Faith Leaves No Room For Worry

Transcript

GRM 1036
6/28/2009
Faith Leaves No Room For Worry
Matthew 6:25-34, 16:5-12
Gil Rugh

We're studying the Sermon on the Mount so if you'd turn in your Bibles to Matthew 6. Jesus is addressing the matter of material things. Remember the context of the Sermon on the Mount, it covers Matthew 5-7, and is set in the context of Jesus addressing His disciples about what is necessary to become part of the kingdom He will establish on the earth. John the Baptist came, preparing the way for Jesus, the Messiah of Israel, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Then Jesus began His public ministry with the same call, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. And now He is instructing the Jews and particularly His followers on what is required for entrance into the kingdom when He establishes it. And He has made clear in chapter 5 verse 20 which really becomes the key verse for the whole Sermon on the Mount, for I say to you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Things were the same back then as they are today. People thought if they were religious and did their best, God would be pleased and accept them. And in particular the Jews, they had the Mosaic Law. They thought that if you really did you best to keep the Law you would be acceptable to God. The scribes and Pharisees became the great example in Israel of that. But that couldn't change the heart. You have to have a greater righteousness than you could acquire by trying to be religious, by trying even to keep the 613 commandments of the Mosaic Law. The Pharisees and scribes did their best to do that. The Apostle Paul was a Pharisee before his conversion and he said that he did as good as anyone could do in keeping the Law and yet it wasn't enough. You must have a greater righteousness, a righteousness that changes the heart and makes you new on the inside. So that's what the Sermon on the Mount has been about. He has been describing the conduct and behavior of those who will be part of the kingdom.

When we came in chapter 6 to verse 19 He moved to talk specifically about the matter of material things, life on this earth, the acquiring of earthly treasure. We live in a material world, we live in a materialistic world. That has always been true, it is true in our day. Jesus wants to make clear what is expected and required of us as followers of His. This was true of the Jew who were anticipating the kingdom the Messiah would establish, it's true also of us who are followers of Jesus Christ today. And some day we will be part of the kingdom He will establish on the earth as well. He warned them in verse 19, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, but verse 20, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. And you can lose in one way or another the treasure stored up on earth, you can never lose the treasures that you store up in heaven. And then there is the reminder, where you treasure is, there your heart will be also. So we may have earthly possessions, but earthly possessions are not to be our treasure. Our lives are focused on things of eternal significance and importance.

A reminder in verse 24, no one can serve two masters, either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. It's not a possibility. A slave/master relationship is singular and when you are a slave you have total obligation with all your life. All your time, all your possessions belong to your lord, your master. You can't have two of them. You cannot serve God and wealth. It's not surprising that the world pursues wealth, riches, the acquisition of things. But for those who know Jesus Christ and are servants of His, His slaves, the focal point of life is different.

Turn over to James 4. As we've noted several times, James is very similar in content to the Sermon on the Mount. Look at verse 13, come now you who say, today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit. Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, if the Lord wills we will live and also do this or that. But as it is you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. When I was younger and our family had been saved we were attending a church where the Word of God is taught and it was common in those days, people would say, well, we'll look forward to seeing you on Wednesday the Lord willing. And that was a rather common expression. We maybe don't say it as much today but it was a good reminder. Not saying we have to use the words all the time, but in your thinking and in your planning as a child of God it always ought to be, here is what I'm going to be doing this week Lord willing. Everything is under His control, it's in His hands. Those with a worldly focus, a material focus, their business, their plans for life, their plans for making money are their plans. So they're on a business trip, they're planning what they're going to do, doesn't occur to them, maybe that's not the way it's going to happen. Some well known figures who have died this past week, one of them rather suddenly. All the plans for the future are not there anymore. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while, then vanishes away. We as God's people ought to always keep before ourselves and in our minds that I function as the servant of the living God. He is sovereign over all. Doesn't mean I don't make plans for tomorrow and use the wisdom He gives me and to the best of the knowledge I have today I have made plans for coming days. But I realize the Lord may change those plans. The tests come, how has it been when you've made great plans, something you've maybe been looking forward to and something comes up and you can't follow through. Oh the frustration, the aggravation, the irritation that comes. But wait a minute. Did God get caught off guard? Was He blindsided? Do I look and say, God has changed my plans. That's acceptable. Of course, I only made these plans when I made them contingent upon His will and obviously it's not His will. So that's perfectly acceptable. There's no frustration, there's no irritation, there may be disappointment if it's something we're looking forward to, maybe a special vacation or something. I'm disappointed, I was looking forward to it. But it's good to know that God's will is done and I wouldn't want it any other way. Sometimes we are reminded that we're walking more on what we want to do and the frustration and the aggravation that we find in our lives come when we didn't get what we planned. But what we really want as God's people is what He plans, right? So Lord, this is what I'm planning but I want your will to be done and I want to be open to that will whatever it is. And whatever changes you make, I'm ready to receive.
Turn over to II Peter 3, another reminder for us as believers about these matters, material things. Verse 10, about the promise the Lord is coming again and the events that will take place in the context of His coming, the establishing of His kingdom and the eternality of His kingdom. Verse 10, the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar, the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God because of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning and the elements will melt with intense heat. But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells. That's the focal point of us as believers.

