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You can turn in your Bibles to 
Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6, I want to 
address something I've been wanting to speak to for a while now. I'm most familiar with its setting 
in Matthew's gospel. Specifically, our focus is verses 
31 to 34. The broader context, of course, 
is the Sermon on the Mount, and the more immediate context is 
Christ's prohibition against His people worrying. And I'll 
read verses 25 to 34, and then as I said, we'll kind of summarize 
verses 25 to 30, and then focus on verses 31 to 34. But Matthew chapter 6, beginning 
in verse 25. Therefore I say to you, do not 
worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, 
nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more 
than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of 
the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, 
yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value 
than they? Which of you, by worrying, can 
add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? 
Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. They neither toil 
nor spin. And yet I say to you that even 
Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, 
and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe 
you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not worry, saying, 
What shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the 
Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows 
that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of 
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added 
to you. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow 
will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its 
own trouble. Amen. Let us pray. Father, help 
us now to understand our Lord Jesus. Help us not only to understand 
it, as I suspect most of us do, but help us to apply it and help 
us to be a people that are resigned to the sovereignty of our God, 
not just in matters of salvation, but in everyday matters. You 
are the God who is absolutely sovereign over saving sinners, 
and we all confess that. but help us to realize you are 
the God who is sovereign over all in preserving and in keeping 
and in watching out for those redeemed sinners. We pray for 
the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Again, we pray for the forgiveness 
of sins and we ask these things through Christ Jesus, our Lord. 
Amen. I had mentioned to Brother Tony 
just prior to the worship service tonight that I was preaching 
on this subject, Do Not Worry, and I was quick to let him know 
I wasn't doing it from a vantage point or a position of having 
mastered it. I looked for a brief definition 
on Google. I thought when I typed in worry, 
D-E-F, there would pop up a picture of Jim Butler. So I do not speak 
to you as one who has mastered Matthew 6 and the various prohibitions 
against worry that our Lord gives to us, but hopefully as a helper 
to try and open up this passage so that we can all seek comfort 
in God, so that we can all seek contentedness in God. so that 
we will not be characterized by a carnal anxiety, by a worrisome 
spirit, by this attitude that does betray confidence in the 
living and true God. When I did type in the definition 
of worry, this is what Google responded, give way to anxiety 
or unease, allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. I think that's a very appropriate 
explanation of what worry is. Allow one's mind to dwell on 
difficulty or troubles. Now Christ, in His kindness, 
does not want His people to be marked by that particular definition. Christ, in the Sermon on the 
Mount, speaks specifically to this issue. And I'm convinced 
He speaks specifically to this issue because it's a real issue. God addresses real problems. God speaks to us where we live. God knows our hearts and God 
does give us the remedy on how to deal with, or at least how 
to try and deal with, the various issues that confront us. Now, 
if we were to map out verses 25 to 34, this is what I suspect 
it would look like. In the first place, there is 
a command in verses 25 to 27, and that command is repeated 
or carried out through the context, do not worry. Secondly, there 
is an indictment in verses 28 to 30. Why do you worry? And then Jesus points to these 
lilies and Jesus points to these birds as instructors. They are to calm our soul. They are to reprove us and to 
call us to repent for having this carnal anxiety or this worrisome 
spirit. Luther made this observation 
concerning the birds. He says, you see, he is making 
the birds our schoolmasters and teachers. It is a great and abiding 
disgrace to us that in the gospel a helpless sparrow should become 
a theologian and a preacher to the wisest of men. Whenever you 
listen to a nightingale, therefore, you are listening to an excellent 
preacher. It is as if he were saying, I 
prefer to be in the Lord's kitchen. He has made heaven and earth, 
and he himself is the cook and the host. Every day he feeds 
and nourishes innumerable little birds out of his hand. So we've 
got a command, do not worry, verses 25 to 27. We have an indictment. Why do you worry in verses 28 
to 30? We're going to take up verses 
31 and 32 under the heading of the contrast, Gentiles and children, 
and then secondly, the governing principle in verses 33 and 34. 
Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and then 
these things will be added to you. But note, in the first place, 
this contrast that Christ sets up in verses 31 to 32. He does repeat Himself. Look 
