Living Above Anxiety
Matthew 6:25-34
Farmer Joe was famous throughout the county for worrying.
One spring morning he worried that it might not rain. By lunchtime he worried it might rain too much.
The next day he worried because his corn wasn't growing fast enough. The day after that he worried because it seemed to be growing too fast.
His neighbor Sam finally asked, "Joe, does all that worrying help?"
"Of course!" Joe replied.
"Really? How?"
Joe thought for a moment.
"Well, the things I worry about almost never happen!"
A few weeks later, Joe stood beside his cornfield measuring a stalk with a tape measure.
"What are you doing now?" Sam asked.
Joe sighed. "Jesus said worrying can't add a cubit to your stature. I'm checking to see if it at least adds an inch to my corn."
Just then a bird landed on a fence post nearby.
Sam laughed and pointed. "Joe, look at that bird. It isn't worried about rain, drought, fertilizer, or crop prices." The bird pecked at the ground and began singing.
Joe watched it for a minute and scratched his head. "You know," he said, "that bird looks a whole lot happier than I do."
"Exactly," Sam replied. "And God takes care of that bird. So, don't you think He can take care of a farmer too?"
Joe smiled. "I guess I've spent so much time worrying about tomorrow that I forgot Who is taking care of today."
From that day on, whenever Joe started worrying, he'd look at the birds. Sometimes he still forgot and worried anyway, but then he'd laugh and say, "There I go again, trying to grow taller by worrying!"
Lesson: Worry expends energy but produces nothing. Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but it doesn't get you anywhere.
QUESTION: WE ALL HAVE THINGS IN OUR DAILY LIFE THAT DEMAND OUR ATTENTION!
WHAT IS THE NUMBER ONE THING IN YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE ANXIOUS ABOUT THIS MORNING?
Few problems are as universal as worry.
Rich and poor, young and old, believers and unbelievers alike struggle with anxiety.
Worry has become so common that many people view it as normal.
We worry about finances, health, family, the future, and the uncertainties of life.
Yet Jesus addresses worry in our text today which is found in Matthew 6:25-34.
In this passage, He commands His followers three times:
• Do not worry (v. 25)
• Do not worry (v. 31)
• Do not worry (v. 34)
Jesus is not minimizing the realities of life. He knows people need food, clothing, shelter, and security.
Rather, He is teaching that anxiety is contrary to having confidence in a loving heavenly Father.
This section follows Matthew 6:19-24, where Jesus warned against laying up treasures on earth and serving money. The connection is important.
What we treasure determines what we fear losing. If our security is in earthly things, anxiety will follow. If our trust is in God, peace will follow.
Anxiety (v. 25)
"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life..."
The word "therefore" connects this passage to verse 24.
Jesus is saying:
"Since God is your Master and not money, stop living as though your future depends entirely upon material possessions."
What Does Jesus Mean?
Jesus does not forbid:
• Planning
• Working
• Saving
• Responsibility
The Bible commends wise preparation. Instead, Jesus forbids anxious worry, the kind of worry that consumes the heart and robs a person of peace.
Jesus asks:
"Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?"
His argument is simple.
If God gave the greater gift, life itself, can He not provide the lesser gifts necessary to sustain it?
Consider:
• We did not create ourselves.
• We did not choose our birth.
• We did not design our bodies.
God gave life.
The God who created life can also sustain life.
Birds (v. 26)
"Behold the fowls of the air..."
Jesus becomes the perfect teacher by using an illustration everyone could observe.
Birds do not:
• Sow
• Reap
• Store grain in barns
Birds do not sit on a branch worrying about tomorrow. Yet God feeds them.
Many believers act as though God faithfully cares for nature but may somehow forget about them personally.
Yet Scripture repeatedly declares:
"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." (1st Peter 5:7)
God has never misplaced one of His children.
Worry Is Useless (v. 27)
"Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?"
Worry feels productive because it occupies our thoughts. But worry produces no solutions.
Worry:
• Cannot change the past.
• Cannot control the future.
• Cannot improve today's circumstances.
Someone has wisely said,
"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."
Jesus reminds us that anxiety has limitations.
It cannot add a single hour to life.
It cannot solve the challenges that only God can handle.
Often, worry stems from the desire to control the uncontrollable.
We worry because:
• We cannot control tomorrow.
• We cannot guarantee outcomes.
• We cannot predict every circumstance.
We should ask ourselves:
"What problem has my worrying actually solved?"
Note that:
• Prayer can change things.
• Faith can change attitudes.
• Obedience can change lives.
