EXPLORE THE TEXT
Believers can trust God to provide what they need.
31 “So don’t worry, saying,
‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things,
and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be provided for you.
34 Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow,
because tomorrow will worry about itself.
Each day has enough trouble of its own.”Ask:
- Why does “tomorrow” create so much anxiety for us?
Define:
Note that Jesus referred to those who
grasp after food, drink, and clothing as unbelievers
because He taught us to counter those concerns with daily prayer.Recap:
(vv. 31-32)
Since Jesus confronted worry six times in ten verses,
we need to pay attention.
He reiterated His previous points about concerns for what they would eat, drink, or wear.People have various triggers for worry.
Family, health, finances, conflict, and many other matters overwhelm us.
Whatever our problems, Jesus commands us not to worry.Jesus offered two reasons to avoid worrying.
- We don’t want to act like Gentiles.
In this instance, “Gentiles” was a general term for unbelievers. When we allow materialism to consume our lives, we are behaving like those who have no relationship with God.- If we have a relationship with God as Father, we believe He cares for us and wants to provide for our needs.
If we believe that He best understands what we need, we can trust Him to meet that need.We don’t want to act like unbelievers,
and we know we can trust God to meet our needs.To complement the explanation, summarize this content from page 55 of the PSG:
“Followers of Jesus are not to worry or get agitated
about how to make ends meet in life.
To worry is to abandon faith.
Faith says, ‘God will provide.’”Ask:
- What situation do you need to entrust to God today? (PSG, p. 56).
reminding of the futility of worrying about tomorrow
and the power of faithful trust in God.CHALLENGE
Review:
Review these points from Apply the Text on page 57 of the Personal Study Guide.
- Believers should focus on heavenly treasures rather than worldly possessions.
- Placing too much priority on material possessions leads to worry and anxiety.
- Believers can trust God to provide what they need.
Highlight:
Remind adults about the “Key Doctrine” on page 54 of the PSG. Point out that today’s passage makes it clear that God provides all of our needs from His abundant resources, so we should trust Him-not obsess over material possessions like they belong to us or worry as if He will not come through when we need Him to move in our lives.
Discuss:
Encourage adults to read and reflect on the second set of questions on page 57 of the PSG. Allow a few volunteers to share their struggles and practical ways to trust God with their finances. (NOTE: Be sensitive to adults who may not be comfortable sharing about their finances or talking about money in a group setting.)
Pray:
Challenge the group to continue using Pack Item 9 (Handout: Praying Scripture in Matthew’s Gospel) to pray and meditate on Matthew 6:33. Close the session in prayer, asking God to give adults the wisdom and boldness to trust Him and to seek His kingdom as their highest priority in life.
AFTER THE SESSION
Send the group a text or email, directing them to think through the first set of questions on page 57 of the PSG. Encourage individuals who are comfortable to share a personal need they are facing. Commit to praying for those needs and challenge other adults to join you in praying for one another. Suggest that they be sensitive to how God may move them to be the “answer” to one of these prayers.
KEY DOCTRINE:
Stewardship
God is the source of all blessings, temporal and spiritual; all that we have and are we owe to Him. (See
Luke 12:16-21; Philippians 4:19.)
BIBLE SKILL:
Notice repeated words or phrases in a Bible passage.
Jesus referenced worry six times in Matthew 9:19-34. Identify each reference to worry and put them in a list. Identify the commands. Identify where worry or worrying is used as a noun and note how it is used. Write a summation of each point Jesus made. How do these statements about worry apply to your life? What steps can you take this week to overcome worry?
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