at verse 31, therefore do not worry. He's already said it several 
times. He says it in verse 25. He says 
it in verse 28. He says it here again in verse 
31. He'll say it again in verse 34. 
He tells us several times, do not worry. And I believe that 
Christ repeats Himself in this particular command because we 
repeat ourselves in disregarding the command. In other words, 
Christ tells us several times because He knows our hearts, 
He knows our tendency, He knows the disposition that is in us. We need often reminders of this 
particular principle. Notice that He highlights the 
things He's been speaking of. Verse 31, therefore, do not worry, 
saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or what 
shall we wear? Things he previously dealt with. There is an obsession 
here on the part of people. What am I going to eat? What 
am I going to drink? What am I going to wear? Spurgeon says 
the questions in this verse are taken out of the worldling's 
catechism of distrust. It is taken out of the worldling's 
catechism of distrust. Now note specifically Jesus' 
contrast of the children of God with the Gentiles. Note, he says, 
Therefore do not worry, saying, What shall we eat, or what shall 
we drink, or what shall we wear? For after all these things the 
Gentiles see. Now, we need to spend a little 
bit of time on this particular topic, for after all these things, 
the Gentiles see. What is Christ implying? What 
is Christ inferring? What is Christ stating? That 
when the child of God gives over to this carnal anxiety, or gives 
over to this worrisome spirit, when he or she becomes obsessed 
with what shall I eat, what shall I drink, what shall I wear, he 
has identified himself, or aligned himself rather, with Gentiles, 
with those who know not God. Those who are strangers to the 
covenants of promise. Those who are aliens to the commonwealth 
of Israel. Those who have no hope and those 
who are without God in this world. The Lord Christ highlights why 
believers should not worry and he contrasts them with the Gentiles. Notice as well that this is an 
obsession for the Gentiles. This is what marks them. This 
is what occupies them. This is their orientation. This 
is what they're about. And this stems from a particular 
philosophy. The Gentiles don't have a sovereign 
God. The Gentiles don't have a doctrine 
of providence. Now I realize the word Gentiles, 
but in this context, Gentiles means those who do not know God. So they don't have a doctrine 
of providence. They don't have Hymn 21 in their 
hymn book. They cannot speak and they cannot 
sing concerning God's mysterious ways. The fact that God overrules 
all things for the good of his people. It is consistent for 
a Gentile living in his atheistic world to reason the way that 
he reasons. What shall I eat? What shall 
I drink? What shall I wear? He has no 
father. He has no provider. He has none 
in his corner, and certainly this renders him full of carnal 
anxiety and worry. J.C. Ryle says that Christ suggests 
to us that over-carefulness about the things of this world is most 
unworthy of a Christian. Now brethren, we are not to conclude 
that we are to lay on our couches and hold out our hands and manna 
will fall through our roofs into our hands so that we can stuff 
it in our mouths. No, the idea of birds and the 
idea of at least their participation in the food process, they work, 
they are diligent, they do toil. The lilies in the field don't. 
God nevertheless clothes them even better than what he did 
with Solomon. But the idea is not passivity. 
The idea is not to be obsessed. Ryle says, one great feature 
of heathenism is living for the present. Let the heathen, if 
he will, be anxious. He knows nothing of a father 
in heaven. But let the Christian who has clear light and knowledge 
give proof of it by his faith and contentment. You see, doctrine 
precedes practice. And for the child of God who 
has a sovereign God, it ought to flesh itself out in the daily 
ebb and flow of life. We are not to be like the Gentiles. No God for the Gentile. lots 
of worry, lots of anxiety, lots of fretting, lots of obsession. But with the child of God, it 
should be different. Not that we're not concerned 
about such things, not that we don't go to work, not that we 
don't go to Walmart when there's a sale and buy a new shirt. That's 
not what our Lord Jesus is suggesting. But to be obsessed with such 
things, to fret about things, to be a worrisome person, to 
have what we saw in the definition, to allow one's mind to dwell 
on difficulty or troubles, that is not supposed to be the case 
for the children of God. And it truly is amazing that 
as the people of God, we do confess and we do profess. In fact, our 
confession of faith back there highlights the reality that we 
see God's sovereignty in salvation. We know that nobody's ever saved 
because of their free will. We know that nobody's ever saved 
because of their good choices. We know that nobody's ever saved 
because of their law keeping or their merit. We know it is 
God who makes alive dead sinners. It is God who is sovereign in 
regeneration. It is God who grants the graces 
of faith and repentance so that sinners can close with Jesus 
Christ. We know that, we confess that, we profess that, and yet 
on a Thursday we forget God's sovereignty and we start to fret 
about what shall we eat, what shall we drink, or what shall 
we wear. We need to think in terms of Romans 8.32, if God 
did not spare his own son for us, but delivered him up for 
us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? 
Now in that context it's spiritual to be sure, but we ought to consider 
the comparison that Paul makes. If God did not shrink back from 
hanging His own dear Son upon the cross and putting Him to 
grief on our behalf, how's He not going to give us all spiritual 
things for the good of our lives? But we might tone that down one 
step further and say, if God hung His Son upon the cross, 
is He going to abandon us on Thursday? Are we going to starve 
to death or be without water on a Thursday? Are we going to 
be naked on Thursday? This is the way that Gentiles 
function. They have a prior commitment. 
They have excluded God. They are atheists. They are heathen. 
And they live consistently with that confession. But as the people 
of God, those who understand who He is, This is unbecoming 
conduct for the people of God. We are not to be characterized 
by worry. We are not to be suspicious of 
the fact that we're going to see our picture when we type 
in worrydeaf at google.com. Notice as well what our Lord 
goes on to say in the same verse. After these things the Gentiles 
seek. And then he says, for your heavenly 
Father knows that you need all these things. So you see the 
structure of the text. Don't worry. And then he gives 
two reasons. Don't worry because in the first 
place Gentiles worry. But don't worry because in the 
second place God's got this. God knows what you need. God 
made this world, He made you, He is in charge, and nothing 
escapes His sovereignty. There is no detail of your life 
that is outside of the omniscience of God. He wouldn't be omniscient 
if He didn't know that you were going to have a rough Thursday. 
And it's very intriguing that in this passage, Christ never 
ever says, you're not going to have trouble, you're not going 
to have trials, you're not going to have difficulties. Christ 
says, you're going to have them. Notice at the end, sufficient 
for the day is its own trouble. You see, Christ is not suggesting 
that as God's children, everything always goes perfectly for you. I think David and Paul would 
be great illustrations that that's not the case, as would be Jesus 
Christ, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. So Christ 
is a realist. He understands that in this life 
there is tribulation. Christ is a realist. He knows 
that there are sufferings. He knows that there are hardships. 
