Trust and Obey: Part 2 | Matthew 6:25-34

Let's come to our Lord in prayer this morning.

Lord Jesus, we do thank you that you have the words

of eternal life and that as your disciples,

we have no other place to turn,

even though there is such great temptation

day in and day out to look to the things of this world.

Lord, as we, your people, come around your word this morning,

we ask that by your spirit, you would speak to us,

that you would help us, that you would humble us,

that you would turn our eyes heavenward,

and that you would change us to be the light,

the salt of this world as you call us to be.

We ask for this in Jesus' name, amen.

Can everyone hear me?

So paradoxes are incredible things,

because two contradictory statements can be said

in the same sentence to bring out a truth.

And for me, the media during COVID really brought this out.

You see, on the one hand, this world was going through

a real experience of fear about a virus

that no one really knew much about.

People were terrified.

But on the other hand, we also witnessed

some of the most incredibly ridiculous behaviour

that the world has ever been exposed to.

I'm of course talking about people fighting over toilet paper

in the aisles of the local supermarket.

That's right, in the midst of a worldwide pandemic,

in the midst of such uncertainty and fear,

we were exposed to a great paradox,

in that we were shown, deep down,

people are actually pretty shallow.

Now the thing that brought all this about

was the unbelievable worry that people had.

Worry and anxiety over the things of this world

drove people to all sorts of insane behaviour.

Well this morning, our text is going to address

the root cause of worry and help us to see

that when our hearts are focused on the goodness

and the providence of God,

well the things of this world won't cause us to walk

in such crippling anxiety.

So if you have your Bibles with you this morning,

we're going to be in the text quite a lot.

So we're going to look at just one word in verse 25,

the first word.

We read, therefore.

Now it's been said from this pulpit before

that whenever you see the word therefore,

you must ask yourself the question,

why is that word therefore?

Well, it's usually there because the author

is summing up what's come before.

In other words, when you see the word therefore,

you need to look back so you can understand

the context of what you're reading.

And that's where we were last week.

You'll notice this is part two.

We were in the context to this passage

that spoke about what it is to live for the kingdom of heaven.

In fact, Jesus has been teaching us about what it is

to live as kingdom-minded people all throughout this sermon.

And he's been doing this.

He's been doing this teaching about what it is

to be part of his kingdom because the disciples of Jesus

are called out of this world and into his kingdom

to do something.

And that something is to be the salt and light

of this world, which means that when we become Christians,

we're not to depart from this world,

but to impart into it so that those trapped in the darkness

might come towards the light, glorifying our heavenly Father

because of our good deeds, chapter five, verse 16.

Again, we are the salt and the light of this world,

a peculiar people who live in a peculiar world,

yet with a totally different ordered way of doing things,

which really does something, our Lord tells us.

It really does something in the scheme of things.

For example, as we saw last week,

those of the kingdom are not to live

for the things of this world,

storing up earthly treasures.

Because as Jesus told us by way of incredibly

metaphoric language, all that we collect and value

in this world is going to rot in the ground anyway,

if it's not stolen beforehand, that is.

So don't be like those of the world who live

for the things of this world.

No, turn your minds to the things of God

and employ your abilities in living in response

to the things that God would have you to do.

And it's as you do this, said Jesus,

it's as you look heavenward and cast your eye

towards what God would have you to do,

that the things of this world will be seen

as they're meant to be seen.

That we're seen as things that have a use-by date on them,

not as things to cast all your energy towards.

No, to live for the kingdom of heaven,

our Lord Jesus told us,

well, that can never be taken away from you.

In other words, the treasures of living in obedience

to God's word will never decompose,

but follow you into eternity.

And it was as we were in our text last week

that Jesus ended with verse 24

with an incredibly sobering statement.

In fact, I would go so far as to call it

a black and white declaration,

meaning there is no gray areas to live out our discipleship.

Either God is your master and you will live to serve him

with all that you are,

or money, status, wealth still drives everything

that you're about.

And from that place of bondage and slavery,

you will live out your servitude

to the trinkets you collect and the treasures you store up.

We simply cannot serve two masters.

A sobering statement indeed.

This morning, we are going to continue

in our Lord's sermon in this part

about what it is to be a people

who have had their eyes lifted to heaven.

So with all that said,

let's dive headfirst into the text.

Again, looking at verse 25,

and I think we'll get a little bit past one word this time.

So these are the words of our Lord.

