LOC 058 God Cares for His Own

LOC 058 God Cares for His Own

Two weeks ago we zeroed in on verse 33 of Matthew 6 to examine an important principle that rises to the surface of this section on the sermon on the mount.

We saw that “Seeking” is the fundamental act of those who would be Christ’s disciples. Disciples seek.  They seek two things: (1) The Kingdom of God and (2) His righteousness.

We looked at the Word for “SEEK” in the original to show it to be Plural Present Active Imperative meaning: All of you disciples are to be engaged in this activity of seeking from this time forward in obedience to this command. 

We saw that the word should be understood as pursuing or hunting down something of great importance.  It is after the seeking, that the promise comes of God providing all we truly need.

This morning I want to go back to look at some important and interesting things in the narrative itself.  But, first I want to remind you of some things Jesus has recently taught the disciples to pray for:

Turn back a page to Matt 6:9-11:

Matt. 6:9  “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread.

In Jesus’s sermon, he told the disciples how to pray about a minute ago.  In 6:25ff he teaches them to actively seek the things for which they pray--especially, the coming of the Father’s Kingdom, that his will would be done speedily on the earth and that the Father would provide their daily bread.

They were to be people of prayer and action.  Prayer alone in the quietness of the closet is not enough.  We must put action to our prayers to pursue those things for which we pray.  Seeking the Kingdom of God and his righteousness is a summary of all Jesus taught in the sermon on the mount and in all that follows.  We are called to a life of seeking if we profess to be Christ’s Disciples. We seek because we need God’s mercy and grace to provide for us materially and more importantly, spiritually.

That is why this transition is so important.  The therefore in verse 6:25 is a transition in order to apply all Jesus had already taught that day on the Mount by the Sea.  Because of all he has said in chapter 5 and 6:1-24, be actively engaged in these things with these perspectives:

1. Don’t be Anxious about Earthly things

Matt. 6:25 “ ¶ 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?

2. The First Illustration God’s Provision

Matt. 6:26  “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?

3. The Folly of Worry

Matt. 6:27  “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

4. The Second Illustration of God’s Provision

Matt. 6:28  “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29  “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30  “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?

5. Don’t Worry

Matt. 6:31  “Therefore do not worry, saying,  ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

6. Don't be like the Outsiders

32  “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

7. First Things First

Matt. 6:33  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

8. Final Summary

34  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Let’s look at the text more closely:

1. Don’t be Anxious about Earthly things

Matt. 6:25 “ ¶ 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.

The major category of worry addressed in this text is called life.  We are not to worry about any part that makes up what we call life.  And in this passage that is defined as four areas of worry: (1) eat; (2) drink; (3) body; & (4) clothing. In a dry climate these are the earthly things upon which people would spend so much of their time. 

The disciples were to pray for their daily bread because life was so different and difficult.  People would think in terms of one meal or one day’s provision.  Unless, they lived in a town with a market that day, many would have to scrounge for food, or at least prepare everything from scratch. Finding and preparing daily food was a job for the entire family.  It would have consumed a great deal of time.  One commentator suggests the process would have taken 8-10 hours collectively for a typical family.

With this was the constant need to collect of draw water. They did not have indoor plumbing.  They likely had cisterns to hold their water and perhaps another to hold some wine or other fermented beverage. Each day someone would have to take the skins (probably dried sheep bladders) or buckets, walk to wherever the closet well, stream or river was, draw out the water and bring it back to the house. This chore needed some strength behind it, so it is not one easily done by the children.  As you can imagine, getting drink consumed another large part of the day.  Therefore in the words eat and drink, we find two ordinary things that would have taken up an extraordinary amount of time. 

They were not to be worried about there bodily appearance which is best understood outwardly.  Even to the extent of washing, which in those days, was another time consuming and indulgent endeavor.

Clothing was another area they were to not worry about.  All clothing was made from scratch from the raw materials present in the culture or from expensive cloth brought in from the East.  To provide clothing, on the level we possess, would have been impossible.  Interestingly, Jesus teaches them to not worry about it. 

In all of these things he does not say to give it no thought, but to not worry about it.  This word for worry means 25.225 merimnao to have an anxious concern, based on apprehension about possible danger or misfortune — ‘to be worried about, to be anxious about.’ ‘can any of you live a bit longer by worrying about it?’ Lk 12:25; ‘do not worry about how or what you are going to say’ Mt 10:19. A legitimate concern is fine.  It is alright to give proportionate concern to the supply of daily needs.  A disciple is not to be given over to an anxious concern for legitimate needs. Concern is okay, anxiety is bad.

