Matthew 6:19-34

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

August 5, 2007

Matthew 6:19-34

6^th in Sermon On The Mount series

This summer we are looking at how we can learn to walk like Jesus taught. Jesus has taught us how to walk in His ways – how to be His people – how to follow in His footsteps – and we need to look at His words – His teachings – so we can walk as He taught us how to walk.

We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.

We need to learn to walk like Jesus taught.

We’re looking at one of the places where Jesus taught us how to walk in His ways — the Sermon On The Mount – Matthew chapters 5-7. As we look at these chapters we’re seeing how Jesus taught us to walk – and learning how to

Walk Like Jesus Taught

Walk Like Jesus Taught

Walk Like Jesus Taught – that’s our theme for the summer.

We’ve already seen how the Sermon On The Mount is an important piece of scripture. It’s the longest segment of scripture with just the teachings of Jesus – and it’s a piece of scripture where Jesus gives the guidelines for how His followers should live. Matthew places it at an important point in Jesus’ ministry. As Matthew records the story of Jesus, Jesus has been born – raised in Nazareth – has been baptized by John – has been tempted by Satan in the wilderness – and has now begun His ministry of teaching and healing. He has begun to attract crowds of people — and has even called some to be disciples.

But – the crowds – and especially the disciples – must have wondered how they were supposed to live – how they were supposed to act – what they were supposed to do. The disciples had given up their old lifestyles to follow Jesus – and they were probably wondering how they were supposed to live now that they were following Jesus.

Well – they were about to find out.

As Jesus climbed that mountainside – He began to teach His disciples how He wanted them to live.

And the disciples began their attempt to walk like Jesus taught.

Walk Like Jesus Taught

Walk Like Jesus Taught

We began in June looking at the first 12 verses of Matthew 5 – what we call The Beattitudes – and we saw how the first step to walking like Jesus taught is walking in God’s blessings by surrendering yourself to God, giving Him control of your life, and serving others with a heart of compassion.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s blessings.

That’s the first step.

We then looked at Matthew 5: 13-16 – and saw how we can be the light of Christ in the world as we live like Jesus lived – or – as I put it — walk like Jesus walked.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk in God’s blessings.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk Like Jesus Walked

These are the first 2 steeps we must take.

We then looked at Matthew 5:17-32 – and saw how the third step in walking like Jesus taught is walking in righteousness.

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

We then added a fourth step as we looked at Matthew 5:33-43 – and saw that – if we are going to walk like Jesus taught – we are going to have to walk in love.
Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Last week we added another step as we looked at Matthew 6:1-18 – and saw what it might mean to walk in true righteousness.

Walk Like Jesus Taught:

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Walk in true righteousness

5 steps to what it means to walk like Jesus taught.

Today we’re going to add a 6^th step as we look at Matthew 6:19-34 – and learn how we can walk in trust.

Listen to God’s word:

Read Scripture

Walk Like Jesus Taught:

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Walk in true righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Do you remember the catchy tune from over 20n years ago with the lyrics:

Here’s a little song I wrote
You might want to sing it note for note
Don’t worry, be happy

It was jazz singer Bobby McFerrin’s huge hit — “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” The song was his only claim to fame – but no doubt you’ve heard it. It has already made him a bundle of money, but if he received a nickel for each time his song was mentioned in a speech or a sermon, he would be richer than Bill Gates! It became popular again several years ago as “The Amazing Singing Fish” that some people had hanging on their walls whistled and sang the tune. It really became a joke in Sally’s family because her Dad had the fish hanging on the wall of his room in the Nursing Home – and he and his friends got a kick out of it.

The song struck a chord with people not just because it has a catchy melody, but also because it touches on a subject we all struggle with – the subject being: worry.

Some of the rest of the lyrics go like this:

In every life we have some trouble
But when you worry you make it double
Don’t worry, be happy

Ain’t got no place to lay your head
Somebody came and took your bed
Don’t worry, be happy

The landlord say your rent is late
He may have to litigate
Don’t worry, be happy

The message of the song is obvious – and really somewhat simplistic: Don’t worry. Be happy. Of course, in the real world, it’s not always that simple—or, at least, it doesn’t seem that way. Our worries often consume us. In the Old English language, the word “worry” came from the root of the word “to choke.” That makes sense, doesn’t it? Worry has a “choking” quality to it – does it not? It saps the life out of you and it drains you of your energy. The crazy thing about worry is that, instead of motivating us to take action, it often causes us to withdraw and do nothing about our problems — and they become worse and worse.

Here’s something I’ve learned about worry: I don’t worry about things I’m sure of. You probably don’t either. We don’t worry about the things we’re sure of – we worry about the things we are uncertain about.

When you go to bed at night, do you lie awake and say, “Oh no! What will I do if the sun doesn’t come up tomorrow?” Probably not – because you are certain that it will. Do you lie awake and worry: “What am I going to do if tomorrow I discover that 2 plus 2 no longer equals 4?” Again, you don’t worry about things like that – you are certain that 2 plus 2 will always equal 4, and nothing can change that fact.

