The Sin of Worry (Matthew 6:25-34)

Jesus told a parable. “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no
room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I
will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This
night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is
not rich toward God” (Luk 12:16-21). Why did this man hoard?

Jesus was questioned by another rich man. “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?’ So He said to him, ‘Why do you
call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to Him, ‘Which ones?’ Jesus
said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER, and, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. The young man said to Him, ‘All these
things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and
you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.’ But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great
possessions” (Mat 19:16-22). Why did this man choose “stuff” rather than Christ?

Let’s review. What is the Treasure in heaven that we are to seek? What must we be willing to give up in order to possess this Treasure? Now follow
my line of thinking. If we forsake all to gain Christ, how will we survive? What if we don’t have enough to eat, drink or wear? Shouldn’t we be worried
about these things? Can I survive on this earth by forsaking all to follow Christ? In verses 25-34 Jesus is going to answer these questions. In these
verses we have a problem—worry, do not worry. Jesus also talks about the particular things we worry about—food, clothing and the future. We also
have a priority—seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Finally, we have a promise—all these things shall be added to you.

I.        The problem (vv. 25, 31, 34; Col 3:19-21)

Three times in this passage Jesus commands, “Do not worry.” So often we excuse worry. We don’t usually consider it to be a sin. You’ll hear people
say, or maybe you’ve said it yourself, “I have such a cross to bear.” Or, “I’m so burdened with this problem.” Or, “I’m so concerned about.” Now there
are legitimate crosses, burdens and concerns but often we legitimize the sin of worry. Think of it this way. When Jesus says “Do not worry” is it any
different from any of the other “do not” commands. Since it’s Father’s Day consider these commands, “Husbands, love your wives and do not be
bitter toward them. Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they
become discouraged” (Col 3:19-21). Obviously these two are sin, but we excuse the sin of worry.  

In the Greek the command “do not worry” means to stop what is already done. We are to right now, stop worrying and never start worrying again.

       A.        Worry devalues God (Php 4:19; Rom 8:32)

What do you mean worry devalues God? God has given us many promises concerning His love and care for us. Consider these promises, “And my
God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Php 4:19). “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up
for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things” (Rom 8:32)? Worry considers God incapable of keeping His promises. Instead of
the omnipotent God, by worry, we have considered Him to be either weak or a liar.

       B.        Worry discredits testimony (vv. 31-32)

The Gentiles are those without God. The Gentiles in this verse are synonymous with unbelievers. They have a reason to worry. They are all alone.
They are separated from the promises of God. They must fight and scratch for everything. When we worry, we live like those who do not know God.

Will anyone believe us when we encourage them to trust Christ for salvation, and at the same time are worried about the mundane things of life, like
food and clothing? How can we tell people that God “so loved the world that He gave His only Son” and then, by worrying, live as if He doesn’t love us
enough to take care of us today? Worry severely discredits our testimony.

       C.        Worry destroys life (v. 27)

“And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life” (ESV)? Instead of adding years to your life, worry can make you sick
and in God’s sovereignty shorten your lifespan. You’ve probably heard someone say, “I’m sick with worry.”

“The English term worry comes from an old German word meaning to strangle, or choke. That is exactly what worry does; it is a kind of mental and
emotional strangulation, which probably causes more mental and physical afflictions than any other single cause” (John MacArthur).

“Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands and the whole nervous system. I have never met a man or known a man to die of overwork, but I
have known a lot who died of worry” (Dr. Charles Mayo).

II.        The particulars

Three times Jesus commands us not to worry. The first time He said don’t worry about food, drink and clothing. The second time He said don’t worry
about food, drink and clothing. The third time He said don’t worry about the future.

A.        Food (vv. 25-26, 31; Psa 147:9; 145:15-16)

Jesus said twice not to worry about food and drink. Then He gave an example from nature. The birds trust their Creator to feed them and Jesus said
we are of more value to God than the birds. God did not give His Son to save the birds, but to save His people.

“Here we may see how the irrational creatures, made subject to vanity by the sin of man, come nearer to their first estate and better observe the
order of nature in their creation than man does. For they seek only for that which God has provided for them, and when they receive it they are
content. This solemnly demonstrates that man is more . . . vile and more base than even the brute beasts” (Arthur Pink).

He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens that cry” (Psa 147:9). “The eyes of all look expectantly to You, And You give them their food
in due season. You open Your hand And satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Psa 145:15-16).

       B.        Fashion (vv. 28-30)

Again Jesus commands us to abstain from worry. Don’t worry about your clothes. Again He uses another illustration from nature to show the
absurdity of worry. God beautifully clothes the common wild flower. They are of little value and die so quickly. If God so gloriously cloths the flowers
can He not be depended upon to provide for your needs?

       C.        Future (v. 34; Deu 33:25; Jer 29:11)

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” So often we have
sufficient food and clothing for today. So many of our worries concern the future. For some reason we find it difficult to trust God with tomorrow. We
need to learn to live life today. This does not mean that we don’t work hard, save if possible, and make plans. But ultimately tomorrow is in God’s
hands.

Manna was given for today. Grace is for today. Life is to be lived to the fullest today. Tomorrow is uncertain. Yet the same God that provides for
today controls tomorrow.

“As your days, so shall your strength be” (Deu 33:25). “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to
give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29:11 ESV).

III.        The priority (v. 33a)

Since God has promised to take care of us we are free to forsake all to gain Christ. The priority is godliness. We are to, “Seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” To seek first the kingdom of God is to lay up treasures in heaven. To seek
the righteousness of God is to hunger and thirst for righteousness instead of earthly things, even the necessities.

IV.        The promise (v. 33b)

When we make Christ our priority, God takes care of the little stuff of this life. “All these things shall be added to you.”

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
*Over the years we have received notes and calls from many concerned readers alerting us that we had used the word “weakly” instead of “weekly.” Would you
believe that this is not an oversight or mistake? The Weakly Sermon is Pastor Jay’s best, howbeit weak, effort to explain the great truths of the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. Our only prayer is that our God would be pleased to use this “weak” work for His glory. It is our prayer that The Weakly Sermon would be of benefit in your
Christian walk.
*Weakly Sermon