Those four areas of concern drove so much of the day to day activity in first century Palestine.  But to this Jesus adds:

Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

The implied answer is a hearty “YES”.  Life is more than those everyday perceived needs.  Living is so much more than the urgent requires.  The body is more than its outward appearance.  Instruction was needed to call the disciples to their correct priorities.  Jesus illustrates the love and concern of their heavenly Father with....

2. The First Illustration God’s Provision

Matt. 6:26  “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Consider the birds of the air.  They don’t spend all of their time consumed with their earthy provisions.  God provides for them what they need.

The disciples would be travelling around with Jesus indefinitely. They would have no regular source of income, nor a regular field to keep, nor a regular well from which to draw. They needed to take a lesson of trusting God to provide for them from the little birds who feed abundantly.

In a few cases we see God’s provision for the disciples through very ordinary things--like the Sabbath where the first few disciples gathered corn to eat.  We also find God’s provision for them in extraordinary things--Matthew’s banquet after his call to discipleship.  God provides in many ways for his own. 

Those who follow him as disciples and seek after him should find themselves with provision from his hand.  He doesn’t promise abundance to all, but to provide our daily bread. Because of his concern for his own.  Jesus asks,

Are you not of more value than they?

Just as the man with the withered hand was of greater value than a sheep, so to are Christ’s disciples of more value to him than the birds. This is an important lesson to learn.  God assigns great value to men, especially to those who earnestly follow him.  Jesus follows this question up with another one to show the folly of anxious concern for ordinary things.....

3. The Folly of Worry

Matt. 6:27  “Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

The expected answer again is “None of us can add anything to our own stature by having anxious concerns. There is nothing to be gained through anxiety and worry.  God takes care of his own.  We need to see that and trust in that.  Our problem is what we call the tyranny of the urgent.  We give ourselves over the concerns we see and become obsessed with them to the hurt of our own souls.  We need to get the right and godly priorities in place in order to pursue the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness.

Jesus deepens the instruction by giving them a second illustration after he asked that second obvious question.

4. The Second Illustration of God’s Provision

Matt. 6:28  “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29  “and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Even King Solomon, the most outwardly glorious figure in the Old Testament, was not outfitted like one of those beautiful lilies. The word used for Lily is a basic word meaning wild flower, usually uncultivated — ‘wild flower.’ Though traditionally this word has been translated as “lily”, scholars have suggested several other possible plants, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy. 

If God dresses up the wild flowers who don't work at all to make themselves presentable, there is something there for my disciples to learn about the providential love and care of our heavenly Father.

However, we must remember that Solomon’s greatest adornment was not in his wealth and riches, but in that he sought wisdom and understanding.  2Chr. 1:11 And God said to Solomon:  “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches or wealth or honor or the life of your enemies, nor have you asked long life — but have asked wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge My people over whom I have made you king —  12  “wisdom and knowledge are granted to you; and I will give you riches and wealth and honor, such as none of the kings have had who were before you, nor shall any after you have the like.” God added to him all that he needed and more because he sought the right things.

Jesus with an interesting change in the flora used in the illustration says, 

30  “Now if God so clothes the grass of the field,

Jesus had been talking about wild flowers or lilies. In a subtle manner he changes the illustration to grass of the field.  This is significant for the disciples: There are two words for grass in Greek.  This is the word used for small green plants (and in NT contexts referring primarily to green grass in a field or meadow) or young sprouts of anything green. 

Jesus moves from the greater glory of a flower to the frail young sprouts upon which they sat.  His argument is this:

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,

If God clothes the young sprouts of green grass which has little value except to be burned, will he not clothe you who will be of greater importance to the world?  It is as if they are the young sprouts just coming into view for some greater purpose.  Jesus then goes on to call them by an interesting titles.  He says to them all:

O you of little faith?

They were young sprouts in the faith.  Yet, Jesus had great hopes for them.  At this point however, immediately after their calling to be disciples, they are known as those of little faith. They had some faith, but what they had was small in stature.  The word for faith is the ordinary word for faith with a prefix added to show its meaning 31.96 ojlio/pistoß, on: pertaining to having relatively little faith — ‘of little faith, of insufficient faith a diminutive or seminal faith. Touching the faith, they were young sprouts in need of much growth and maturation.

