Facing the Giant of Worry
Matthew 6:25–34
————————————
In this lesson we are introduced to the folly of worry and how to avoid it.
OVERVIEW
At the very moment you are reading the words on this page, you are probably (if you’re like most people) worried about something! You might disagree, saying you are “concerned.” But that’s another of the code words we Christians use when we don’t want to admit that we’re doing what we shouldn’t. Let’s face it—everyone finds themselves facing the huge giant of worry at times. And that’s where we’ve arrived in our study of the giants we face in our spiritual experience.
Corrie Ten Boom used to say, “Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.” That’s a beautiful, non-technical definition of worry—being anxious about something that doesn’t exist in fact but that we believe does or might exist. The New Testament word for worry is translated by the phrase “to take thought” or “to be careful.” It comes from a Greek word which means to have a divided mind. So to be a worrier is to have your mind divided between legitimate thoughts and thoughts that are not legitimate, thoughts which you shouldn’t be thinking.
Worry is future-focused. The person who worries has two problems: The future is not here and the future is not his. Worrying cannot change the future nor can it control the future. Jesus said it was wrong to worry. In His words in Matthew 6:25–34 (our text for this lesson), three times He said, “Don’t worry.” Those words give us our marching orders for defeating the giant of worry.
Before we study Jesus’ words, let me tell you what “Don’t worry” doesn’t mean. First, it doesn’t mean, “Don’t plan.” The King James Version of Matthew 6:34 says, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow.” That almost sounds like, “Don’t think about tomorrow,” which is not what it means. Jesus, Himself certainly planned, and the Scriptures support the idea of being responsible in our approach to the future. Not worrying is not the same as not planning.
Second, Jesus is not saying, “Don’t ever be concerned.” We are not to float through life on a breeze of indifference, ignoring the realities around us. There are plenty of things in life to be morally, spiritually, and practically concerned about as a Christian. But not worrying is not the same thing as not being concerned.
So, when Jesus says, “Don’t worry,” He doesn’t mean “Don’t plan” and He doesn’t mean “Don’t be concerned.” He means don’t get so exercised about that over which you have no control that you paralyze yourself and those who depend on you. Worry and anxiety change nothing except the worrier—and it’s always in negative ways.
Facing the Giant of Worry (6:25–32)
We will divide Jesus’ words about worry into two sections. In verses 25–32 we will discover why worry is a fruitless endeavor.
Worry Is Inconsistent (6:25)
It doesn’t make sense to conclude that God has already done the biggest job (creating our body, our life) but then would fail to do the smaller job (providing what we need to live the life He has given us). It is an argument from the greater to the lesser. God obviously knew what it would take for bodies like ours to exist—food, clothing, and shelter. It is completely inconsistent with the wise and loving character of God to think that He did the one thing without also doing the other. When we worry about our future provision of food, clothing, and shelter, we actually malign the character of our God. Our bodies, our very lives, are clear evidence that God is a creator and provider. For Him not to feed, clothe, and shelter that which He has created doesn’t make sense.
Worry Is Irrational (6:26)
Verse 26 shows how irrational worry is. Verse 25 dealt with the question of whether God is able to provide. The answer is “Yes” since He has already done the harder job of creating life. Now Jesus takes up the question: “Will He provide?” Whereas He argued from the greater to the lesser in verse 25, here He speaks from the lesser to the greater: “If God provides for something as simple as the birds of the air, won’t He also provide for you?” It’s irrational to think that He wouldn’t.
In Matthew 10:29–31 Jesus says that two sparrows can be bought for a copper coin, and Luke 12:6 says that five sparrows can be bought for two coins. So it appears that the market for sparrows was like this: Buy two for a penny, but if you buy four they throw in a fifth sparrow for free. Jesus is saying that not even the most inexpensive and smallest parts of God’s creation change their status without it being part of His will (not even the hairs on our head! Matthew 10:30). Therefore, if tiny things like sparrows and hair are under His watchful eye and concern, how much more are we who are the pinnacle of His creation. Will He care for us? The answer is: “Of course He will!”
Worry Is Ineffective (6:27)
Not only is worry inconsistent and irrational, it is also ineffective. Verse 27 asks, “How can worrying add anything to your life? Answer: It can’t. Worry is totally ineffective when it comes to improving or changing your prospects for the future.
Jesus uses the cubit as an illustration to make His point. A cubit was the standard unit of measure in Biblical days, equal to about 18 inches in length. Jesus asks, in essence, “How many of you can sit there in a chair and worry all day about your height and add 18 inches to it?” The answer is, again, no one. You could worry all day and not change one thing about yourself—except make your hair a bit more gray!
