Freedom from Anxiety Through Kingdom Priorities

Week 5: The Way of Trust — Freedom from Anxiety Through Kingdom Priorities Matthew 6:19–34

Central Idea: Jesus calls His followers to make obedience to God their one priority and to trust that He will provide all their needs. Anxiety about possessions and provision reveals divided loyalty and lack of trust in our Father's care.

Today we are exploring one of the most practically challenging passages in the Sermon on the Mount — Jesus's call to release anxiety and reorder our lives around His kingdom. In a world that tells us to earn more, secure more, and worry about everything in between, Jesus offers a radically different way of living.

This week we'll look at why anxiety is really a spiritual issue at its root, not just a psychological one. Jesus diagnoses our worry as a symptom of divided loyalty — trying to serve both God and the security that money promises. The cure isn't a better mindset. It's a reordered heart.

As we work through Matthew 6:19–34 together, we'll be asked three honest diagnostic questions: What do you worry about most? What does your budget reveal about your priorities? And are you living like someone with a heavenly Father — or like an orphan who has to secure everything on their own? Come ready to be honest, and come ready to be free.

I. YOU CANNOT SERVE TWO MASTERS (vv. 19–24)

Treasure Reveals Heart Location (vv. 19–21)

Matthew 6:19–21 NIV

The point is: everything you try to secure on earth is ultimately insecure. Every earthly treasure has an expiration date.

The Eye as Lamp (vv. 22–23)

Matthew 6:22–23 NIV

The Impossibility of Dual Allegiance (v. 24)

Matthew 6:24 NIV

Do you own your possessions — or do they own you?

II. DO NOT BE ANXIOUS (vv. 25–32)

The Command and Its Reason (v. 25)

Matthew 6:25 NLT

Look at the Birds (v. 26)

Matthew 6:26 NIV

Anxiety Is Useless (v. 27)

Matthew 6:27 NIV

Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

Consider the Lilies (vv. 28–30)

Matthew 6:28–30 NIV

What the Gentiles Seek (vv. 31–32)

Matthew 6:31–32 NIV

So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.

III. SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM (v. 33)

The One Priority

Matthew 6:33 NIV

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

The Promise

"And all these things will be added to you."

What Does Seeking the Kingdom Look Like?

IV. DO NOT BE ANXIOUS ABOUT TOMORROW (v. 34)

One Day at a Time

Matthew 6:34 NIV

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Anxiety Robs Us of Today

Can you trust God enough with tomorrow to actually rest today?

Three diagnostic questions to sit with this week.

First: What do you worry about most? 

Second: What does your budget reveal?

Third: Do you live like you have a heavenly Father who provides — or like an orphan who has to secure everything yourself? 

Matthew 5:20 NLT - “But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!

Jeremiah 17:9 - “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is? NLT

SIX SIGNS OF A SPIRITUALLY UNHEALTHY HEART:

1. HARBORING ANGER

Matthew 5:21-26 - You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment. 22 But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.25 “When you are on the way to court with your adversary, settle your differences quickly. Otherwise, your accuser may hand you over to the judge, who will hand you over to an officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 And if that happens, you surely won’t be free again until you have paid the last penny. NLT

2. HARBORING LUST

Mark 5:27-30 – “You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery’ 28 But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 So if your eye—even your good eye— causes you to lust, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your hand—even your stronger hand—causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

3. UNSCRIPTURAL DIVORCE

Mark 5:31-32 – “You have heard the law that says, ‘A man can divorce his wife by merely giving her a written notice of divorce.’ 32 But I say that a man who divorces his wife, unless she has been unfaithful, causes her to commit adultery. And anyone who marries a divorced woman also commits adultery.

4. PLAYING WITH THE TRUTH

Mark 5:33-37 – “You have also heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not break your vows; you must carry out the vows you make to the Lord.’ 34 But I say, do not make any vows! Do not say, ‘By heaven!’ because heaven is God’s throne. 35 And do not say, ‘By the earth!’ because the earth is his footstool. And do not say, ‘By Jerusalem!’ for Jerusalem is the city of the great King. 36 Do not even say, ‘By my head!’ for you can’t turn one hair white or black. 37 Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’ Anything beyond this is from the evil one.

5. MAKING RETALIATION

Mark 5:38-42 – “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also. 40 If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too. 41 If a soldier demands that you carry his gear for a mile, carry it two miles. 42 Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.

6. HATING YOUR ENEMIES

Mark 5:43-47 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that.

Notes coming soon!

The Beatitudes aren't advice for getting ahead; they're an announcement that God's kingdom has arrived and operates by entirely different values.