Come back to Matthew 6. All these earthly things are destined to be consumed, destroyed. Our most precious earthly treasures are transitory, or we can hold them lightly. They are not treasures in the true sense for us as believers. That carries us down to verse 33, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you. And we find out the provision for material earthly needs comes as a by-product. But the ultimate focus of the life of a child of God is on things beyond this present physical life.

We come to verse 25, Jesus begins to deal with questions that naturally come to our minds. In verse 24 He has told us you can't serve two masters, you cannot serve God and wealth. But let's be practical, I have certain physical needs, you have certain physical needs. We live in a material world. I have to have physical food to live, I have to have clothes. Certain basic things I have to have to survive in the world in which God placed me. It's His intention that I live in this world. He told Adam after the fall, even though it was a result of sin, it was a reality, by the sweat of your brow you'll provide food for yourself and your family, basically. They are necessities of life. So Jesus begins to talk about the necessities of life and our relationship to them in verse 25. And this is a great section for believers. If you've been a believer for very long you probably have a worn spot in your Bible here because this is one of those great passages of scripture that tells us as believers we are not to worry, we are not to be anxious. Now that's not a recommendation, that is His instruction to us. That is given as a command. Three times in this section He's going to tell His followers that they are not to be anxious.

Look at verse 25, for this reason I say to you, do not be worried; then down in verse 31, do not worry; then in verse 34, do not worry. What a blessing to be told by my Savior, by my Lord and Master not to worry, not to be anxious. How liberating can that be in a world filled with anxiety, fears, worries. And He tells me as His follower, don't worry. That's the privilege we have as God's people, to live worry free lives in an anxiety filled world.

You'll note verse 25 starts, for this reason I say to you, do not be worried. The reason He has just been talking about. In fact verse 24 says, no man can serve two masters. A reminder, I am a slave of the Lord. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried. What does the master do? The kyrios, the lord? We are slaves, he takes care of them, they are his responsibility. I belong to Him, I am under His authority, I am under His care. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried. Or as this command can be translated, stop being worried. And that would be a good translation because down in verse 30 He's going to tell them they have little faith. They need to grow and mature.

Let's look at what He says here. Incidentally these three worries, instructions not to worry cover the three basic areas. Instruction in verse 25, don't be worried; down through verse 30, we are not to worry, not be anxious because God makes adequate provision for us; then in verse 31-33 we are not to worry because God knows what we need; and then verse 34 we are not to worry because each day has enough trouble of its own. That word translated do not be worried, do not be anxious. King James had it, don't give any thought. But that's not quite the point. We could say that means you don't have to think about tomorrow at all. The point here is worry, anxiety, the fears that come that cause us worry, anxiety about things related to this life. This particular word, the Greek verb dinao can be used in a good sense, to have a proper concern.

Turn over to I Corinthians 12. We want to make sure we have a balance here. A happy go lucky indifferent person is not functioning biblically. I don't have a care in the world is not being biblical. Let's be sure we are using the word properly in the right context. You can see this word translated worry or anxiety, used in a good sense, a positive sense in I Corinthians 12:25. Talking about the spiritual gifts that God has given to each believer so that we can work together as a harmonious body as the church of Jesus Christ. So in verse 25, there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care. That word translated care is the same basic word translated worry in Matthew 6. Here he says we are to have care, concern for one another. That's the good positive side. We are to be interested in one another, have a concern for one another's growth, spiritual development and so on. That's a good concern, a good care. Not anxiety and fretfulness and worry and fear over it, but a genuine concern.