We don’t worry about the things we’re sure of, we only worry about the things we’re not sure of. Of course, different people are uncertain or unsure about different things – so different people worry about different things. Some people lay awake at night wondering if their spouse really loves them; others never give it a second thought. Some people lay awake at night wondering if their children are getting into trouble; others never give it a second thought. Some people worry about their health, others don’t. Some people worry about their wealth, others don’t. Some people worry about job security, others don’t. It’s all a question of what things in your life you are sure of and what things in life you are not.

In Matthew 6:19-34, Jesus gives us a sixth step to take in our attempt to walk like Jesus taught – walk in trust.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Jesus gives us some good news — When your mind and your heart are in tune with God, you don’t have to worry about anything.

That may sound impossible. It may sound as unrealistic as some stupid fish gadget hanging on the wall singing: “Don’t worry, Be happy.”

It may sound impossible, but it’s not—according to Jesus.

Jesus says it’s a simple as this: Put God first, and you can say good-bye to your worries forever.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

In Matthew 6:19-34 Jesus talks about our attitude towards money, towards worry, and towards God. In these verses He shows us what we can do to eliminate worry from our vocabulary once and for all.

Here are three things Jesus tells us to do so we can walk in trust – not in worry.

1. Rethink your priorities.

Jesus says:

(v. 19-20) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Many times you hear these verses applied to the subject of giving your money to a church or ministry. I heard a TV preacher say once, “Instead of putting your money in your IRA—your Individual Retirement Account—put it in your ERA—your Eternal Retirement Account.” Of course, this TV preacher was offering to hold your ERA in trust for you until you get to heaven.

Now, of course, we should give generously to God’s work, and we all know that. But when Jesus spoke these words, He wasn’t making a request for donations to his ministry, He was telling his listeners how to live above their problems. It’s as simple as this: If your first priority is money, you will never have peace of mind or for that matter serve God effectively.

Jesus said,

(v. 24) You can’t serve both God and money.

In the Greek there’s an interesting play on words in verse 19 that is worth pointing out. In the NIV verse 19 reads:

(v. 19) Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth…

The Greek word for “store up” is thesaurizete. The Greek word for treasures is thesaurous . Both words come from the same root: treasure. So — Jesus is literally saying: “Do not treasure your treasures.”

He’s not saying that you can’t have a retirement account. He’s saying “Don’t spend your life compiling wealth that you have no intention of using.” He’s talking about a Scrooge mentality that finds satisfaction in stockpiling money. When you have that mentality, you don’t use your money to help others – and you never have enough money.

It amazes me when I meet wealthy people who don’t think they’re wealthy at all. They have more money than I do, more money than the overwhelming majority of people on the planet, but they don’t think they have enough—and the driving force in their lives is to get more, more, more. You may not consider yourself wealthy, but to many people you may be very wealthy. And if the driving force of your life is to accumulate more wealth, more financial security, you will never have enough to give you peace of mind.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Does that mean it’s a sin to have a savings account?

No, of course not.

We need to save money for emergencies, for retirement, and so on. But don’t treasure your treasure. Don’t put your trust in it. Don’t derive your happiness from it—or happiness will elude you throughout your entire life.

The first step to being able to walk in trust and not in worry is: Rethink your priorities.

Is money more important to you than anything else? Remind yourself as often as is necessary that there are more important things in life money.

Jesus said,

(v. 25) Therefore, 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?

If you’re worried about something, it may be because you’ve put it too high on your priority list.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

What do you worry about?

Do you worry about what others think about you? There are things in life more important than the opinions of others.

Do you worry about your job? Your job isn’t the last job on earth; there are other jobs out there.

Are you worried about a promotion? This won’t be the last promotion to come along; there will be other chances. There are more important things in life than a job promotion.

Are you worried about the stock market? This isn’t the first (or the last) downward trend in our nation’s economy, and it certainly won’t last forever. There are more important things in life than the value of your stock portfolio.

As I stated earlier, we worry about the things we’re not sure of, so make the effort to rethink your priorities. Jesus said the most important thing in life is to…

(v. 33) Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness…

You can’t serve God and money, Jesus says. If you want your life to work, if you want to experience freedom from worry, make sure that you’re sure of this one thing:

God has first place in your life.

Seek Him.

Serve Him.

Rethink (and, if necessary, redefine) your priorities; put God first.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Some of you may say, “I’m not worried about money or things. I’m worried about my marriage! I’m worried about my kids! I’m worried about my health! And these aren’t trivial! They really matter!”

This is true. And it brings us to the second key in dealing with worry.

2. Trust in God’s provision.

When we worry, we worry about things that we think are beyond God’s control. We worry about things we are unsure of, and if we’re unsure of God’s willingness and ability to provide, then, friends, we do have a lot to worry about, don’t we? On the other hand, if we trust God to take care of us, our worries will melt away.

Jesus said,

(v. 26) 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?