He says, I tell you, do not worry about your life.

Now, I think it would be very helpful

for us to understand something

about what Jesus is saying here.

You see, as I've already said,

what we have before us this morning

is building off last week

what was said last week.

And as we saw in that passage,

Jesus wasn't teaching that a total rejection

of having things on this earth was on view,

but a reordering of one's life priorities,

a reordering of our life's priorities.

That's what we looked at last week.

Jesus made us keenly aware that there is a danger

that we have to be aware of,

a danger of living to store up treasures on this world

and find our worth in those things.

Now, as disciples, we're to live

with a reordered view of our things

because our stuff doesn't define us.

It's not meant to satisfy us.

And we know that because the Holy Spirit of God

has shown us someone so much greater that we live for.

Our heavenly master,

he has revealed that to us, to his people.

And so with that understanding,

by Jesus saying, don't worry,

he's not saying to the disciples, she'll be right.

Don't worry about it, cover.

Sarah, Sarah, whatever will be, will be.

But again, he's making us keenly aware

that there needs to be a reordering in our life

because if we still have our eyes firmly fixed

on the things of this world,

then we will live in a constant state

of worry about those things.

Let me explain it like this.

When Jesus says, do not worry,

we have to understand that statement

in the whole council of scripture.

And so with that said, he's not saying

that we should not concern ourselves with making a living.

And just because we follow him,

food will magically appear at our doorstep each morning.

And let me warn you, don't eat what the cats bring you.

Nor is he saying for us to just go and quit all of our jobs

and God will take care of the rest.

We know that's not the case because Paul says later

in 1 Timothy 5, 8,

that people who can work so as to provide for their families

but choose not to are worse than unbelievers.

Nor as Christians are we to ever turn away people

in genuine need.

It's a good and biblical principle to concern ourselves

with the practical assisting of others

in whatever way we can.

We saw that in the Ephesians series that we went through.

I also want to say that Jesus isn't saying

that you won't have any trouble in this life.

That if you put Jesus first, you get a spiritual hall pass.

No, you will have trouble and persecution

if you follow Jesus.

He tells us that plainly in John 15, 18 to 21.

So we mustn't misunderstand Jesus here.

He's not saying don't worry

because you really won't have any troubles at all.

Now as we're gonna see in our passage this morning,

he's saying don't worry because if you understand the truth,

if you raise your eyes from the things of this world

and to our heavenly father,

then you won't worry about your life

despite your troubles in this world.

Now it might be said,

we might explore worry a bit, the theme of worry.

And worry bubbles up to the surface

because we've drifted off and fixated on the wrong things.

Now please don't misunderstand me here this morning.

We all go through things in various degrees

and our trials certainly can bring out

some serious concerns for us.

Jesus knows that about his disciples.

He knows that we will go through all sorts

of trials and tribulations in this world

and that we will have to deal

with some pretty serious things on this side of eternity.

Christians go through financial hardship,

go through the loss of a spouse or child,

go through the deterioration of health,

bad news from the doctors.

Christians go through persecution

and times of oppression from governments

and communities, friends, and even their own families.

I know for myself going through the season

that Hayley and I have just gone through,

there were real moments of worry at night

as I lay there thinking about all the things

that could go wrong with a spinal operation.

I can't imagine what some of you have gone through

in this room this morning.

I might as say that worrying about things,

well, it doesn't always come

from these big life events either.

No, it can come just from life in general.

I think that's the deeper question

that our Lord brings out in us here this morning.

When he says, don't worry,

he brings out the question of where our hearts are

at any given moment with our walk with God.

Where are they when we go through various trials,

through the unpredictable, even the mundane?

You see, worry comes as a result of fixating

on what is right in front of you

and the what ifs of the situation.

And things get clouded when we get distracted

with the things of this world, whatever they might be.

That's usually why we worry because, yes,

you really might lose your house.

Yes, you may really lose a spouse, your health,

and yes, we may really be persecuted in this country

of ours because we don't use the right language

or affirm the right communities.

But all those possibilities bring out something in us.

Do we worry because our heart is fixated

on the wrong things?

Is it possible that we worry and fret

because our treasure is still on the things of this world?

Well, brothers and sisters, it's actually a wonderful thing

that Jesus is doing here.

Because as he tells us not to worry,

we again can think of the places where we do worry,

which is a good opportunity to do something

called self-examination.

Self-examination in light of the word.