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The Upside Down Kingdom

The Beatitudes and Kingdom Values  |  Matthew 5:1–12

Central Idea: The Beatitudes aren't advice for getting ahead; they're an announcement that God's kingdom has arrived and operates by entirely different values.

1. THIS IS AN ANNOUNCEMENT, NOT ADVICE

“Jesus is not suggesting that these are simply timeless truths about the way the world is, about human behaviour. If he was saying that, he was wrong. Mourners often go uncomforted.

The meek don't inherit the earth. Those who long for justice frequently take that longing to the grave. This is an upside-down world, or perhaps a right-way-up world; and Jesus is saying that with his work it's starting to come true.

This is an announcement, not a philosophical analysis of the world. It's about something that's starting to happen, not about a general truth of life. It is gospel: good news, not good advice.”

— N.T. Wright

It is gospel. Good news, not good advice.

Jesus says: the knowing-you-have-nothing-together is the entry point.

2. THE UPSIDE-DOWN NATURE OF THE KINGDOM

Blessed are the poor in spirit (v. 3)

Matthew 5:3 NIV

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are those who mourn (v. 4)

Matthew 5:4 NIV

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Blessed are the meek (v. 5)

Matthew 5:5 NIV

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Meekness is not to be confused with weakness: the meek are not simply submissive because they lack the resources to be anything else.

Meekness is quite compatible with great strength and ability... True meekness may be a quality of the strong, those who could assert themselves but choose not to do so.

The strong who qualify for this blessing are the strong who decline to domineer.

— Leon Morris

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness (v. 6)

Matthew 5:6 NIV

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

Blessed are the merciful (v. 7)

Matthew 5:7 NIV

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart (v. 8)

Matthew 5:8 NIV

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers (v. 9)

Matthew 5:9 NIV

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

Blessed are the persecuted (vv. 10–12)

Matthew 5:10–12 NIV

Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

3. THIS IS WHO WE ARE, NOT WHAT WE DO TO EARN FAVOR

Jesus isn't saying, "Work really hard to be meek, and then you'll be blessed." He's saying, "Here's what kingdom people look like. Here's what it looks like when someone is deeply rooted in me."

This is the Way

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Acts 9:2 NIV

“…and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.

I. THE WAY HAS A NAME: JESUS

Jesus Claimed Exclusive Access to the Father (John 14:6)

John 14:6–7 NIV

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Jesus Is Personal, Not Philosophical (John 14:7)

"Jesus' solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him."Merrill Tenney

II. THE WAY REQUIRES CONFESSION

Proverbs 28:13 NIV

Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.

We Must Acknowledge the Church's Failures

"I like your Christ; I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."Mahatma Gandhi

We Must Distinguish Jesus from Cultural Christianity

"Jesus — the Jesus we might discover if we really looked! — is larger, more disturbing, more urgent than we — than the church! — had ever imagined.

We have successfully managed to hide behind other questions and to avoid the huge, world-shaking challenge of Jesus's central claim and achievement.

We have reduced the kingdom of God to private piety, the victory of the cross to comfort for the conscience, and Easter itself to a happy, escapist ending after a sad, dark tale.

Piety, conscience, and ultimate happiness are important, but not nearly as important as Jesus himself."

N.T. Wright

III. THE WAY IS A LIFESTYLE, NOT JUST A BELIEF

Following Involves Imitation

Matthew 5:1–2 NIV

Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

Following Requires Community

From its very beginning, the Way was communal.

Two Questions to think about honestly this week and sit with:

Seekers:

• Would you be willing to consider that He might actually be who He claimed to be?

Followers of Jesus:

• Have you settled for Christianity without Christ? Have you inherited a religion but drifted from a relationship? Have you built your faith around the right vocabulary and the right behavior and the right tribe — but somewhere along the way, lost sight of the person you're actually supposed to be following?

Sermon notes coming soon!

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

Matthew 6:13 NIV

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

I. TWO PETITIONS, ONE REQUEST (v. 13)Two Aspects of One Plea

"The sinner whose evil in the past has been forgiven longs to be delivered from its tyranny in the future."John Stott

Think about the flow of the Lord's Prayer:

• We've prayed for forgiveness for past sins (v. 12)

• Now we pray for deliverance from future sins (v. 13)

The Natural Flow

1. God's holiness to be respected (v. 9)

2. God's kingdom to be realized (v. 10)

3. Our daily needs to be met (v. 11)

4. Our forgiveness to be received (v. 12)

5. Our victory over temptation and evil (v. 13)

II. THE NATURE OF EVIL (v. 13b)Evil or The Evil One?

The Greek word translated as "evil" is ponēros. This word can be translated:

• “Evil” (as in evil in general)

• “The evil one” (as in Satan specifically)

The Reality of Evil

Whether or not Satan is behind all the evil in the world doesn't change the fact that there is evil in the world.