It’s likely that Jesus meant something deeper than just the issue of height. It’s possible that He was referring to the length of one’s life: Who, by worrying, can add any length to his life? And, of course, the answer is no one. In fact, the opposite is probably true. Cemeteries are no doubt filled with people whose lives were shortened by worry. Doctors are discovering more and more negative effects of worry, stress, anger, and anxiety on the human body. Instead of lengthening your life, worry might shorten it. Worry doesn’t change tomorrow, but it sure changes today. Worry robs you of the strength and ability to enjoy the gift of life today that God wants you to enjoy.
Worry Is Illogical (6:28–30)
The fourth fallacy of worry is that it is illogical. Jesus next turns to nature, the beautiful lilies of the field which God has clothed in glorious splendor—and does so year after year. We know far more about the beauty of nature today than was apparent in Biblical days. We have discovered unbelievable beauty in the flora and fauna of this earth which are even more astounding than lilies. Therefore, the point Jesus makes here should be even more obvious to us today than it was to His disciples.
Solomon was the richest, and therefore the most beautifully dressed sovereign in the world. Yet even Solomon’s golden glory could not compare with the delicate beauty of the flowers of the field who are clothed effortlessly by God every spring. Is it logical to think that God, who clothes the flowers in splendor, will not also clothe those whom He has created? No, it is completely illogical.
Jesus’ argument is based on nature, that which God Himself took the initiative to create and “clothe.” If mankind is the pinnacle of creation (Psalm 8), we should expect that God would assume the responsibility for providing for our clothing as well.
Worry Is Irreligious (6:31–32)
The final fault to be found with worry is that it betrays our spiritual heritage. In verses 31 and 32, Jesus compares those within Israel who worry about the future to the Gentiles. This is not to be a put down of non-Jewish people. Rather it is a statement about religious heritage. Gentiles were the pagans or heathens of the world who were either idolaters or atheists. They either worshipped wood and stone idols or no god at all. In that case, they had every right to be worried about the future.
But for those who claim to have a personal relationship with the Creator God of heaven and earth, worrying is a complete contradiction of what we say we believe. To worry is to act like there is no God who has promised to take care of us. That doesn’t mean that Christians don’t have momentary worries. Ask any parent who has raised teenagers, and you’ll discover that worries are a consistent part of life. But the key is to take a momentary worry and use it as a springboard to a mature, spiritual response. Meeting worry is okay; moving in with worry is not. When we make worry our constant companion we betray our spiritual heritage.
But Jesus doesn’t rebuke us. Notice how tenderly He concludes this section: “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” Jesus knows that worry is a liability of living in this fallen world. But He wants us to learn that worry is a leaky boat, incapable of transporting us safely to the shore of the future. There is a safer way to get there—defeat the giant of worry by seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness above all.
Fighting the Giant of Worry (6:33–34)
To defeat the giant of worry, two things are needed: priorities for today and a plan for yesterday and tomorrow.
To Win Over Worry We Need a System of Priorities (6:33)
Much of the worry that destroys people is the worry of a divided heart. A divided heart cannot decide what it believes and therefore how it is going to live. It gets caught up in every wind of change that blows through society. A person without priorities will constantly find his heart captured by (and worrying about) everything that “might” be.
Jesus said to focus in on only one thing in life: the kingdom of God and the values which it stands for. When we do that, everything else in life will fall into place according to the will of God and according to His provision. The King takes care of those who dwell in His kingdom.
Many Christians who worry do so because they know they have violated the priority of seeking God first. Not only do they worry about the future, they worry about worrying about the future! Worry becomes a cycle they cannot break. The only way to stop it is to jump off the merry-go-round of worry and ask, “What is the most important, thing to me?” If you conclude that God is most important you are ready to make a clean break with worry. Making God your priority will prepare you for developing a strategy for dealing with the yesterdays and tomorrows you used to worry about.
To Win Over Worry We Need a Strategic Program (6:34)
The final verse in this section holds what may be the key truth in understanding how to defeat the giant of worry: focus on today. No one ever sank under the burdens of today; but add yesterday and tomorrow to today, and it can capsize your life. Jesus said, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
Dr. Osler, a famous physician of years past, made a helpful observation. He noted how ocean going vessels were able to seal off various sections of the boat so that a leak could be contained in only one part of the ship. Though damaged, a ship could still make it to safety. Just so, he suggested, we need to develop the capacity for sealing off the yesterdays and tomorrows that fuel the fires of worry. We need to learn to live in the compartment of today alone.
