Worry is meditating on fear and prayer is mediating on faith. Worry drains our strength, faith gives us strength. Worry often times never comes true, but faith in God never fails. Though worry is a normal temptation Jesus gave us a simple remedy to be free from it’s paralyzing grasp- “to seek God’s Kingdom and His righteousness in faith!” Therefore, I pray we would all chose faith over fear and God’s Word over worry!

TEXT

Matthew 6:25-34, “25 Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat? ’ or ‘What shall we drink? ’ or ‘What shall we wear? ’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

SERIES TERMS

  1. SERMON ON THE MOUNT: The longest single portion of Jesus’ teaching found in Matthew 5-7 that serves as the foundation of Christian morality and spiritual practice. #KingdomBasics 
  2. DISCIPLES: Born again committed students and followers of Jesus Christ.
  3. KINGDOM OF GOD/HEAVEN: The active rule and reign of Jesus in one’s life and upon the earth with kingdom blessings. The kingdom is all about the King!

INTERPRETATION

  1. DON’T WORRY ABOUT YOUR LIFE: Worry, “to give way to anxiety or unease; allow one’s mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles.” Jesus taught us not worry about life, food, our body, or clothes because; (i) we are valuable to God He will provide and (ii) worrying cannot add one hour to our lives or benefit us in any way, vs. 25-27.
  2. PAGANS RUN, CHILDREN RECEIVE: Jesus taught that pagans (those who worship false gods) try to work and do everything on their own but our heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to His children (James 1:17) so we just need to have faith (trust in God), vs. 28-32.
  3. SEEK GOD’S KINGDOM & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: I believe in this verse Jesus sums up everything He has been teaching in the sermon on the mount. Seeking (pursuing, centering one’s life, and making number one) the Kingdom of God and His righteousness is what should always be our focus. The Kingdom of God is, “the active rule and reign of King Jesus” and “His righteousness” is “following all the commands/teachings of Jesus,” v. 33
  4. DON’T WORRY ABOUT TOMORROW: Jesus ends the teaching with a general rule, “don’t worry about tomorrow (things that haven’t happened yet), but rather stay focused on God today, v. 34.

APPLICATION

  1. DO NOT WORRY: Four major things we worry about, (i) Finances, (ii) Family, (iii) Future, & (iv) Health.
  2. HAVE FAITH IN GOD: Faith is a gift from God (Romans 10:17), something we build (Jude 1:20), and something we add too (2 Peter 1:5-11).
  3. SEEK FIRST GOD’S KINGDOM & HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: Make God your passion and obey all His commands, Revelation 3:1-3.
  4. TAKE LIFE ONE DAY AT A TIME: You weren’t meant to handle life on your own or to try to figure everything out. Each day God will give you what you need- just like a Father gives his child the money for the store before they go, 1 Corinthians 10:13 & Isaiah 43:1-3a.

“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie ten Boom.