Everyday Ethics For The Exilic Minority: Revisiting Christian Identity Within A Confused World
Don’t Worry, Be Hopeful
Matthew 6:25-34
Do you live in a perpetual state of worry and concern? What are the things that cause you to be restless and unsettled? How are the righteous to live in the midst of a fear-thirsty culture?
The Principle: Do not be worried about your life (v.25).
The Definition: Worry = “to have anxiety based upon perceived or real impending misfortunes”. (France)
The Context: v.25 begins with “For this reason I say to you.” The disciples’ anxiety is tied to their view of their stuff, and Jesus has told them they cannot serve both God and money (6:24; Heb 13:5-6; Luke 10:41-42).
They were asking the question, “If I focus on God as my master and place my security in the things of heaven, who will take care of my daily needs on earth?”
The Examples (v.26-30):
1. Life and Food (v.26-27)
a. We are image-bearers: We are more valuable than the birds.
b. God is sovereign over all: Even the feeding of a bird is reliant on him.
c. Worry is prohibited, Work is not.
d. Anxiety achieves nothing – it only has negative impacts for the believer.
2. Body and Clothing (v.28-30)
a. Pointing from lesser to greater: We are more to God than the lilies.
b. Faith = Practical reliance on God’s provision (Matt 8:8-10; 9:2, 21-22, 28-29).
c. God’s creation far exceeds human efforts at achieving splendor.
The Distinction (v.31-32):
a. Lack of Faith = Jesus’ description of the disciples when they failed to trust Jesus for their physical needs (Matt 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; 17:20).
b. Materialism results from no trust or knowledge in a heavenly father.
c. Disciples must live differently than the spiritual Gentiles in the world.
The Remedy (v.33):
Seek His kingdom and His righteousness!
Seek His kingdom:
a. The desire above all else to actively pursue what was prayed for in Matt 5:9-10.
b. It is not looking for something that is hidden – it is daily focusing on the main goal.
Seek His righteousness:
a. Living in full submission to the will of God (Matt 5:6, 10, 20; 6:1).
b. There is a giant difference between self-righteousness (Pharisees) and righteousness that is God-centred (Matt 5:20).
“In the end there are only two kinds of piety, the self-centred and the God-centreed, so there are only two kinds of ambition: one can be ambitious either for oneself, or for God. There is no third alternative” (John Stott)
a. A commitment must be made to constantly find and do the will of God, aligning with his purpose.
b. When we put God first, material concern is unnecessary and distracting.
c. This kind of living will lead to persecution (5:10), but also conversion (5:16).
Looking Ahead (v.34):
a. There will be trouble ahead – this is not a guarantee of no trouble, but a warning that worrying will multiply the problems.
b. We are in danger of missing today’s grace by looking ahead to tomorrow.
c. Tomorrow’s tragedy may very well be next week’s testimony.
Three things point to victory over worry:
Faith – Trusting God to meet our needs.
Father – Knowing He cares for his children.
First – Putting God’s will first in our lives so that he might be glorified.
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