He knows that there are trials. He knows that there are sorrows. 
But He wants us to realize that in the midst of those things, 
we compound it by worry. We compound it by carnal anxiety. We make it then sinful instead 
of God's blessed rod of affliction wherein he tutors his children 
and they become conformed to the image of Christ. So the imperative 
repeated in verse 31, do not worry, and then the specific 
reasons Gentiles worry, but then that second one, for your heavenly 
Father knows that you need all these things. It is intriguing 
that this particular section does parallel, at least in some 
degree, the Lord's Prayer. Look back for just a moment earlier 
in the chapter, in Matthew chapter 6. Matthew chapter 6 at verse 
8, therefore do not be like them. He has told them don't pray like 
hypocrites and don't pray like heathen. Hypocrites like to stand 
out on the street corner and blow the trumpet so that everybody 
sees that they're praying. I mean, can you imagine that? 
Is that what you want to be known for? Wow, he's a great prayer. 
Wow, that string of eloquent words that he put together. Brethren, 
Jesus says, go into your closet and pray. Now, by saying that, 
he doesn't mean don't have corporate prayer. When we have corporate 
prayer, it's called corporate prayer. Pray. In other words, 
when we gather together on a Wednesday night or a Sunday morning for 
the express purpose of praying, then please pray by all means. Corporate prayer is sanctioned 
and commanded by the apostle in 1 Timothy chapter 2. In the 
first place, I urge that prayers, supplications, giving of thanks, 
intercessions be made for all men, for kings and all who are 
in authority. The idea being is that you pray privately and 
when you come publicly and there's an opportunity for corporate 
prayer, you pray. Sometimes there's this lull or 
there's this silence in our prayer meetings. I remember hearing 
of Earl Blackburn saying, you know, in the midst of such a 
lull or such a silence, brethren, we're here to pray. I mean, come 
on, right? If I came up here to preach and 
I didn't open my mouth, one of y'all might say, can you get 
on with it? Well, the corporate prayer meeting 
is the corporate prayer meeting. If you are present, then pray. Shouldn't be just two or three 
guys praying. Pray, please, beseech the Lord. But in this particular context, 
don't be like the hypocrites. They love to pray. They love 
to be seen by men. Jesus says, go into your closet. 
Your father who sees in secret will reward you. But he also 
says, don't pray like the heathen. What do the heathen do? They 
stand there and they yammer on because they think they'll be 
heard for their many words. Vain repetition marks the heathen. They approach God the way that 
worshipers of Baal approach Baal, in a formulaic manner. If we 
just say the right words and we do the right things and we 
say the same thing over and over, then He will respond and give 
us what it is that we want. Jesus says, don't be like them. 
Now notice in verse eight, therefore do not be like them, for your 
Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Now think about this. It is the 
doctrine of the knowledge of God. That does not mean my knowledge 
of who God is, but the doctrine of the knowledge that God has 
concerning His children that is the very basis or foundation 
for His children to pray. You see, it's not the case that 
we are approaching Yahweh in some formulaic manner. We're 
not trying to subject Him to our whims, we're not trying to 
get Him to perform to our script, but rather we are acknowledging 
His sovereignty, we are casting ourselves dependently upon Him, 
and we are engaged in an act of worship. That's what prayer 
is. But Jesus here says, because of what God knows concerning 
your needs, therefore pray. And the same thing is true in 
our daily living when it comes to this issue of carnal anxiety, 
when it comes to this issue of worry, when it comes to this 
issue of what shall we eat, what shall we drink, or what shall 
we wear. He says, for your heavenly Father 
knows that you need all these things. So I think what Christ 
is saying is you don't need to worry because your father's got 
it under control. Have you fathers ever said that 
to your kids? Dad, what are we gonna do about 
this? I got it under control. Nothing like being micromanaged 
by a five-year-old, is there? I mean, don't we love that as 
parents when our five-year-olds, or even worse, our 15-year-olds 
wanna tell us how to manage affairs, right? Is everybody with me? Don't you just love that? I know 
a better way for you to do this, dad. I know a more accurate way 
for you to present. I'm the father. I've got it under 
control. This is what Christ is saying. Why would we worry? Why would 
we be perplexed? Why would we allow our mind to 
dwell on difficulty or troubles in a world governed by a heavenly 
Father? So the connection is such, live 
as you pray. In fact, Owen says that very 
thing. Not Owen van der Veen, my grandson, 
but John Owen, the prince of Puritan preachers. He who prays 
as he ought will endeavor to live as he prays. You see, if 
you're consistent in this mindset at the throne of grace, it will 
help shape you in your daily conduct and in your daily life. 
If my father knows what I need before I pray and I pray, I can 
trust that my father still knows what I need after I pray, and 
he's going to supply my needs as is fitting, as is according 
to his particular will. So the doctrine of the knowledge 
of God is the basis for prayer. The doctrine of the knowledge 
of God is the basis for a life that is not marked by carnal 
anxiety, a life that is not marked by worrisomeness. And then note 
the kindness of the Lord. Just, again, drawing out from 
what Jesus says, for your heavenly Father knows that you need all 
these things. What's His implication? He knows 
you need it, but it's questionable whether He's going to get it. 
