Jesus Tells Us Why We Don't Need to Worry

Jesus Tells Us Why We Don’t Need to Worry

 

We are continuing our study of Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” found in Matthew 5,6 and 7 of our Bibles.  Today we come to the part of Jesus’ sermon where He tells us why we don’t need to worry.  And then He calls on us to stop worrying and start trusting our heavenly Father. (Matthew 6:25-34) He keeps calling us again and again to live our lives constantly trusting our heavenly Father.

 

Jesus commands us: “Do not worry 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? “(Matthew 6:25) Jesus isn’t telling us not to work to pay for our food or to fulfill our duties by working to providing for ourselves and our families.  But the word He uses is “worry” or having an anxious, frightened, tormented concern about being able to have adequate food and clothing. He calls us to a gracious carelessness = to work and do our best but then to leave the rest to God who will take care of us.

 

Jesus continues: “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ Or ‘What shall we wear?’  For after all these things the Gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”  (Matthew 6:31-33)

 

Jesus continues: “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns: yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?” (Matthew 6:26) And He continues telling us not to worry about what we will wear – our clothing. He continues: “So why do you worry about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow:  they neither toil nor spin: and yet even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”  (Matthew 6:28-29) 

 

Jesus is telling us to look at the little details of God’s creation and how He has carefully provided for even the smallest creatures.  God has given even the baby birds just out of the nest a built-in knowledge of how to find worms in the ground and seeds in the grass for their food.  As I am writing this, two birds are building a nest on our back porch. And I am amazed to see how they know just how to build their nests and care for their young. Who taught them? 

Jesus continues his sermon by mentioning the lilies of the field.    When we take time to carefully look at a lily or a rose or any flower, we find that from a tiny bud each flower opens up and glorifies God with its unique beauty. All of that colorful radiance and delicate detail in each blossom and when autumn comes the lilies and most other beautiful flowers fade and die.  Jesus says that if God can artistically decorate and clothe the lily or any flower with no other purpose than to cheer us with it’s beauty, and then only for a short time– a season - how much more will He clothe you and me while we are here on earth.  And after we die, He will clothe us with His righteousness and beauty for all eternity.

 

Jesus mentions that the lilies of the field will be thrown into the oven when the summer season is over. Gods’ good and perfect creation has been cursed by death, because of the curse of sin.  (Romans 6:23) (Genesis 3) But the Day is coming when Christ will come again to judge and destroy all sin.  And nature – the flowers and trees - will again be more glorious and there will be no death or sickness or sorrow.

 

Jesus continues His Sermon on the Mount by reminding us to ask our heavenly Father for what we need.  And He promises that God, our heavenly Father will give us what we ask for if it is good.  Jesus says: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you. “(Matthew 7:7) He reminds us that earthly parents usually try to give their children food and good things when they ask for them and that God, our heavenly Parent will much more give His children good things when they ask.  He says: “If you then being sinful, still know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to you when you ask Him.” (Matthew 7:11) 

 

These amazing promises are made to God’s children.  Those who humbly believe and want to try to do God’s will.   Not to those who rebel against God and refuse to believe in Him.  Jesus continues his sermon by calling us to obey the “Golden Rule”.  He says: “Therefore, whatever you want others to do to you, do also to them.  For this is the Law and the Prophets.”  (Matthew 7:12) 

 

Jesus, in His famous Sermon, again warns us that there are two ways to live life – God’s Way and Satan’s way.  He says: “Enter by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.  But narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  (Matthew 7:13-14 Jesus gives us many promises and throughout His sermon constantly reminds us to trust our heavenly Father. But these glorious promises are for those sinners who most of the time, want to obey God and who allow Him to forgive them and help them.  For those who enter the narrow way.