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Well, please turn with me in 
your Bibles to Matthew chapter 6. Matthew 6, we're going to consider 
a passage we have considered a couple of times in the past. 
Seems genuinely appropriate for the particular situation we face 
today. It's Christ's prohibition against 
carnal anxiety or worry. And we'll find or we read beginning 
in Matthew 6 at verse 25. Jesus says, 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 in the 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. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, thank you that the Word of God addresses such issues, 
such relevant issues as our own insecurity, our own worry, our 
own tendency to carnal anxiety. I pray this passage would speak 
volumes to our hearts and souls, that it would be a great encouragement 
to each and every one of us, that you would strengthen us 
with might and the inner man by your Spirit, so that Christ 
may dwell richly in our hearts through faith. God, I pray that 
you would bless this congregation, that you would Stabilize, secure 
us, grant us help, Lord God, to continue to persevere, and 
by your grace and for your glory, to do those things that you've 
called us to. Forgive us, again, for our sins and our transgression. 
Fill us with your Holy Spirit, and we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord. Amen. Well, here in the Sermon 
on the Mount, Christ, as I said, is addressing carnal anxiety 
or worry. Worry simply means to give way 
to anxiety or unease, to allow one's mind to dwell on difficulty 
or troubles. And the reason why Christ addresses 
this, obviously, is because of the tendency of our heart to 
worry. In other words, there's nothing 
superfluous in Scripture. If Christ or the apostles address 
something, there's a good reason for it. So Christ gives us these 
principles so that we will stand fast, and we will be faithful, 
and we will not be relegated to not serving our blessed Savior. I want to look first at the command 
in verses 25 to 27. Secondly, the indictment in verses 
28 to 30. Third, a contrast in verses 31 
to 32. And then finally, a principle 
in verses 33 and 34. But in the first place, notice 
the command. It's carried through the whole 
context. Verse 25, do not worry. Verse 31, do not worry. Verse 
34, do not worry. I guarantee you his hearers didn't 
raise their hand and say, what are you talking about? They knew 
all too well because he repeated it. He emphasized it. He sealed 
it to their hearts so that they would not be reduced to the sorts 
of people that are given over to a carnal anxiety. Now, this 
passage doesn't teach that we're never supposed to think about 
the future. It doesn't teach that it might not be the case 
or won't ever be the case that some of these things rise up 
in our hearts. But what Christ is telling is that we're not 
supposed to be sort of governed by this anxiety. We're not supposed 
to be governed by worry. We're supposed to be governed 
by this commitment to the kingdom and the righteousness of God 
Almighty. So he gives this command in verses 
25 to 27. 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. In other words, 
there are things more important than food. There are things more 
important than clothing. There are things even more important, 
dare I say, than our lives. It is the kingdom of God and 
His righteousness. That is where Christ is going. 
That's the governing principle. Verse 33 is key to this entire 
passage. Again, Not that you shouldn't 
work, not that you shouldn't try to gain money so that you 
can purchase food and the like, but rather you ought to be trusting 
in God Almighty. And then he uses that particular 
analogy in verse 26. 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? Now, I don't think it would be 
legitimate for somebody to take this passage and say, you know, 
I'm going to lay on my couch, because God provides for the 
birds, and if I lay on my couch, then God will provide for me. 
This is not a text that calls us to inactivity. It is not a 
text that calls us to not use means. It is a text that is calling 
us not to worry, not to engage in carnal anxiety. But the argument 
is from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for birds, don't 
you think he's going to care for his image-bearers? If God 
cares for lilies in the next section, don't you think he's 
going to care for his image-bearers? And not only his image-bearers, 
but those who are blood-bought by his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, in verse 27, which of 
you, by worrying, can add one cubit to his stature? When all 
of this stuff began, I sent out a quote by Martin Luther. Remember, 
in that particular quote, Luther said, if God wants to kill me, 
he knows where to find me. Now, some would suggest that 
that's a bit of a macabre approach, or that's a bit of a horrifying 
view. No, it isn't. What better place to be than 
under the sovereign plan and purpose of God Almighty, who 
is for us? And if that is the case, then 
who can be against us? With reference to this particular 
text, listen to Luther. He says, you see, Jesus 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. That's 
a beautiful way to see what's happening in this particular 
passage. And brethren, I should say that I'm not up here as one 
who's mastered a non-worry and a non-anxiety-free or an anxiety-free 
life. I need this passage very much 
so. Every time I touch my face, which 
I'm mindful of the fact I do a lot, I think I'm going to get 
the Wuhan. I mean, if anybody wants to shut 
us down, they could do so on the amount of times that I touch 
my face. I make it a point to not touch 
anybody else. I'll stay far from you. I want 
to comply with the civil government to be sure, but it's not that 
I've arrived. This is a passage that I speak. 