Over in II Corinthians 11, Paul is talking about his ministry and he had a lot of physical pressures come to bear in his life because of his testimony for Christ. Then in verse 28 he says, apart from such external things there is the daily pressure on me of concern. There's our word again translated worry in Matthew 6. Concern for all the churches. That's the positive use of it, the good use. He was genuinely concerned for the spiritual health and well being of all the churches that they would continue to grow and mature in the Word and be faithful to Christ. He started out this chapter by saying about his concern for the Corinthians that they would be led astray from the purity of devotion to Christ. That was a concern of his. It's not a worry, an anxiety. But we have genuine concern, concern for my family, their spiritual well being. That's a good concern. But I'm not worried, I'm not lying awake at night, afraid, worried, anxious. But I have a genuine concern. So that balance.

Come back to Matthew 6. For this reason, verse 25, I say to you, do not be worried about your life. And there He's talking about the things related to life. And He's focused on the basic necessities. We'll see if God takes care of these basic necessities, then everything is under control, He'll take care of everything. And He uses the basic necessities—food, water, things to eat, something to drink, clothes, shelter. I mean, the basics you have to have. Everything is provided by God.

Don't be worried or anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink. Let's get to the basics, let's be practical. I have to have food, I have to have drink. Well you don't have to worry about it, you don't have to be anxious about it. Nor for your body as to what you'll put on, clothes. I have to have clothes, food. I mean, we're getting down to the nitty gritty, the basics necessary for survival in the world. Now He provides beyond that, but you can be sure. You don't have to be worried about these basic things, the necessities of life.

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing. And we all say that. You have a child that gets seriously ill, all of a sudden you don't even feel like eating, you don't care about food, you're not worried about what you're going to wear. Of course life is more than food or clothing. Food and clothing are a necessary part of life, I have that awareness. It is more than that.

Then He gives an example and the example shows that if God takes care of insignificant parts of His creation, will He not take care of us who are His children? He's going to use the birds of the air. Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? So you see, a bird, they are pretty, they are attractive, they may be interesting to watch but birds die. We have windows in the back of our house and when they get cleaned, we have someone come and clean them since they are up high, sometimes you'll hear a loud bang. And do you know what happened? A bird thought he was coming in, he hits the window and there he lies. But there is no big funeral for that bird, just another bird. They die all the time. So they are not that significant, not that important. But you know what? God sees that they are fed. Now they don't store up food, they don't have a refrigerator, they don't have a storage place. They are just out there every day and God takes care of them. That's an illustration to me. You know the world looks at it and thinks, look how evolution has prepared them to provide for themselves. The Bible tells us it is God who is doing it and He created them in such a way that they could live and survive and get all they need without storing up and so on.

Now if God cares for the birds like that, isn't He going to take care of me as His child? Of course. So why would I be anxious and worried about if I'm going to have enough to eat, am I going to have what is necessary, is my family going to be taken care of. And besides in this context, what would you accomplish by worrying about it?

Verse 27, who of you being worried can add a single hour to his life? Some translate it a single cubit to his stature. That word cubit, measured from the elbow down to the end of the hand, about 18 inches. And He could be talking about your height, but most people don't think of adding 18 inches to their height. It's probably like we talk about we're traveling down the road of life but you can't add any length to your road. Remember the psalmist? All the days that were ordained for me, they were written in your book before there was one of them. And here by worrying I can't add to my life, I can't add any steps to my life, I can't make life's road longer for me by worrying. In fact they would say you probably create problems that would, physically speaking, shorten your life by worrying. Worry creates and can bring its own physical problems with it. I mean, worry doesn't change anything, right? Think about it, think about tomorrow. Maybe you have something you don't like to do, maybe you have an unpleasant dentist appointment tomorrow, they're going to do four root canals all at once. I'm going to set aside this afternoon from 2:00 to 5:00 to worry about it. And I'm really going to put myself into it, I'm going to worry like I haven't worried before. Come 5 o'clock, what have I done? Nothing changes, right? The teeth aren't any better, the appointment is still at the same time tomorrow and the work still has to be done. Worry doesn't change anything. That's the simple point. I mean, it's so obvious that we think it doesn't need to be made, but then why do we worry? Have you ever worried about anything? Ever been anxious about anything? Even as a believer. Yes. Why? It's human nature. Well it is but we have become partakers of the divine nature and so we are privileged to function in a unique way in a world of anxiety and fear. We don't have to worry, and worry can't change anything anyway. It only makes it worse.

