WWUTT 1966 God Feeds Birds (Matthew 6:25-30)

Matthew 6:25-34 and the Call Not to Be Divided by Worry

In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus said, do not worry about your life. Who of you by being worried can add a single cubit to his lifespan? Instead, trust in God when we understand the text.

Many of the Bible stories and verses we think we know, we don't. When we understand the text is committed to teaching sound doctrine and rebuking those who contradict it. Visit our website at www .wutt .com.

Here once again is Pastor Gabe. Thank you, Becky.

And greetings, everyone. Now then, where were we? Picking up where we left off last time in the Sermon on the Mount, we're in Matthew chapter 6, beginning in verse 25. I'll read through verse 34 out of the Legacy Standard Bible.

Hear the word of the Lord. For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life as to what you will eat or what you will drink nor for your body as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds of the air that they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? And who of you by being worried can add a single cubit to his lifespan?

And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will he not much more clothe you? You of little faith, do not worry then saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear for clothing?

For all these things, the Gentiles eagerly seek for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. And all these things will be added to you.

So do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. So it's been over a month since the last time we were studying in the Sermon on the Mount. But what we had last read was Jesus saying, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal.

But where should your treasure be? Your treasure should be in heaven where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. And the way he concluded that section was by saying no one can serve two masters.

You cannot serve God and wealth. And so it's in light of that instruction, he says, for this reason, I say to you, do not be worried about your life. And then what are the two things that he says not to be worried about?

He talks about food and he talks about clothing. How do you get food and clothing? Well, you buy these things, you have money that you purchase them with. So he has previously said, you cannot serve God and wealth.

Don't put your trust in those things, in earthly treasures that moth and rust destroy. So then verse 25 begins, for this reason, I say to you, don't be worried about your life. If you're worried about those material things that you need and beyond food and clothing, you even long for and pine for those things that are maybe not necessary for you to live, you think they're gonna make your life more comfortable.

But Jesus sticks with just the basic things here, food and clothing. We all need food and clothing. So if you're not to worry about this, then certainly you're not supposed to worry about the other stuff.

Now, what does Jesus mean when he says, don't worry? That might seem like a basic enough instruction, but shouldn't you be concerned about what I'm gonna eat today or what I'm gonna wear? I mean, those are actually decisions that we have to make today.

Especially if you have a family, I've gotta feed my family, what am I gonna do to make money to be able to feed my family? These are things that we have to think about. So what did Jesus really mean when he said, don't be worried about your life?

Don't be worried about food, don't be worried about clothing. Well, the word that gets translated worried, in the English language, it gets translated worried. It was originally written in Greek. Of course, Matthew's gospel was written in the Greek language originally.

The Greek word is more accurately translated, don't be divided. Or you might also understand this as don't be distracted. Those two words really have a better description of the word that's being used here than I think worry does.

Don't be divided over these things. Don't long more for the things of this world than you would long for the things of heaven. And remember what we just came from with Jesus saying, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven.

And what's the main point that he gets to in this section where he says, don't worry about your life. He says, seek first the things of heaven, right? Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. And all the things that you do need on this earth, your heavenly father will provide for you.

So don't be divided. Don't have a mind that is so in this world that it is distracted from the things of the kingdom of God. Because there are things that we must be doing for God and for his kingdom.

We've read about some of those things thus far. Jesus had laid out the law in chapter five. He had talked about doing righteousness and doing so in a way that is consistent in honor of the Lord. Not doing righteousness before men so to receive praise from them.

So we had instructions about worship, consistent worship, doing that with a heart that is unto God. And not to have a heart that is after the things of this world. But instead, don't be divided. Even in the most basic things that you need in this life, don't let your heart be going after those things in the world.

It's almost like right after Jesus had talked about storing up for yourself treasure in heaven. He then breaks this down to the simplest things, food and clothing. What might the people who were listening to Jesus think he was referring to when he said treasure?

What would they be putting in that treasure box when Jesus says, don't store up for yourself treasures on earth. What would you think about? Whenever you've heard a sermon on this section or you've heard a pastor stand before you and say, don't store up for yourself treasures on earth.

What goes into that treasure box for you? As you're thinking that through in your mind, what do you treasure? What do you hold most dear that you might be most devoted to or cling to the most tightly that is here on this earth?

What goes into your treasure box? That might be different for everybody. And it could differ according to which tax bracket you're in. Somebody who is in an impoverished level or somebody who's lower class, somebody who's middle class, they're gonna stick different things in that treasure box.

Somebody who's upper class will probably have a lot wealthier materials that he's gonna be putting in his treasure box. That's what he's clinging to the most tightly. But Jesus breaks it down to the lowest level.