Think speaks volumes to all of God's people at these times. Notice in the second place, he 
indicts them. He moves from this place of giving 
the command in verses 25 to 27. And then he indicts them. Notice 
in verse 28. So why do you worry about clothing? He commands them not to, and 
then he indicts them for them having done it. He is repeating 
himself, and if we ask the question why, he repeats himself because 
we repeat ourselves. We will do those things contrary 
to what he has commanded. And Christ knows that, and that's 
why in the space of just a few verses, he hits this nail on 
the head several times in terms of not being given over, to this 
sort of a thing. And then he uses the analogy 
of lilies in the field, verse 28. So why do you worry about 
clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow. 
They neither toil nor spin. Again, not an argument for you 
not to toil or spin. Just lay naked on your couch 
and God will send clothing. That's not the way the passage 
is to be taken. It does not provide an argument 
for inaction, but rather it provides an argument for a lack or a pursuit 
of a lack of non-worry in the lives of God's people. And then 
verse 29, And yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his 
glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now, if God so clothed 
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? Again, it's an argument from 
the lesser to the greater. If God provides for the birds, 
He's going to provide for His image bearers, His redeemed people. 
If God provides for the lilies, who don't toil or spit, and yet 
are vastly more beautifully arrayed than even Solomon in his glory, 
will not God take care of you? In other words, don't worry, 
and if you are worrying, repent of worry, because God has not 
left you nor forsaken you. We saw that in our studies in 
the 10th commandment. Hebrews chapter 13, a passage 
we spiritualized, and rightly so, based on other scripture, 
but in the context of Hebrews 13, it's not supposed to be spiritualized. There is a prohibition there 
against covetousness, and then a reminder that God will not 
leave us nor forsake us. It's in the realm of temporality. 
It's in the realm of those things that we possess, where God has 
said that He'll never leave us nor forsake us. Now notice, thirdly, 
the contrast that Jesus gives in verses 31 and 32. It is between 
Gentiles and children. Now this morning we spent a lot 
of time focusing on Gentile inclusion in the covenant of grace, and 
at this particular point you may say, why is Jesus picking 
on the Gentiles? He's using them as a representative 
body of those who are outside the covenant people. We know 
that they are included. We know that by God's grace we've 
been included. But in this particular context, 
when he speaks of Gentiles, he's speaking of those who do not 
have relationship with the true and living God. So that is his 
argument here. Now notice what he says in verses 
31 and 32. He says, therefore do not worry, saying, what shall 
we eat, or what shall we drink, or what shall we wear? Spurgeon 
calls this, the questions in this verse are taken out of the 
worldling's catechism of distrust. Notice what he goes on to say, 
for after all these things the Gentiles seek, for your heavenly 
Father knows that you need all these things. So there are two 
reasons why Jesus speaks to them concerning this contrast. In 
the first place, Gentiles seek these things. They're not bad 
because Gentiles seek them. It's not bad to want food. It's 
not bad to want clothing. In fact, those things are essential 
for life on this earth. But what is bad is when that 
is the entire orientation of one's life, when that is everything 
to a particular individual, when the thought of God and His glory 
and His righteousness and His kingdom never comes to play in 
the minds of men, women, and boys and girls. Gentiles do not 
think beyond the daily bread. They do not think beyond the 
clothing that they wear. And this is Jesus' contrast with 
reference to these Gentiles. For after all these things, the 
Gentiles seek. The four highlights why believers 
should not worry. And it's an obsession on the 
part of the non-godly to pursue these things at the very expense 
of other things that matter. Remember Jesus, what shall it 
profit a man? if he gains the whole world, 
but he loses his soul. There's no consciousness on the 
part of the Gentiles relative to their place before God. All 
they want is a full belly and a back that is clothed with a 
jacket. That's what consumes them. It 
is a philosophy that reflects atheism. Now, I'm not suggesting 
that everybody who thinks more about food and clothing is necessarily 
atheistic, but this type of a mindset, this type of an exclusion of 
God, this type of operation wherein the professing people of God 
look just like the world around us. We look just as scared. We look just as full of cowardice. 