No, the implication follows, doesn't it? Are you with me? 
He knows you need these things. He doesn't have to continue on 
and say, so of course he's gonna supply it. That necessarily follows. Don't be a Gentile. Trust in 
the knowledge of God that he has your back, that he understands 
your needs, that he knows you must have food, he knows you 
must have water, and he knows you must have clothing. So you 
see how that works. Your father knows that you need 
all these things. Again, it would be superfluous 
for Jesus to say at that point, and he will supply what you need. 
Of course he will. That's the thrust of the argument. David says, I have been young 
and now am old. Yet I have not seen the righteous 
forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. Now, brethren, 
if what shall we eat means lobster and steak, What shall we drink 
means the finest whatever beverage of choice. What shall we wear 
means, you know, Gucci. Then you're in the wrong game, 
okay? You're in the wrong place. God's 
never promised to supply steak and lobster every night. He certainly 
never promised to supply your favorite beverage every night. 
And he certainly never promised to clothe you in, you know, however 
many dollar shirts or whatever, you know, an expensive shirt 
is. Again, the Walmart. Bargain sale is probably a great 
place to find covering. That's what God says he'll take 
care of. Don't worry about it. Don't fret, 
don't freak out, don't lose it. There's a New Testament sort 
of parallel to that sentiment. I have been young, now I'm old, 
yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants 
begging bread. The apostle says in Hebrews 13, 
five, let your conduct be without covetousness. Be content with 
such things as you have, for he himself has said, I will never 
leave you nor forsake you. Isn't that a promise that we 
oftentimes spiritualize? And, well, we should. When God 
says, I will never leave you nor forsake you, that certainly 
means He's not going to abandon us. If we're saved on a Sunday, 
we're not going to be lost on a Thursday. He will never leave 
us, nor will He forsake us. But in the context of Hebrews 
13.5, it's with reference to temporal support. That's the 
injunction. Do not be covetous. but rather 
be content with what you have. God has promised, I will never 
leave you nor forsake you." You see, that's that New Testament 
equivalent of what David has said in Psalm 37. I have not seen the righteous 
forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. So we see this 
contrast between Gentiles and children in verses 31 and 32. 
Now let's look finally at this governing principle in verses 
33 and 34. What is to be the Christian's 
first priority? But seek first the kingdom of 
God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added 
to you. Again, the Lord's Prayer is a great pattern here. I mean, 
is it accidental that Jesus in the same chapter gives us the 
Lord's Prayer and then he gives us this teaching on do not worry, 
do not fret, do not freak out, do not be overruled by carnal 
anxiety? Isn't the Lord's Prayer structured 
according to verse 33? Seek first the kingdom of God 
and his righteousness and then these things will be added to 
you. That's precisely the structure of the Lord's Prayer. God's name 
be hallowed is the first petition. God's kingdom come is the second 
petition. God's will be done is the third 
petition. It's only after extolling the 
Lord, it's only after requesting that his name is magnified, that 
his kingdom come, and that his will be done, that we then turn 
our attention to our particular needs. Give us this day our daily 
bread. Forgive us of our sins, or our 
debts, or our trespasses. And lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from the evil one. You see, there's a particular 
structure or order with reference to the Lord's Prayer, and Jesus 
co-opts that and brings it smack dab into the middle of his teaching 
on do not worry. The issue for you is not to be 
consumed with and concerned for what shall we eat, or what shall 
we drink, or what shall we wear. The issue for all of us is to 
seek first God's kingdom, to seek first God's righteousness, 
to have the proper orientation, to be obsessed not with eating, 
not with drinking, not with wearing, but to be obsessed with God, 
to see Him as our focus, to see Him as our everything. France 
says the verb seek echoes the stronger compound verb that was 
used prior with reference to the Gentiles' anxious quest for 
material provisions in the previous verse. Disciples, by contrast, 
have a different orientation, a higher purpose in life. You 
see, the idea being is if we get our priorities right, then 
perhaps that will help us to make gains against the sin of 
worry, against the sin of carnal anxiety. So if we are fretting, 
we're freaking, we're losing it, we need to check our priority 
system first. What's most important to me? 
My favorite beverage? Steak and lobster? You fill in 
the blank. Maybe steak and lobster isn't 
what you would like to eat every night. If that is what is obsessing 
in our minds or in our hearts, that will helpfully check us, 
I hope, and cause us to reflect upon the principle that should 
govern our life. And it is this vantage point, 
this seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 
that enables the people of God to live without worry. Now, I 
say that and I wonder, is it possible to live without worry? 
I doubt it. I mean, some of you are very 
secure and probably don't worry like butlers do. But some of 
us are just, you know, it's an ongoing battle, you know, to 
find that contentedness and to find that trusting in the sovereignty 
of God. But worry-free is probably just 
not a reality, but that ought to be the pursuit. Because in 
our worry, we betray this reality, that we're not seeking first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness. We are to be consumed with God's 
kingdom, God's righteousness in such a way that we have no 
energy left. to worry about what shall we 
eat, what shall we drink, what shall we wear. So Christ directs 
us to those things that are most important. Seek first the kingdom 
of God and His righteousness, and as Christ often does, He 
gives us a gracious promise. Notice, and all these things 
shall be added to you. Now, we need to qualify this. 
