Matthew 6:25-34 * New Year’s Day 2010 *
Pastor Leyrer
Dear Friends in Christ,
Why Americans are fixated on reading self-help books is the subject matter, interestingly enough, of a number of books and articles.
Do you know the number of books that begin with “How to” and then go on to make grandiose promises if their twelve or ten or seven or three step formula is followed? The answer lies somewhere between the sands on the seashore and the stars in the sky.
Here’s just a sampling of books which are or have been on the market within the last 25 years or so (all, we assume, written by experts in their field):
How to Achieve Security, Confidence and Peace
How to Achieve Total Success
How to Avoid Stress Before it Kills You
How to Be a Better Parent
How to Be a Winner at Love
How to Be More Creative
How to be Slimmer, Trimmer and Happier
How to Beat Death
All of which is to say that when Great King Solomon wrote “of making many books there is no end” (Ecclesiastes 12:12) he might not have had the self-help genre in mind, but he certainly could have. And although there is no way to prove it, one would think that as a new year rolls around with its promise of a fresh start and new year resolutions, many will be looking once again for formulas to make the necessary changes happen.
That’s what we’re going to do as well. But unlike all those others we’ve mentioned, the source we are consulting is completely reliable. It’s the Bible. And the One who is providing the information is none other than the Son of God. And when His counsel is followed, it will in fact produce the desired results. Guaranteed.
In keeping with the aforementioned American penchant for formulas, what we have before us today as we enter this New Year we might entitle:
JESUS’ THREE STEP PROCESS FOR A BLESSED 2010
First let’s take a look at
the promise Jesus makes to us. In the beginning portion of our text Jesus
reassures His followers with these statements: “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 important than food, and the
body more important than clothes? 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?
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies 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.
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, O you
of little faith? 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…”
What’s the promise? Simply this: The Lord will take care of us and give us what we need in the days to come. The point Jesus makes is clear. If God provides for all of His other creation and creatures, does it not stand to reason that He will also provide for us, the crown of His creation, as well? Of course. Therefore, Jesus tells us not to worry about our life, because the Creator of the Universe has everything under control.
In commenting on this passage, Martin Luther made the comment that every bird we see preaches a powerful sermon on God’s providence toward us.
Jesus also addresses the futility of worrying about what we have no control over when He asks us: “Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Again, His point is clear. We can remove hours from our life by worry – but not add them. So Jesus tells us to replace the futility of worry with simple, child-like trust in Him.
The bottom line is this: Our Heavenly Father knows our needs – physical, emotional, and spiritual – better than we do. He will take care of us in the future, just as He always has in the past. And this is not just an exercise in blind faith or wishful thinking on our part. This is God’s promise to us. And it’s an excellent one to remember today as we enter 2010. Believing this promise is the first step of the process Jesus gives us.
The second step is enacting the plan that He outlines for us. Listen to the next verse of our text: “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” What’s the plan? It is this: Each of us is to give proper priority to our spiritual life – with the assurance that everything else necessary for our material life will then fall into place. Let’s analyze this passage.
Seek first = make a priority; give precedence; make important… His kingdom (or as many of us learned it in the King James Version, the kingdom of God) = God’s rule in our hearts; our spiritual lives… and His righteousness = first, the righteousness which is ours through Jesus; then, the righteous living which follows out of gratitude as we contemplate the Gospel message… and all these things = all our physical needs that Jesus had just been talking about… will be given to you as well = a promise; a solemn declaration from the only One who can truly make it happen.
Practically speaking, what does this mean? Obviously Jesus did not intend for us to take this to extremes. Providing for our physical lives and those of our family are clearly defined, God-given responsibilities. In fact, God in His Word has some pretty harsh things to say to those who evade these responsibilities, especially when they hide behind noble or “spiritual” causes.
What Jesus is telling us is to simply consider our spiritual lives every bit important as our physical lives, and then to act accordingly. How do we do this? Here are some suggestions (possible “resolutions” if you will):
· Establish a quiet time during the day or at certain times of the week when you can meet with Jesus through Bible reading and daily devotions and prayer.
· Give consideration to attending not only church for worship, but also one of our Bible Classes so that your faith can be educated and expanded.
· Freely talk about spiritual things like Christian love, forgiveness, how Jesus helps us in the struggles of daily life, who needs our prayers, etc. at the dinner table.
You get the idea. We need this encouragement from Jesus because we live in a complex, complicated world. We often lament how we don’t have time for this or that. Jesus asks us to make the necessary adjustments and make time with Him a priority.
And He knows what He’s talking about. I recently heard a local media personality on the radio talking about how she makes physical exercise first thing in the morning an important part of her routine. She went on to say that if she skips it, she misses it, and she’s found that on the days she skips she’s more prone to becoming depressed or overwhelmed by the events of the day.
The same thing can be said for spiritual exercise. That’s the second step of the process. When we enact Jesus’ plan the result will be a happier, healthier, more contented life, which, if attained, would not make the warning in the final verse of our text necessary…
Because it is essentially Jesus’ plea with us. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Jesus knows us well, doesn’t He? He knows our tendency to worry, so He addresses the subject again. And this is the plea He asks us to heed: Don’t worry. Instead, trust God. Believe Him when He says He’s got things covered, despite how you may perceive things at the moment.
You know, there is a big difference between believing in God and believing God. Every one of us here will say without the slightest hesitation that we believe in God.
But believing God can be another story, even for Christians. When God allows difficulty to come into our lives – as He may in 2010 – and then through His Word says to us, “My child, you are going through difficult times, but do not fear. I will see you through them and I will never leave you or forsake you,” we may not always at first believe Him.
When God says, “I know you don’t think it possible at the moment, but trust Me when I tell you that all things work together for good to them that love God,” we may not always at first believe Him.
When God says, “You may not agree with My timing and you may not understand My rationale, but I am now doing what is ultimately the best for your life or the life of one you love,” we may not always at first believe Him.
Which means we doubt – and, in the words of our text, we “worry about tomorrow.” Jesus pleads with us today not only to believe in God, but also to believe God when He promises to take care of us.
One more thing about this final verse. There is nothing wrong with providing for tomorrow. What Jesus is condemning is worrying about tomorrow. Taking life one day at a time is more than a cliché used by various support groups. It is sound, Scriptural advice. When followed, life becomes manageable. When not followed, the future can seem very scary.
And Jesus doesn’t want us to be scared. He wants us to be confident, assured, strong. So, again, He pleads with us: in the year ahead, don’t go borrowing trouble. Look to Me each and every day, and each and every day I’ll give you everything you need.
Above all, Jesus says, look to the cross. There you see the full extent of My love for you. Sins forgiven. Heaven opened. My abiding presence promised as your Living Lord. Please know, says Jesus, how deeply you are treasured by Me.
We are in day one of a brand new year. In keeping with our culture, Jesus provides us with a three step process for ensuring that 2010 will be a blessed year for us, come what may.
Therefore, having listened to what He tells us in His Sermon on the Mount, God grant us the strength, wisdom and power to
Believe His promise… Enact His plan… and Heed His plea. Amen.