And again, this morning, there is a good opportunity

to think about where and what we are trusting in

and a good opportunity to see where the things

of this world really do have our attention

and confess them before our Father in heaven.

And our Lord is doing this because he knows

what we will face in this world

and how fear will try to claw its way into our hearts

and drag us back into the darkest recesses of hopelessness.

So instead of saying, don't worry about it,

and that's that, Jesus actually breaks into

our fear and trepidation with truth

and tells us where we can lift our hopes

and where we can lift our eyes and put our trust.

That's right, Jesus again takes our minds

from where he knows they naturally gravitate towards

and with this passage gives us some great things

to help us lift our eyes heavenward to our loving Father.

Because he knows if we focus in on the truth,

the worries of this world will be seen for what they are.

However, church, you must understand,

Jesus isn't giving us a formula here to say over and over,

there's no place like home, there's no place like home,

there's no place like home.

No, he pierces our hearts with his word, the truth,

so that we might get things in perspective

and look heavenward so as to put our trust in someone

other than ourselves.

To put it plainly, Jesus holds the truth to us

in this passage so that we might trust our heavenly Father

as trust in the truth of who God is,

is what it takes to overcome worry in this world.

So six things we're gonna look at in this passage,

and for you note takers out there,

I very kindly numbered them for you.

You may see more in the text,

but six is what we will focus on this morning.

So first, you might notice it in verse 25

that Jesus highlights where our priorities go wrong.

He says, is life not more than food,

the body more than clothes?

And that's so great what Jesus is doing there.

He's telling us when worry starts to creep in,

we should ask ourselves the question in the midst of it all,

is life not more than food and the body more than clothes?

I think some should have asked,

is life not more than toilet paper?

Might be too late for that.

But that's a great question to ask ourselves.

When worry starts to creep in,

to kick your mind back into reality,

ask yourselves, is life more than what I eat

and drink and wear?

And it's funny because that's what

advertising companies go after, right?

They attach so much of those things to our status,

preaching to us that you're not as great as the next person

if you don't have the greatest things.

The world attaches so much satisfaction and status

to what you do with your body.

It's a worldly mindset and our Lord is saying

our lives are so much more than these things.

Because we don't live for the approval of others,

but in the hope of not just this life, but the life to come.

So this question gets us to see things in perspective.

If you're trusting in what the world labels

as great and important, then your priorities are misplaced

and you'll always worry.

Always worry that either you'll lose these things

or you won't do enough to get them, won't have enough.

So Jesus gets us to look at our priorities.

Second, he draws our minds to the providence of God

in verses 26 and 28.

He says, look at the birds of the air.

They don't sow or reap or store away in barns

and yet your heavenly father feeds them.

And why do you worry about your clothes?

See how the flowers of the field grow,

they do not labor or spin.

Notice what he's doing here.

He not only gets us to ask ourselves

where our priorities are when we worry,

he also draws our minds to the providence of God

in the midst of it, which is so clearly on display

in his creation.

I mean, this is an everyday thing that we can do.

Just open the door, walk outside and go and see.

Let me draw one example here on how important it is

to understand what Jesus is saying here.

We just got birds for Bethany and for her birthday.

And there's such a sense of care and love from her

already towards these little things.

I mean, she spent hours on YouTube researching

what they need to eat, where they're meant to live,

how they're meant to be handled,

and how they're meant to be protected,

especially from sticky little siblings.

And she does this because she loves them so much.

These aren't random little creatures to her.

They're her responsibility and she takes seriously

her role in the whole thing.

But that is nothing compared to what we saw on Monday

when she asked me to take her to the zoo

because she wanted to visit her budgie's little cousins

in the bird enclosure.

I mean, there's people in that place

who have spent years and years studying birds

so that they can help them survive and not go extinct.

And it dawned on me, the great similarity between my daughter

and these people who dedicate their lives

to these beautiful little animals

is that they both live to serve these creatures.

Jesus is drawing his disciples to something here,

not to little pets owned by children

or to the exotic fowl at the zoo

who are cared for by experts,

but to the birds of the air who are graciously,

wonderfully served by our heavenly father.

Now think about it, birds of the air,

grass of the field,

well, they don't have a personal relationship

with our heavenly father through the Lord Jesus Christ,

but we do, brothers and sisters.

So if God cares for them in such a way,

how do you think he's gonna care for us?

Are you not much more valuable than they?

