"FOUR REASONS NOT TO WORRY ABOUT THINGS!"

Written and preached by David P. Nolte



MATTHEW 6:19-34

I want to credit Dr. Carl Bridges with the four major points of the message today. The words of Jesus in this text are designed to set at rest our worries and concerns for the things pertaining to our bodies and to this life. He would not have us fretful, but trustful. He would not have us fixed on earthly things, but heavenly. To illustrate His teaching, I want to tell you about a widowed mother. She struggled to be a good parent and worked long and hard to make ends meet. It seemed that she was always having to come up with money for shoes or clothing or school supplies. But she had ceased to worry and fret about these things because she had learned some valuable lessons in the school of hard knocks. The lessons she learned are lessons we ought to learn. The lessons are contained in Jesus' words to His troubled disciples and present the four reasons not to worry about things. Here's reason number one:
  1. MATERIAL THINGS ARE TEMPORARY: VV19-21:
    1. We have all experienced the transient nature of material possessions: Think about it.
      1. That car that once was new, shiny, quiet and filled with that new-car-scent eventually turns out to tarnish, rattle, ping, blow smoke and smell like a locker room.
      2. That computer that once was state-of-the-art has now become useful as a boat anchor or a door-stop.
      3. That fine suit of clothing you kept for special occasions ends up being your gardening garment or painting rags.
      4. Carpeting wears out, paint fades, furniture needs re-upholstering, tires need replacing and appliances go kafooey.
      5. Banks fail, savings and loans go belly up, and stock values fluctuate like an elevator.
    2. Notice the Biblical perspective on material things:
      1. Proverbs 27:24 "For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations."
      2. Paul says, "the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." 2 Corinthians 4:18.
      3. John says of the temporality of things, "And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever." 1 John 2:17.
    3. Jim Elliot, a Missionary who was martyred, said: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."
    4. It is one thing to be a good manager of our things, it is another to fret and worry about that which will pass away in time.

The mother had learned that lesson. She also decided that she could whine about her hardships or she could work through them. She decided she could be selfish and miserly with her few things, or she could be generous and liberal, sharing with others who had less than she. Her positive attitude to things produced a positive attitude to life. This represents another lesson Jesus taught: here's reason number two why not to worry:

  1. ATTITUDE TO THINGS FORMS ATTITUDE TO LIFE: VV22-24:
    1. Jesus used a colloquialism here.
      1. A "bad eye" represented darkness, evil, and implies selfishness and greed. It is so used in Proverbs 28:22 where we learn that "A man with an evil eye hastens after wealth, And does not know that want will come upon him."
      2. A "clear eye" represented light, good, and implies generosity and kindness. The word is used in 2 Corinthians 9:11 and is translated in the NIV as "generosity." "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
    2. If we worry about money, it becomes our focus; if it long remains our focus, we become enamored of it. We desire it and covet it and love it. And love of things and money
      1. Is the root of all evil and creates selfishness, materialism, suspicion, avarice, envy, covetousness, greed, idolatry and dishonesty.
      2. Makes it impossible to maintain healthy relationships with others. Selfishness drives others from us and us from others as we suspiciously imagine they want to get what is ours..
      3. Makes it impossible to serve God for something else always takes priority over Him.
    3. A grudging, selfish eye distorts our vision of things, of people, and of God. A clear, generous eye, allows us to see things as God sees.
    4. Attitude to things forms attitude to life! If you want to be miserable, try to find life in things and you will look without satisfaction; if you want to be content, learn to use things wisely, to share things generously, and to hang loosely to what you cannot take to eternity with you.

Again, this mother had learned that lesson. She and her two children had very little, but her attitude was positive. She had come to understand, and tried to convey to her children, that contentment does not depend upon having many things. Jesus taught that; here's reason number three why not to worry:

  1. LIFE CAN BE GOOD WITHOUT THINGS: V25:
    1. One man came to Jesus all shook up because his brother was trying to beat him out of his share of the inheritance. Jesus said, "Beware, and be on your guard against every form of greed; for not even when one has an abundance does his life consist of his possessions." Luke 12:15.
    2. A king had fallen into severe depression. His advisors told him that if he could wear the shirt of a truly contented man, his depression would vanish. He sent his couriers out into the kingdom to find a truly contented man. They returned in a few days with no shirt and the king asked, "Did you not find a truly contented man?" They said, "Yes, sire, we did. But he was impoverished and had no shirt!"
    3. The Bible reminds us that life doesn't depend on things:
      1. Proverbs 3:13-15 "How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, And the man who gains understanding. For its profit is better than the profit of silver, And its gain than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her."
      2. Proverbs 11:28 "He who trusts in his riches will fall, But the righteous will flourish like the green leaf."
      3. Philippians 4:12 "I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need."
    4. Note this contrast:
      1. Christina Onassis said, "Happiness is not based on money and the greatest proof of that is our family." Jay Gould, the American millionaire, had plenty of that. When dying he said: "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth."
      2. A saintly man, who had few possessions but enjoyed the simple things of life, was conversing one day with a millionaire. The poor man said, "You know, Bob, I'm richer than you are. I have as much money as I want, but you haven't!"

The mother knew that life could be good without a lot of possessions, but one stormy night she and her children were out of provisions except for a little bread. She didn't tell her children about the situation, but she began to pray. Little did she know how God would answer their prayer. Of one thing she was firmly and absolutely persuaded! God's promise is true! "And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19. Here's reason number four why not to worry:

  1. GOD WILL ALWAYS TAKE CARE OF US: VV26-34:
    1. Here's where people get upset:
      1. They want what they want when the want it and if they don't get it, they conclude that God failed.
      2. They forget that God promised to provide for our needs not our greeds.
      3. They forget that there are conditions to His provision:
        1. Psalms 66:18 "If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;"
        2. James 1:6 "But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind."
        3. James 4:3 "You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures."
        4. 1 John 3:22 "whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight."
    2. God has not promised to provide for the indolent, or the irresponsible, or the ungrateful, or the unbelieving. God has not promised to serve as a Sear's catalog; He is not a Genie in a lamp; He is not a gum-ball machine.
    3. Though it rains on the just and on the unjust, God's promises of provision are for those who trust Him, who love Him, who serve Him, and who obey Him.
    4. It might not be in your way or my way; it might not be in your time or my time; it might not be what you want or what I want; but God will take care of us in His way, in His time and as He wants.

The mother prayed for daily bread and trusted God to provide it. One day while the children were playing down at the beach, she knelt again and prayed. Shortly she heard the giggling children coming home. They were carrying a fine, large fish which had been trapped in a hollow on the beach, left there when the tide went out. They thanked God for His providence and ate a tasty and satisfying meal. We ought to have learned by now that worry is counter productive and has never solved a problem, paid a bill, or alleviated a distress. But those who have learned to trust Him, to lean on Him, to obey Him, have learned that He does provide. We cannot know what tomorrow holds, but we can know Who holds tomorrow; we don't know what will take place, but we know Who governs it. As the hymn suggests, "Be not dismayed what e'er betide, God will take care of you!" That's our hope for time, it is our assurance for eternity. Don't worry, don't fret, don't brood, don't cast off your confidence -- trust, believe, be assured, and obey. As we sing, give Him the worries that have long oppressed and distressed and receive His peace.

Fish story from Knight, New Illustrations, adapted; 4 major points based on Carl Bridges study, Bible 5410, Matthew, p. 17, Johnson Bible College, Knoxville, Tenn.

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