12/14/25 Weekly Bible Lesson: Letting Go of Worry

Matthew 6:24-34

In today’s text, we find ourselves in the heart of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). It has been said that in this sermon, there is guidance found for every aspect of a person’s life. There is nothing that we can or will face that we cannot find help for in these three chapters. There are four very practical reminders, especially for Christians, to be examined in these few verses. We start with who we serve and move finally to our concerns about the future. 

Verse 24 — Serving Two Masters. It is impossible to serve both God and money or material possessions (mammon) with equal devotion. Jesus shares with us that “no one can serve both God and money” at the same time. When we stack up our priorities, the God of all creation must be at the top of our list. If He is not at the top, then He might as well not even be on the list. God does not desire, nor does He deserve, to be anything but first place in our lives. This involves a total surrender and absolute submission on our behalf. The difficulty we have in putting this verse into action is that having a servant’s mindset can be difficult and foreign to us, especially in our American culture. 

Christ informs us that we will be devoted to one and despise the other. One can quickly determine who or what they serve by simply sitting down and listing where it is they spend their time: two minutes in prayer; three hours on the phone or watching TV; three hours a week at the assembly with the saints (including travel time); eight to twelve hours a day at work (not counting travel time); six to seven hours resting our eyes and body; no time spent resting our mind and soul. This concept is quite easy to understand.

Who do we serve? 

Verses 25-32 — Security in God's Provision. Jesus encourages His followers to trust that God, their heavenly Father, knows their needs and will provide for them. Jesus looks to the birds and the flowers to prove His point. What flower has ever asked for more sunlight or more water? The Lord provides. What bird has claimed to not have enough to eat? The Lord provides. Jesus points out that the heavenly Father’s provision for us is more important than the sweet song of the bird or even the beauty of the flower. Both of those could be gone tomorrow. Our Father knows what they need, and He knows our needs as well. 

It really boils down to a matter of trust. One famous missionary said it like this: “Let us give up our work, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into [God's] hand; and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled about.”

We trust God for our salvation. Why not trust Him for all of life’s other necessities? 

Verse 33 — Seeking God's Kingdom. For those who struggle with determining what they should put first in their life, Jesus gives us the answer. He makes it extremely easy. Jesus says to put His Kingdom first. The primary focus should be on seeking God’s kingdom and righteousness, with the assurance that other necessities will be provided. Synonyms for God’s Kingdom include: the church, the Body, the Bride, and the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus says to seek this first. However, the church is an afterthought in many people’s minds, unfortunately, even in the minds of some Christians. It should trouble us greatly if we hear someone say that they are a Christian but do not belong to the church. That is exactly who makes up the church—Christians. 

Jesus tells us that if we make Him and His church our priority, all else will be taken care of. We must seek not only His church but also His righteousness, not our own. Our righteousness will only let us down. Please do not misinterpret this as a health and wealth gospel; take it for what it says. When our attitude makes Christ, His people, His work, and His agenda our top priority, He will take care of the rest. Do we put the Savior and His church as our number one priority? 

Verse 34 — Stress Not about the Future. The verse advises against excessive worry about the future, suggesting that each day has its own challenges and that God will provide for the present. How many times do we worry about something that will never actually happen? Researchers from Cornell University say that at least 85% of what we worry about never comes to fruition. 

Notice that Christ says, “Do not worry about tomorrow,” and yet we do. He is not talking about making plans and being prepared for tomorrow. After all, our salvation is preparation for our future. He is referring to when our worry turns to stress and anxiety. It is a wonderful thing to live with minimal concerns about the future. Today has enough trouble of its own. The exciting thing is that no matter what trial, struggle, or trouble may come—and they will—the Lord says He will sufficiently provide whatever we need to make it through the day and that He will be there to help face tomorrow.

Do we truly know who holds our future?