The Woe of Worry
6/1/25

Matthew 6: 25-34 NASB “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 life not more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more important than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit (18 inches) to his stature? 28 And why are you worried about clothing? Notice how the lilies of the field grow; they do not labor nor do they spin thread for cloth, 29 yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30 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! 31 Do not worry then, saying, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear for clothing?’ 32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you. 34 So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”
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In a world of terrorism, violence, moral madness, and international saber rattling, many of God’s people are being attacked with WORRY.

This is why Jesus dedicated a large portion of His Sermon on the Mount to the subject of worry.

He fully understood the futility of it and often spoke of it’s negative impact.

For instance, In His parable of the sower, the third person failing to bear kingdom fruit did so over worry:

Matt. 13:22 “The seed that fell among the thorns represents those who hear God’s word, but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life and the lure of wealth, so no fruit is produced.”—NLT
Jesus chided Martha for worrying, “And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.”—Luke 10:41 NKJV

The very word “worry” means, “to choke, or to go to pieces by being pulled apart, constantly distracted and preoccupied with various concerns.”

Worry afflicts people in all walks of life:

The rich worry.
The poor worry.
The intelligent worry.
The ignorant worry.
The young worry.
The old worry.

We worry about money, our aches, our pains, our jobs, if people like us or not…

Some worry because they’re NOT married, others worry because they ARE married.
America’s finest physicians are now saying that worry is–the mother of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and ulcers.

It’s not what you’re eating: it’s what’s EATING YOU that’s the problem!
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Worry is a form of backward faith!

Rather than believe something good is coming, the worrier believes that disaster is always just around the corner.

One person wrote, “Worry is a polluted stream that flows through your mind, drowning optimism, faith, and hope.”

Worry is interest paid on trouble that you’ve never had and likely never will.

Will Rogers wrote, “I’ve had many troubles in my life and most of them never happened.”–He just worried that they would!
This is why Jesus launched into a beautiful message on how and why not to worry.

First, He points out:

I. The futility of worry

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”—vs27

A cubit was 18 inches.

So let’s take someone who is 5’6” and wants to be 7 feet tall because they want to be a basketball star.

Let’s say you see them sulking in a corner one day and say, “What’s the matter?”

They reply, “I want to play basketball but I’m only 5’6”, but I believe if I worry enough about it, I will grow.”

You’d walk away thinking,

“How sad; not only is worry not going to cause him to grow, it’s robbing him of making the most of what he has!”

But that’s the way Jesus saw ALL WORRY—it won’t solve a single thing!

Worry can’t change the PAST, but it can ruin the PRESENT.

Worry won’t:

move a mountain,
bring answered prayer,
solve a problem,
heal a body,
calm your mind,
or lead to spiritual growth.

So Jesus said, “Don’t do it.”

And then He points out TWO top causes of worry:

First, PROVISION issues—the worry of not having enough.

Second, the FUTURE—what tomorrow may bring.

So let’s talk about these two causes of worry.

First:

II. Worry over not having enough—provision issues

Jesus said, “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?”—vs. 25

What you will eat, drink, or wear represent the things we need in life to get by.

It would include:
money,
shelter,
health care,
transportation, and so on.
Jesus assures us, “Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.”—vs 32

To prove His point, He turns our eyes toward nature and says,

“Look at the birds of the sky, that they do not sow, nor reap, nor gather crops into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.” (Vs. 26)

Birds don’t sow seeds and reap a crop like a farmer.

They don’t have barns to store extra seed for tomorrow.

A barn full of seed was like a farmer’s savings account.

It assured he had provision for the future.

But birds don’t have any guaranteed savings account or retirement plan!

Along with every other creature God made, they live each and every day in dependence on the provision of God!

And God doesn’t let them down!

ILLUS: I watch the birds every morning in a little wooded area just beyond my backyard.

They patiently walk along pecking little seeds from the ground that I can’t even see.

God has made sure they have something to eat every day, and Jesus said He will take care of you, for:

“Aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?” (6:26)

So first, “don’t worry about PROVISION.”
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And next Jesus taught:

III. Don’t worry about the future

“So do not worry about tomorrow;”—vs.34

There are 3 days we all deal with:

Yesterday,
Someday, and
Today.

YESTERDAY is passed, SOMEDAY hasn’t come, there is only TODAY!

That’s why it’s called “The PRESENT”–it’s a PRESENT from God.

TODAY is a gift from God!

This is why Jesus taught we’re to live life one day at a time!

In America we have a sort of destination addiction.

We believe that happiness lies somewhere in the future once we arrive at a certain destination.
When we:

receive that degree,
marry that right person,
make x amount of money,
live in that particular house,
drive that particular kind of car,

It’s the myth of the greener grass—-things will get better if I can just get from here to there—-THEN I will be happy and fulfilled!

But by the time a lot of folks find greener pastures, they’re too old to climb the fence!
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The belief that future days will somehow be easier or trouble-free is a myth.

Jesus said that “each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt 6:34).

It’s been said there are three ages of a person’s life:

Youth aged, middle-aged, and “My, you don’t look your age!”

Every age and every day brings its unique troubles!

Those who are still working say, “When I finally retire, then I will be happy!”

But retirement winds up being when you sit on the porch to watch the sun set if you can stay awake that long!
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So we’re not to somehow ASSUME that future days will be trouble-free.

And we’re also not to WORRY about a day that hasn’t arrived.

“Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.”

Tomorrow isn’t here yet, why worry about it?

You and I have no idea what God may do between today and tomorrow that changes everything in our favor!

As James said, “You know not what tomorrow brings…” (4:14)

Here’s the thing: Worrying about tomorrow causes you to carry two days at once.

You’re moving into tomorrow like you’d move into an apartment before the rent is due!

Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”

So Jesus advises, “Take life one day at a time.”
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Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow isn’t here yet; all you really have is TODAY!

So don’t worry!

Our God is on his throne.

Don’t worry–He’s greater than the giants that you’re facing.

Don’t worry–He’s greater than the sickness and the disease attacking you or someone you love.

He’s greater than the problems that are stressing you.

He’s greater than the financial challenges vexing you.

Our God is a provider.
He’s the Way-maker.
He’s greater than demonic powers.
He’s the shepherd who knows the way.

Our God is greater than the greatest.

Stronger than the strongest.

Higher than the highest.

Wiser than the wisest.

He is the God of all creation!
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I want to close with the greatest “don’t worry about it” passage in all of God’s word:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank him for his answers. 7 If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.”—Phil 4:6-7 LB