1. Do Not Dwell on Your Tomorrows
What Jesus teaches in verse 34 probably has its roots in Deuteronomy 33:25b: “As your days, so shall your strength be.” That is, you will have strength from God as the events of your days require. As a pastor, I have counseled with many families through the years who have gone through devastating financial losses. When they express concerns about their future, I can only remind them of these truths. God promises to take care of today, and we are to trust Him for that.
We need to seal off the door that keeps us from worrying about tomorrow so that tomorrow doesn’t sap today of its strength and vitality. But we also need to seal off our yesterdays—those days which are already in the history books and cannot be changed.
2. Do Not Dwell on Your Yesterdays
There are three things I have discovered people worrying about when it comes to yesterday: sins, successes, and sorrows—all unchangeable.
(a) We worry about yesterday’s sins
People who come to Christ out of a background stained by sin and wantonness often have a difficult time putting the memories of those things out of their minds. It is my privilege to remind such people, and all who have sinned, that God has put our sins as far from us as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12). Or, if people agree that God has forgiven them, they say they cannot forgive themselves. In both cases, we need to allow God to seal us off from the sins of our past. The guilt and shame of them cannot leak into the compartment of today.
(b) We worry about yesterday’s successes
Sometimes those who have no problem sealing off their sin don’t do as well sealing off their successes. Many who come into the Christian life having reached the pinnacle of success in their vocational career have a hard time switching priorities and focus. The apostle Paul was a young Jewish scholar on the fast track to success in Pharisaism when he met Christ. He closed the door on his past successes—”forgetting those things which are behind” (Philippians 3:13)—in order to focus on Christ and His kingdom. We must learn to do the same.
(c) We worry about yesterday’s sorrows
This may be the hardest. We put aside sin and success, but the sorrow that lingers after life’s tragedies and heartaches is often difficult to seal off. It’s like sealing off a part of our own heart and soul, the place where sorrow lives. We must learn to live in the presence of Almighty God who knew a greater sorrow than any we have ever felt. He who lost His only Son as a sacrifice to undeserved sin knows your every pain and longing. Don’t deny your sorrow, but don’t let it control today.
God is the great “I AM” (Exodus 3:14), not “I WAS” or “I WILL BE.” The Christian who lives with Him today, in the present tense, is the one who will be free from worries about yesterday, today, or tomorrow.
APPLICATION
1. Read Romans 8:32, 38–39.
a. In verse 32, is Paul arguing from the greater to the lesser or the lesser to the greater? Explain your answer:
b. The greater thing God has done:
c. The lesser things God has promised to do:
d. How does Paul’s reasoning here concerning the gift of Jesus Christ compare to Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:25–34?
e. Have you received God’s gift of forgiveness of sin?
f. What else can you expect God to faithfully provide for you?
g. What does Paul mention in verse 38 that ties in with not worrying about past or future things?
h. What can anything in your past, present, or future NOT do? (verse 39)
i. How confident would you be (free from worry) if you were walking through life with Jesus Christ as the early disciples did?
j. If you cannot be separated from Him (verse 39) what should that do for your ability to live free from worry?
2. List everything in your life that you worry continually about:
a. How would your life be different if you had no worries? (Not if you had no problems, but if you had no worries about the problems?)
b. How does God respond to your worries? (How does a parent feel if a child doesn’t believe or trust him or her?)
c. What could you do today to seal off the past and the future and live with “strength for today?”
3. Read Psalm 8:3–9.
a. Where does man rank in the order of creation?
b. With what has God crowned man? (verse 5)
c. What other examples of nature are mentioned that God actively provides for? (verses 7–8)
d. How would you expect God to care for the very highest part of His creation?
4. From the following verses, describe everything God has done with your past sins:
a. Psalm 103:12
b. Isaiah 1:18; 38:17
c. Jeremiah 31:34; 50:20
d. Micah 7:18–19
e. In light of these verses, what should you do when you recall a past sin instead of worrying about it?
5. Read 1 Peter 5:6–7.
a. Who is in charge of all time? (verse 6)
b. While you wait to see how God reveals His will over time, what should you do? (verse 7)
DID YOU KNOW?
Everyone thinks about the future—such as what you’ll do when you finish reading this lesson. The issue is not the future; it’s how we approach the future. There are only two ways: with faith or with fear. If we approach the future with faith, we walk under God’s umbrella, under the protection of His provision and plan. If we approach the future with fear, we step out from under that umbrella. We invite the enemy to begin taunting and tempting us, warning us about the disasters just around the bend. The only way to avoid future shock in life is to walk by faith. The difference between worrying in fear and walking by faith is the difference between living and just being alive.
No comments:
Post a Comment