We look just as rattled and affected by the things around us. Again, 
I am not saying don't do what you're supposed to do in terms 
of this particular crisis. That's not the point. The point 
is, is don't be so preoccupied with it that you neglect God's 
kingdom and righteousness. Remember, that's where Jesus 
is going. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and his righteousness. With reference to this, Ryle 
says that Jesus suggests to us that over-carefulness about the 
things of this world is most unworthy of a Christian. Notice 
what Ryle does not say, that carefulness about the things 
of this world is unworthy of a Christian. Carefulness isn't. 
I would imagine that all of us are seeking to be careful. Look 
at the pews, look at the distance, look at the reality that we're 
really trying not to touch our faces. We are seeking to be cautious. We are seeking to be compliant. 
We are seeking to do what is in our power to do, but to fret, 
to be given away to anxiety, to be riddled with worry to the 
place where we all... It's almost like we're forgetting 
God. That's a problem, and that's what Ryle addresses. That's what 
Christ is addressing, that over-carefulness about the things of this world 
is most unworthy of a Christian. He 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 is clearer light and knowledge, 
give proof of it by his faith and contentment. It suggests 
that here, good theology is a helpful antidote to worry and carnal 
anxiety. In other words, if we know who 
our God is, Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in 
His being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, 
that should go a long way to promote in us a desire to be 
killing worry, a desire to be killing carnal anxiety, and a 
desire to be complying with our Lord Christ in the Sermon on 
the Mount at this particular point. Before we move on, it 
is very important for us to understand something. As reformed people, 
we understand God's absolute sovereignty when it comes to 
salvation. We have five points that we oftentimes 
rattle off. We have certain passages in Scripture 
that we often go to. We can tell people God is in 
heaven. He saves according to His purpose 
and plan. It is according to His good pleasure. 
Well, the God of absolute sovereignty in terms of the spiritual is 
the God of absolute sovereignty in terms of the temporal as well. He's over food. He's over clothes. He's over crises. He's over the 
various things that affect us in this world. And it's simply 
inconsistent for the people of God to affirm those five points, 
to affirm the glory of God and His sovereignty and salvation, 
and then live like Gentiles when it comes to the garden variety, 
mundane, day in, day out sort of things. God Almighty is over 
one sparrow who falls from the sky. If God is over that, if 
he numbers the very hairs of our head, doesn't that hopefully 
instill in us a reason or reasons not to be riddled with panic, 
worry, and carnal anxiety? Now, notice the second reason. 
Again, working in the contrast, Gentiles and children. The first 
place, the first reason, the conduct of the Gentiles, this 
is how they function. But then notice the knowledge 
of the father in verse 32b. Verse 32, he says, for after 
all these things the Gentiles see. For your heavenly Father 
knows that you need all these things. He didn't stop the other 
week and say, well, you know, they're on their own now. They 
can manage all on their own. No, He knows that we need these 
things. And as I said, He has purpose 
to never leave us nor forsake us. It may not be pantries overflowing 
with lobster and steak or freezers, overflowing with that, but the 
Lord sustains his people and we ought to give thanks to him. 
The four again highlights that this is a reason why believers 
should not worry. So Jesus continues to pound that 
nail and he gives a series of reasons or arguments as to why 
we are not to engage in worry. And the fact that Jesus says 
this the way he does, notice, for your heavenly father knows 
that you need all these things. Jesus hasn't assumed the posture 
of rabbi with a new doctrine at this point. He says it casually. He says it freely. He says it 
assuming that everybody already knows this. In other words, those 
who have come into contact with the living and true God knows 
because the earth is his and the fullness thereof. He knows 
because he made us. He made us physical beings that 
need nutrition, that need clothing, that need warmth, that need shelter. 