Verse 26.

So we combat worry in our lives

by thinking where the priorities have gone wrong

and then we can meditate on God's providential care.

Third, Jesus has so kindly,

all throughout the Sermon on the Mount,

given incredibly deep logical reasons

for his argument, and we see it again in verse 27.

Jesus says, can any one of you,

by worrying at a single hour to your life?

I mean, think about what he's saying here.

When you feel that worry kicking in,

the what ifs of the situation,

if you relish it in your mind and spiral around it,

the only thing it will achieve

will be something like a whirlpool

that drags you down and suffocates you.

I mean, it's not like if you completely freak out

that the results are gonna change.

At the end of the day, the Lord is telling us,

worry doesn't actually do us any good.

It doesn't actually fix anything.

Fourth, when we worry, we act like people in the world,

more than those who know that we have a loving, caring,

providential heavenly father.

It's right there in verse two.

The pagans run after these things.

They worry about clothes and what they'll drink

and what they'll eat,

but your heavenly father knows that you need them.

In other words, to be consumed with worry

about how are you going to live

is something that those who don't trust in God,

that's what they do.

That's how the world thinks and acts

because ultimately they have no hope.

On the flip side, fifth,

if we trust that our father knows what we need,

then really at the end of the day,

really at the end of the day,

we have nothing to worry about.

Now don't mishear me.

Things get hard.

Things get scary.

That valley that you may be walking through

gets very, very dark, no doubt.

But it's not like our heavenly father is looking around

going, oh no, I've lost Bruce and Sheila again.

And the truth of the matter is that,

though we might feel scared,

our heavenly father knows exactly where he has us.

He knows exactly what we need

and he provides for us in the midst of it.

Sometimes what we need is not always what we want.

That's why knowing God as our father

tears away at worry because we know

that he knows us better than we know ourselves.

He knows what we need more than what we want

and he provides for us in that providential love and care.

So church, Jesus penetrates our ever sanctifying lives

by holding out to us some incredible truths

so that we might combat the worry

that so easily, so easily creeps in.

First, worry comes because our minds are disoriented.

So when things feel off course,

when things get hard, ask yourself in that situation,

is this really what my life is all about?

Second, we are testified to every day by God's creation

and it shows us that he cares for us

more than we could ever possibly imagine.

Third, worry actually doesn't change anything.

Fourth, worry about things is what the world does

because they walk around really with no hope

and but we do because fifth, we have a heavenly father

who not just loves us but knows what we need.

Now there's one more thing that Jesus adds into all of this

and we wanna take note of it, it's in verse 34.

Our Lord ends this entire point by saying,

therefore don't worry about tomorrow

for tomorrow will worry about itself.

Each day has enough trouble of its own.

In other words, we don't know the future

and so to look at your present situation and worry

is just as useless as looking to the future

and fretting over things that you just have no control over.

Now getting back to what was already said this morning,

just because you follow Jesus as Lord

doesn't mean that we have some spiritual hall pass

that protects us from every creepy crawly in this life.

No, God doesn't extract us from this world.

He actually sends us out into it to be lights

knowing that we will be in a dark world.

And so we just don't know what troubles will come

in that darkness.

And so our Lord is telling us this morning,

it does no good for us to fixate our minds

on what is wrong and what can go wrong in this world.

Now what He's preparing us for church,

what He's preparing His people for

is a way to deal with those things as they come

because trouble is part of a fallen world.

And so the Lord Jesus gives us some things here

to help us lift our eyes to the truth

so that we might be set free from worry

as we trust in the providential love and care

of our heavenly Father.

I want us to step back for a moment.

And I want to make you aware of something

running through the entire sermon on the Mount.

It's a theme that helps us to draw it all together.

It's on the slide.

It's the kingdom of heaven.

We've heard about it over and over and over again

through the five and a half months

that we've been in this book.

God promised through the prophets

that He would send a king who would usher in a kingdom.

And that's exactly what God has done with Jesus.

He is the promised king of God's heavenly kingdom.

Now what's important to note about all of this

is that God made a promise

and God fulfilled that promise in Jesus Christ.

He really did send a savior into this world

to save His people.

And so we can look at Jesus

and know beyond a shadow of a doubt

that our greatest need for yesterday, today,

and forever has been fully and completely met.

Our ultimate need has been met in Christ now

and for all eternity.

We've seen that through the months

as we've been in the gospel according to Matthew.

