Red Letters 30 -- “Do Not Be Anxious About Tomorrow"
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Isaiah 40:25-31 English Standard Version (ESV)
25 To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name; by the greatness of his might. And because he is strong in power, not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might, He increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Philippians 4:4-9 English Standard Version (ESV)
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things; and the God of peace will be with you.
Matthew 6:25-34 English Standard Version (ESV)
25 “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? 26 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? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin. 29 Yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 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? 31 Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 “Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
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Last week Jesus warned us about who was at the centre of our hearts and faith. To whom is, not simply our allegiance, but to whom are we enslaved to? Are we slaves to God? Or enslaved to money? This again is a challenging question because we do indeed need money to survive, eat, live and provide. And perhaps as we asked ourselves this question we found ourselves negotiating and reasoning some of our lifestyle choices, convincing ourselves that God would not have a problem with us providing a comfortable and good life for our families! It is a tricky question… Because we must learn to discern when too much is too much and when too far is too far. But we must especially learn to keep above all, Christ at the centre of our lives in all things. Especially in how we spend our money so that we are not enslaved to money but that it simply becomes a tool in which we can live out a life that is faithful and joyful and glorifying to God.
However, in order to get to today’s passage we must touch on a topic that deserves further examination someday. When speaking about not being enslaved to our earthly desires and the temptation of money I spoke about how we ought to rather give ourselves to be slaves of God and I must ask you… how did that make you feel? Because, rightfully so, the terminology of “slave” and slavery is, in these days, a term with such historically derogatory, racist and negative connotations that it would, and should, make us feel uncomfortable. And while between the 15th and 19th century an estimated 13 million people were captured, displaced and sold as slaves… It is absolutely appalling to know that today, there is a reported estimate of 40.3 million people living in some form of modern slavery where 71% is comprised of women and girls and where children make up 25%, and account for 10 million of all slaves worldwide.
Today, to think of being put into slavery is the most dehumanizing, dignity robbing, objectifying, experience that a person created in the image of God could ever experience. It is not right. It is evil. And it is not of God. Yet we read in the Bible about slavery. But if you spend enough time with the passages that speak on slavery you will begin to recognize that the Bible does not support or condone slavery as we understand it. Rather, we are reading how God entered into a time in history and where scripture was written when slavery was a common practice in antiquity. And as you read the Scriptures, you begin to see that the laws and mandates of God were given to actually protect and uphold the human dignity of the poor, the marginalized, and the slave.
But while if we faithfully read the Scriptures about this topic, we can see the compassion that God has for all people, and his hatred towards injustice towards one another… We also know that our history is filled to the brim with how people have used the very Scriptures which were meant to protect people, for their own selfish ambitions and for the absolute atrocious abuse of people. And so today, it is vital that we try to understand what Jesus is saying here about being a slave to God.
While it is humanity that created the evil construct of slavery Jesus redeems the term not only in action… by healing the ill slave of a centurion… by restoring the cut off ear of the high priest’s slave… But also in his parables and his teachings. Jesus uses the relationship of Master and Slave in the gospel of Matthew as a metaphor for the relationship between God and humanity. (ex. the Parable of the unmerciful servant Mt. 18 and the Parable of the faithful servant in Mt. 24) Jesus states that it is necessary to be last in order to be first in the Kingdom of God. It is also important to know that most often when we read the word “Servant” in the Bible, it is used in place of the word slave. And so there is an emphasis here that we are to be servants/slaves to God.
And in hearing this, in reading this, I wonder if it makes you feel uncomfortable?
Because to be enslaved to anything or anyone… Would mean that I do not belong to myself? That I have little to no free will? That I am owned by another? That I am not… Free??
The idea that you and I are a slave can be offensive. And yet we must hear what Paul says:
Romans 6:20-22
20 For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. 21 But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
Now, this is a very long introduction to what we will look at in today’s Red Letters because it is vital for us to sit with this idea. Because we have to pay attention to the first word that Jesus says for us: “Therefore”
So much is leading up to this very important word. Revisit the Sermon on the Mount from the beginning and recall all that Jesus has been saying. It has so far all been leading up to this moment where Christ is saying that you must not be enslaved to the world and your worldly passions… But be a slave to, and only to, God. All of this Jesus is saying to make the point.
That for you the faithful… for you that is listening to all that He has been saying… And who believe. And are repentant. And who faithfully want to live for and in Christ the Lord…
He is saying that when you are given to God and when you are sold to Christ and when you are purchased by His blood on the Cross. Then you, are a child yes… but you are a servant… A slave to God. And though that term may make us uncomfortable, Jesus is proclaiming that you then are a slave to God and that God is your master…
“THEREFORE I tell you, do not be anxious about your life…” (Matthew 6:25-34)
The thing is it that in this world and this time in history we are so offended by the idea that we need to submit or be obedient to something or someone. And this is the same temptation and sin that Adam and Eve fell enslaved to. We are so blinded by this idea that I can be my own god, that we are in fact missing out on the vital promise that is written in these words.
That to be given to Christ and to be Christ’s… To be fully committed and obedient… And when we are willing to fully surrender the entirety of ourselves to Him… When we become slaves to God… Then we are given a life that is far more valuable, far more beautiful, far more glorious, far more satisfying, far more rewarding and far more eternal than we could ever muster by our own strength. It is the slave of Christ that does not need to be anxious or worry about anything.
And it is when we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness then all that we worry about and all that we need, God knows and promises to richly provide in Christ.
And so, as we read in Phillipians this is indeed cause to rejoice! Rejoice and trust in the Lord your master and king. Your God. Set your eyes on His kingdom by focusing on all that is true, honourable, just pure lovely commendable and excellent, worthy of praise. Knowing that He will provide for all your needs. And in this, His peace… in these unprecedented, fearful days… which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ.
This is not a weak promise. This is not a promise of a God who says He’ll only give you enough to survive or push through. This is a powerful promise. God, the Everlasting God who does not faint or grow weary… who Created the heavens and everything to the ends of the earth and who’s understanding is unsearchable… It is He who gives power to the faint. This is a promise we can claim today in Christ. The promise of the power of God that does not only sustain us but lifts us up on wings like eagles. This is the eternal promise given to us. Though today and tomorrow may seem bleak… Though we live in an unprecedented times… and though we do not know how long our time on earth may be… Whatever the future has in store for the faithful… God’s promise remains.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God.
So do not worry about tomorrow, about what you will wear or what you will drink.
But rather seek first the Kingdom of God, which is given to you in Christ and rejoice always in Him. And in that trust, and in that faith may His peace dwell in you richly.