Matthew 6.25-34

Again, so sorry about yesterday. Hopefully it didn't throw you guys off too much. Two days ago, we talked about where to store our treasures, on earth or in heaven. Then Jesus transitions into a section on worrying.

Where did this come from?

I think the connection between the two is found in Matthew 6.24, which says this: "No one can serve two masters. 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 both God and money."

The key question all throughout chapter six, and most of the Sermon on the Mount for that matter, is what is the condition of your heart? Chapter 5 is dealing with the internal desires that lead to sinful behavior, Jesus is saying that the desire is just as bad as the behavior. Chapter 6, Jesus focuses on who has your heart? Are you doing these acts of righteousness because you want to be seen by the people around you? That means that they have your heart, that's all you care about is pleasing them. But your heart must be completely devoted to God.

That is true righteousness!!!!

And here in 6.19-24, Kyle pointed out that our will, our focus, our eyes, our allegiance needs to be toward one master, one king, one kingdom, one kind of stuff, God stuff. And this is where this passage on worrying comes into play. This might be Jesus' response to the excuses for the previous section. Can't you hear the excuses now?

"But I need money to eat, to feed my family."

"I can't just give money away to people, or tithe 10% of my income every week, what about the stuff I deserve or want?"

"We can't trust social security or the government, so we have to save as much as we can in a retirement fund so that we are protected when we retire."

"We can't just live our lives foolishly, we need to be good stewards and take care of ourselves."

These are the excuses we make for hoarding our money and relying on our own ability to prepare for the future. We trust in ourselves, in our money, in our jobs, in our Roth IRA's, not in God. Look at what Jesus says in this passage:

 ²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life^[a]?
   ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."


Where is your heart, your trust?


Are you relying on yourself, on money, on your own wit to make excuses to live the life you want to live? 


Jesus is calling his disciples and thus calling you to give over EVERYTHING for the kingdom. He demands your entire allegiance and trust. He wants you to completely submit your entire heart, everything to him, and when we do this, he promises that we don't have to worry about those other things, he will take care of us. 


This does not mean that he will make us rich or healthy if we give money to the church. But like a Father, he takes care of his children. 


So where is your heart? 


Do you totally trust God with everything?


Are you using your money for the kingdom? Are you sacrificing time and comfort for God's work?


Jesus is calling you to give up everything and follow up, don't worry, he'll take care of you.