You may be seated. We'll take your copy of God's word and turn to Matthew chapter six, Matthew six. And tonight we'll be looking at verses 25 to 34, Matthew six, 25 to 34. And we're almost two thirds of the way done with the Sermon on the Mount. Chapter five is done. After tonight, chapter 6 will be done, and then there'll be chapter 7. I think I was looking this week, I think this is sermon 28, the Sermon on the Mount, so I've enjoyed going through this, but we're nearing the end of chapter 6 here tonight, Matthew 6, 25. to 34. One of the interesting things to note when we read God's Word, you could say it this way, is to notice in God's Word where things kind of slow down, or another way to say it is where the camera zooms in. So what do I mean by those expressions? Think about the historical books in the Old Testament. We recently had a sermon series in the book of Genesis you think about that book as you're going through the book of Genesis you recognize that there are certain people that get more space they get more attention and Then with those people say someone like Jacob in the life of that person There are certain events that get more attention that get more space in the Bible It's as though things kind of slow down when you get to that person. It's as though the camera zooms in on that event or that person. And the same is true when we come to the teaching of the Lord Jesus. And tonight's passage is one of those instances. If you notice, looking at the verses, verses 25 to 34, this is the largest section that we've covered in the Sermon on the Mount. We've done some sermons just on single verses, like in the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes. But tonight we've got a big chunk. And so here's one of those instances where things kind of slow down, where the camera zooms in. It's as though Christ wants us to stay here on this point for a while. And so what is it about this section? What is covered in this section? Well, it's the topic of worry. It's the topic of anxiety. And if you were to take any group of Christians and you were to say any specific sin and say, I want you to raise your hand if you struggle with this sin, you're probably not going to get everybody to raise their hand. But when it comes to worry and anxiety, I think it's a safe bet that if in any group of Christians, Indeed, any group of people, if you ask them to raise their hand if they struggle with worry and anxiety, you're probably going to get every hand in the room. Indeed, this is a passage, whether you're a little child or whether you are an adult, these words of Christ should resonate with you because of what he focuses on here. And maybe that is why he spends so much time here on this one topic. This is definitely something that he wants us to consider this evening. So let's hear God's word, Matthew 6, verses 25 to 34, as we will consider worry and anxiety, and even better, as we will consider what our Savior says in terms of a remedy or a cure for worry and anxiety. So let's hear God's word. Matthew chapter six, beginning in verse 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? 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. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Let's pray. Father, these are words of comfort that resonate with us because we are fallen human beings. And even though we have been redeemed by your grace, there is still much unbelief in us, much remaining sin. We have many worries and many fears and many anxieties. And so we ask, we pray that you would calm us tonight, that you would direct us away from our worries from our fears and direct us toward the Lord Jesus, toward your fatherly character. So please work in our midst tonight through your word, we pray and we ask that it would all be for your glory in Jesus name, amen. Well, as we look at our passage tonight, you look at verse 25, the first word that stands out to you is that word, therefore. And so obviously there seems to be a link between our passage tonight and the passage that we looked at last night. The conclusion, and it seems that Jesus is drawing a conclusion with that word, therefore, is in that verse 25. Let me read that again. 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. The Lord Jesus here is telling his disciples There in the first century and here this evening that we are not to worry that we are not to be afraid. that we are not to be filled with anxiety. And the worry, the anxiety, the fear that is being addressed by Christ is a worry that is about the temporal things of this life. That's why Jesus says, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Jesus has in view worry and anxiety about our physical needs. Now, before we consider exactly what Christ is prohibiting, I do think it's important that we need to think a little bit about what we might call legitimate care and concern over these very things. Obviously, we realize that these are things that we need. Every person needs food. Every person needs water. Every person needs clothing. People need shelter and medical care. These are things that people as people need. And so there is a sense in which concern over those things, to a certain degree, is legitimate. We want those things for ourselves and we want those things for our loved ones. Being a responsible parent, being a responsible spouse means that you will spend a considerable amount of time thinking