This reason I say to you, don't be worried about your life. And what's the most basic things that you need in your life? Food and clothing. Now, I remember one time my wife was in a women's Bible study group and they were reading this particular section.

And my wife said something to the effect of, Jesus told us not to worry about the most basic things in life. And she said, food, clothing, and shelter. Now, you'll notice that Jesus doesn't mention shelter here, but that God will provide for us all these things, food, clothing, and shelter.

Those basic things that we need, God will provide those things for us. And there was a lady that was in that group that spoke up and said, no, no, no, no, no. Jesus never said that he would provide shelter for us.

Now, I don't really remember what her point was in saying that. But I don't think you limit what Jesus is saying here to just food and clothing. The point is that he breaks it down to our most basic needs.

Don't even be worried about food and clothing. You need food to live. You need clothing to stay warm. You need shelter to keep the weather out. And Jesus actually does get to shelter later on in Matthew chapter seven, where he talks about the wise man building his house on the rock and the foolish man building his house on the sand.

So there is a reference to shelter here, even though it might not directly be in Matthew six. So it's not limiting this to just food and clothing. Shelter is also a basic need, but even these things, God will provide for us.

He'll give us the basic things that we need for our lives. Now, even though you hear me saying that, yes, if you need shelter, he's gonna provide for you. Shelter, don't hear that being, he's gonna give you the nicest house, because that's certainly not what Jesus is talking about here.

He is going to give to us our most basic needs because he loves and cares for us. So coming back again to verse 25, for this reason I say to you, for this reason that you should be storing up treasure in heaven, rather than clinging too tightly to the things of this world.

Jesus says, don't be divided. Don't have your passions divided between earth and heaven. Long instead for the things of heaven. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness. While you're here on this earth, live in holiness.

All the things that you need will be added to you. So don't be divided between earth and heaven. You've probably heard the expression, don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good. Have you ever heard anybody say that before?

I remember having a pastor say that to me once. Don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good. And I thought it was profound. I was like, oh yeah, you're right. I need to be earthly minded enough that I can be heavenly good.

In fact, he said that to me too. So that's what made me think of it. But I need to have an earthly mindset so that I can do good for the kingdom of heaven. My friends, if somebody ever says to you, don't be so heavenly minded that you're no earthly good, that is a lie from the pit of hell.

If you are truly heavenly minded, then you will be of earthly good, seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, which we have to be living out here on this earth, right? It's not our righteousness.

It is the righteousness of God that has been given to us by faith in Jesus Christ. These are the things that we should be seeking after so that we may be the most earthly good. But the things of this world, don't let your passions be divided into that.

Don't be so earthly minded that you are of no heavenly good. That's a good thing to say, and that's a good counsel, good piece of advice. But the comment, don't be so heavenly minded, that's a lie. We should be heavenly minded.

That's exactly what Jesus is saying here. So don't be so divided that you're devoted to these things on earth. Even the poor, my friends, even the poor can treasure up stuff on earth that they neglect what God has said about longing for the kingdom.

Even the poor can love money more than they love God. We tend to be of this mindset that the poor are automatically blessed by God. After all, it says in Matthew chapter five, blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

And because of a way Jesus says that in the book of Luke as well, there are people who take that and they take it to mean that the poor automatically have the favor of God for being poor. Therefore, if you really want to be saved, you need to get rid of all your stuff and be poor.

You need to be socialist or something like that. That doesn't save anybody. That's still putting your trust in the world, in the material things. If I have less material things, maybe I'll be saved. That's not what Jesus is saying here, but that you would trust in him.

If you trust in less material things, you're still putting your trust in the amount of material things that you have. Our trust needs to be in Christ. Don't be divided between the things of heaven and the things of earth.

Don't worry about what you will eat and what you will drink nor for your body as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Life is more important than these things.

I'm a single issue voter. You might be as well. If a candidate is pro-abortion, if they are in favor of the murder of unborn children in the womb, I'm not going to vote for them. And there's people out there that are going to say, you got to be about more than just that.

What's the child going to wear when the child is born? What are they going to eat? What kind of environment are they going to grow up in? Jesus says right here, is not life more than food? Is not life more than food?

Indeed it is. And the body is more than clothing. So give your life to God and live in your bodies unto him. That's really what that comes down to. Jesus may not be saying that explicitly, but that's the logical conclusion.

Romans 12, one, in view of God's mercy, live your life as a living sacrifice, a living sacrifice unto the Lord, holy and acceptable to him. This is your spiritual act of worship. We live unto God and in this body, we live in holiness, life more than food, the body more than clothing.

