Hope For the Anxious Heart (Matthew 6:25-34)

Key Idea: Hope for the anxious heart comes when we identify it, expose it, and fight it with our faith in Christ.

Truth #1: Identify It – (v. 25)

  • Defining anxiety: “To draw in different directions or distract. To be anxious, then, means to have a distracting care—to have our minds and hearts torn between two worlds. Anxious cares are typically tied to our earthly lives and are most often temporal, not eternal.” Paul Tautges
  • Three Categories We Worry About
    • Money and Possessions
    • Death, Pain, and Suffering
    • People and Their Judgments

Truth #2: Expose It – (vv. 25c-30)

  • Lie #1: Money
  • Lie #2: Self-Reliance
  • Lie #3: Doubt

Truth #3: Fight It – (vv. 31-33)

  • Trust the King – Psalm 56:3
  • Seek the King – Philippians 4:6-7
  • Confess to the King – Psalm 32:5
  • Embrace the King – 1 Peter 5:7

Conclusion: Grace for Each Day (v. 34)

Resources

These two books provide daily devotions to help you fight against worry and anxiety.

  • “A Small Book for the Anxious Heart: Meditations on Fear, Worry, and Trust” by Edward Welch
  • “Anxiety: Knowing God’s Peace” by Paul Tautges

And one booklet on Luke 12:22-34.

  • “Worry: Pursuing a Better Path to Peace” by David Powlison