about these very things. You will make efforts trying to secure these things for your child or your children or your spouse. In other words, for your family. And so we might wonder, is it wrong to be concerned about those things? Is it wrong to care about those things? Is it wrong in a sense to even worry somewhat about those things? Well, not necessarily. And I want to explain what I mean. It is worth noting that the word in our passage that is translated as anxious and worry, that this word appears in other places in the Bible and it's not presented as a negative thing. And I want to consider a couple of those to shed light on what exactly Christ kind of has in the crosshairs here in Matthew 6. So the first of those passages is in 1 Corinthians 7. In 1 Corinthians 7, excuse me, 32 through 34, the Apostle Paul is speaking about those who are single as believers and those who are married as believers. Let me read you the words there from 1 Corinthians 7, 32 and 34. The Apostle Paul speaking, I want you to be free from anxieties. The unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how to please the Lord. But the married man is anxious about worldly things. how to please his wife and his interests are divided. Paul there is using the very same word that is here in Matthew 6, but he's using that word to speak about cares and concerns. He says there are cares and concerns that the single person has about following the Lord. He says there are cares and concerns that the married person has in terms of providing for their spouse. And Paul is not saying that that married state is bad. He's simply highlighting a reality about the married state. And that is, when you get married, you become responsible for another person, and that responsibility brings with it a lot of cares, a lot of concerns, and those are obviously gonna take up a lot of your thought life, and a lot of time, and a lot of energy. Another example where this word is used is in 2 Corinthians chapter 11, 2 Corinthians 11, 28. And this is Paul speaking about himself and his care for the churches. Let me read you this, 2 Corinthians 11, 28. And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Paul was an apostle, a pastor, An elder focuses primarily on one church, right? But Paul, as an apostle, he had authority over all the churches. And he's saying there in 2 Corinthians 11 that he cared for those churches. He was anxious for those churches, not in a sinful, bad way, but he's using that word to convey that he had deep care and concern for those churches. A husband has care and concern for his wife, a wife for her husband, parents for their children. There is a biblical legitimate sense in which we have care and concern, even over mundane material things like clothing and food and shelter and drink. There can be a biblical concern. However, when we look at our passage tonight, we see that what Christ has in view when he 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. What he has in view is this care and concern that has become excessive. It has become obsessive. It is taking over a person. The Bible says that care and concern has a place. Moderate care and concern is a good thing, and a responsible person is going to have it. But because of our sin, that care and concern spills over. It becomes immoderate, it becomes excessive, and the person begins to function as though God is not on his throne, as though they are the only person who is the provider. Now, Christ, in showing us the absurdity of this immoderate care and concern and anxiety, he goes to several different arguments. And these arguments really are designed to comfort us as his disciples. And in many ways, they seem so simple, right? You look at this passage, even as you heard it read this evening, and you think these are just simple, basic arguments. But they're very powerful, and I hope the power will come through tonight. What makes them arguments to which we're inclined to just kind of glaze over is because Jesus points out very obvious things. but things that we often do not consider. And so he's trying to direct our attention to these obvious things. And the first thing that he wants us to focus on is the fact of life, that you have life, that I have life. In verse 25, the Lord Jesus says, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Now, what is his point here when he says, is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? What Christ is getting you and I to consider is what God has already provided and given to us. And what is that? God has already given you life. God has already given you a body and a soul. William Perkins says this, he says, our creation, okay, not just the creation, but the fact that we have been created, our creation must teach us to trust in God's providence. Jesus is saying, look at the known, And why is he doing this? Because how does worry often function? Okay, worry tends to flourish in the unknown, right? I think that's true, that most people would say, yes, that is accurate about worry, that we tend to go to what lies ahead, what we don't know, and worry begins to snowball. And Jesus is pulling us back and saying, wait a second, Focus on what you know and start right here. You have life. You have a body. He says that your life is more than food and clothing. And what is his point there? His point essentially is this, that God has given you a body. He has given