It's like that passage in Philippians 4.13. You know where Paul says, 
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Christian 
basketball players think they can jump higher because Jesus 
strengthens them. Christian weightlifters think 
they can get an extra 25 pounds on their bench press because 
Christ strengthens them. Christian financial managers 
think they're able to do well in the daily markets because 
Christ strengthens them. Some of you dear sisters may 
think you bake the best pie for the church luncheon because Christ 
strengthens you. Brethren, in the context in Philippians 
chapter 4, Paul is dealing with matters of contentedness and 
whether he is abounding or he is abased. I can do all things 
through Christ who strengthens me does not mean I can jump unassisted 
over the moon. That text is abused. It's one 
of those placed on the torture rack where lots of texts are 
placed, and we make it say what we want it to say. It is not 
a proof text for Christian excellence in your vocation. Now, be excellent 
in your vocation to be sure. Give glory to God most high. 
Perhaps indirectly, yeah, Christ strengthened you for that particular 
task. But in Philippians chapter 4, Paul is dealing with being 
abounding and being abased. The same is true here. Seek first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and these things will be added 
to you. Doesn't mean boats, doesn't mean cars, doesn't mean summer 
homes. Well, if I just seek first God 
and His kingdom and His righteousness, that's my ticket out of the dump 
I live in to a bigger, nicer place on the other side of town. 
That's not what he means. That's not what he is suggesting. 
We are not to be health, wealth, prosperity fools when we come 
to this particular passage. The text is specific. What shall 
we eat? What shall we drink? What shall 
we wear? Christ says if your orientation 
is proper, you're seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, 
you're not going to starve to death, you're not going to die 
of dehydration, and you're not going to be naked. You may not 
be fed, drinking, and clothed in the manner that you would 
like, but that's not the point. The point is, seek first the 
kingdom of God and let your heavenly Father care for your particular 
needs. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6.8, again, 
in a context dealing with avoiding covetousness, cultivating contentedness 
with reference to God's provision. Paul says in 1 Timothy 6.8, in 
having food and clothing, With these we shall be content." What 
kind of food and clothing do you mean, Paul? Something that 
will fit in and go down through your gullet, into your stomach, 
and provide the basic nutrition that your body needs. And something 
that will hopefully keep the rain off of your flesh when you're 
standing out on a Chilliwack day. He doesn't tell us what 
kind of food and clothing, does he? Neither does Jesus here. Lord, I really want steak and 
lobster. I'm getting tired of this oatmeal 
every night. And you said if I seek first 
your kingdom and your righteousness, then steak and lobster will be 
added to me. No, God's promise is oatmeal. Anything beyond that is cause 
for rejoicing to be sure that a man gets to enjoy a steak and 
a lobster on this side of heaven really is a mercy and a blessing 
from our good God. that he gets to enjoy a bowl 
of oatmeal is really a mercy and a blessing from our good 
God in light of our sins, in light of our rebellion, in light 
of our rejection, in light of our defiance. I mean, oatmeal 
is far too good for any of us, brethren, in light of the reality 
of our sin. C.S. Lewis says, you can't get 
second things by putting them first. You can get second things 
only by putting first things first. There is a priority structure 
in life. The believer is to have that 
as his orientation, and he is to pursue first the kingdom of 
God and his righteousness. Notice the realistic conclusion 
in verse 34. So he's told us, don't worry 
about your life. And I think he fleshes out what that means 
by don't worry about what you'll eat. Don't worry about what you'll 
drink. Don't worry about what you'll wear. And that pretty 
much entails our lives, doesn't it? I mean, when all is said 
and done, that's what we work for and live for, at least in 
the temporal realm. I mean, we have to eat, and we 
have to drink, and we have to guard ourselves against the elements. 
But he ups the ante, and notice what he says in verse 34. Therefore, 
do not worry about tomorrow. Do not worry about tomorrow. 
Don't let carnal anxiety so plague your heart that now you're worrying 
about things that aren't even here yet. Some of us don't have 
a problem, not only have the problem of worrying about tomorrow, 
but a few tomorrows down the road. What's going to happen 
next week? What's going to happen next month? I've shared the illustration 
many times, and you probably heard it and are tired of it, 
but when we were younger, and the kids were little, or we're 
driving around town, and Josh is two, and he's saying, what 
are we doing next? Where are we going next? He's just driving 
me nuts with all these questions from the back of our family station 
wagon. Praise God Almighty, those days 
are gone. Not that the kids are bad or 
anything, but it's just a good phase or good season to be out 
of with reference to life. That's not meant to discourage 
younger people, but we did our time and here we are. But he's 
going on and on and on. What are we going to do? Where 
are we going to go? What's next? And we stopped at a restaurant. 