He knows we need all this. So the idea that we are going 
to lose it and freak out like the rest of the Gentiles is simply 
unacceptable. This is a reason, a rationale, 
as to why the people of God should not be governed by worry. The doctrine of the knowledge 
of God is most comforting. And I don't mean us knowing God, 
but knowing what God knows concerning us. And I think at this particular 
point, we ought to be encouraged that with reference to these 
things, the Lord has never left us nor forsaken us. You see, 
oftentimes believers are encouraged for the present and the future 
based on what God has done for them in the past. He hasn't left 
us or forsaken us to this point. Why would we think in this crisis 
that it's all over? We're not gonna have anything. 
We're gonna be destitute. We're gonna be deprived. All 
these things, the Lord will provide food, water, and clothing. Psalm 
37, 25. Now, I know there are people 
that will say, but you know, the persecuted church, as a general 
maxim and principle, as a general maxim and principle, there's 
always those exceptions to the rule. There's always those intricate 
difficulties that present themselves to the people of God. But for 
the most of us, this is the regular pattern of providence that we 
see worked out in this world. David is able to say, I have 
been young and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous 
forsaken, nor his descendants breaking bread. Mention Hebrews 13, 5. Again, 
that is true spiritually. When God begins a good work in 
us, He will complete it unto the day of Christ. Romans chapter 8, Paul says, 
there is nothing that shall separate us from the love of God, which 
is in Christ Jesus our Lord. But the particular application 
here in Hebrews 13.5 is temporal. It has to do with food, has to 
do with clothing, has to do with the sorts of things that we oftentimes 
find ourselves wound up over. So Christ is saying, don't worry. 
God takes care of the birds. God takes care of the lilies 
of the field. God has made a distinction between 
His children and the Gentiles. The Gentiles don't have a living 
and true God. The Gentiles don't have that 
sure footing. So their lives reflect it. Of 
course they're worried. Of course they're panic-driven. 
Of course they're caught up in this carnal anxiety because they 
don't have the God of heaven and earth who has said to them, 
I will never leave you nor forsake you. But with reference to the 
people of God, these are all arguments as to why we are not 
to worry. That brings us finally to the 
principle, the governing principle in verses 33 and 34. Notice the first priority. Verse 
33, but seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness 
and all these things shall be added to you. I think this reflects 
the Lord's Prayer. This reflects the Lord's Prayer. 
If you go back in Matthew 6, to Matthew 6, 9 to 13. There is an order in the Lord's 
Prayer, and we need to appreciate that order. Just like there is 
an order in the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments. It does 
not start with our duty toward man. It starts with our duty 
toward God. That's where the Decalogue begins. 
It begins with God. Well, so does the Lord's Prayer. 
So does the prayer that Jesus taught his disciples to pray. 
We are to pray in the first place for the glory of God's name, 
for the coming of God's kingdom, and for the conduct of God's 
will. We are to pray God-word petitions 
before we pray for our food, for our forgiveness, and for 
our protection. Not that it's wrong to pray for 
our food, it's commanded by our Lord. Not that it's wrong to 
pray for forgiveness, it's commanded by our Lord. Not that it's wrong 
to pray for protection, it's commanded by our Lord. But what 
comes first is that God's name be magnified in the earth. What 
comes next but that God's kingdom, grace, the kingdom of grace comes, 
hopefully each Lord's Day, each time the gospel is preached, 
but then that kingdom of glory, we pray for that. Even so, come 
Lord Jesus. And then the will of God, that 
God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So when we go 
back to Jesus' admonition here concerning worry, verse 33 shouldn't 
take us by surprise. It's not the case that there's 
no place in the lives of God's people to pray for food or to 
pray for clothing. But it's always the case that 
the priority structure must be the same with God's people. They 
seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and then know 
that these things will be added to them. France comments on the 
verb used by Jesus here in verse 33, seek first. He says, the 
verb seek echoes the stronger compound verb which was used 
for the Gentiles' anxious quest for material provisions in the 
previous verse. Disciples, by contrast, have 
a different orientation, a higher purpose in life. See, when food, 
clothing, safety, security in the temporal realm becomes everything, 
then that subjugates God. That messes with the priority 
structure, and this is what Jesus is addressing. We are not supposed 
to mess with the priority structure. Kingdom life is regulated by 
this governing principle. We are to seek first the kingdom 
of God and His righteousness. And notice those two objects. 
Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. Again, kingdom 
is heavy here in Matthew's gospel. The king is addressing not only 
his loyal subjects, his disciples, but also the multitudes in the 
Sermon on the Mount. He's giving, I don't want to 
use this word in some horribly associated way, but basically 
a manifesto concerning the kingdom. He starts off with the Beatitudes. 
These are the virtues that are characteristic of kingdom citizens. This is how the subjects of the 
kingdom are supposed to relate to the law in Matthew chapter 
5. Matthew chapter 6, this is how the citizens or subjects 
of this particular kingdom are to engage in prayer and in or 
on almsgiving and prayer and fasting. And then he comes to 
this place of some real practical admonition concerning the people 
of God. And certainly it ought to reflect 
what we pray in the Lord's Prayer God comes first. The believer 
is to seek the righteousness of God. I love John Gill's comment 
here. He says, and his righteousness. He goes on to say, the righteousness 
of God, which is revealed in the gospel and is what gives 
a right and title to the kingdom of heaven. This is not the righteousness 
of man, but of God and is no other than the righteousness 
of Christ. So-called because he is God who has wrought it. 
It is what God approves of, accepts and imputes, and which only can 
justify in His sight, and give an abundant entrance into His 
kingdom and glory. Heaven is to be sought for in 
the first place as the perfection of the saints' happiness, and 
Christ's righteousness is to be sought for and laid hold on 
by faith as the way and means of enjoying that happiness, without 
which there will be no entering into the kingdom of heaven. So 
again, what Christ is doing is cautioning us, the people of 
God, against a carnal anxiety or a worry that causes us to 
be more focused and more oriented to the things of this world than 
God himself. Again, not to say we shouldn't 
think about what we're going to make for dinner tomorrow. 
We shouldn't think about how we're going to prepare whatever. 
We shouldn't think about work and that sort of thing. That's 
not the point of the passage. The point of the passage is do 
not worry. But notice, connected to this 
is a gracious promise. Seek first the kingdom of God 
and His righteousness. Now notice the gracious promise. 
And all these things shall be added to you. Not everything. You seek God first and His kingdom 
and His righteousness. You're not going to come home 
to a Rolls Royce in your driveway. All these things. What's these things in the context? It's food. It's clothing. It's the necessities of life. The apostle speaks to that in 
1 Timothy chapter 6. Having food and clothing with 
these we shall be content. So Christ says, when your priority 
structure is right, when you seek Him first and His righteousness 
and His kingdom, when you are consumed with God first and foremost, 
then God will indeed give you these things. It's a beautiful 
and a blessed thing. C.S. Lewis said, you can't get 
second things by putting them first. You can get second things 
only by putting first things first. In other words, it's a 
call to prioritize in your life. When you are prioritizing God, 
when you are prioritizing His kingdom and His righteousness, 
when your mindset and your orientation is correct, then not only do 
we have this gracious promise, but we also have the means by 
which to not continue to worry. Again, worry, it's never good, 
isn't it? Do you ever come from a good 
session of worry and go, man, I feel better? I've not experienced 
that. There's no catharsis for me in 
worry. There's just more worry. There's 
more anxiety. I don't have a good session of 
worry and then say, man, I just feel so much better. And then 
that brings us finally to the realistic conclusion in verse 
34. Notice what he says, therefore, here it is again, do not worry 
about tomorrow. So we're cautioned against worrying 
about our lives. We're cautioned about worrying 
about our food. We're cautioned about worrying 
about our clothing. We're told that by worry, we 
can't add a cubit to our lives. There's no worry sort of pill 
that we take and, oh, and now I'm gonna have five or 10 or 
15 more years. That's just not the way it is. 