you life, and doesn't it stand to reason that He is going to provide what you need for that body to sustain that life? That you did not create this body, you did not give yourself this life, but God gave it to you. If He gave this to you, will He not give you more? You know, deep down, you and I know the truth of what Jesus says in verse 25 when he says, that is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? And you can think about an example where, say, you're in a home, and that home is burning down, and you realize, I cannot stay any longer in this house. What are you gonna do? You're not gonna go for clothing. You're not going to go for food. You're going to do your best to escape that house with just yourself because you know that fundamental is your life. that clothing and food, while good and necessary, are means to do what? To support the life that you already have. And Jesus is directing our attention to our very lives. As one author said, the creation of man was an act of God's power and favor. Jehovah did not create man to let him starve, but also created abundant provision for food and clothing. And how many times do we sit and think about our own lives? How many times do we ignore the fact that God has given us a body and life? He keeps our heart beating. He keeps our lungs pumping. And yet we are filled with all kinds of worries as though God is not going to provide the next day. And Jesus directs us to the known, what we've been given the gift we've been given from our Father in heaven. The second argument is to look at the birds, and this is yet again so simple. Jesus, we might say, in the first argument, moves from the greater life itself to the lesser, the things needed to sustain that life. He's saying you have the greater thing already, Don't worry about the lesser. And in the second argument, Jesus begins with the lesser, the birds, and then he moves to us. But what does he tell us about these birds? He tells us to look at them, to consider these small creatures, some of them large God has created. He says, Your heavenly father feeds them. Your heavenly father feeds them. This is a note of the providence of God. Simply put, Jesus is saying, the Lord cares for these birds. They have full bellies. When they get hungry, they go in search of food and guess what? They find that food. They eat and they are filled and they look for more food and they find it and they are filled. It is, Jesus says, your heavenly father who feeds those birds. Indeed, as we heard in Psalm 104 tonight, the Lord is caring for his creation around the clock, providing shelter, providing food for creatures all over. Jesus says of these birds, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns. Now, why does he mention those things? Well, sowing and reaping and building barns and storing away, those are obviously not things that birds do, okay? Those are things that you and I do, that humans do. Those are means by which human beings provide, with a lowercase p, food for ourselves. I mean, our tendency, and we looked at this when we looked at give us this day our daily bread, is to trust in those means, right? We think, well, you know, if you want food, you sow, you reap, you build barns, and you store up for that food. Now, all those things are good. Jesus is not saying that those things are bad. The problem is when we begin to trust in those things and forget the one who is providing. And so Jesus takes attention away from ourselves to a creature who does not sow, who does not reap, who does not store, and he says, they eat. because your heavenly father is providing for them. And guess what? When you sow and when you reap and when you build barns and you store food away, it is your heavenly father who is providing for you. Because if it was not for his provision, you would not be able to sow and reap and have anything to store in those barns. It is also interesting to note that the Lord Jesus, in speaking of these birds, says, your heavenly father feeds them. Now, what is his point there? Well, Jesus goes on to say, are you not of more value than they? This is him going from the lesser to the greater. Jesus is saying, look, the birds are taken care of. your heavenly father feeds them. But he doesn't say their heavenly father feeds them. And that's not to say that God doesn't love those birds, they're his creation. But he's bringing in this idea of adoption. That if we look at the creation and we see that yes, God takes care of the birds, I'm not worried about the birds. Jesus is saying, why are you worried about yourself? This is your heavenly father. If he cares for these birds, how much more will he care for you? You are of far more value than these birds. And Jesus here is not just speaking of the fact that you and I are made in the image of God and the birds are not, he's speaking of the fact that you and I are adopted into the family of God, that God is our heavenly father. If he cares for the birds, Jesus is saying, how much more will he care for his children? So why are you worried? As the apostle Paul says, Romans chapter eight and verse 32, he who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? It's a similar line of reasoning, looking at what God is doing and has done and then looking at ourselves. If he feeds the birds, he will feed his children. If he did not spare his own son, that's how much he loves us and wanted us to