I said, you may be dead by the time we get over to that front 
door. That's just the reality of things. Now Josh, of course, 
ran over to the front door and he starts screaming, Dad, I made 
it. I made it. I made it. We worry about things that haven't 
even happened yet. You realize how foolish that 
is? We, maybe you don't, but this is a tendency that is typical 
in my heart. Worry about things that haven't 
even happened. It's a waste of worry, isn't it? Why waste worry? I think that's what Christ is 
saying. Do not know. He's not saying waste where he's 
saying, don't worry. Do not worry about tomorrow. The Lord has cautioned his disciples 
about worry regarding food, drink and clothing. The Lord now cautions 
his disciples about worrying with reference tomorrow. And 
note the reason that he gives for tomorrow will worry about 
its own things. You're not even in Monday yet, 
so why are you worried about it? It'll worry about itself 
when you're there. See, what happens when I'm worried 
about tomorrow? It means I'm not presently seeking 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. When I'm worrying 
about the future, I'm not being faithful in the present. When 
I'm worrying what may happen in five months, I am not seeking 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Now, this 
doesn't mean don't plan. Don't chart out where you're 
going to go to school. Don't chart out how you're going 
to go ask for more money from your... It's not saying that. 
It's don't be carnally anxious over such things. Don't be paralyzed 
by such things. Don't be worried about such things. Tomorrow will worry about its 
own things. And then he highlights the reality. At the end of the verse, in verse 
34, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. The presence 
of verse 34 here balances the entire section. Christ does not 
suggest there are no difficulties in the believer's life. Christ 
is not suggesting that there's no troubles, no trials, no tribulations. No, He acknowledges it. Sufficient 
for the day is its own trouble. Today has its trouble. Navigate 
through this trouble with the orientation of seeking first 
the kingdom of God and His righteousness. Don't borrow problems from the 
future. Don't co-opt issues from next 
week and bring them into the present. When your mind is incessantly 
worried about tomorrow, you are not seeking God first today. Listen to some of the brothers. 
J.C. Ryle says, we are not to carry 
cares before they come. We are to attend to today's business 
and leave tomorrow's anxieties till tomorrow dawns. We may die 
before tomorrow. Imagine that. You worry all this 
time about a Monday and you get struck by a car on the Sunday. 
You wasted a whole bunch of energy. You betrayed your God. You evidenced 
carnal anxiety. You rejected the very scripture 
itself. Ryle says, we know not what may 
happen on the morrow. This only we may be assured of, 
that if tomorrow brings a cross, he who sends it can and will 
send grace to bear it. That is a powerful statement 
that we would all confessionally imbibe, but when it comes to 
the practical day in and day out, boy, do we struggle with 
what he says there. If tomorrow brings a cross, he 
who sends it can and will send grace to bear it. That is a powerfully 
packed statement. R.T. Frentz says, God's care 
and provisions are assured, but that does not mean that the disciple's 
life is to be one long picnic. Each day will have its troubles. The preceding verses simply provide 
the assurance that by the grace of God, they can be survived. Another man says, believers are 
not exempt from experiencing trouble. It is true that Jesus 
forbids his people to worry, but to be free from worry and 
to be free from trouble are not the same thing. This is what needs to penetrate 
our hearts and minds. For some reason, you do seek 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and you have 
displaced carnal anxiety out of your heart by this proper 
orientation. That doesn't mean your troubles 
are going to vanish. It just means that you're better 
equipped to move through those troubles. You're better equipped 
to flourish as a result of those troubles. We saw it on Wednesday 
night. God afflicted his people Israel in 1 Kings 8, so that 
they may repent. This is what David says in Psalm 
119, it was good for me that I was afflicted. Because before 
I went astray, I didn't obey your word. He says, it is good 
for me that I have been, or I was afflicted. Notice, this brother 
goes on, but to be free from worry and to be free from trouble 
are not the same thing. Christ commands us not to be 
anxious, but does not promise that we shall be immune to all 
misfortune. And then Matthew Henry, I think 
this is gold. He says, let us not pull that 
upon ourselves all together at once, which providence has wisely 
ordered to be borne by parcels. God in His goodness gives us 
enough trouble for today. Why in our folly do we want to 
pull trouble from Thursday and bring it into today? That's what 
Matthew Henry is saying, which Providence has wisely ordered 
to be borne out by parcels, just a little bit here and there. 
The conclusion of this whole matter then is that it is the 
will and command of the Lord Jesus that his disciples should 
not be their own tormentors. Isn't that what worry does? Isn't 
that what carnal anxiety brings? Does it bring peace? Does it 
bring joy? Does it bring happiness? When you're paralyzed with worry 
and you're paralyzed by carnal anxiety, are you happy? Really? Are you? Are you like, 
wow, this is where I want to live. You know that gut feeling 
you get that's just like you just ingested something foul? 
Boy, I just crave that. No, we don't. It's terrible. 
This is what Henry says. The conclusion of the whole matter 
then is that it is the will and command of the Lord Jesus that 
his disciples should not be their own tormentors. Do not torment 
yourselves. You've got the world, you've 
got the flesh, you've got the devil, they're real tormentors. 
Don't add to it by taking Thursday's problems and co-opting them into 
today's. Nor make their passage through 
this world more dark and unpleasant by their apprehension of troubles 
than God has made it by the troubles themselves. By our daily prayers, 
we may procure strength to bear us up under our daily troubles 
and to arm us against the temptations that attend them, and then let 
none of these things move us. I think that is a good explanation 
of the principle that Jesus sets forth here, specifically in verses 
33 and 34. So, in conclusion, in case you 
missed it, as I read the passage, as I sought to explain the passage, 
Christ has a message for you tonight. Do not worry. do not be characterized by carnal 
anxiety. It is a trait of the Gentiles 
in their heathenish minds that has excluded God from the world. It is only natural, the implication 
follows, that they are going to fret. What shall we eat? What 
shall we drink? What shall we wear? But as the 
blood-bought children of God who have a good heavenly Father, 
See, I think at times the whole problem is we question or we 
doubt the goodness of God. We pointed this out on Wednesday 
night. Turn to Psalm 119 for just a 
moment. Psalm 119. Specifically verse 67. Verse 67, before I was afflicted, 
I went astray, but now I keep your word. That's the principle. 
