25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:25-34 NIV)
We are trained to worry about everything. I heard someone say that a couple months ago, and it stuck with me. We today are trained to worry about everything. A hundred years ago, when it was summer, do you know what people said, “It’s hot.” Now when it’s summer, what do people say, “Heat warning! It’s going to be miserable. It’s never been like this before!” We’re trained to worry about everything. Alerts constantly pop up on our phones: “There’s a tropical storm in the Atlantic! Roaches are bad this year! This winter is going to be cold!” What’s the ominous message: “Watch out!” All day. Every day. We are trained to worry about everything. Do you?
If that weren’t bad enough, shocking events happen that are truly worrying. Like Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Whatever you think about his politics, that shouldn’t happen. Ever. How can someone be assassinated at 31? If that can happen to him, who else can it happen to? There is so much evil in the world. It’s hard for our minds to process it. And when our minds can’t process something, what do we do? We worry. We get anxious. Is that how you’ve been feeling lately?
Then I’m glad you’re here, because to a world full of worry, Jesus says, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?” What does Jesus tell us? “Do not worry.” We need that, don’t we? What are the two biggest questions we ask every day? “What are we going to eat?” and “What am I going to wear?” Jesus knows us, doesn’t he? So he says to us, “Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear.”
Instead, “look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” This is a little embarrassing for us. Know why? The birds are wiser than we are. A sparrow is a better theologian than we are. What do birds do? They wake up each morning and sing songs to God. Do we? What sermon could a sparrow preach to us? “Look at you! You have a house and cars and a refrigerator and stores and restaurants, Yet, you can’t find peace and are always worried about everything. I don’t have any of that, yet God always provides for me.” Whenever you hear a bird sing, you’re listening to an excellent preacher.
Because Jesus says, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” If God cares for the littlest bird, do you think he cares for you? Of course! You are so much more valuable than they are! How do you know? Well, did you hear what Jesus calls God? “Your heavenly Father.” You are the child of God. God is your Father. Think of your own kids. Should they be worried whether you’ll feed them today? Of course not! Should they be worried whether you’ll love them today? No! If that’s true for us human parents, then a child of our heavenly Father never needs to worry.
In fact, “can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Think about that: Who of you by worrying ever kept yourself from getting sick? Who by worrying ever got your child into college? Who by worrying ever made the stock market go up? Worrying doesn’t accomplish anything. It only makes us more worried! Jesus today invites us to stop worrying about things we have no control over. Instead, put them into the arms of your loving Father. Learn from the birds!
But let’s make sure we understand what the birds are preaching to us. It’s not that we shouldn’t work or make plans. Don’t walk out of here today, quit your job, buy that dream house on the beach, and say, “Pastor told me to do it.” No! That’s not what Jesus means. What he means is that as you work and study and parent and serve to the best of your ability, you don’t have to worry about the outcome. You can walk out of here knowing that while work is inconsistent, while financial disaster is always looming, while sickness can pop up at any time, while our country is in turmoil, you don’t have to worry, because your heavenly Father cares for you.
Jesus knows how hard this is for every one of us. So he keeps preaching: “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.” There’s another theologian in nature who is constantly preaching to us. Who? Every flower. God has filled the earth with little flowers, yet not one of them worries about how it should grow or what color it should be. It leaves all that up to God, and God makes those flowers more beautiful than any human being.
“If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” If God cares for flowers, do you think he’ll care for you? Of course! Those flowers are only around for a couple days. If God puts all that care and concern into something that’s here today and gone tomorrow, how much more do you think you matter? Way more! Do you see what Jesus is saying? Every flower is really a preacher of God’s grace. What is that preacher telling us from God? “Do not worry.”
In fact, Jesus adds a little phrase to show how serious worry is: “You of little faith.” It must have hurt Jesus’ followers to hear him say that. “You of little faith.” It hurts us to hear him say that. But what’s behind worry? Isn’t it a lack of faith in God and his love? If you believe that God is your Father… If you believe that God loves you… If you believe that God controls everything… Then why are you worried? Every worry doubts God. Every worry betrays a lack of faith in God.
“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.” Jesus says that worrying is what pagans do. Do you know who a pagan is? Someone who doesn’t believe in God. Should pagans worry? Absolutely. If you don’t believe in God, then worry. Worry all the time! If you don’t have God in your life, then you should be worried!
But, hold on, what does that mean when we’re worried? We’re acting like unbelievers. Every worry shows what we’re really seeking, instead of seeking God. Every worry shows what we’re really trusting in. If I worry about money, what am I seeking? Money. If I’m anxious for my children, whom am I really depending on? My children. If I’m worried about our country, what kingdom am I seeking? This kingdom. Our worries and anxieties are a window into our hearts. Sadly, they show sinful hearts that don’t trust in the Lord. Can you see how serious worry is?
So here’s the key: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” If you and I want to find peace in place of worry, we need to change what we’re seeking. Instead of seeking wealth or health or the perfect family or perfect country, whose kingdom should we seek? God’s. Jesus promises us: “When you seek first God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, all these things—food, drink, clothes—will be given to you as well.”
How do we become part of God’s kingdom? Jesus told us. Well, actually he told a man named Nicodemus: “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5). God makes us a part of his kingdom when we’re born again of water and the Spirit—when we’re baptized. When you were baptized, God because your Father. You became God’s child. You became part of something so much greater than the United States of America. The more you think about that, the less you’ll worry. “Seek first his kingdom…”
“…and his righteousness.” This is so important. Righteousness doesn’t come from us. Do you know where it comes from? The cross of Jesus. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). At the cross of Jesus, God performed an exchange. He took all our sins and put them on Jesus, and he took Jesus’ righteousness and gave it to you and me. That’s where salvation is found. That’s where righteousness is found. At the cross of Jesus! “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness…”
“…and all these things will be given to you as well.” After God has done all of that for us—made us his children and died on the cross for us and given us forgiveness and salvation—do you think God will abandon us? No way! “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, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:31-32). Did you hear Jesus’ words? “Your Father knows that you need them.” “All these things will be given to you as well.” God’s got you, so do not worry!
Even when shocking things happen. Before Charlie Kirk was shot, someone knew it was going to happen. Who? God. The Bible says, “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Psalm 139:16). You can’t die a moment before God’s time for you. So don’t worry about it. Even death isn’t the end. What did Paul say? “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). This takes faith, doesn’t it? The worst thing that death can do to you is send you home to heaven. Great! Even in the face of death, do not worry.
Jesus ends with very practical advice: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” I tell myself those words just about every day: “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” You and I weren’t made to handle more than one day at a time. Even that, of course, we can only do by God’s grace. When you worry about tomorrow, you’re trying to handle two days at once. And if you add in next week and next month and next year… There’s no way! Thankfully, God has tomorrow and next week and next month and next year all planned out. Don’t worry about them. Each day, find strength from Jesus to handle today.
We are trained to worry about everything, but Jesus came to take all those worries away. When you watch TV, you hear: “Worry! Worry! Worry!” But when you listen to Jesus, you hear: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27-28). When you scroll social media, you hear: “It’s hopeless. It’s a disaster. What is the world coming to?” But when you listen to Jesus, you hear: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). I know everything seems to be falling apart, but look at the birds. Look at the flowers. Look at Jesus. He has a smile on his face. Know what he says to you? “Do not worry.”
(To listen to this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior podcast, please click HERE. To watch this sermon on my Upside-Down Savior YouTube channel, please click on the link below)
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