be brought into the family. then how will he not also with him, with the Lord Jesus, graciously give us all things? Look at the fact of life. Look at the birds, Jesus is saying, when you're filled with worries and fears. The next argument that Jesus moves to is simply the futility of worry, that worry doesn't work. that worry is a monumental waste of time. And this is in keeping with the idea of God's providence. Jesus says here, and which of you by being anxious, and remember here, he has in view this excessive concern and care that is keeping you up at night, that's eating you up. Which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? You know, worry kind of works this way, right? You're laying in bed and you just have one thought that crosses your mind, one little worrisome thought. And the next thing you know, you can't get to sleep and you can't stop thinking about it. And then you're up the rest of the night. Maybe you don't get out of bed, you toss and turn, maybe you get up out of bed and try to read or something, and you're like, I just can't get this out of my mind. It grows, right? It snowballs. And behind that snowball, we tend to think, even though we may not articulate it this way, that worry is somehow worth our time. Because we feed it, don't we? We don't just dismiss it. We think about it, we dwell on it. And Jesus is saying, worry is useless. Anxiety and worry in this excessive way can accomplish nothing. And to show the uselessness, the futility of worry, Jesus brings in this example where he says there, and which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? The answer to the question is obvious, no one. No one, by worrying, can add a second to one's life. But why does he go there? He goes there because he wants us to think about the limits that God has put in place. that we are not the ones who are in control, but God is in control. And worry is such that you and I begin to think that we are in control, all right? We have moral agency. We're responsible for our actions. I'm not denying those things. but worry tends to inflate our egos. You look at the way that we're thinking about things and we act as though we can really change circumstances, that we can change our lives and the world in dramatic ways. And Jesus directs us to limits that God has put in place. Who determines the length of someone's life when a person dies? It's not that person, it's the Lord himself. Psalm 139 verse 16 says, your eyes saw my unformed substance. In your book were written every one of them, the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them. No amount of resources, no amount of planning and labor, and especially no amount of worry and anxiety can add a single second beyond that limit that God himself has put for a person's life. And that is a check on us. It reminds us God is in control. It is God's plan that is unfolding each and every day. Not my plan for my life, but God's plan for my life, and God's plan for the world. You know, worry really makes us, as one person, well-known counselor said into false prophets, right? What's a false prophet? A false prophet is someone who says they have a word from the Lord. Oftentimes, they're predicting something that's going to happen and it doesn't come to pass. And that's what worry does for us, right? Oh, I know how tomorrow is going to go. I know exactly what's going to happen. We may not say it that way, but that's what we think. And then it doesn't happen that way. All right. That's how worry functions. And Jesus is showing us that God is in control, that God has put limits in place in our lives, that the lot that has been laid down for you and for me has been put there by God. Worry ignores the boundaries that God has put in place. God has given you the color eyes that you have. God has numbered your days. God has allotted all the details of your life and excessive care and concern can often lead you and I to forget that God is the one who is executing his plan. You know, even when we look at the birds, and this shows how much we are influenced by the surrounding world, we look at birds finding food, and we often do not think, look how God is caring for that bird. Because whether we admit it or not, a lot of us, and I would say in a sense all of us, have become materialists and naturalists in the way that we think about the world. We look at the world and we think, well, that's just the way it happens, right? I mean, birds just kind of hop about, they fly about, they find food. And Jesus is really getting us to revolutionize the way that we look at the creation. He's saying, everywhere you look, you need to see God is doing that. God is caring for that bird. God is providing here and there. And so when we think about worry and that worry might change something, we need to be reminded, no, God's providential hand is at work all the time, all the time. I need to learn to rest in that providential hand. That's what Jesus is saying. Your worry can do nothing except eat you up on the inside. It can't change anything. The one who's in control is your heavenly father. You need to rest in the providence of your heavenly father. It is then that Christ goes on to, we might say, show what is really going on when you and I excessively worry. And that is that we demonstrate, quite simply, a lack of faith in our Heavenly Father, a lack of trust in Him. We reveal our little faith when