JESUS’ CURE FOR WORRY
Matthew 6:25-34
Princeton Christian Church 27 November 2022
This passage we are looking at this morning is a part of what we know as
the Sermon on the Mount. And the speaker, of course, is Jesus. Let’s read Matthew 6:25-34.
Worry or anxiety is something which is common to most of us. I try not to worry and when I say I don’t worry some people look at me like I am some sort of weirdo, or they assume I don’t care about a particular situation. And that is a normal reaction because worry and anxiety are so much a natural behavior in our human lives.
Although we all worry at times. But it is not something that is good for us. Jesus commands us to not worry.
Before we go further, we need to define “worry”. Worry can be defined as a feeling of uneasiness or being overly concerned about a situation or problem.
Here is what worry does: It leave us with a sense of something terrible is about to happen. It creates unrealistic fears. In fact, worry gives you more to worry about.
Worry makes us sensitive to the environment and criticism of others.
A large percentages of our illnesses are related to worry, anxiety, and stress. 38% of all deaths are heart-related and many of those are related to hypertension, high blood pressure and anxiety.
Worry has been linked to cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis, gastrointestinal illness and suicide. ¾ of all visits to primary care physicians are stress-related complaints or disorders.
So here is a really pertinent question: If we know that worry affects our lives in so many negative ways, then why do we do it? Jesus asks that question in a different way in Matthew 6:27: Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single hour to your life.”
The answer, of course, is obvious: No, we can’t. Worry cannot add to your life. But, very surely, worry will take some very valuable assets from our lives. It will subtract from your life – both health and joy.
We can be sure there are plenty of things to worry about in our world today. We can ask: Will the Coronavirus ever go away, or it now just a part of our lives? The economy is in the tank. Will it ever improve? Why is there so much violence, riots and protests going on in our country today? Those are the social situations and events many worry about.
And, then there are the personal things to worry about. Like our personal health, our relationships with family, friends, others we encounter in our lives, financial hardships, relationships wrecked by divorce, regret for behaviors of our past.
And, to all those things, all those situations, Jesus simply says, “DO NOT WORRY!”
Matthew 6:25 – “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will heat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on.” He goes on to say the life is more than food and the body is more than clothing.
One of the reasons we need to not worry is this – of course, we have needs. And, we need to learn and know that God knows our needs. In fact, He knows our needs better than we do. And He provides the solution to those needs at the absolute time we need them.
Very often, and maybe most often, what we usually get anxious about are our wants, our desires, not what we need.
When that is the case we need to consult with Paul as he writes to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:6 where he says: “Godliness with contentment is great gain.” Too often we don’t enjoy being content with our situations, and we begin to worry and fret because what we want isn’t happening.
Jesus says that we must not worry about having enough food or clothing. We all have needs. We must have food and we must have clothing. We need those things. But, the key is to not put our faith and trust in those things, but put our faith in God, and not stockpile.
Let me give you an example. In my dresser at home, I have, at last count, a minimum of 35 T-shirts. Some of them haven’t seen the light of day in years. That is a stockpile. Now, I don’t put my faith and my trust in those T-shirts, and I spend no time worrying about those T-shirts. And I would readily share some of them with anyone who needs one – or several.
Part of what we know as the Lord’s Prayer, teaches us that we should pray for our daily bread, not bread for next month. But we too often want NOW what we don’t need until later. We want God to provide for us on our schedule, rather than wait for Him to provide when we have a genuine need. God doesn’t work on our timetable. He provides on time and much of the time “just in the nick of time.”
There is a good Gospel song I enjoy hearing. It refers to Jesus going to the tomb of Lazarus. And Martha, Lazarus’ sister questioning Jesus why he was so late. If he had gotten there four days earlier, her brother would not have died. The song goes on to say that “even when Jesus is four days late He is right on time.” We simply have to trust God to do what is right.
Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”
It is important for us to remember that even if we never asked God for the necessary things of life, He provides them, but let us also remember how can God answer un-prayed prayers?
God doesn’t overlook anything we need. Daily He feeds millions of birds. You can be sure He will provide food for you. He clothes the fields with flowers and grass (vs.29).The danger is not that God will forget about our needs. The danger is that we will forget about our need for God.
So, why should we worry? God knows our needs and supplies them as He sees what we need.
We often focus on things that don’t really matter and we neglect the most important thing in life. We won’t be busy working for the Lord if we doubt God’s provision for our needs.
There is an old saying which goes like this: “Where God guides, God provides.”
Our focus and our priority needs to be on the Kingdom of God, on God’s righteousness, and not on our physical needs.
Let’s sum this up: Don’t worry; trust God. Seek His kingdom; God is trustworthy. You are loved by Him. When trouble comes, we have a Savior, Jesus Christ, that we should run to and never leave Him.
Let’s read Matthew 6:28-30 again,” Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
If you are carrying a heavy load and are worried to death – God never intends that for you. He simply asks you to set aside that load. Don’t worry about tomorrow.
Worry is a temptation because there seems to always be something to worry about. What is it that keeps you awake at night? What cause you to fear the next day?
The way to rid your life of those worries is this, like the old song says: “Take it to the Lord in prayer.” Turn it over to Him. He is able to handle any situation which come your way.
The only way to truly be able to leave worry behind is through a solid relationship with Jesus Christ. Without Jesus in our lives there is no peace on earth. When Jesus is with you, and you with Him, there will be peace. Be sure of this, I am not saying life will be without trouble, but when it comes you have a stronghold in knowing Jesus Christ as Lord of your Life.
Outside of Christ we are dead in our sin. We are objects of wrath and often we are working against the greatest gift you will ever receive – Jesus Christ.
If you are living outside of Christ, now is the time to respond to the Gospel. Do you believe? Jesus says, in Mark 16:16: “He who believes and has been baptized shall be saved, but he who has disbelieved shall be comdemned.”
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