Well, it's been good to be able to go through this study over the last couple of months. We're going to continue in it this morning. If you have your Bibles, you can turn to Matthew 6, verses 25 through 34. Matthew 6, beginning in verse 25. Therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious 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? Look at the birds of the air. They neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you, by being anxious, can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 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? Oh, you of little faith. Therefore, do not be anxious saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we wear? For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Well, I once read about a church marquee out at the road just down from the church that said this, don't let worries kill you, let the church help. Are y'all awake? Y'all get that? Don't let worries kill you, let the church help or assist with that killing. Well, worry and anxiety and fear, fears most of us, feels most of us. It's certainly no news to any of you that we live in a troubled world that has many cares and concerns, but this is really nothing new. For there's much in Scripture about worry and anxiety and fear. In fact, the one negative prohibition given by Jesus, the most in Scripture is not to not commit adultery or lie or steal or bow down to a graven image, though he speaks of that much. No, the one negative prohibition given the most in Scripture is fear not, fear not. This two-word phrase appears some 365 times in Scripture, and yet this is something that many of us struggle with for much of our lives. You probably have heard the phrase, if I don't have anything to worry about, I will find something to worry about. Many will say, I feel like I must be doing something. Well, Spurgeon comments and says, the doing will just be your undoing unless you stop and consider what God would have you do. So of course, many of us are what's called worry warts as the saying goes. But today we wanna look at the fact that this really should not be characteristic of me and of you as Christians. And so think about, as we go through the lesson today, think about two questions in your own life. One is, what am I afraid of? And two is, what do I worry about on a daily basis? What am I afraid of? And what do I worry about on a daily basis? Let me pose the question to the class. Why do we, in general, worry? Why do we worry? Yeah, Gabe? We don't trust God, ultimately. Good. We don't have control. We're going to talk about that today. It's very true. Joe? We're going through the worst case scenarios in our head. Interesting. We're going through the worst case scenarios in our head. So that prompts fear and anxiety and worry. Anything else? What if? Right. Yeah. Just general uncertainty. Good. Yes. Lack of faith, ultimately. You know, Jesus says in this passage, O you of little faith. So we're going to talk about that today. Yeah, Kevin. The news, yeah. Just turn the news off, exactly. Yeah. Well, let's talk more about that today. So as we began, let's just consider some stats. It's believed that more than 40 million Americans have had an anxiety disorder, which relates to one or translates to one in five Americans. But since the onset of COVID, stats show that number is now two in five, not one in five, but now two in five, or roughly 40%. Anxiety is an emotional and mental struggle that affects every demographic and every age in our culture. 25% of American teenagers have an anxiety disorder. And since the pandemic, now 56% of young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 struggle with anxiety. Now to be sure, I'm not here today to encourage you in some seven-step self-help program, but we wanna rather turn to God's holy, infallible, and errant word. and see what he says about worry and anxiety. So we see in our particular passage today, we see the word therefore three times. We're gonna hone in on those three usages, verses 25, 31, and 34. The word therefore means because or because of this. When we see the word therefore, it's important to ask, as you probably have heard it before, what's it there for, right? Well, Boyce states, because of the teaching in verse 24, if you look in your Bibles, we'll talk about that in a minute, but because of the teaching in verse 24, the Christian is not to worry. Because of the truth in verses 26 through 30, the Christian is not to worry. And finally, because of the teaching in verses 32 and 33, the Christian is not to worry. So let's take each one of those one by one. First of all, Jesus says, therefore, I tell you, do not be anxious 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? Verse 25. Well, the Greek connotation for do not be anxious includes the idea of stopping worrying and to never start it again. The English term worry comes from an old German word that literally means to strangle or choke. And I think that's really an accurate description of the effects of worry. It strangles and chokes a person to the point that in many cases causes mental and emotional disturbances and disruptions to one's life, far outweighing the number of people afflicted with physical maladies. It's been said that fog, if you think about fog on a cool morning day, fog is extensive enough to cover seven city blocks at a hundred feet deep. Seven city blocks a hundred feet deep is comprised of only less than one glass of water. less than one glass of water. So imagine what two glasses of water or a whole gallon of water will do and how much fog it will create. Well, in the same way, worry, though it may seem small and trivial at times, is enough to shut down our bodies. One person has said, worry is a thin stream of fear that trickles through the mind, which if encouraged will cut a channel so wide that all our thoughts will be drained out. What worry does? I've seen it over and over again even in my own practice as I deal with