When Christ's righteousness is given to us,

we enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Are we given the status in Jesus

as a son or daughter of God?

That's right, we enter the kingdom of heaven

because the king of heaven came to live

and die for His people.

And we are told that whoever calls upon the name

of the Lord will be saved.

And so this morning, everything is put into perspective

when we understand who and what we are

in relation to this world.

Worry is squished when we see that we are citizens

of God's kingdom through the Lord Jesus Christ.

What a wonderful truth to not just meditate on,

but trust with all that we are.

So with all that said, with that understanding and told,

Jesus draws our attention to how we, His disciples,

citizens of the kingdom of heaven,

God's children should approach every given situation.

In verse 33.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

And all, not some, all these things

will be given to you as well.

Church, we will come against all sorts of things

in this world.

But when you're dealing with worry, stop, ask yourself,

what is this life really all about?

Because at the end of the day, Church, because of Jesus,

you're no longer a citizen of the kingdom of darkness,

but a citizen of another kingdom.

So worry really comes when we drift off

and forget what we are now at this moment in Christ,

who and what we are now in relation

to the creator of all things.

Because of Jesus Christ, there is a new order

of priorities that come with being a citizen

of the heavenly kingdom.

So there's an order that we live for and seek in this world.

So in any given situation, you might ask,

am I seeking God's rule on earth as it is in heaven,

like we pray?

Or am I still looking for what works best for me?

Am I seeking the leading of Jesus in my life

or is my mind still positioned in such a way

that I'm looking at all of this with me at the center?

Remember, we're invited, invited by our heavenly father

to go and speak to him about all these things.

And I want you to notice this, Church.

Our Lord says to us that we don't seek God's rule

and reign in our lives as some afterthought.

We seek first above all else.

And that mindset isn't limited to Church life.

No, it infiltrates by the work of the Spirit,

it infiltrates everything that we're involved in.

Every hobby, relationship, desire, job,

recreation, business plan, our everything.

Without pushing this illustration too far,

we're kind of like a paradox, right?

On the one hand, we're a blood-purchased people

who are citizens of the heavenly kingdom,

children of the living God.

Yet we're still in our bodies in a fallen world,

which is grasping for all our affections and desires.

It's known by some as an already but not yet.

An already but not yet existence.

Jesus calls us to something so much greater

than a life lived for oneself.

He calls his disciples to a life of servitude,

both before our heavenly father and towards others

in the way that we act in this world.

And all of us are faced with decisions in our life.

King Jesus knows that.

Yet as we've seen, worry is a sign

that our priorities have gotten out of order

and that we've become disoriented.

And yet Jesus says when these things come,

raise your eyes heavenward

because we can know that our heavenly father

sees and understands every aspect of our lives.

And more than that, he cares for you.

And so in light of that church,

we can give ourselves over completely

to the cause of the kingdom in all that we do.

Not worrying that we'll be forgotten or misplaced

because we know that our heavenly father provides for us.

Because of Jesus, because of Jesus,

we can abandon ourselves into our heavenly father's care

and give everything we are for his service,

wherever we may find ourselves in this dark world.

Because we know by the words of our Lord

that we will be provided for in the here and the now

and for all eternity.

These are wonderful truths that Jesus gives us in his word.

The church, do you trust him?

Do you trust his word over what you see in this world?

Well, like always, we are invited

to come to the throne of grace as the people of God.

So let's do that now as his disciples and children.

Would you please pray with me?

Please pray with me.

Lord Jesus, we started our time this morning

asking that you would help us to understand your word

by your spirit who is working among us this morning.

And Lord Jesus, we have come up time and time again

against such wonderful truths that we need your grace

and your mercy and your love and your care

to lead and guide us in.

Lord Jesus, these are not words that you have given to us

to cast aside and keep doing things our way,

but words that bring us to you daily.

And so we ask that you would please help us.

Please change us.

Take us from where we were to take us

to where you want us to be.

Lord, we want to see your kingdom come on this earth

as it is in heaven wherever you have us.

Lord, we want to see people hear the gospel.

We want people to turn from the way they were going

and to put their trust completely and totally in you.

Lord, we want to be a people that make disciples

not of our own cultural community,

but of you in all that you have taught us.

These are things that we need your help

and we want your help in.

Would you please, Lord Jesus, lead and guide us

in what you would have us to do.

We ask for all of this in your mighty

and precious and holy name, amen.