Sermon for Sunday, May 4th, 2025 at First Presbyterian Church at Unionville, NY (BPC)
Old Testament Reading:
[Psa 55:16-23 ESV] 16 But I call to God, and the LORD will save me. 17 Evening and morning and at noon I utter my complaint and moan, and he hears my voice. 18 He redeems my soul in safety from the battle that I wage, for many are arrayed against me. 19 God will give ear and humble them, he who is enthroned from of old, Selah because they do not change and do not fear God. 20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends; he violated his covenant. 21 His speech was smooth as butter, yet war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords. 22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved. 23 But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction; men of blood and treachery shall not live out half their days. But I will trust in you.
New Testament Reading:
[Phl 4:4-7 ESV] 4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Gospel Reading:
[Mat 10:26-33 ESV] 26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Sermon Text:
[Mat 6:25-34 ESV] 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? 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? 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. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Introduction
There are two major problems people suffer from:
(1) regret of the past.
And
(2) anxiety about the future.
In many text of the Scriptures we find God’s answer to the first problem. Over our regrets of the past, over our sins, God grants forgiveness through Jesus Christ. Our sins are washed away by the Grace of God.
Then, in certain passages like ours today, we find God’s answer to the second problem. Over and against worry, we have faith as a gift from God who is proven to be trustworthy that we might trust in him rather than needlessly worry.
In this passage from Matthew’s Gospel we look at worry, being anxious, and the Lord’s solution which is faith.
Context
It is of value to note something of the context. Our text starts off with the word “therefore.” And we want to know that the therefore is there for. It has a connection with what has just been said. What is that connection?
We are still in the Sermon on the Mount, that greatest sermon of Jesus Christ. And in the previous section Jesus tell us his listeners to “lay up treasures in heaven” and to worship God not money. He explained that the things of this world are fleeting; moths eat up clothes, rust destroys metal, and all possessions are at risk of thieves. But, now if we trust in God — if we seek first his kingdom — we need not worry about any of the things of the world. Neither our clothing, nor our food, nor even what tomorrow might bring. All is well when we trust in the Lord.
I. The Problem – Worry
There is a single problem — worry — that Jesus now addresses. And he speaks of it with two specific examples. Worry over food, and worry over clothing.
A. Worry over food. (v. 25-27)
First, there is worry over food.
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? 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?
We are to LEARN FROM THE BIRDS. Doesn’t that sound strange? What can the birds teach us? Don’t they have BIRD BRAINS?
Well, have you ever see Peterson’s Field Guide to birds?
It has Falcons and Eagles and the great Albatross.
There’s Herons, and Warbler’s, and Wrens, oh my.
There are A LOT OF BIRDS in nature! The conclusion must be “God really likes birds.”
But, now, we find that we are more valuable than they. God loves birds, but He loves you far greater.
So there is the argument from the lesser to the greater.
If God so well feeds the birds, won’t he not also feed you?
It’s not wrong to work hard.
It’s not wrong to store grain into barns.
It’s not wrong to pray “give us this day our daily bread.”
But it is wrong to worry about what you will eat.
“Worry” here in the Bible clearly is not just “taking a general interest and being prepared,” it is more like “obsessing over.”
So the admonition is “Do not obsess over what you will eat.” The Lord will provide.
Nor should you obsess over what you will wear. That is the second example: worry over clothing.
B. Worry over clothing. (v. 28-30)
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?
In our ESV we have the word “anxious” 5 times in our passage. Other Bible versions (in fact most of them) translate it as “worry.” So “anxious” and “worry” are equally good English words here; they are synonyms.
So we are not to worry about what we will eat.
We are not to be anxious about what we will eat.
And
We are not to worry about what we will wear.
We are not to be anxious about what we will wear.
Clothing is quite plentiful in our day and age. But that doesn’t mean people don’t worry about it. Its just that now it is more of a worry about being in style than a worry about covering yourself and protecting against the elements.