And now Jesus tells us, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow 
will worry about its own things, sufficient for the day is its 
own troubles. Now, this is a great passage 
of Holy Scripture. The emphasis is clear, do not 
worry about tomorrow, but rather seek God's kingdom and righteousness 
today. Do you understand that when you're 
not, when you're worried about tomorrow, and again, I'm not 
thinking about caution, I'm not thinking about, you know, tomorrow 
I'm going to try to maintain distance or whatever, not touch 
my face as well. I'm not suggesting that. I'm 
suggesting if you're governed by panic and fear and anxiety 
and worry, when you're thinking about tomorrow in those terms, 
then you're not presently seeking God the way that Jesus says. 
It's just that simple. Our minds do not have the capacity 
of the infinite mind of God. God knows all things all the 
time. He never has learned it. He doesn't 
come to it through, you know, a discursive process. Everything is always present 
to God. Our minds are capable of, you know, a bunch, I think, 
but not God and worry about all this stuff. And so we need to 
understand that when we are worried about tomorrow, we are not seeking 
first the kingdom of God today. And then notice what Jesus says. 
And again, the realism of our blessed master. Therefore, do 
not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its 
own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. See, 
Jesus is not sitting here at the Sermon on the Mount saying, 
you got nothing to worry about. Everything's just easy as a Christian. I mean, you just kind of bounce 
through life. Bluebirds will attend your path. 
There'll be rose petals. Everything's gonna be great when 
you sign up to be a disciple of Jesus Christ by the grace 
of God. He doesn't say that. He is not saying there's no trouble 
in the Christian life. He is not saying there's no distress 
or hardship in the Christian life. He is saying that as the 
people of God, we are prohibited from worrying about that trouble, 
being consumed by that trouble, being riddled with panic as a 
result of that trouble. The presence of verse 34 balances 
the entire section. Christ does not suggest for a 
moment that there are no difficulties in the believer's life. So again, 
he doesn't come to the sermon, he doesn't come to the section 
on the sermon and say, you know, I can't believe that you people 
would ever, No, he knows that we're going to do this, but he 
gives us reasons and arguments as to why we're not supposed 
to do it. The presence of trial and tribulation in the believer's 
life is everywhere maintained in Scripture, isn't it? Absolutely, 
positively, and Christ affirms that. Don't worry about tomorrow, 
for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for 
the day is its own trouble. Listen to a few of the brothers 
in the church. First, again, Ryle. He says, we are not to 
carry cares before they come. I think I've shared with you 
before, some of you are newer and you haven't heard it, so 
I'm going to trot out an old illustration. When our kids were 
little, we were out doing errands one day. My son Josh was probably 
two or three. He certainly was at the age to 
be able to talk. believe you me, he could talk. And he kept 
saying, you know, he wanted to know everything we're going to 
do. What about this? What are we going to do? Every step of 
the way. And, you know, me being a very 
patient man, finally snapped and said, look, we were stopping 
at a restaurant. I said, look, you may be dead 
before you even get to the front door of the restaurant. I wasn't 
trying to be, I guess I was trying to be harsh, trying to shut this 
down. So, you know, unbeknownst to me, maybe dealing with one 
of the other kids, he runs over to the front door and he says, 
dad, I made it. I made it. And I thought, oh good, you know, 
praise God, he's paying attention. But the reality is we worry about 
tomorrow and we're not certain it's going to come. That's no 
reflection on what I think in terms of Wuhan. I'm just thinking 
in terms of God's sovereign prerogative and taking us out whenever it 
pleases him. But worrying about tomorrow being 
overruled by panic and anxiety about something that may never 
occur, it just doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? I'm saying 
it knowing it doesn't make a lot of sense, and yet I'll probably 
do it at some point in this week. It's just a senseless thing. 
He says, we are to attend to today's business and leave tomorrow's 
anxieties till tomorrow dawns. We may die before tomorrow. 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. Beautiful. Beautiful. Listen to France. God's care 
and provision are assured, but that does not mean that the disciple's 
life is to be one long picnic. Each day will still have its 
troubles. The preceding verses simply provide 
the assurance that by the grace of God, they can be survived. You see a theme in those two 
brothers? Whatever may come tomorrow, we trust in the power of God 
to furnish the grace necessary so that we may deal with tomorrow. 