And why are you worried about clothes? Another example. Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil nor do they spin, yet I tell you not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these. And here was One who was present, who beheld the glory of Solomon and bestowed on Solomon his glory. He can tell you that all the glory that the wisdom and riches that Solomon brought him didn't bring him the splendor and beauty of that wild flower in the field. Isn't it amazing? If God so clothes the grass of the field which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not so much more clothe you, you of little faith? Think about it. Look out you see the flowers and you walk out here in the parking lot and see the beauty of it. Almost overwhelming. In biblical times you walk through the fields and the wildflowers there and they would gather in the grass and the flowers, cut them off, lay them aside. They would dry out quickly and in their clay ovens when you are getting the fire started they would throw that in and that would get it going. Then you could add more permanent burning stuff. Now here you have these wildflowers, they're going to be cut down, dried out, thrown into the fire and God has given them a beauty and a splendor that the wisest and richest man on earth could not provide for himself. Do you think the God who clothes the grass of the field like that isn't going to provide for my basic clothing? He's my heavenly Father.

You know the problem? The last statement, you of little faith. You put that together with the command that was in verse 25, stop being worried about your life, you of little faith. Here's the problem. Even the followers of Christ stop short of the kind of faith that we are supposed to have. And we excuse it. I know I shouldn't be worried, but ....... As though that makes it all right, it's all right for me not to trust the Lord fully. Well this is serious, I'm not trusting Him for a new car, I'm just worried about food for my table. Don't worry about it. That's easy for you to say. It is. But it's true for you. How do I know? God says so. Stop being worried, you of little faith. Don't worry about having food, don't worry about having drink, don't worry about having clothes. You of little faith. That is a rebuke coming from our Lord and Master.
It's an expression that is used several other times. Look over in Matthew 8. Seeing the kind of context helps us to appreciate this. Verse 23, Christ got into the boat and His disciples followed Him, they are crossing the Sea of Galilee here which is subject to sudden and great storms. And we are told here in verse 24 that a great storm arose so the boat was being covered with the waves. So here you have the disciples and Christ, out of the Sea of Galilee a sudden storm comes up and the waves are so great they are crashing over the boat. And Jesus is asleep. And the disciples came to Him, verse 25, woke Him up saying, save us Lord. We are perishing. You know that seems to me to manifest faith. If John were sleeping, it wouldn't do any good to wake John up and say, save us, we're perishing. They believe they can wake Christ up and when He knows what's going on He has the ability to save them. I mean, you might think they are saying no sense in waking the Lord up, what's He going to do? You just have to ride out these storms. You understand a number of these men were seasoned fishermen who had been raised fishing on the Sea of Galilee and ridden out many storms. What good to wake Him up? Let Him sleep through the storm. I wish I were asleep. Instead, save us, we are perishing. They had faith.

He said to them, why are you afraid, you men of little faith? They shouldn't have been afraid. They are in the boat with the Son of God, the Messiah of Israel. Do you think it is going under? I mean, we often can look like we have great faith but really it's a veneer over our lack of faith, the fear that fills our hearts and minds. That's where these are, they had a certain faith but the fear shows there is no depth to it. You'd think they would say, there is nothing we can do about the storm and the Lord's asleep. I guess we ought to get some sleep.

Look over in Matthew 14. We're on the Sea of Galilee again. I was on the Sea of Galilee, some of you have been. And I was on a boat when the sea was calm, I made sure we didn't lose sight of land. I'm a man of little faith. So here we are and Christ sends the disciples out this time out on the Sea to cross over to the other side without Him. Problem is they get down to the Sea again and now we have more trouble on the water. And you have the Sea stirred up, being battered by the waves is the way it's put in verse 24. And here in the middle of the night the disciples fighting the storm, they look out there and here goes Jesus walking by on the water. They thought they had seen a ghost. Verse 26, they were terrified, they said, it's a ghost. They cried out in fear. Jesus said, take courage, it is I. Do not be afraid. Peter said to Him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. He said, come. If it had been me I would have said, that's good enough, Lord, that you told me. You know the amazing thing about Peter? He got out of the boat. Now keep in mind this isn't a calm sea where you hold onto the side, and he's a fisherman, of course he can swim. But if I go down. He gets out in the storm and starts to take a walk. Can you imagine the other men in the boat watching this? Here is Peter out taking a walk on the water in this stormy sea.