God as Our Protector

The source of protection from such evil is God, whose kingdom believers are taught to pray will be realized on earth.

III. LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION (v. 13a)

"Lead us not into temptation..."

A Theological Puzzle

Does God tempt us?

James 1:13 NIV

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone;

The MeaningTrials vs. Temptation

James 1:2 NIV

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,

Here's the key: Trials are not the same as temptation.

• Trials = External circumstances that test our faith (can strengthen us)

• Temptation = Enticement to sin (can destroy us)

IV. WE NEED A GUIDE (v. 13)Trusting the Guide

• We don't know the way on our own

• The journey is long and we're tempted to doubt

• We need a guide who knows the terrain

• We're asking God to be that guide

V. DELIVERANCE (v. 13b)

"...but deliver us from evil."

God as Our Deliverer

Not:

• "God, make sure I never face hard times"

• "God, give me a comfortable life with no challenges"

But:

• "God, when I face trials, deliver me"

• "God, when temptation comes, give me a way out"

• "God, when evil threatens, protect me"

The Promise of Deliverance

1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

VI. WHO DO YOU TURN TO? (Application)Two Paths

PATH 1: Turn to God

Result: The trial strengthens your faith, deepens your dependence on God, and refines your character.

PATH 2: Turn to Something Else

Result: The trial leads you into sin, distances you from God, and damages your soul.

The Critical Moment

The critical moment is that first moment of adversity—when the trial hits, when the temptation comes, when the hardship begins.

Building the Habit

This is why Jesus teaches us to pray this prayer daily.

The Complete Prayer

Matthew 6:9–13 KJV 1900

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6:14–15 NIV

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Forgiveness isn't optional for Christians. It's essential.

I. JESUS'S TEACHING ON FORGIVENESS WAS UNIQUE (v. 12)

The Daily Prayers in Jesus's Time “Forgive us, our Father, for we have sinned; pardon us, our King, for we have transgressed; for You are a pardoner and a forgiver. Blessed are You, O Lord, the gracious One who abundantly forgives.”

Why Does This Matter? You can't compartmentalize your relationship with God from your relationships with others. The two are inseparable.

II. DEBTS, TRESPASSES, AND SINS (v. 12)

"Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors."

The Language of Forgiveness The Aramaic Word Khoba khoba meant both sin and debt.

"The faithful need to remember they are asking for forgiveness for failing to forgive what God requires of them (debts) and for their failure to do the right thing when they did act (trespass)." Ken Bailey

What We're Confessing

• We have sinned against his holiness
• We have failed in what he requires of us
• We need mercy, not justice

III. FORGIVENESS IS ESSENTIAL TO LIFE (v. 12)

"Forgive us our debts..."

Food for the Soul John Stott writes:"Forgiveness is as indispensable to the life and health of the soul as food is for the body."

Make It A Regular Practice Notice Jesus teaches his disciples to pray for forgiveness regularly. This isn't a one-time prayer. It's a daily prayer.

IV. THE TERRIFYING CONNECTION (vv. 12, 14-15)

As We Have Forgiven

Matthew 6:14–15 NIV

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Let's be clear about what Jesus is saying:

• Your forgiveness from God is connected to your forgiveness of others
• If you refuse to forgive, you demonstrate you don't understand forgiveness

An unforgiving heart reveals an unforgiven heart

Why Is This So Serious? Because forgiveness is the very essence of the gospel.

Romans 5:10 NIV

Romans 6:23 NIV

Ephesians 2:8–9 NIV

Colossians 2:13–14 NIV

The Demonstration of Repentance

Luke 7:47 NIV

Romans 5:6 NLT

PRACTICAL APPLICATION Is Your Prayer Life Marked by Forgiveness or Vengeance? Who Do You Need to Forgive?

Forgiveness is NOT:

• Saying what they did was okay (it wasn't)
• Excusing their behavior (it's inexcusable)
• Pretending it didn't hurt (it did)
• Putting yourself back in harm's way (boundaries are healthy)
• Reconciliation without repentance (forgiveness is one-sided; reconciliation requires both parties)

Forgiveness IS:

• Releasing your right to revenge
• Entrusting judgment to God
• Refusing to let bitterness poison your soul
• Choosing mercy over vindictiveness
• Extending the grace you've received

The Hard Work of Forgiving

Let me be honest: Forgiveness is hard. But Jesus is saying: For your sake, for the health of your soul, you must forgive.

The Challenge

1. Make a list of people you need to forgive

2. Pray for them by name every day

3. Ask God to help you forgive from your heart

4. If possible and appropriate, take a step toward reconciliation

Matthew 6:9–13 KJV

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.