Do Not Be Anxious

Why Fear of Circumstances Doesn’t Fit with Faith
Matthew 6:25-34
2007.09.02
one28 Sunday worship

Last week we talked about the fear of man. Our assignment this week is to talk about fear of circumstances.

There is a remarkable amount of fear in the Bible. People are scared of situations and circumstances. Mothers are afraid for their children. Warriors are afraid of the enemy. Kings are fearful of traitors. Even Jesus’ disciples seemed to get scared regularly.

Likewise, there is a remarkable amount of fear today. We are afraid of all kinds of things. I know a couple people who are really afraid of bridges. Others are afraid of heights; some of storms. I’m dreadfully afraid of needles. Then there are the more general things that we’re afraid of like,

• being alone. We’re afraid that we won’t have friends, or especially that we won’t ever get married.
• being poor. We might not say it out loud, but a lot of us live in fear that we won’t have all the things that we want.
• being disliked. This is connected with the fear of man, but it may apply under fear of circumstances as well.
• being unhealthy or hurt, or having a loved one who is.
• death. A lot of people fall into this category, petrified of life’s end.

All of us fear (or have feared) something, or maybe many things. For some fear is a constant struggle, for others maybe they are fearful less of the time but when they are scared it wipes them out. Many people pay a lot of money to professional psychologists and counselors in hopes that their fear(s) can be treated. Many more spend a lot of money at the pharmacy to ease their fears, or they try to escape their fears with entertainment or intoxication.

But why do we as Christians fear? It makes more sense why an unbeliever would fear since from their perspective everything happens by chance and no one is in control. But why do believers fear?

Some Questions about Trust

If we are thinking about it (and sometimes that is the problem, we’re not thinking at all), I believe it comes down to one, or a combination of, three questions/concerns.

Does God know?

Maybe we know something He doesn’t. We’re scared because by the time God realizes what is going on, maybe it will be too late.

However, most of us know better than to think that God doesn’t know.

Is God able?

Maybe God knows, but maybe He is powerless to do anything about it, or perhaps He’s limited in what He can do. (For example, see here for a seminary prof who apparently doesn’t think God is able to control calamities.)

Again, most of us know better than to think that God doesn’t have the power to help.

Does God care?

This is where it really gets down to it for most of us. We know He knows, we know He has power, but we think He isn’t interested enough to take care of us.

But is that true? Moreover, is that biblical?

The Bible has a consistent message about fear: it is unnecessary. It might be our normal response, but it doesn’t have to be. And we’re going to spend most of our time learning right from Jesus Himself as He taught a crowd of people why they should not be anxious.

Some Truth about Trust

This is the clearest passage I can think of on trusting God and not being fearful or anxious. Four times in this paragraph Jesus commands His followers not to worry. This paragraph will also help us remember and meditate on biblical answers to the three questions above.

The PRINCIPLE of Trust v.25

25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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?

Though in verse 25 Jesus moves into a different part of His argument, there is still a close connection with the preceding paragraph. The Therefore is crucial. If God is our master we should have no worry, even about necessities. On the other hand, one reason some men are anxious and fearful is that they are serving the wrong master, and that master isn’t knowing, able, or caring. Fear grows out of greed and when our perspective is stuck on things under the sun.

But Jesus says, Do not be anxious. Stop being anxious. Stop worrying. The English word “worry” comes from an old English word (wyrgan) meaning to strangle or to choke; to seize by the throat and tear. Worry strangles contentment and thankfulness. And you are to stop being anxious about your life, the most basic and yet encompassing concern anyone could have. But Jesus teaches the principle that life is not defined by grub and garb. Life is much more than bread and threads.

Worry is the sin of distrusting the promises and providence of God, and it misplaces the primary issues of existence. Worry violates a theology which claims to recognize that God owns everything and God controls everything.

The ARGUMENT for Trust vv.26-30

26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Verse 26 refers to food. The many birds in Galilee provided an immediate object lesson. It’s not that birds do nothing to get their food, but they aren’t flitting around in fear! Yet, no bird was ever created in the image of God. No bird was saved by Jesus’ death. He has not prepared a place for birds in heaven. And if God takes care of them, won’t He take care of us?

Verse 27 refers to long life. Though we are an obsessed culture with trying to lengthen life, we have made no significant achievements beyond what God has set in place.

As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is but labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away. (Psalm 90:10)

Today, men die around 73, women around 80, between the two averaging 76. In a couple thousand years we’ve stretched our life span almost nil. Besides, worry doesn’t add time to life, it typically subtracts it!

Verses 28 through 30 refer to clothing. Jesus takes four times the space to confront our irrational fear of clothing, and He was speaking to a majority of people who probably only had one garment of clothing! We spend sooo much time and money on clothes. We lust after costly, stylish clothes which feed our pride. Our worries are seldom just not to be naked, making our fear even more fallacious.

God clothes the lilies and grass. Even the naked eye can see much of the amazing detail, shading and coloring of a flower. Under a microscope there is even more detail then the ancients could have ever imagined. Why are we worried? The grass is clothed and then burned. To hurry the baking process women would add dried grass to the fire to increase the heat level. If God takes care of such interim vegetation, won’t He much more take care of us?

The judgment God makes against men who worry is that they lack faith. They lack dependence on God.

The DISTINCTIVENESS of Trust vv.31-32

31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.

the Gentiles are those who have no hope in God at all. They have nothing to live for except the present and the immediate satisfaction they can have in things now. And the Gentiles eagerly seek these things? All advertising is built on this truth!

Worry is inconsistent with faith and is therefore sinful. Worry is inconsistent with Christianity itself and it keeps us from being salt and light. Unbelievers are those preoccupied with fear.

But our heavenly Father knows that we have need of these things. Even in our Lord’s model prayer (Matthew 6:8) He reminds us that in our praying God already knows what we need. There is no need to fear. And what’s more we will have NO distinctiveness if we are worried. We will be just like the majority, even the religious majority if we mention God with our mouths but intend to worry as if we were able solve our own problems.

The PRIORITY of Trust v.33

33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

After a series of rebukes, Jesus gives a positive command.

Seek His kingdom. Seek His rule, seek His authority, Seek His will (cf. Matthew 6:10). This is losing ourselves in obedience to the Lord. And we are also to seek…His righteousness. We ought to be so much more concerned with living holy and righteous lives than anything else.

We see again the very practical, applicable, instruction in dealing with fear. Think right and work hard. Inform your mind with truth and then invest your time. Don’t just sit there. You simply will have no time to worry if you seek righteousness first.

The CONCLUSION of Trust

34 Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

It seems that some people are so committed to worrying that if there is nothing to worry about today, they “borrow trouble” from tomorrow! But if God is the God of tomorrow–as well as of today and eternity–there is no reason to worry. We only need to depend on Him in our heart.

That each day has its own trouble is not a call to worry, but a call to concentrate on dealing appropriately with the providential struggles that God brings into our lives. There is no reason to worry about today or tomorrow.

Conclusion

Do you see how all of our questions are answered by Jesus? God does know. God is able. God does care.

Even more, this is one of the arguments of the gospel. Of course He knows and is able and cares. Consider the gospel; He knows our greatest trouble (sinful and punishment deserving), He is able to do something about our greatest trouble (sending His Son as a righteous, infinitely worthy sacrifice), demonstrating His great care (as His Son took our place). This argument from the greater to lesser was made by Paul in Romans 8:31-32.

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. We have no need to fear.