Verse 30, but seeing the wind he became frightened and beginning to sink he cried out, Lord, save me. That's another step of faith. Not only did he believe that the Lord could enable him to walk on water and got out of the boat when the Lord told him to, but when he began to sink who did he cry out to for help? John? Matthew? James? Lord, save me. He believed the Lord could keep him from sinking and drowning. Verse 31, immediately Jesus reached out His hand, took hold of him and said to him, Peter, you are a man of great faith. No, He said you of little faith, why did you doubt? You know we like to pride ourselves in how much we've trusted the Lord. But you know anything less than complete trust is not acceptable. Well I've trusted the Lord but I'm only human. I mean let's face it, Peter is only human. He did get out of the boat, he walked on water. When he started to sink he did call on the Lord. And then what does the Lord have to say to him? You of little faith, why were you afraid?

You know it's not acceptable that I stop with my faith. I have to go as far as the Lord takes me and that's what He expects. Now that's a blessing, that's a privilege. I'm not in a position where I have to know how far can I go in my trust in the Lord. I go all the way. I like the way Job puts it, though He slay me, yet will I trust Him. That's it. How far are you going with the Lord? All the way. What if He does this? All the way. Right? So where does that leave room for my fears, my anxieties, my worries? I don't have to be worried. Do not worry, don't be a man of little faith. That squeezes the worry out of your life, leaves no room for it. What a privilege we have to live this way, isn't it? We say we have to be practical. I am practical, there is nothing more practical than putting all your confidence and trust in the living God. He cannot fail. So I need not worry.

Turn over to Matthew 16:5. Here we are at this Sea again, but we're not going to be on it for this lesson. The disciples came to the other side of the Sea but they had forgotten to bring bread. Jesus said to them, watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees because you see the chapter started out with the Pharisees and Saducees coming up and testing Him and saying, we want a sign. What we really need is just proof, do a miracle, that will convince them. Jesus had told them in verse 4, it's an evil and adulterous generation that seeks after a sign. You have the Word of God, that's who you need to believe. And if you don't believe the Word of God, you won't believe though One is raised from the dead. And that would be true as you know. So He says, watch out, verse 6, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees. What are the disciples thinking about when they got to the other side of the Sea? We forgot to bring bread, there is no place to get it offhand. What are we going to do? I'm already getting hungry. You know how it is when you know nothing is available, all of a sudden you feel hungrier. Here they are over there, what's on their minds? What are we going to eat? Jesus said to them, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees and they're thinking, must be because we forgot to bring bread to eat.

What did Jesus say to them? You men of little faith. Why do you discuss among yourselves that you have no bread? Don't you understand and remember that I fed the 5,000? Don't you understand and remember that I fed the 4,000? Why is physical bread on your mind? What should they be occupied with? The spiritual issues and spiritual matters. They are in the presence of the One who fed the 5,000, who fed the 4,000. He's imparting spiritual truth to them and they are thinking, what's for lunch, what are we going to have to eat. He says, you men of little faith. I mean, it's in the Lord's hands, right? He'll take care of it.

What should their focus be? Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. That doesn't mean we don't do what we need to do to provide, but that's not the absorption of my life. My life is more than food or clothing. I need food and clothing but my life is more than that, my life is lived now as a servant of the living God and I do what I can to provide for myself. But that's in the Lord's hands. My #1 priority is to be pleasing to Him, to demonstrate His righteousness in all that I do. That's the point Jesus is making.