Isn’t it refreshing to discover that the disciples were like so many of us?  This isn’t the only time Jesus uses this term for his disciples. Disciples are made through the process of teaching those with a little faith to be folks of even greater faith.  People have to start somewhere.  Jesus is so patient with his disciples even when they mess up almost continually.  Even when they don't get the point of his instruction, Jesus gives them grace and mercy.  He never withholds his fellowship from them because of their little faith.  He urges them and provokes them to move onto to greater matters of understanding and practice. 

When someone first comes into the doors of a Church, they may see themselves as being great in the faith, for that’s what our culture tells us to look for in ourselves and to act in confidence.  However, the reality is that people usually have little faith and are in need of patient and constant instruction.  But it is not until one sees their need to learn and to submit to the Scriptures that people will.  In an age obsessed with self-image, nobody likes to admit they need to learn the truth and to unlearn so much error.   It is a matter of pride. 

People recently believing need patient instruction to undo so much of the world’s influence upon them.  It takes time and patience like Jesus gave to his own disciples to see the process of discipleship start to take root in the little sprout of our day. 

When the disciples started they were of a teeny-tiny amount of faith. But there is also something to spur us on.  In two years after seeing the resurrection of Christ, these men were utterly consumed with spiritual things so much so that they turned the world upside down with their message of the Gospel.  We know the ending, we have no excuses for remaining as those with a diminutive faith. 

Because of all this, Jesus draws an important conclusion for them.

5. Don’t Worry

Matt. 6:31  “Therefore do not worry, saying,  ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’

Don;lt give yourselves over to anxious thought about your earthly provisions.  God will take care of those things at their proper time. He will provide for us through the ordinary concerns of life and most often in the ordinary means of commerce and work.  But, in extraordinary situations, continue to trust in him for all we need.  Don't be anxious about these things. 

6. Don't be like the Outsiders

32  “For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.

Food, Drink, the Body, clothing.  These are the things the unbelievers in the world are given over to.  They pursue them with great vigor.  They are given over to hunt them down and to get them for themselves.  Don’t be like them. Take comfort that Your Heavenly Father, not my heavenly Father notice, but Your Heavenly Father, knows, that is ever-aware that all of you need all of these things.

These things are legitimate needs in and of themselves.  It is okay to need them and to have them, but it is not alright to be given over to pursue them alone.  Life is so much more than these things.  Life is more than stuff, this existence is so much more than material things.  Therefore, disciples, this is what I want you to pursue as the primary concern for your life balanced by your legitimate needs:

7. First Things First

Matt. 6:33  “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

Seek the place where God’s rule is known intimately.  Seek that for which your were taught to pray.  Give yourself to the pursuit of those two elusive animals called the kingdom of God and his righteousness.  Pray for “10 Your kingdom come” and work to that end. That is of much greater importance than food, drink, the body, and even clothes.  Give yourself over to this pursuit.  May the will of God, which is for you to seek these things as disciples, “be done On earth as it is in heaven.” And, trust in God to Give us this day our daily bread. What God commands of his own, he gives the power to obey.

Therefore we as the disciples are to draw the following conclusion:

8. Final Summary

34  “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

“Therefore do not anxious concerns about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things.

If you add tomorrow’s worries to today you double you earthly cares.

Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

This is a practical  maxim: Every day brings its own cares;  and to anticipate is only to double them. The word for trouble means either evil or the trouble caused by evil.  One lexicon says, a state involving difficult and distressing circumstances — It may be quite difficult to find a way of translating this adage in a literal way, but one can use some such expression as ‘each day has its own way of causing trouble’ or ‘each day makes us suffer in its own special way.’

We should not expect all suffering or the effect of all evil to be lifted from us because we are disciples, we should expect the strength to endure it as we have legitimate concerns for legitimate needs each and every day.  Remember the Lord’s Prayer once again.  We are to pray that we would not be led into temptation and that we would be delivered from evil. Why, because His is the Kingdom and the Power and Glory forever.  Amen. We should pursue these things of God that they might be present here upon the earth among those who follow Christ in ever-growing degree. 

God pledges himself to be our God through the Lord Jesus Christ, we are therefore to be his people in what we believe and in what we do.  We are not our own, we are people under authority, the gracious and merciful lordship of Jesus who commands his disciples to follow him.