Before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep your word. 
Note verse 68, you are good and do good, teach me your statutes. I don't think it's an accident 
that those two verses are connected. Because here's the inclination, 
or here's the temptation, or here's the path that many Christians 
take. They receive affliction. They 
believe God is sovereign. They know that He governs. They 
know that He rules. They know that providence is 
a reality, governs all His creatures and all their actions. And so 
it begins to rise up in their minds or hearts that if I was 
afflicted, God suspended His goodness for a time. If I was 
afflicted, God went over to the dark side for a time. If I was 
afflicted, then God left that posture of goodness toward me, 
and He has now become other than good. We wouldn't say He's become 
bad, He's become nasty, He has become disinclined toward us, 
but He's not as good as He was. Because if He was as good as 
He was, I wouldn't go through such affliction. But the psalmist 
says, before I was afflicted, I went astray, but now I keep 
your word. You are good and do good, teach 
me your statutes. God's goodness does not diminish 
in our afflictions. The doctrine of divine impassibility 
underscores this reality, that God does not increase or diminish. God is as good to his creatures 
as he'll ever be. It is not going to grow. It is 
not going to get less. You say, well, it's not going 
to grow. That's discouraging. No, because 
he's most good to us already. It can't get better. It doesn't 
diminish either. He doesn't stop being good when 
he sends affliction. This is a demonstration of his 
goodness, because as a wise father, he knows at times conformity 
to his beloved son will often take the shape of hard knocks. Some of us need to go through 
those trials in order to conform us unto the image of the Lord 
Jesus. So I think when it comes to this whole issue of worry 
or carnal anxiety, we begin to doubt God's goodness to us, don't 
we? We begin to call into suspicion or call into question His demonstrations 
of love toward us. Don't do that. I would suggest, 
secondly, the dangerous fruits of worry. I'm just gonna run 
through a list here. Preach this back in Matthew 6. You may have 
notes you can review. But first of all, the dangerous 
fruits of worry. Worry betrays a lack of loyalty 
to the kingdom. If you're worried or I'm worried 
or we're paralyzed by carnal anxiety, guess what we're not 
doing? I mean, isn't this our marching order? Isn't Matthew 
6.33 supposed to be for everybody, seek first the kingdom of God 
and His righteousness? Next time husbands, your wife says, I'm 
so worried, I'm so carnally anxious, reprove them because they're 
not seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 
Same thing for ladies, your husband's freaking out and he's losing 
it and he's got some anxiety and sleeplessness and he just 
can't function. Tell him, look man, Matthew 6.33 
is very clear. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and His righteousness. Now do this with love and encouragement 
and respect to be sure. But brethren, it is simply unacceptable 
that we do not seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 
It betrays a lack of loyalty to the kingdom. It secondly evidences 
divided attention. Divided attention. We're more 
consumed with what we'll eat, what we'll drink, what we'll 
wear, than with the promotion of God's kingdom. Thirdly, it 
questions God's sovereign rule in the universe. Right? I mean, if we are fretting to 
the point where we are paralyzed, who ultimately is the target 
of our complaints? It's God. Fourth, it doubts God's 
fatherly care for His children. Again, Gentiles shouldn't surprise 
us when they fret and freak over what shall they eat, what shall 
they drink, what shall they wear, but this is not conduct fitting 
a child of God. Fifth, it does not believe God's 
holy word. The Bible tells you do not worry 
about these things, and if you are seeking first the kingdom 
of God and His righteousness, then these things will be added 
to you. To live in a worrisome manner, to live paralyzed or 
riddled with carnal anxiety is to reject the very word of God 
itself. Six, it paralyzes individual and thus kingdom advance. Praise 
the Lord that not everybody is paralyzed. Praise the Lord that 
not everybody is fretting. Praise the Lord that not everybody 
is freaking out because if everybody was, the kingdom wouldn't advance. 
There'd be nobody to go to China. There'd be nobody to go to Timbuktu. There'd be nobody to preach. 
There'd be nobody to do anything. There'd be no anything going 
on in terms of the propagation of the kingdom of God. Seventh, 
it shifts the focus from the eternal to the temporal. Our 
studies in Matthew 24 have evidenced that. There's nothing wrong with 
the ordinary. If God has put you in a particular vocation, 
then flourish, thrive, grow in that particular vocation. But 
do so with an eye to the glory of God. Do so with the earnest 
expectation of the coming of the master once again in glory 
to judge the living and the dead. But this sort of thing, if we're 
more consumed with what am I going to eat, what am I going to drink, 
what am I going to wear, we're not consumed with eternal things. 
And then as well, it reduces us to fearful, doubting, tormented 
souls instead of bold, faithful, obedient subjects of God's kingdom. 