One more passage—Matthew 17:20. And here they tried to drive out a demon from a demon possessed man and they couldn't do it. Verse 20, He tells them why they couldn't do it—because of the littleness of your faith. For truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed you will say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move. And nothing will be impossible for you. Does that mean I should demonstrate my great faith by being able to move mountains or do miracles? No. What does it mean? Well if you have faith, your faith is in the living God, right? Can God move a mountain if He wants? Of course. So as I trust God, everything that He intends me to do I will be able to do because it is done in His power. The problem is these men were not willing to trust Him fully. Sometimes we test Him. I' m going to trust God and see if ............... Then I'm not trusting Him, right? I'm really seeing if. Well I'm willing to trust the Lord and see how it comes out. Well then I'm not willing to trust the Lord. I'm really saying I'm going to see how it comes out. If I'm trusting the Lord, then however it comes out is in His hands, right? We have to be careful. I find ways to give the appearance of being a man of faith, but really I'm demonstrating little faith. I'm trusting the Lord. Then I guess you're waiting to see how it comes out. Well I'll be interested to see how it comes out, but you understand I'm trusting the Lord. However it comes out is in His hands. That's the key, that's the point.

Come back to Matthew 6:31, do not worry then saying, what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing? For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things. Now remember Jesus is addressing a Jewish audience, it's the Jews who are anticipating the Messiah and His setting up the kingdom. The Gentiles here are the outsiders. The living God is the God of Israel. The Gentiles who came to trust that God became converts to Judaism. So the Gentiles here represent the unbeliever because the Gentiles are outside the bounds of Israel and its covenantal promises. The Gentiles seek these things, the Gentiles are occupied with the material things of this life and the acquiring of the things and the concern about having enough and so on. The Gentiles seek all these things. Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Remember back in the Lord's Prayer, the example for us to pray. Before He led into that He said in Matthew 6:8, your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. Do you think the Lord doesn't know I need to eat? He created me. Do you think He doesn't know I need clothes? He clothed Adam and Eve in the Garden. What am I worried about? Maybe He won't come through this time. So it's a lack of faith, isn't it? Well no, but ........... Yes, circumstances could overtake my God, could frustrate His plan, could prevent Him from doing what He would do for me if He could. No. Well then, tell me about the worry, the anxiety, the fear. The Lord doesn't know I need these things?

Now we're not talking about all the luxuries. Lord, I bought a house that I can't afford and a car I can't afford, and taken trips I couldn't afford. And now Lord I'm in trouble and you said you'd provide for me. And I also told you, don't be an idiot. You should listen to Me, you should have read the book of Proverbs, read the warnings I gave you. Now I still may come to the point, Lord, I'm here, I've been a fool, I've functioned unwisely. Like your children, you tell them, don't run. Walk. And they take off running, fall, scrape themselves all up. Then they want you to make the pain go away, make it better. Well I can make it get better but it's going to be uncomfortable for awhile. The Lord doesn't abandon me, He may rebuke me, He may chasten me. But I want to remember the Lord is in control and He takes care of me. So seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Turn over to Romans 14. This is a verse often misunderstood regarding the kingdom here that relates directly to this. He's talking about the proper attitude towards food and so on and in context of what you eat, what you drink, and some people were offended, coming from a Jewish background, that you would eat pork. And Paul's point is it's not what you eat or what you don't drink, but you ought to be concerned for the wellbeing of a fellow believer, and not to make things difficult. So he comes down to verse 17 and says, for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And that's true. There will be eating and drinking in the kingdom. Jesus said He wouldn't drink of the cup again until He drank with them in the kingdom of His Father. But that's not what the kingdom is about. So these Romans shouldn't be making food a big issue. Seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So what are you splitting the church over, whether you eat this or don't eat this, whether you drink this or don't drink this. Because our sights are beyond the transitory, physical things that we're going through now. I'm seeking first His kingdom and His righteousness. The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. And all these other things will come. They are provided for us in this life and they will be there in the kingdom. But that's not what the kingdom is.

So when He says, seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, that's the focal point of our lives, the things beyond the material things of the now. And God provides those as a by-product. And sometimes He provides them in abundance. Some believers He has provided great wealth. We've noted, they have to be godly with their wealth.

