust Him with our lives?
3. The third thought-provoking question Jesus asks us relates to making our life longer. “And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? (v. 27). Medical research has proven that anxiety and worry actually shorten our lives. We need to trust our Heavenly Father with our lives. We do what we know we can do in providing for ourselves, but then we need to trust God with the rest. Worry over these things will not add even an hour to our life span.
4. Jesus addresses the lilies that they could see on the hillside and points out how beautifully God has clothed them. Then we ended last week with Jesus’ fourth thought provoking question in verse 30. “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?” (v. 30). In this fourth thought-provoking question, Jesus clearly tells us that if God takes care of the temporal things that only last a season, will He not take care of you?
Each of these four questions that concern the bare essentials of life are designed to get our minds thinking rightly again. When worry and anxiety takes over in our lives, we are simply not thinking rightly. We need to realize that our eternal life is so much more important than anything else. As a human being we mean more to God than everything else He has created. We cannot add even an hour to our life by worry and God cares more for us more than even the most beautiful parts of His creation. I don’t care who you are or what it is that you are going through right now, you are more important to God than anything else He has created. We must get our thinking set right, you matter to God.
Before we pick up where we left off in verse 30, I would like for us to read this passage again beginning in verse 25.
Matthew 6:25-34
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
So, I want to pick up on the clothing example that Jesus uses in verses 28-30 because we really did not have any time to talk about this last week.
~ Clothing for Example (vv. 28-30)
Jesus points out God’s beautiful design and colors He designed into the lilies of the field. Yet they don’t toil or spin yarn for clothing, they rely solely on God’s provision for them. He says that even Solomon with all the money and wisdom he had, was not as beautiful as these flowers. The point is simply this, don’t worry about the fact that you may not have beautiful clothes to wear. God clothes us with what we need and our value to Him is not in our beautiful clothes, but in His design in us. This fourth thought provoking question is huge. If God concerns Himself about the creative design of the grass and flowers that today are alive and tomorrow will be thrown into an oven, how much more does He concern Himself about the real beauty of our lives?
He is not saying that we shouldn’t plan and work and strive to buy the clothes that we need to cover our bodies, but that we shouldn’t worry or be anxious about it. God will provide what we need. In an age when we try to wear clothes that make us acceptable to our peers, this is certainly applicable. Sometimes we fuss way too much over buying clothing that we think is acceptable in our culture. We just need to trust God with these things.
Jesus ends this fourth thought-provoking question with a statement that we must understand as key to why we worry and fret over things. He calls those of us who worry about the things of life a people of “little faith” in verse 30. What does that mean? I am not sure I like being called that. Someone has said that our anxiety level is a good indicator of our trust in God. In other words, the root of anxiety is often our lack of faith in our Heavenly Father. Ouch, that hurts even just saying it. The root of anxiety is a lack of faith. In other words, we are not trusting God with the outcome of whatever situation we find ourselves in.
When we struggle with anxiety, something in life is attacking our faith in God. The attack blurs our vision of God and causes us to not see clearly the circumstances of life from His perspective. When we find ourselves being anxious, we need to understand that the Evil One is attacking us with doubt about God and doubt His ability to take care of us. Our faith in God is being belittled. Our trust in God is being overshadowed by doubt. When we doubt God, our faith is veiled, and worry or anxiety sets in. I hope you understand that every believer is faced with attacks on their faith. At times this is a daily battle, maybe even you would consider it to be a normal part of your life, but what is important is how we handle it.
1 Peter 5:7 tells us to cast our anxieties on God because He cares for us. It doesn’t say we won’t face times of anxieties, but that when we do, we must allow our faith to cast them upon God. Even the Psalmist in Psalm 56:3 says that when he is afraid that he puts his trust, his faith, in God. When times of anxiousness attack us, we need to clear away the fog and see God for who He is, the One who has saved us and promised us eternal life with Him in glory. Isn’t it interesting how we can trust God with salvation and our eternal souls, but we cannot trust Him for the immediate things of our lives. Oswald Chambers said that “Worry is an indication that we think God cannot look after us.” That is why we have this very logical conclusion in verses 31-32.
Logical Conclusion (vv. 31-32)
31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'
32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
This is the second time Jesus has said to us, “do not be anxious.” Verse 25, Jesus said “do not be anxious” in response to the treasures of our heart and what we make as master of our lives. Here in verse 31, Jesus says, “do not be anxious” in light of our faith in Him as our Creator and Designer. The conclusion is simple, don’t be anxious about food, water, or clothing because God the Father knows that you need these things. The word “Gentiles” used here is a general reference to those who do not profess faith in God. Those not a part of God’s promise to His people. Those who are unbelievers will fret and worry about these things and seek after these things. Why? Because they are trying to control the outcome of their lives. But you need to know that Father God knows your need already and it will do no good worrying about it.
I think that for many of us, we struggle when we don’t have the things our friends and neighbors have. We borrow on credit to have things only because someone else has one. Then when the payments come due, we worry and fret about where the money is coming from to make the payment. Finances are often a worry to us.
We may struggle with a situation we have no control over. Maybe it’s a relationship, maybe its fear of your wellbeing, anxiety over a disease, or worry about the outcome of a hard circumstance in life. When something seems out of our control, we tend to worry about the outcome. We need to realize that God knows all about our situation, He knows what we need, and we need to trust Him with the outcome. How is this possible? So, what is the remedy for anxiety? We find the answer in verses 33-34.