Live unto the Lord and in your body, live lives of holiness and righteousness unto God. That's where Jesus is getting to as he continues through this. Verse 26, look at the birds of the air that they do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns.

And yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Look around. This is Jesus using natural revelation. You can just see from the world around you, God is caring for these creatures.

He provides for them, they feed, they are provided for, they raise their young. Look what God has done for them. Will he not much more give to you? How much more does he love you? You see him provide for these things, he's gonna provide for you.

You who were made in his image, you who were made to worship God, these creatures cannot decide to worship God. The Psalms certainly talk about how creation sings the praises of God, but it is us who were made in his image so that we might live unto the Lord.

All the other creatures that are made do not offer worship unto God like we have been made to offer worship unto God. So if you see that all of these creatures in the world, God provides for and they are alive and they have food and shelter and whatever else they need to survive, don't you know that we are worth much more than they?

I remember when I first started dating my wife, she had a little flip phone. Does anybody have those anymore, the flip phones? And when you flipped it open, it had a little message right there as the wallpaper.

You could customize the message, something that you needed to be reminded of every day. The message that she had when she opened up her phone was three words, God feeds birds. She just needed that three word reminder every time that she opened her phone, reminding herself that God is providing for birds and he loves you much more than even these.

And who of you by being worried can add a single cubit to his lifespan? I love that question as well. By being worried, by being divided, by going after these things in the world thinking, God, I'll do the heavenly things when I take care of this stuff first.

Do you think that that's gonna add to your life? You're adding one cubit to your span of life. It says in Job 14 that God has set our limits that we cannot pass. He has numbered our days. You can't do anything to add any more to your life than God has already guaranteed you're gonna have.

So why not put your trust in him? You are immortal in the sense that you are going to live as long as God has said that you are going to live. You won't live one day less, one day longer. So put your trust in God.

Verse 28, why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow. They do not toil, nor do they spin. Yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these.

All the riches and wealth that Solomon had. And in Israel's history, there was no one considered wealthier than Solomon. So out of all the wealth that he had, yet even what he adorned himself in was not as lovely in the eyes of God as the things that were created by his hand.

Not even Solomon clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, if God clothes the lilies, then the lilies are even lovelier than whatever we make. I mean, have you ever just stopped and looked at creation and considered how God makes things far more glorious than we can come up with?

We will ooh and ah at a magnificent painting, but a painting doesn't even compare to a sunset, any sunset on any given evening. The Lord is such a magnificent artist. So if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today, tomorrow it's thrown into the furnace, doesn't even last.

And yet it is clothed in the handiwork of God. Will he not much more, much more clothe you? You of little faith. You have so little faith. Do you deserve what God has given to you? And yet he gives it to you.

Do not worry then, do not be divided. Do not be distracted saying, what will we eat? Or what will we drink? Or what will we wear for clothing? For all these things, the Gentiles eagerly seek. Do you see that God has given even this common grace to the Gentiles?

So don't you know that he is going to give these things to you? And by Gentiles, you can make this synonymous with pagan. God's common grace, even among the pagans. So don't you know that God will give these things to you as well?

We read about God's common grace previously in chapter five. God causes his son to rise on the just and the unjust, his reign to fall on the righteous and on the unrighteous. God provides even for those who are pagan, God's common grace.

So don't you know that he's going to provide for you? All these things, the Gentiles eagerly seek. So what should you be seeking after? Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.

Your heavenly father knows that you need all these things. Seek him, seek his righteousness and all that you need will be added to you. Once again, that call to live in holiness, in righteousness before the Lord in your body, present yourself unto God as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to the Lord.

And this is your spiritual act of worship. So Jesus says, verse 34, do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. I'm going to come back to that thought again tomorrow, but let's finish our devotional lesson there.

It's great to be back with you. Let's conclude with prayer. Heavenly father, we thank you for what we have read here concerning not being worried, not being divided, not longing for the things of this world or storing up our treasure on earth, but we are to seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all the things that we need will be added to us as well.

Teach us all the more what this means. What does it mean today to seek the kingdom of God and to be righteous as we have been given the righteousness of Christ? Help us to meditate on the things of the Lord and rejoice in you and be thankful in you knowing that you have given us all good things in Christ.

It's in Jesus name that we pray, amen.

Thank you for listening to When We Understand The Text with Pastor Gabe Hughes. If you'd like to support this ministry, visit our website, www .wutt .com and click on the gift tab in the top right corner of the page.

Join us again tomorrow as we continue our Bible study when we understand the text.