So He's ready to wrap this up, one more guideline. We're not anxious, we don't worry because God makes adequate provision, God knows what we need, and each day has enough trouble of its own. You'll note when He's talking about anxiety and worry, He's not talking about a life free of trouble. Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. He didn't say our lives would be without trouble and that's why we don't have to worry. God gives us the grace for today and as I draw upon the grace I trust Him to deal with what is before me today. That doesn't mean I haven't made any plans for tomorrow, but they are conditional plans. I'm not worried about what tomorrow brings. There may be material needs, there may be physical problems. I don't know what tomorrow brings and I can't control tomorrow. I can't change yesterday and I have no control over tomorrow. So here you trust the Lord today, here is the plan—trust the Lord today. Simple. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow, I don't know what I'm going to do at the end of the week when I have to ......... I don't know what you're going to do either. Do you know what you do to get ready for it? Trust Him completely today.

You know we talk about dying grace. Some of you have been with believers who have passed away and sometimes they go through difficulty in their dying like unbelievers do—pain, trial. And we say, I don't know if I could do that. As a pastor I say, I don't know how I would handle that. But you know, I'm not in a position to have to handle it. The Lord doesn't give me the grace that He is giving them for that time. And He doesn't give me tomorrow's grace today. And when I try to deal with tomorrow's problems today in an unbiblical way, it creates worry, it creates fear, it creates anxiety. I trust the Lord today. Lord, your grace is sufficient for me today and I'm drawing upon that grace to get me through today to meet the needs of today. I try to do the best I can in using the wisdom and the knowledge you've given me and to plan for tomorrow for the weeks and months ahead to the best of my ability as your Word has instructed me to do. But Lord, that's all contingent. And unforeseen things come and I've lost my health, have lost the job I had. That's all right because I accept that as your will for me now.

Think about it. Almost all your worries are tomorrow worries, aren't they? I mean, you're sitting here, you are breathing, you have clothes, you probably had something for breakfast. What are we worried about? I have this on mind, it has even been hard to concentrate on the Word because I have some things coming up this week that are overwhelming. It doesn't mean that we shouldn't give them thought, the best preparation we can, but I can trust the Lord with it.

Think about it now. Some of you have white hair like I have. We have a lot of yesterdays. You know all the worries I worried about over my yesterdays, doesn't matter. It was wasted time because here I am. My kids are grown up, they have their own kids. Why did I worry? Why was I anxious? Why did I fear? Here I am. Why am I worried about tomorrow? The Lord has that under control. Each day has enough trouble of its own. That doesn't mean you worry about today's trouble, you just deal with what is before you today. What can I do? People come and tell me, what do I do? You take the next step, you do what you can do today, what you should do today. That's the best preparation I have for tomorrow. I trusted the Lord fully and completely today, that's the best preparation I have for tomorrow. But what if ............. That's the best preparation I have for tomorrow. It's the only true preparation I have for tomorrow, right? Trust Him completely today.

Isn't it a blessing to know as a believer we can lead worry-free, anxiety-free lives? This is not for the world, the unbeliever. They have good cause to worry, they have good cause to be on every pill they can get, they have good cause to take another shot from the bottle. Because if they're not turning to the Lord, they have nothing. I mean, give strong drink to him who is perishing. But my recommendation is solve the problem, there is a cure. Trust in the Lord.
Paul wrote to the Philippians and said, be anxious for anything. No, be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God which surpasses all comprehension will stand guard at your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. It's not God's intention that we be worried, that we be anxious, that we be afraid. It's His intention that we rest secure and confident, trusting Him completely as you God. What a blessing.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your grace. Thank you for your provision for us, a salvation that not only has cleansed us from our sins, set us free from bondage to sin and satan, made us new in Christ, made us partakers of the divine nature and privileged us to live for you, our God, to be privileged to trust you completely day by day and know that you are working all things for our good and your glory, knowing that you will provide everything necessary to sustain us, that in Christ you have provided for us everything necessary for life and godliness. Lord, how easy it is for us to take our attention off you and see the turmoil around us. Because the fear, because the world is in fear, to be anxious because the world around us is anxious, to be worried because the world around us is anxious and forget we are citizens of heaven, our sights are beyond the transitory things of this life. We are looking forward to what you have provided for us and the glories of your presence, the realms of heaven and the eternal kingdom. Lord, I pray for those here who are your children, who have things pressing in on them to cause them to worry and fear. I pray, Lord, that they would have the joy of knowing peace by rolling their cares over on you, knowing that you care for them. May those here who do not know the Savior, may this be a day of salvation as they turn from their sin and place their faith in Christ and know the joy and blessing of being anxiety-free. We praise you in Christ's name, amen.