He goes on to say,

(v. 27) 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.

Jesus then says,

(v. 31-32) So do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

We worry about things we’re not sure of, but one thing Jesus said you can always be sure of is that God will meet your needs. He will take care of you.

Are you worried about your marriage? He will take care of you. Does that mean you’ll never have marital problems? No, but He will take care of you – even if you have marital problems. He will take care of you through and in the midst of the marital problems you may encounter.

Are you worried about your kids? God will take care of you. He’ll give you the wisdom to be a good parent; he’ll give you the strength to be consistent. Does that mean your kids will be perfect and never make a dumb decision? No, of course not. What it means is that — no matter what happens – God will take care of you if you let Him — and He will take care of them, too, if they let Him. My parents could probably vouch for the fact that God can take a child they may have spent a number of restless nights worrying about and work miracles!

Are you worried about your health? God will take care of you. Does that mean you’ll live to be 150 and never be sick a day in your life? No, of course not. But no matter what happens, God will take care of you.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

I like to compare other Bible translations when studying a text. I really like how verses 32 and 33 reads in the New Living Translation:

(v. 32-33) Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs, and he will give you all you need from day to day if you live for him and make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.

We worry about things we’re not sure of, but one thing you can always be sure of is that God will provide for you — somehow. It may not be in the way you would choose – but it will be there – if you are willing to look for it.

Don’t worry, just look for God’s provision.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Rethink your priorities; trust in God’s provision. 2 keys to walking in trust.

A third key is:

3. Live in the present.

A common motto among members of Alcoholics Anonymous is “Live One Day At A Time.” It’s a good prescription for dealing with regrets, and it’s a good prescription for dealing with worry. And it’s exactly what Jesus said to do…

(v. 34) Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

I heard about a woman who had some minor thing happen to her – and she said: “I was so afraid this would happen. I have worried and worried and worried about this.” Finally her husband said: “Well, aren’t you glad your worry paid off? Wouldn’t it have been a shame for all your years of worry to go to waste?”

What good does it do to worry and worry and worry about anything? The things we worry about fall into one of two categories: what we can change, and what we can’t. Instead of worrying about what we can change, we should take action to make the changes we can make. And instead of worrying about what we can’t change, we should take action to be as prepared as possible – and trust God.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

The whole problem with worry is that it rarely motivates us to take positive action in our lives. Instead, it nearly always drives us to inaction. We often worry about a problem instead of doing something about the problem. That’s because we have a tendency to live in the future. We can never be sure of the future, so we worry about it, because we worry about things we’re unsure of. But Jesus said, “Don’t even think about the future. Today is much more important. Take care of today’s troubles today.”

Jesus isn’t recommending an irresponsible approach to life. He’s not saying we shouldn’t make plans for tomorrow, or prepare for life’s inevitabilities. He’s saying, “Don’t obsess about tomorrow at the expense of today.” He’s telling us to live in the present. He’s telling us to make each day a day of progress. He’s telling us to improve everything we can improve about our lives today.

If you’re worried about something—and it’s something you can change—then make some progress today toward changing it. If you’re worried about something—and it’s something you can’t change—then make some progress today toward preparing for it.

But – most of all – if you are plagued by worry – maybe you need to rethink your priorities – and make the things of God the most important things to you. Maybe you need to trust in God – and in His love and care and provision for you. Maybe you need to live in the present – and – with God’s strength – do things about the things that concern you that you can do something about.

Yea – maybe the advice of the singing fish – and Bobby McFerrin’s song with the simplistic-sounding advice: “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” – sounds shallow. It may sound simplistic to merely say, “Don’t worry,” but it’s not shallow or simplistic at all. It’s good advice. It’s Jesus’ advice. Those are Jesus’ exact words to us. “Do not worry.” He said it like that because worry is a choice—though some people refuse to admit that. They say, “I have no control over it. I can’t help but worry.” But you can. It’s your choice. Worry can be a wake-up call to help us recognize what is lacking in our spiritual lives. When you struggle with worry, you need to ask yourself, “What is it I’m unsure of? Are my priorities straight? Am I trusting God to provide? Am I living in the present?”

Rethinking your priorities, trusting God to provide, and living in the present.

Do you know what these things lead to?

They lead to putting God first in life. This is what Jesus told us to do:

(v. 33) Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

When you put God first in your life, trust in Him to provide for you, and live each day in his presence, a mighty weight will be lifted from your shoulders. You will feel more happy, more optimistic, than you ever thought possible. That’s walking in trust.

Walk Like Jesus Taught:

Walk in God’s blessing

Walk like Jesus walked

Walk in righteousness

Walk in love

Walk In True Righteousness

Walk Like Jesus Taught: Walk In Trust

6 steps to walking like Jesus taught us to walk – to living as Jesus taught us to live.

Let’s see what happens when we walk like Jesus taught – when we put God first in our lives – trust Him to provide for us, and live each day in His presence

Let’s see what happens when we walk like Jesus taught – and walk in trust.

Amen.