we excessively worry. And Jesus brings this out by way of a question. when he says, and why are you anxious about clothing? Why are you anxious about clothing? Obviously, the people there were anxious about clothing and people in the first century had anxieties about clothing in a way that you and I probably don't have. But the specificity there where Jesus says, why are you anxious about clothing? One thing I would say to you is, The Lord Jesus knows your worries. He knows your anxieties. He knows your fears. And some of those anxieties and fears, you may be thinking, well, nobody else is really worried about this, but I sure am. But Jesus knows those. And I would say that Jesus, in a sense, comes to you and says, why are you anxious about fill in the blank? I would direct you to Psalm 56, eight. which says this of the Lord. You have kept count of my tossing, put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? When worry consumes you in the middle of the night and you toss about and you can't get sleep, the Lord Jesus knows. He sees and knows that you are worried about many things, that you are troubled about many things. and he calls you to himself. He calls you to unburden yourself by going to him. He has kept count of your tossings, your fears. And very often what we show is what Jesus says here, oh you of little faith, that we demonstrate that we have little faith in our heavenly father. And when Jesus mentions this little faith, where does he go? He goes right back to the creation and he directs us to flowers, okay? Flowers. Many times I look at flowers and I think, flowers, they're beautiful. I have three daughters. I've gained a new appreciation in my life for the beauty of flowers, but I don't often think, God has clothed those flowers in an amazing way. Once again, it just becomes another fact about the natural world. And Jesus says, think about the flowers. Think about who put those beautiful colors there. The one who clothed them is the same one who feeds the birds and cares for the creation. And who is this one? your heavenly father, your heavenly father. You are a son, you are a daughter to this one who cares for the birds and the flowers and the rest of creation. Jesus describes these flowers of the field as that which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven. He points to their beauty, but also to their fragility. Their lives are extremely short lived. Here's another argument from the lesser to the greater. And Jesus once again is saying, will he not much more clothe you? Spurgeon says it well here where he says, lovely lilies, how ye rebuke our foolish nervousness. The array of lilies comes without fret. Why do we kill ourselves with care about that which God gives to plants which cannot care? The verbs that Jesus uses in this section where he tells us to look at the birds and to consider the flowers are verbs that convey not just a glance and a moving on, but really meditating on those things. As crazy as it sounds to us, because it sounds so simple, Jesus really is telling us to look at the birds and to look at the flowers when we are filled with worry. and to think about the one who provides for them, and then to think about who we are to this one. And Jesus says, when we do that, our worries will fall into place. It's okay to have legitimate care, but the excessiveness will evaporate because we will see the logic of what he's talking about here, that our father cares for us. Jesus is directing us to the character of our father. You have little faith. I have little faith. Very often our prayer is, Lord, I believe help my unbelief in those nights when we're filled with worry. And Jesus is saying, look at the birds, look at the flowers, but look beyond them and most of all to the character of your heavenly father. He has never not once failed to care for you. Every day of your life, whether you acknowledge it or not, he has been caring for you and providing for you. Jesus reminds us that we are his children. And if we are his children, and this is where we wind down this evening, Jesus says we need to live like it. If we are his children, we need to live like it. Look at what he says there when he says, therefore, do not be anxious. Verse 31 saying, what shall we eat or what shall we drink or what shall we wear? Now, Jesus obviously is not prohibiting someone saying, where should we go to eat tonight or what should I wear today? He has in view this excessive worry, this almost despair of where am I going to get my next meal? And where am I going to get clothing to wear? And the reason that Jesus gives for why we should not live that way is in verse 32, and he directs us to the pagans. Look at what he says. For the Gentiles, and there read pagans, those outside the covenant community. For the Gentiles seek after all these things. Jesus is saying the Gentiles seek, and the idea there is that that is what their lives are all about, is just filling material needs. They're filled with worry. They're filled with despair because they think this life is all that there is. Remember last week, they are laying up for themselves treasures on earth. And Jesus says, that's their life. They're seeking after these things and that's it. You are not to be that way. He says, do not act like the Gentiles because your heavenly father knows that you need them all. He's the one who designed your body. He knows what it needs to