Contentment Finds its Home in Jesus
I.N.I.
Matthew 6:24–34
[Jesus said:] “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious 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? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (ESV)
~Prayer~
Heavenly Father, help us to seek first Your kingdom and Your righteousness. Give us childlike confidence and contentment in You. Give us courage and give us blessing in our vocations. Do not give us treasure or riches, but apportion to us our allotted bread. Lord, You know our heart and our temptations; have mercy, and fill us early and often with Your mercy, so that we may sing joyfully and be content all our days. Amen.
Dear fellow worriers, whose contentment is found only in Jesus,
There is difference between knowing something and doing something. Most of us know the difference between things that are good for us and things that aren’t, but the percentage of those who act on that knowledge is less than those who don’t. We know that we should not eat unhealthy food, but we often eat unhealthy food. We know that it is dangerous and against the law to go over the speed limit, yet we often find ourselves above the suggested driving speed. We know that it is beneficial to exercise daily, but we don’t exercise daily. There is a difference between knowing and acting on what we know.
Most Christians know that it is not good to worry or be anxious. Despite knowing this, most Christians struggle with worry and anxiety. But what many Christians don’t realize is the real spiritual dangers of worry and anxiety. Perhaps surprisingly, Jesus connects idolatry—serving other gods—to worry. Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.”
Jesus connects idolatry and worry because a greedy person does not trust in God to provide for him. Greed flows from distrust of God, and distrust shows itself in worry. There are so many things in this fallen world that cause us to worry. What’s more, you and I are sinful people who are quick to doubt God’s promises. Jesus knows this. And although our sinful worry often needs to be rebuked, Jesus does not do that here. Instead, Jesus helps us, encourages us, and reminds us through examples from nature and his own promises, that you and I are under the Father’s gracious care. Jesus did not come to condemn us, but to save us. He doesn’t just tell us not to worry, he shows us why we do not need to. So, let’s study this lesson, so that we grow in contentment which finds its home in Jesus.
I. The World’s Worries
It is helpful to note that there is a difference between proper Christian concern and ungodly or idolatrous worry. Christians should have a healthy concern for their Christian life, family, and work. God encourages us to attend to his word with care (3rd Commandment), provide for our families (I Timothy 5:8), and be good stewards of our possessions (I Peter 4:10). Proper Christian concern is a good thing. Ungodly worry is not. But the differences between these two are often blurred. Since Christians know they shouldn’t worry, we sometimes try to chalk up our worry to Christian stewardship. But worry is not proper concern—it is idolatry because it puts its fear, love, and trust in something other than God. Worry trusts in creation rather than the Creator.
We don’t need to go far to find worry. We find worry by turning on the TV. Worry wonders, is the news just a visual commentary of Jesus’ description of the end times? We find worry by looking out in society where we see trouble, sadness, and evil. We find worry at the grocery store with the rising costs. We find worry at a doctor’s office when test results do not come back the way we hoped. We don’t need to go far to find worry.
Jesus knows this. He knows all the worries and temptations that are right in front of us. Jesus shows us that we also don’t need to go far to be encouraged and reminded of God’s gracious care for us. Jesus says, “do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Just look. Do you see the birds? They neither sow seed nor reap a harvest or store their food in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. They have enough food—God provides for them. Martin Luther called these birds our tiny preachers, who remind us of God’s care for us.
Jesus continues, “Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.” These plants that live for only a moment, God clothes with a beauty greater than Solomon! Again, Jesus asks a question, “But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?”
When we are worried, we often think that our worries are easily justified. At least, I know I do. But Jesus has a way of showing us the foolishness of our worry. He uses an argument from the lesser to the greater. Do you see how God cares for the birds? Do you see how beautifully God arrays the lilies of the field? If God cares for them, don’t you think he will care for you? Are you not more valuable than a bird to God? If God clothes the lilies of the field, don’t you think he will clothe you?
As we look at our own lives, we can’t help but feel foolish for how often we worry over things that we cannot control. We know we have failed. We remember times when we have gone in pursuit of foolish things that we thought would bring us happiness and peace but didn’t. We know how often we have looked for security in things other than God. We know we have not trusted and loved God as we should have. God has seen us through hard times again and again. And yet, we worry again and again.