Remedy for Anxiety (vv. 33-34)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 "Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
The remedy is pretty simple. Those who do NOT have their faith in God spend their time seeking after the things of the world. They are preoccupied with the temporal treasures they can place in earth’s treasure chest. The things of this world rule over them as masters of their hearts. They desire to control the outcome of their lives. Thus, they become consumed with worry and anxiety about those things and circumstances that seem to be out of their control.
But those who by faith trust in God with their lives spend their time seeking after and following after God’s direction for their life. They become preoccupied with treasures that are being stored in heaven’s treasure chest and God is allowed to be the master of their hearts and lives. They trust God with the outcome of trying circumstances.
We need to occupy our lives with knowing and honoring God. We seek first His kingdom. What does that mean? It means to put the kingdom of God first in all that an individual does. It means “making decisions and choices that align with God's thinking and not human reasoning. In order to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, one must become well acquainted with God's Word, the Bible” (www.answers.com). We are to live as kingdom citizens. When others see our lives, they don’t just see another person accumulating earthly wealth and worrying about how to keep from losing it. Instead, they see a person who loves God and is content with what they have and trust God for the outcome of things in their lives. They seek to live righteously, putting God on display in all they do. Simply put, we passionately and whole heartedly seek to know and love God and trust God’s promises to take care of us. He will provide for us if our hearts and minds are preoccupied with Him. That’s the remedy for worry!
This sounds really simple and in all honesty, it is simple and yet it is very difficult because of the pressure this world and its ruler wants to put on us. The pressure of looking just as successful as the world, achieve the same levels of importance, or having as much or more enjoyment of things. The attack is present each and every day of our lives to live anxiously for these things. But if we seek God first, He will supply what we need. When we do not have a proper focus on the Lord we succumb to the pressure and covet and pursue things that cause anxiety. Worry and anxiety is a sign that we are not trusting God, it is a matter of our faith.
That is why Jesus says in verse 34, "do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Leave tomorrow in God’s hands. You should make plans for the future and even make contingency plans, but don’t worry about the outcome. Imagine planning an outdoor wedding in the Carolinas now! After Hurricane Florence, many might worry about something like that happening again. Even if you have contingency plans for an indoor venue, in light of what happened a week ago, it would be easy to worry about another hurricane. Jesus says let tomorrow be anxious for itself, don’t you worry about it. Make plans and even contingencies, but don’t preoccupy yourself with the outcome. Tomorrow is in God’s hands.
Conclusion
Jesus makes it pretty clear in verse 33, the remedy to anxiety is to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first. Often our first inclination is to attempt to control the situation, which usually leads to more anxiety. Instead, seek God first, He will give you the direction you need and in doing so, you are casting your anxiety on Him. I would encourage you write out promises God has given to you from reading His Word. Promises that give us a proper perspective to the things of life. Here are a few you that can help you with times you tend to be anxious.
God’s Presence
Anxiety over something that strikes fear in your heart. It may be something you have to do but you are fearful of the outcome. You feel like you are going it alone. We need to remember God’s presence.
Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not for I am with you, be not dismayed for I am your God; I will help you, I will strengthen you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.”
God’s Power
There are times when I feel like I do not have the strength to go on. Have you ever struggled with a circumstance in your life and you began to worry that you just won’t make it through?
2 Corinthians 12:9
“My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.”
God’s Wisdom
Have you ever become anxious over a decision you need to make, and it seems as though the options and their outcomes are not clear? One of those times when it seems like a lose, lose situation. You wonder, how can I know what to do?
Psalm 32:8
“I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.”
God’s Words
Have you every felt anxiety over about what to say and how to say it? Some situations seem fragile and you may feel that the words you say could make things worse. When we worry about what to say, we need to first consider what God would want us to say but remember that the outcome is in God’s hands.
Isaiah 55:11
“So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.”
God is on Your Side
There have been many times when I struggle with facing opposition from those who oppose me. I know I am doing what God wants me to do, but in the midst of the opposition I struggle with trusting God.
Romans 8:31-32
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?”
God Works for Our Good
There have been times when I have doubted God, and wondered if He still cared about my life and more importantly my walk with Him. I worry about being religious without a genuine heart for Him. I become anxious about my faith in Him.
Philippians 1:6
“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
God’s Working through Suffering
Anxiety when we are sick or in the hospital is very common. We worry about the things we need to do, or if we will get better, or if we will become dependent on someone else.
Romans 5:3-5
“We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
God Care for You
As we get older, we may get anxious about who will care for us and if we will be a burden on others. We worry about what is in store for us as we age.
Isaiah 46:4
“Even to your old age I am he, and to gray hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save.”
God is Lord of Life and Death
Does the thought of life and death worry you? Are your thoughts about what it will be like to be in His presence worrisome? We need to remember that we belong to God and trust Him with life and even death.
Romans 14:7-9
“For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”
My point is simple. We squash worry and anxiety when we seek God and trust Him for what He has promised. All of us face times when anxiety attacks us. But how we respond is of utmost importance. Seek God and trust Him. Don’t be anxious.