make it run, we might say. He knows everything that you need, and He will provide what you need. Jesus is saying, back off the worry and anxiety, rest in the providence of God. And then the question becomes, if we're not seeking after these things, what should we seek? Well, what does Jesus say? He says, but in place of what the pagans are seeking, Our task is to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you. What is the all these things? Well, in the context, it is things like food and drink and clothing. As Jesus says, the Gentiles seek after all these things. And he's saying that our job is in life, not that we never have concern over what we're going to eat or wear. but that we don't obsess over those. That the priority in our lives, that our energies, our focus is to be in seeking the kingdom of God and his righteousness. And righteousness there means the values of the kingdom. that we are to seek each day to live as citizens of the kingdom and not as citizens of the world. And that ought to show up, Jesus is saying, in the way that you and I handle these kinds of concerns over food and drink and clothing. We ought not to worry like the pagans, simply put, is what he's saying. But we are to seek first the kingdom of God. And Jesus essentially is calling us to peace that if we seek first the kingdom. then his peace will be with us. And this is a peace that the unbeliever doesn't have. And very often this peace that you and I will have that only comes from God, that other people may sense in us, may be a witness to those who are overwhelmed with worry and anxiety. We know the famous scripture from Philippians chapter four, Verses six and seven, do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Jesus is not saying seek first the kingdom and all luxuries will be added to you. He is saying seek first the kingdom and everything that you need will be added to you. Who determines that need? your father in heaven. You see, at every point, Jesus is calling us to trust our father because he knows that's where we come up short. And that is really why we worry. And when we trust our father, this sets us free to live in a way that places a priority on the kingdom and the righteousness of the kingdom. You know, often worry wants to know everything in advance, right? I just wanna know how it's gonna go. If I could just know how it's gonna go, I'll be fine, right? Okay, just give me a transcript, give me every detail, and I'll sleep fine, all right? But there's no trust there. There's no trust there. And look at how Jesus ends this section. It's with a therefore, okay? He says, therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow. After all he said, he's given us the reasons. Do not be anxious about tomorrow. Just that next day, because he knows that's where worry goes. For tomorrow will be anxious for itself, sufficient for the day is its own trouble. He brings us back to the providence of God and how God has allotted things. Look at today, look at where God is calling you to follow him today. Look at how you can follow Christ today. This is God's allotment for you today. Live in this, don't borrow trouble from tomorrow. Scottish Presbyterian John Brown once said this of this not borrowing trouble from tomorrow. He said, do not double the burden of today. under the idea of lightening the burden of tomorrow. The evils we apprehend, the evils we think will come, may never arrive, but by anticipating them, we suffer as much from them as if they were present. Or if they do arrive, by feeling them before they come, we, as it were, suffer them twice and double our distress." What a great quote. But that's the essence of it, right? Jesus is saying, rest in the providence and care of your heavenly father and seek first the kingdom of God. Today, we don't even know if we will have tomorrow. Follow Christ today, be about your duties for the King today, and trust your Father in heaven. That kind of living, brother and sister, will stand out as light in a dark world. People will see that and they will notice there's something different about you and about how you handle the struggles of life. There's nothing wrong With being careful, there's nothing wrong with having concerns, but when we feel those cares and concerns spill over into excessive worry, let us run back to these simple but yet profound arguments that our Savior has given to us. May Christ grow our little faith in our Heavenly Father. Let's pray. Father, you know us so well. You know what we need and you know our struggles. The Lord Jesus here is the great shepherd, the great pastor of our souls, as he's given these words to the church down through the ages, knowing that a great pitfall for disciples would be worry, anxiety, and fear. So help us to remember these words. Help us to consider our lives. Help us to look at the birds. Help us to think about the uselessness of worry. Help us to look at the flowers of the field, to even look at the unbelievers around us and be reminded that we are not to behave that way. that we are to seek first your kingdom. So give us grace to seek first your kingdom so that by your grace, some of those unbelievers might notice your fingerprints in our lives and inquire about this great savior, the Lord Jesus, in whose name we pray, amen. I invite you to stand now as we sing our closing hymn. Hymn number 32, very appropriate. Great is thy faithfulness.