"Don't Worry 'Bout It"

Matthew 6: 25-34

     Dear Friends in Christ,   

             I would like to begin my sermon this evening by sharing with you a time where worrying got the best of me. One day while we were at the Seminary, Katrina and I went on a date to Olive Garden. When we pulled up to the establishment I noticed that the parking lot was completely full. Upon seeing all the cars, I began to worry. Thoughts began to race through my mind. I began to worry about whether or not we would be able to get a parking spot. My thoughts then switched from the parking lot to worrying about waiting in line. Then all of a sudden the thought came that would undo everything, what if we were not going to be able to get a table?  After this thought came, I completely sank into a pit of worry and despair. I’m embarrassed to say that it was quite a scene. Well, after composing myself to the best of my abilities, we finally pulled into the establishment. As we drove around the parking lot a couple of times we ended up finding a parking spot pretty quickly. When we entered the restaurant I noticed the line was not long at all and we only had to wait five or ten minutes. We eventually sat down at our table and had a very nice date. This story may sound absurd but at the time I was genuinely worried about each one of those concerns.  All I wanted to do was have a nice meal with my wife and it seemed like everything was turning south in a hurry.

             Now I know the situation I just described is pretty ridiculous but if I were to guess I’m pretty sure that I am not alone when it comes to worrying about little minor details of life such as finding a parking space or a table at a restaurant.

Law

We all know that life is full of things to worry about. As humans, we are all familiar with worrying about the minor details of daily living like having your hair the right way or making sure you are wearing the right tie/ shirt combo. On the other hand many of us are familiar with circumstances that one can’t help but worry about. These situations often consist of one’s finances, family and future. Living in the economy that we find ourselves in, one can’t help but worry about job security, money, paying bills, and daily expenses such as food and clothing. And of course we can’t help but worry about our families. Too often we anxiously worry over their health, safety and overall wellbeing.  Then there is the future. With all of its uncertainties, one can’t help but worry about what the future holds. This can be especially true when one is faced with a New Year like we are tonight.  

            As we turn to our text today we are given a command from Christ not to worry. Jesus tells us in verse 25 of our text, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.” Then in verse 34 we are told not to “worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.” As you all know this command is extremely hard to carry out. In fact, it is a command that we find ourselves constantly fall short of.

            Over the past few weeks I have been wondering why I constantly miss the mark when it comes to this command. I seem to find myself worrying about everything. In my investigation, I came to the conclusion that the reason why I worry about life’s circumstances is because I want to have some sense of security and stability in my life. I’m sure that many of you can relate. How true is it what when we worry about our finances, we worry about the stability and security of being able to pay our bills, provide food on our tables and have decent clothes to wear. When we worry about the wellbeing of our families we do so because we want to have the knowledge that they are going to be safe and healthy. And when it comes to the future, we worry about it because we want to know that things are going to be ok. It seems that when we worry about life’s issues, those issues become all consuming which leads us to lose sight of Christ and stop trusting God’s providential care.   

Gospel in the Text

             The good news for us today is that we do not have to worry about our needs of body and soul because our heavenly Father brings security to our lives and provides for us all that we need. Listen again to verse 26 of our text, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet our heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Then in verse 30 we are told, “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.” What God is trying to tell us in these passages is that we do not need to worry about our daily needs. He will take care of them. If God looks over the birds of the air and clothes the grass of the fields, will He not take care of our needs as well? Of course he will! It is a promise that we can hold onto all the days of our lives.

But we also must understand that not worrying does not equal being lazy. As humans we have responsibilities to carry out. When it comes to our finances we must be good stewards of them. As for our families, we are to take care of them to the best of our abilities. And as we look toward the future, we are to plan accordingly. So as we carry out these responsibilities, we to go forth not worrying about them but entrust them to God and His providential care.

Story

Our text today became especially important for Katrina and me about two years ago. We had only been married a couple months when Katrina was faced with a work related issue. After much prayer and counsel we decided that it was best for her to leave her job. This was a scary time for both of us because Katrina was the bread winner since I was going to school full time. Immediately Katrina started to look for a job. She eventually found a job but it was a month after quitting her original job.

However, during the month Katrina was out of work we did not know how long she would be unemployed. Naturally we were concerned about how our bills were going to be paid and if we were going to have food to eat. As the month went by God was faithful in keeping His promise to provide for the needs of His people. One morning during that particular month I noticed something was shoved underneath the front door of our apartment. It was a one hundred dollar bill. Then one day as Katrina went out to our car she noticed a card resting on the front seat. Inside the card was a gift card to one of the local groceries stores. In the month Katrina was out of a job we ended up receiving about a thousand dollars. It was enough money to pay for our bills that month and provide food on our table. I tell you this story not to boast about what happened to us but to testify to you that God is truly faithful in taking care of the needs of his people. I’m sure that if you look back to when you were hit with difficult times God was faithful in providing all your needs as well.

Gospel

But God not only provides all our physical and material needs, He also provides and secures for us our spiritual needs as well. He did this by sending His one and only Son to this earth in the form of a child whose birth we celebrated just a week ago. And we all know what happened when the Christ-child grew up. When Christ grew up He was nailed to the cross by His hands and feet to die and when He was raised from the dead three days later all our spiritual needs were met. Through Christ Jesus death and resurrection our sins are forgiven and we now have the blessed hope of one day spending eternal life in his glorious and perfect presence where we will never have to worry about life’s struggles ever again.

Application

            The question now is how do we combat worry? Well, we are told how in verse 33 of our text when Jesus says “but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you.” You may be asking yourself: how in the world do I do this? Well, you are not alone because I have asked this very question myself. I believe the way to combat worry and seek first God’s Kingdom and His righteousness is by daily seeking Christ through prayer and reading the Word of God. As we daily connect with him we are then moved to cast our worries upon Him and entrust our entire wellbeing to His providential care, including the small details of life, our finances, family and future. And when we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness we can confidently know that God will provide for us all that we need to have life.

 So as we embark on a New Year with many uncertainties lying ahead of us, let us dive into 2011 heeding the advice of Christ by not worrying about tomorrow or what the New Year will hold but seeking first His kingdom, entrusting every aspect of our lives physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual needs to His gracious care and keeping.

Amen.