• Worry doesn’t change anything!
The World Worries, but God's Children Trust (vv. 31-32)
Jesus says: "For after all these things the Gentiles seek."
The unbelieving world worries because it does not know the Father.
But believers have a different perspective.
Jesus reminds us:
"Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things."
What comfort is found in those words!
The Father:
• Knows your needs.
• Knows your burdens.
• Knows your struggles.
• Knows your future.
Nothing catches Him by surprise.
Before you pray, He knows.
Before you cry, He knows.
Before the need arises, He knows.
Our confidence rests not in our ability to figure everything out BUT in His perfect knowledge and love.
Seek First the Kingdom (v. 33)
This is the centerpiece of the passage:
"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you."
This means:
• Pursuing God's will before personal comfort.
• Pursuing holiness before prosperity.
• Pursuing Christ before possessions.
The Christian life is a matter of priorities. When God occupies first place in our lives, everything else falls into its proper place. Seeking the kingdom means asking daily:
• How can I honor God today?
• How can I serve others today?
• How can I grow closer to Christ today?
Jesus promises that our heavenly Father will provide what we truly need.
"Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink?"
Without faith in God:
• Wealth becomes security.
• Success becomes identity.
• Possessions become hope.
The confidence of believers is not that they know the future.
The confidence of believers is that the Father knows the future.
Notice Jesus says God knows your "needs," not merely just your existence.
He knows:
• The bills you face.
• The doctor's report.
• The family struggles.
• The lonely nights.
• The uncertain future.
Nothing surprises God.
Live One Day at a Time (v. 34)
Jesus concludes:
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things."
Most of the things we worry about never happen. Today's grace is sufficient for today's burdens.
God does not give tomorrow's grace today because we do not yet need it. When tomorrow arrives, His grace will be there. The Christian life is lived one day at a time.
The Israelites gathered manna one day at a time. God led Israel through the wilderness one day at a time.
Jesus teaches His disciples to pray for "daily bread."
God seldom reveals the entire journey, but He always provides the next step.
Peace comes when we:
• Trust God with tomorrow.
• Obey God today.
• Walk with God now.
Faith lives in the present while trusting God with the future.
Conclusion
Jesus offers us a choice.
We can live under the tyranny of worry, or we can rest in the care of our heavenly Father.
The birds remind us of His provision.
The lilies remind us of His care.
The cross reminds us of His love.
If God did not spare His own Son for us, surely He will not abandon us in our daily needs.
Paul echoed this truth: 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.”
So when worry knocks at the door of your heart:
• Remember that God is your Master.
• Remember that life is more than possessions.
• Remember that worry accomplishes nothing.
• Remember that your Father knows your needs.
• Remember to seek first His kingdom.
• Remember that today's grace is sufficient for today.
For the child of God, the future is not in the hands of chance.
It is in the hands of a loving Father.
"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you." Amen.
The central question is not, "How big is my problem?"
The central question is, "How great is my Father?"
When anxiety rises, remember:
1. Martha Worried About Many Things
Luke 10:41-42
Martha was so concerned with serving and preparing that she became distracted from spending time with Jesus. Jesus gently reminded her of what was most important.
2. The Israelites Worried About Food and Water
Exodus 16:2-3; Numbers 11:4-6 After leaving Egypt, the Israelites frequently worried about their physical needs and complained, even though God had already delivered them and provided for them.
3. Moses Worried About His Ability
Exodus 4:10-13 When God called Moses to lead Israel, Moses worried that he was not eloquent enough and asked God to send someone else.
4. Elijah Worried for His Life
1 Kings 19:1-4 After his great victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah became fearful when Jezebel threatened him. He fled into the wilderness and became discouraged.
5. David Worried During Times of Trouble
David often expressed anxiety and fear in the Psalms: Psalm 55:4-5
“My heart is severely pained within me, and the terrors of death have fallen upon me.”
Yet David repeatedly turned his worries into prayer and trust.
6. The Disciples Worried During the Storm
Mark 4:37-40 When a violent storm arose on the Sea of Galilee, the disciples feared they would perish, even though Jesus was with them in the boat.
7. Peter Worried When He Saw the Wind
Matthew 14:29-31 Peter walked on water toward Jesus but began to sink when he focused on the wind and waves rather than on Christ.
NOTE: A common pattern emerges in Scripture:
God's people often worried, but peace came when they brought their concerns to God
in faith and remembered His promises.
The God who has cared for His people throughout history has not changed.
Therefore, let us place our tomorrows in His hands
and our hearts at His feet. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."
Invitation