Have you noticed that if you go to a mall, a high percentage of the stores are women’s clothing stores. That is evidence of a great care for what is worn.
Men worry about image as well. But there’s is displayed more by trucks and tools than clothing and jewelry.
But WHATEVER we worry about – whether clothing or food — ultimately the problem is A LACK OF FAITH.
“O you of little faith.”
Worry, anxiousness, is ultimately a lack of faith.
And therefore, it is a great sin.
I think that is worth repeating. Worry is sin. It is sinful to worry … because it is a denial of God. It is a lack of faith in Him.
And this grave sin spreads like a cancer. Your worry leads others to worry. And worry leads you away from trusting in God.
What is the solution then? The problem is worry. It is the sin of worry.
The solution … is faith.
II. The Solution – Faith.
And this solution helps us to understand so much greater what faith is.
Jesus is NOT saying “HAVE MORE FAITH” as in “pull yourself up by your bootstraps and do better.”
Rather, he is providing REASONS why we are to have faith. And in doing so HE BUILDS UP FAITH IN US.
And so we understand that FAITH is a gift of God,
and faith is produced not by the believer, but by the one whom is trusted. [KEY POINT]
We have faith in our TRUSTWORTHY God BECAUSE HE HAS PROVEN HIMSELF WORTHY OF OUR TRUST.
Jesus says “Have faith” and “here’s why.” Here is why YOU can trust in God. God proves His character and His love for us.
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?
“Look.” An example. Look at the birds of the air. Is not God worthy of our trust. He will feed us too. So we need not worry.
And “Consider” What a beautiful word. Consider. How kind and great is our God that He reasons with us in this way.
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,
Solomon in all his glory. How was Solomon dressed? The Scriptures don’t actually specify what Solomon wore. But it must have been impressive because we do know that he had great wealth of silver and gold, and much food on the table, and that he “excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom.”
So that is PEAK WEALTH.
But God “clothes” (in a metaphorical way) the lilies of the field with even greater appearance. Think about the fact that you often take pictures of natural beauty. But have you have taken a picture of someone’s shirt? Probably not.
Well, the argument is that God clothes “the grass of the field” (nature) so wonderfully, and again, you are even greater than grass, so you can trust that GOD will clothe you. HE is trustworthy. Therefore, you need no worry. Have faith in the Lord, in all things.
God knows what you need. And He is a loving Father.
Therefore, you CAN (YOU ARE FREE) to seek the Kingdom of God; you can prioritize your relationship with God above all other things because He is greater than all other things, and will provide what you need.
So this is a call to REMEMBER WHO GOD IS.
You worry because you forget who God is, and you forget who you are.
But YOU ARE a child of God.
And GOD IS SOVEREIGN over all things.
And, He is our HEAVENLY FATHER. Twice in our passage God is called “our heavenly Father.” This is a personal reference, not to a distance God, but a God who is there for you and who loves you.
We are BUILT UP by God, with FAITH in HIS GREATNESS. THEREFORE, we need not worry. We know that God has it all under control. What a great relief to know that God is God.
Application: What am I to think about instead of worrying?
IF I’M NOT GOING TO WORRY, WHAT AM I GOING TO THINK ABOUT.
So often in Scripture we are told in various ways to “Put off the old, put on the new.”
So if you are to “stop worrying” you need something else to fill that space or you’ll simply go back to worrying.
You stop worrying, and you think about the things of God.
Paul says in Philippians “Think about these things.”
[Phl 4:8 ESV] 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
And that is immediately after he said,
[Phl 4:6 ESV] 6 do not be anxious about anything,
And, he said,
[Phl 4:7 ESV] 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Conclusion
How’s that for a trade?
You give up worry, you get the peace of God.
Worry is inconsistent with faith.
Those who have not seen God work, they worry. And the cares of this life dominate their thoughts.
But those who know God, have peace.
Let us, by the power of the Holy Spirit, trust in God and so have peace.