That's huge, brethren. We've been saved by the grace 
of God in order to function for the glory of God. And if all 
we're doing is sitting around worried, we're not living for 
the glory of God, right? You know, when Paul says, so 
then whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to 
the glory of God, he's not meaning sin. So then if you smoke crack 
or you drink to drunkenness or you engage in adultery or you 
worry or you're paralyzed with carnal anxiety, do that to the 
glory of God. No, it is not sinful activities 
that are covered in 1 Corinthians 10.31. As well, thirdly and finally, 
we ought to seek by the grace of God to cultivate contentment. Cultivate contentment. Isn't 
this a great way to dispossess or displace this whole idea of 
worry and anxiety? We ought to, in the first place, 
appreciate godliness. Godliness is great gain according 
to Paul in 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verse 6. Secondly, with 
reference to contentment and in the context specifically with 
reference to stuff, what shall we eat, what shall we drink, 
what shall we wear? Stuff is the orientation things. We need to recognize God's sovereignty 
in the dispensing of goods. Some people get oatmeal, some 
people get steak and lobster. The earth is the Lord's and the 
fullness thereof. He owns everything. What he parcels 
out to his people is up to him. It is his prerogative, what we 
shall eat, what we shall drink, and what we shall wear. We ought 
to thirdly realize that poverty isn't the worst thing in the 
world. Poverty, oatmeal every night and a Walmart shirt every 
day isn't necessarily the worst way to live. I think Solomon 
speaks to this issue in a couple places in the Proverbs. Better 
is a little with the fear of Yahweh than great treasure with 
trouble. Better is a dinner of herbs where love is than a fatted 
calf with hatred. You see, it's better to have 
a little but to fear God. See, poverty isn't necessarily 
the worst thing. I'm not saying go sell everything 
you have and be poor. It's not wrong to work hard. 
You see a man who excels in his work, he shall stand before a 
king. The Bible envisions and joins men to work hard, to produce 
for their families, to try and produce well for their families. 
That is a blessed and a good thing. Brethren, if your lot 
is a bowl of oatmeal, praise God that you're eating. Proverbs 
17.1, better is a dry morsel with quietness than a house full 
of feasting with strife. Proverbs 28.6, the same sort 
of emphasis. Better is the poor who walks 
in his integrity than one perverse in his ways, though he be rich. As well, a way to cultivate contentment 
is to express thanksgiving to God for providing our necessities. Right? You hand somebody a gift 
and they don't say thank you? If you're like me, you think, 
man, dude, say thank you. I didn't hand you the gift, so 
you'll say thank you. Or you do something nice for your children 
or your wife. You're not looking to be worshiped 
and glorified, but a simple expression of gratitude is a nice idea, 
isn't it? I mean, we are human beings, after all. I throw something 
to my dog, I don't expect her to say, thanks, Jim, that was 
delicious. But when it's a wife or it's 
a child, I mean, it's just what we do as image bearers of God. And God hands us niceties every 
day that we thank him. We reflect upon the day and say, 
thank you, God, for my oatmeal. Thank you, God, for my t-shirt. 
Thank you, God, for this bed. Thank you, God, for this house. 
Thank you for your kindness and your provision. Thank you that 
I can echo the psalmist who said, the Lord loads us daily with 
benefits. Express your thanksgiving to 
God. As well, we ought to prioritize 
our lives and realize that God and his kingdom ought to come 
first. Again, under the cultivation 
of contentment, and then sixthly and finally under the cultivation 
of contentment, I think it's good for us to realize that life 
itself is messy and sin complicates things, doesn't it? I think perfectionists 
probably have a real tough time in this world, don't they? If 
everything doesn't go according to plan, it just ruffles the 
feathers. Right? Doesn't it? Maybe none of you struggle with 
this. We like everything to be orderly. We like everything to 
be tidy. We much prefer cosmos over chaos. We much prefer order 
versus disorder. We much prefer peace versus confusion. But brethren, that's not reality. Life is messy. Things happen 
that knocks us off our stride. Issues come up. Trials hit us. Sorrows affect us. Persons around 
us are hurting. And then you throw sin into the 
mix, and it always complicates everything. Now, how is this 
a help to cultivate contentment? Because it ought to promote realism. If you think life is always going 
to be just so each and every day of your life, you have not 
started to live yet. There are a whole host of things 
that are going to knock you down. There are a whole host of things 
that are going to set you back. There are a whole host of things 
that are going to ruffle your feathers. Accept it, embrace 
it, and by the grace of God, deal with it. I think that is 
a helpful thing to promote or cultivate contentment, realize 
that life is messy, sin complicates things, and things are not always 
going to go according to plan. That'll dispossess some worry 
and anxiety. I mean, we worry if things get 
out of order. Don't do that. Expect it to some 
degree in your life that there will be difficulties and disorder. Let us pray and ask God to seal 
these lessons to our hearts. Father, we thank you that our 
Lord loves us, that our Lord Jesus instructs us, that our 
Lord Jesus doesn't want us to be paralyzed by fear, by worry, 
by carnal anxiety. Certainly, this is not a good 
sort of portrait of a Christian. This is not a good way for us 
to live. This is a bad testimony, and 
it is wretched, and it does betray our confidence in a sovereign 
God. So help us to take these lessons 
to heart. Help us to pray the men. Help 
us to be men and women, boys and girls, who seek first the 
kingdom of God and His righteousness. Go with us now, we pray. And 
we pray these things through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.