John Scott 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. Christ commands us not 
to be anxious, but does not promise that we shall be immune to all 
misfortune. Again, we need to understand 
that's the point. And then Matthew Henry, he says, 
let us not pull that upon ourselves altogether at once, which providence 
has wisely ordered to be borne by parcels. In other words, don't 
drop it all on your head now when God in his goodness and 
kindness gives you bits and pieces. Right? He gives you bits and 
pieces. He doesn't just dump all the bad on you all at once. Now, of course, somebody will 
say, oh, but my uncle... I know, there are those hardships 
and difficulties to be sure, but in this particular instance, 
what we have is... Is that? So Matthew Henry continues, 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 nor make their passage through this world more 
dark and unpleasant by their apprehension of troubles. Then 
God has made it by the troubles themselves. By our daily prayers, 
we may procure strength to bear us up under daily troubles and 
to arm us against the temptations that attend them and then let 
none of these things move us." I think those brothers get it. 
I think they understand, and I think it is a good explanation 
of Christ's emphasis here. Not to worry. Don't worry about 
your life. Don't worry about food. Don't 
worry about clothing. Don't worry about tomorrow. If you had to pick what's the 
worst thing to worry about, the tomorrow one. Again, who knows 
what's going to happen? I don't want to be a doomsday 
prophet or anything like that, but that Raya was right. Tomorrow 
may not come. Sufficient for each day is its 
own troubles. We have enough to navigate now. 
When tomorrow comes, we pray for fresh grace, fresh strength, 
and fresh help, and we trust in God to provide it. Well, in 
conclusion, we've seen the prohibition against worry. I would suggest, 
secondly, there are some dangerous fruits connected to worry. In 
the first place, it betrays a lack of loyalty to the kingdom. If 
the Sermon on the Mount is a manifesto of sorts where Christ is instructing 
on what kingdom citizens look like, how they ought to function, 
all those sorts of things, again, a normative use of the law. There's 
a pedagogical function of the sermon, to be sure, but there's 
also a normative function. When we are consumed with worry, 
it betrays a lack of loyalty to that kingdom. Secondly, it 
evidences divided attention. Remember at Mount Carmel, what 
was Elijah's sort of challenge to those prophets, or to Israel 
rather? How long will you halt between two opinions? If Yahweh 
is God, then serve Him. If Baal is God, then serve Him. It's not supposed to be this 
divided attention, a little bit of Yahweh and a little bit of 
Baal. Thirdly, it questions God's sovereign 
rule in the universe. Brethren, the Lord has all things 
under sovereign control. There is not an instance that 
occurs in our lives that is haphazard, that is random, that is somehow 
disconnected to the overarching plan of God Almighty. I've often 
thought that sovereignty is one of the best things to make a 
pillow soft. When we understand who our God 
is, we're able to go to bed at night and we're able to do so 
without this panic, without this worry, without this anxiety. In the fourth place, it doubts 
God's fatherly care for His children. Again, we're not Gentiles, brethren. 
I mean, we are ethnically, but by God's grace, we are spiritual 
Jews. But in terms of Christ's contrast, 
are we more like the Gentiles who do not have God, or are we 
like those who trust in the provision of a heavenly Father? Fifth, 
it ultimately does not believe God's holy word. You see, I think 
we're guilty of this a lot. We know what Scripture says, 
but we're going to worry anyway. We know what Scripture says, 
but we're going to be given to carnal anxiety anyway. We know 
that God has promised to never leave us or forsake us, but we're 
going to fret over that anyway. Sixth, it paralyzes individual 
and thus kingdom advance. In other words, if we're constantly 
riddled with worry, panic, and fear, guess what we're not doing? Obviously, we're not seeking 
first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, but we're 
not functioning as faithful witnesses in the world. The Apostle Paul 
tells us in Philippians chapter 2 that we're supposed to shine 
as lights in a crooked and perverse generation. Brethren, if we look 
like everybody else in this crooked and perverse generation, we have 
betrayed our calling. The people of God are not injudicious, 
they're not rubes, they're not non-cautious, but at the same 
time, they are not fretting and panicking and freaking with the 
rest of the mass of society. Seventh, it shifts the focus 
from the eternal to the temporal. I think we're pretty well set 
on the temporal. I don't think we need more help, 
more education, and more instruction on how to be consumed with the 
present. We need to be taken up with the thoughts of that 
future kingdom. We need to be taken up with thoughts. 