people that have physical conditions that are coming to see me in my office. But you think about how the emotional anxiety and worry that I hear about over and over throughout the week and how that's contributing to even physical ailments. Remember we said the word therefore points backward. And so we see the first use of the word therefore in verse 25. So we have to look back to verse 24 and see what verse 24 says, which is what we studied last week. No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God in money. So, if we are genuine Christians, then God is our master and we're serving Him and Him alone. Therefore, because of this, we need not worry and be anxious about our lives. In other words, if our service and allegiance is to God alone, no money or human invention, then why do we worry if we are ultimately His? And yet we do. But why should we not worry? Because ultimately, we believe that God is sovereign and everything is His. So, let me pose a question for you to ponder. How would your anxiety and worry Be different if you knew for certain there was someone orchestrating every detail of your life with a plan to prosper you, defend you, keep you, and bless you for the good of your soul and the glory of His name. How would that change? I think it would shut it down, wouldn't it? It would cause us to rethink, why are we worrying? Why are we anxious when we have a sovereign God who loves us and cares for us and is orchestrating out the details and affairs of our lives? David had this perspective when he proclaimed, the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell within Psalm 24, 1. He writes again in 1 Chronicles 29, 12, both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and give strength to all. Ultimately, to worry about food and drink and clothing and other things that the Lord has promised to us in verse 25 is to reject God's sovereignty in our lives. and ultimately to not be content. If Paul could be content amidst hunger and humiliation and imprisonment, why can we not? Paul writes, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need," Philippians 4, 11 through 12. See, worry is really the opposite of contentment. John MacArthur writes, everything we now have belongs to the Lord, and everything we will ever have belongs to the Lord. Why then do we worry about His taking from us what really belongs to Him? Now, to illustrate this, I'll share a story about John Wesley. Perhaps you've heard about it. But as he was traveling one day, a person came running to him and approached him and said, your house is burned down. Your house has burned down. Wesley replied, no, it hasn't because I don't own a house. The one I have been living in belongs to the Lord. And if He has chosen to burn it down, well, that's one less responsibility for me to worry about." How many of us have that perspective? Well, what's the point here? God owns everything. So why do we worry about what we will eat or drink? It's all His. By worrying, we don't express our thanks to God, but rather by being content, we do express our thanks to God for what He is providing. If we're to be honest, aren't our worries and anxieties more about being concerned over losing or not receiving what we think we should have? Well, this kind of overwhelming worry can be sinful, is sinful, and occurs when we lose sight on the promises of God contained in His Word. Sinclair Ferguson says this kind of worry is a result of poor thinking. He goes on to say the problem of anxiety manifests a problem of the mind. In fact, those who sometimes have the most anxiety are the ones whose lives and families seem to be all under control. because they are frightened about anything being out of their control and under God's control. This reveals a problem with thinking. So if we believe in God's sovereignty, do we live in light of that? As I've said before, I like to point this out in my own life and when I talk to others about it too, our orthopraxy should match our orthodoxy. What does that mean? How we live orthopraxy on a daily basis should match and should be fitting with what we actually believe to be true about God contained in His Word. Many of us struggle with this, and instead we embrace a form of practical atheism, believing we have complete management of our daily lives to a point we actually believe we can manipulate the outcome of our day simply by assuming we have control by giving attention to worry. Of course, we know ultimately we don't have control. God being sovereign negates our control. It means we don't have control, he does, right? So how then does anxiety occur? Well, it occurs when we take our eyes off the Lord. and we put them instead on ourselves or on our circumstances. Without realizing it, we can very easily slip into a man-centered universe where their pervasive thinking is, I control my destiny. How many of y'all have heard that in society? We hear it all the time. I control my destiny. And then when it's attacked or threatened, we worry because our dynasty is vulnerable, all the while forgetting who it is that orchestrates all the details and every minute of our being. Sometimes Christians have an inordinate fear of losing things of this world. It's a fear that can ultimately come from unbelief. Maybe more precisely, it's a fear that comes from believing too much in the things of the world from trusting too much in the things of this world to satisfy you at the deepest level. It comes from an excessive love for created things and for desiring them too much. An unmarried Christian may live in fear that he or she will never get married. Another may fear not having enough money for a decent living. Others live in fear of deteriorating health. or they're propelled by fear to have a rigorous health regimen. Health anxieties are very real for many people. Some may fear losing status or friends or family. Others may fear what someone else will say to them or do to them. Some fear themselves and what they may