The devil loves to show us our failings and make fun of us. He taunts us and tries to get us to feel so ashamed that we run away from God. But Jesus doesn’t show us our failings to hurt us—but to save us. He shows us our foolishness so that we might confess our sins and look to him. We need to look to Jesus who did not just come to give us advice on how to live a less-stressed life, but to the One who came to deliver us from this worry-filled-world into his everlasting kingdom.
II. The Savior’s Promises
Jesus asks the simple question, “Are you not of more value than they?” Scripture tells us how valuable our life is to God. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). A love so great, a concern so sincere, that he gave his own Son—who came as a gracious and forgiving Lord, who perfectly served the Father alone. Jesus saved us by living a perfect life in our place. When Jesus was tempted by Satan with food after forty days of fasting, Jesus held firm. When tempted by Satan to worship him for the world, Jesus used God’s Word as his sure defense (Matthew 4:10). When we were greedy, he was giving. When we worried, he believed. When we put our trust in other things, he put his whole trust in God the Father. He did this for us because we couldn’t.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (II Corinthians 8:9). Jesus humbled himself to the point of his death on the cross so that he could save us from our sins of worry, greed, and idolatry. Jesus died on the cross to take away all your sins. Jesus did this for you. He lost everything so that you would gain heaven itself. Our greatest worry—about how we will fair before God’s judgement—is gone. Your sins are forgiven!
God has clothed his believers in a priceless garment—more beautiful than Solomon’s or the lilies of the fields’. Isaiah says, “For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness” (61:10). By faith in Jesus, God sees us as his own dear children and heirs of his kingdom. Paul says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
Jesus has done all of this for you. And now he asks, “Won’t you believe me, that I will take care of you and all that you need in this life?” When we are worried and troubled by our sins we shouldn’t despair. Instead, look to the birds. Look to the lilies of the field. Look to the cross and the empty tomb. Paul says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
As redeemed children of God, Jesus offers us an alternative to anxious worry—“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” Seeking his kingdom is receiving the forgiveness and joy the Holy Spirit works in us through the Word (Romans 14:17). It is the kingdom of the Gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. We seek his righteousness by living a godly life, where we serve and love God, and show love to our neighbor. And our Savior promises, “and all these things will be added unto you.”
With this directive—to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness—Jesus reminds us of what is the most important—the One Thing Needful. And he says, that through seeking them—they will be added to you. You and I have the one thing we truly need, and it is the only thing that truly satisfies our thirsty souls. Even if we lost all our earthly possessions, we still have everything in Christ. However, the devil and the world are always vying for our attention and affections.
I remember reading an article years ago about why Pringles are so addicting. They put just enough seasoning on each chip to not quite satisfy your craving, so that you keep eating more and more—until all you are left with is an empty Pringles can. All the things of the world are like Pringles. They might bring temporary happiness, but it does not last. You will always want more, but you will never have enough. Yet, no matter how much we hear this, we will always be tempted to think: “This next pringle is going to make me truly happy.”
Contentment is not found in the “Pringles” of this world. Contentment is only found in Jesus. He gives us a peace that the world cannot give. So, when you are faced with worries or doubts, remember God’s promises. Whether that be in our daily life, family, or church. As small churches who are trying to share the Gospel, we might ask or worry, “Will we grow?” These are things we don’t know. But we do know that God has promised that wherever his Word goes forth, it will not return empty—it will accomplish all for which he sent it (Is. 55). God tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God which has the power to save our souls. And so, we preach the Word and share the Gospel. We have God’s promise to be with us in this, just as he is with us in our daily life.
It’s one thing to know something, but it’s another thing to act on that knowledge. And so, when we are tempted to worry or are troubled by our sins, may we remind ourselves of these examples. Look to the birds and the lilies of the field. Look to the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus frees us from our worries, so that we are free to, “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” knowing that “all these things will be added to you.” Amen.
S.D.G.