Again, not to the exclusion, gotta qualify this, because sometimes 
people say, he's so heavenly minded, he's of no earthly good. That is nonsense. I have yet 
to meet that person who's so heavenly-minded that they're 
no earthly good. It's typically the heavenly-minded 
that are the most earthly good. But when we worry, when we fret, 
when we panic, it shifts the focus from the eternal to the 
temporal. And then finally, in terms of the dangerous fruits 
of worry, it reduces us to fearful, doubting, tormented souls instead 
of bold, faithful, obedient subjects of God's kingdom. Isn't that 
true? Isn't that what Christ calls 
us to? Don't worry. Don't think about these things 
the way Gentiles do. Understand that God knows your 
needs and God is going to provide for those needs. You, however, 
seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then 
these things will be added to you. You see, if we engage in 
worry, it reduces us to fearful, doubting, tormented souls instead 
of bold, faithful, obedient subjects to the kingdom of our beloved 
God. And then thirdly, the cultivation of contentment. I don't want 
to run through that. We've dealt with that in the Tenth Commandment. 
But then the final observation is the kindness of Christ. The 
kindness and the mercy and the goodness of Christ. He addresses 
something that is symptomatic to at least some people. I don't 
know the numbers. I don't know who out there struggles 
with carnal anxiety or worry or that sort of thing. I happen 
to be familiar at least with one of us, but I'd say some are 
affected by this. So what does Christ do? Christ 
gives us counsel. Christ gives us help. Christ 
gives us antidote. Christ gives us the medicine. 
Christ gives us the remedy. That is indicative of the love 
and the kindness and the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice 
as well, he doesn't belittle, he doesn't shout them down, he 
doesn't say, you terrible reprobates, I can't believe for a moment 
you'd actually worry about when you're going to eat or when you're 
going to get clothed again. He doesn't do that. Christ is full 
of pity, full of compassion, full of mercy, full of kindness. He acknowledges the presence 
of trouble in life. I've often thought Sometimes 
people present the gospel vis-a-vis the health, wealth, and prosperity, 
and I would argue that's not the gospel, but for the sake 
of argument, they present their version of the gospel, and there's 
no trouble. There's no heartache. There's 
no hardship. no difficulty whatsoever. I mean, 
if you come into their camp, I mean, it's money, it's jets, 
it's houses, it's all these great things. Christ isn't that way. Christ doesn't present the kingdom 
in that nature. Christ tells us sufficient for 
the day is its own troubles. You will have trouble. Later 
in the upper room discourse, he tells his disciples in this 
world, you will have tribulation. It's not lying. He's not hiding 
those things. He's not saying, well, you know, 
just look at this good part of the car. And then you drive it 
off the lot and it falls apart. That's not how Christ is. Christ 
is gracious and kind and honest. And he tells us what to expect. 
He emphasizes God's kingdom and God's righteousness. And he provides 
remedy for his people so that they can undergo a degree of 
peace. That's ultimately what Christ 
is doing. Yes, our priority structure needs 
to be right in terms of our Godward commitment, but in terms of our 
own lives and in our own day-in and day-out activities, it's 
this stuff that provides peace. Whatever the crisis is out there, 
whatever the hardship, whatever the travail, whatever the difficulty, 
whatever the affliction, the Lord God Most High has given 
His people a provision of peace, and He has called us to seek 
first His kingdom and His righteousness. Well, let us pray. Our Father, 
we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for this antidote 
against worry given by our Lord Jesus Christ. And I pray for 
each and every one of us, that we would be cautious, that we 
would be judicious, that we would be hard workers, that we would 
do the things that the Bible everywhere tells us to do. But 
God, keep us from this anxiety. Keep us from this panic. Keep 
us from this fretfulness. Keep us from this worry that 
so often paralyzes us. I thank you so much for my brothers 
and sisters. I thank you so much for this 
local church. I pray that you would bless each 
and every one of us. Cause your face to shine upon us. I pray 
that you would keep us. I pray that we would know the 
goodness of the Lord's countenance in each and every day. And I 
ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.