do or say. Dear brothers and sisters, let us not succumb to fear and worry and anxiety. Let us believe wholeheartedly in the Lord Jesus and trust in His absolute sovereignty. This fear and worry is really a hindrance that the evil one often uses to distract us from our witness. and our ministry to the watching world. Don't give him that opportunity. Stand firm in the knowledge of the one who gave the situation and is orchestrating out the details for our good and for his glory. Well, secondly, we need not worry because of the truth contained in verses 26 through 30, namely that he cares for us. We read in these verses that he cares for the birds and the lilies. How much more will he care for you? It's been said by other writers who have studied this particular area of the Sea of Galilee that it's the quote unquote crossroads of bird migration. So there's a lot of birds going through and migrating through the Sea of Galilee. A lot of different types of birds at different times of the year. So one can only imagine, perhaps, as Jesus is telling the disciples this, He could have been pointing upward and saying, see how God cares for the birds. that are flying over our heads even now. The birds never worry about where their next meal will come from, for God provides what they need. Now the birds are busy, they're preparing nests and they're getting insects and worms and that which they need, but God provides for them. Spurgeon writes, the birds are fed by God. Will he not feed us? They are free from the fret which comes of hoarding and trading. Why should we not be? He goes on to say, if God feeds the fowls of the air without sowing or reaping or storing, surely He will supply us when we trustfully use these means. And so we're not to worry about the things that God has promised to provide. He cares for the birds. He will much more care for us. We must realize, too, the importance of verse 27, that we cannot add a single hour to our life by being anxious. In fact, quite the contrary, Dr. Charles Mayo of the famous Mayo Clinic once wrote, worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, and in fact, the whole nervous system. I never met a man or have known a man to die of overwork, but I have known a lot who died of worry." People of God, let us not worry. Let us be content knowing that the God of the universe holds our lives in the palm of His hand and that worry will add nothing to our lives. In fact, it will take away from our lives. My great-grandmother, whom I knew very, very well, just died seven years ago. She was born in 1905, so if you do the math, she died in 2016. She was 111 when she died. And if you ask her what is the secret to living a long life, of course, she recognized God ordained her days, right, just as we all do. You know what she would say without fail, I don't worry. And she didn't worry. And she was a great testimony to me that I really shouldn't be worried about the things that I worry about. So we need not worry. This was a lady that she went through two different forms of cancer. She had breast cancer. She had colon cancer in her 90s. She broke her hip at 99 and had a hip replacement. And she just kept on trucking. What's the point there? She just didn't worry. She didn't worry. What we see in verses 28 and 29, and why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil nor spin. Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. This is really an indictment to us, if you will, with our focus as a society on the external rather than the internal. It was an indictment on the Pharisees who were listening to Jesus giving this message because they did focus on the external, right? As we've seen before in these verses. We focus so much more at times on what we wear, on the outward rather than growing the inward. Sinful fear and worry come from trusting more ultimately in the creation rather than the creator. It comes from loving and longing for limited created things to ultimately satisfy our desires. But we need to realize that created things can be lost or never obtained in the first place, and that's where sinful worry and fear come in. This anxiety can be displayed in how much attention we give to the temporal. For example, a person should not spend so much time getting themselves ready for the day that they leave no room for spending time with the Lord. We tend to spend more time on that which will pass away and less time on that which is eternal." And Jesus is saying, don't be anxious about the external. Spurgeon said in one of his sermons, many persons think a great deal about the adorning of the body but do not think anything about the ornaments of the soul. His point is that we spend too much time on ourselves and worrying about the temporal rather than focusing on the eternal. Aren't we all prone to that throughout our lives? Is it wrong to adorn yourself with jewelry or prepare your hair in a nice way? No, not necessarily. The problem comes with the attention we give to it. And if we're giving so much attention to that, at the detriment of our soul. One question to ask yourselves as I ask myself, are you feeding the physical more than the spiritual? Are you feeding the physical more than the spiritual? If the honest answer is yes, then we've got to reconsider our priorities. Ultimately, to worry about the temporal is the result of having little faith. For Jesus notes in verse 30, 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? Oh, you of little faith. When we think about one of the disciples who was a worrier, the name Peter might come to mind. You know, Peter, in the early days of Jesus's ministry, was a worrier. He was, for example, walking on the water toward Jesus, and then he began to look at the waves and became worried, which led him to begin to sink, Matthew 14, 30. He worried that Jesus may not pay taxes, Matthew 17, 24. He was worried about those who might betray him, John 13, 24. But as he grew in holiness, He realized more and more that God was sovereign and that Jesus took care of him. Toward the end of his life, he wrote to others about how to live. Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5, 7, a verse we'll come back to in just a moment. But let's learn from Peter's example. There's no need to worry about our clothing or food or health for Jesus himself upholds us and he cares for us. Dear Christian, how God cares, how He cares for you and for me. We need to remember and trust in His promises. Wouldn't you agree that we often lose sight of the fact that He cares for us and the fact that He sustains us? We, like Peter, who took his eyes off Jesus while walking on the water, and of course he began to sink, then he lifted his eyes again to the Lord and he was kept safe. Does that describe you? In times of trouble, do you find yourself sinking under the weight of worry? How quickly that can happen. And yet, how perfect His power is made perfect in our weakness. We simply need to look up. Well, going back to that passage, 1 Peter 5, let me read verses 6 and 7. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because He cares for you. I don't know about you, but this is so comforting to me. And I've been struck with it just more and more as I've read through and thought through and prepared this lesson, how the God of the universe who made everything, and he made us in his image and for his glory, he cares for you. And he doesn't just care for the big stuff. He cares about every minute detail of your life and of mine. He cares for you. The Greek word cares denotes to be concerned with, especially paying attention to or giving thought to. It's taking an interest in. So God takes an interest in you. He lovingly upholds you and cares for you. Child of God, why worry if God cares for you? Instead of living in a way to satisfy our own cares and worries, Let us humble ourselves under the mighty, sovereign hand of the King of Kings, knowing this, clinging to Him, clinging to His promises contained in His words, in His Word. Well, notice, too, that worry, to have worry is to have little faith. Now, this one really hits home, doesn't it? Is Jesus really saying that if we worry, we have little faith? Yes, He is. This is just as convicting to me as it is to you. Every time I'm worried and I'm anxious about something, I'm exhibiting little faith. That phrase, little faith, is used five times in the Gospels, and each time it refers to the disciples not taking to heart and remembering what God will do for them. One example we see in Matthew 8, 23 through 27, when the disciples are on the Sea of Galilee and a storm comes up while Jesus is sleeping. Of course, you remember the disciples panic and they go to Jesus, waking Him up, asking Him to save them because they were perishing. Jesus rebuked them saying, why are you afraid, O you of little faith? Verse 26, what begs the question, how do you react to a life-threatening crisis? Do you fear Or do you have faith because you can't have both? Sinclair Ferguson once stated, you may be in a great storm, but you have an even greater savior. If your eyes are fixed on the power of the storm, then you are turned away from the greatness of the savior. But I'll say it in reverse. If your eyes are fixed upon the greatness of your savior, then now all of a sudden your eyes are turned away from the power of the storm. Well, the third and final reason Jesus gives in this text to not worry appeals to his righteousness. Verses 33 and 34, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. John MacArthur writes, the cause of worry is seeking the things of this world. Conversely, the cause of contentment is seeking the things of God's kingdom and His righteousness. Seeking His righteousness is to live in obedience unto His Word. Seeking His righteousness is to live for what is to come rather than what is in the here and now. Well, as we conclude, let me tell you a story of a man from one of the first centuries His name was Tidius Amerimnos. I really practiced that several times, but it's really hard to say. Tidius Amerimnos. Here's the point. The first part of that name, Tidius, is a proper name, but the second part, Amerimnos, is made up of a Greek word for worry, plus the prefix word, prefix meaning not or never. So, in other words, the second name is a descriptive epithet. Remember, like James, the author of the book of James, was called James the Just. Well, in this case, many have thought that this particular man, Tidius Amerimnos, that he was originally a pagan who constantly worried, but who, after he became a Christian, stopped worrying. He was then called Tidius Amerimnos, the man who never worries. Well, let me ask you a question. Can you add that to your name? Your name, the man that never worries. Your name, the woman that never worries. We can say that. He could say that. We can too because God is our master. He is the sovereign one and He cares for you. and He cares for me and He's given us the Holy Spirit to comfort us in times of trial and grief and tribulation. Let us then by the help of the Holy Spirit be free from worry. Don't let Satan distract you from the ministry that God has given you in this world by worrying and being anxious. Be free from that worry and anxiety that you might live more fully unto Him. Let's pray. God in heaven, we thank You, Lord, for Your Word. We thank You for Jesus' teaching. This is a hard passage in many ways because it's so difficult to follow. We are so prone to being worried and anxious and being fearful. The Lord, help us to not be. You are the sovereign one. You love us. You've been gracious and merciful to us, and You deeply care for us and uphold us. Help us to remember that today, in the coming days, when we may be tempted to worry. Lord, help us to remember and to think upon You and to fix our gaze upon You, not on our circumstances, that we might live fully unto You a life that is pleasing to You. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.