Introduction In Luke chapter 12:1-12; Jesus has told his disciples to fear hypocrisy because it is foolish and futile. In Luke 12:13-21 we are told to fear covetousness, that unquenchable desire or thirst for something more. We discovered there are perils to prosperity, but now we understand there are perils in poverty. Greed can never get enough, worry is afraid it may not have enough. Worry is the emotional reward of material preoccupation (R. Kent Hughes; Luke Vol.2; p.51). The rich are prone to be covetous, and the poor are prone to worry. Both are sins. When we substitute things for life, we stop living by faith and trusting God. All of nature trusts God to meet their needs, and so should we. Worry only tears us down. The key to a worry-free life is a heart fixed wholly on God (v. 31 ; Matt. 6:33 ). This is the undivided outlook of 11:34 36. If we belong to God, then it is His obligation to care for us; so we need not worry. 1 But we do worry. We are a nation of worry warts. Depending on the severity and extent of our worry it can make us sick. We call it social affective disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. Jesus knew worry was destructive and deceptive and deforming. In the parable of the foolish farmer Jesus condemned those who treasure up this world s goods in order to satisfy themselves. Now in verses 22-34 Jesus draws our attention to our own attitudes about the basic necessities, food, clothing, shelter. The rich are tempted to trust riches, the poor are tempted to doubt God s provision. John MacArthur writes, The rich are tempted to become self-satisfied in the false security of their riches, and the poor are tempted to worry and fear in the false insecurity of their poverty. If you are rich, or poor or somewhere in between, what you believe about possessions and about the presence or the absence of things in your life, is one of the best indicators of your spirituality. As human beings, we need food, clothing and shelter. As born again, Spirit filled, creations of God in Jesus Christ the Lord, we are also citizens of the Kingdom of God. Since all Christians are going to be in heaven one day, we would do well to consider our destiny. We are creatures of two worlds; and the tension of those two worlds are the proving ground of our character, and the shaper of our souls. We are in the world, but we are not of the world (John 14:14). If Christians really are slaves of God, if He is our Master, He has the responsibility to care for us. If it is God s job to care for us, why do we worry? Jesus continues to confront his own disciples why won t you trust God? We are to fear hypocrisy, we are to fear coveteousness, but we are not to fear poverty. We are to trust God to meet our needs. We are commanded not to worry. Worry is faithless, Godless, pointless and useless. It is faithless because it denies our true trust in the risen Master, it is Godless, because it denies the reality of who God is; it is pointless because of our faith, and it is useless because of our future and destiny in eternity. 1 Wiersbe, W. W. (1997, c1992). Wiersbe's expository outlines on the New Testament (Lk 12:1). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books. 1
Worry Is Destructive (vv.22-28) Luke 12:22 (NKJV); Then He said to His disciples, Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Worry is a sin. All sin is dangerous. Worry is a thief that steals peace, joy, contentment, health and years from our lives. When we discover worry is a sin, we often want to substitute the word for something that sounds less harmless, like concern or burden or cross to bear. Just for fun I looked up worry in my synonym finder. Under worry, I found, fret, agonize, lose sleep over, stew, writhe, stay awake nights. Also included were sweat blood feel uneasy, be afraid, lose heart, despair, brood over, borrow trouble, bother shake and fluster. How appropriate worry winds up being a description of what we are when we don t trust God. What do you worry about? Your job? Your lack of a job? Your children? Your singleness, your spouse, your family? The nation? The house payment? Your retirement? What other people think? What is worry? In the Bible the word translated worry means to be drawn in different directions or pulled apart. Some have translated the word strangled or choked. All of these are descriptions of the effects of worry. If you have ever agonized over making a payment, if you have felt that deep pit in your stomach over losing a job, or the paralyzing fear that grips you if a child runs away from home (or decides to stay with you forever), you have experienced the effects of worry. Corrie Ten Boom used to say, Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. Don t worry. Even about the essentials, what you will eat, nor about the body, what you put on. Worry or some form of the word is repeated in verse 25, verse 26, verse 29, and in verse 32 we are told not to fear. The command do not worry about your life is emphatic that means stop it and never do it again. Do not worry about your life is inclusive that means your whole life, mental, physical, emotional, spiritual. The implication is that worry is sin. In verse 23 we discover life is more important than food, the body more important than the clothes that cover it. Jesus is arguing from the greater to the lesser. The argument is-if God gives life and a body he can be trusted to sustain life and cover the body. Can you trust God as a way of life? At the root of worry is the sin of unbelief. In other words, worry betrays a lack of faith. Jesus gives several illustrations, one about birds, one about life, and one about flowers. In verse 30 Jesus tells us; and your Father knows that you need these things. Jesus refers to God as your Father. Don t you know who your Dad is? Since God is your Father, for you to worry is to dismiss God, and exclude Him from your life! Yet Jesus says you are not to worry about the essentials, about food, about how long or how short your stay is here on the earth, or about clothes. Luke 12:24 (NKJV); Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? 2
Jesus uses an illustration from nature. I like to think a flock of ravens flew overhead. Birds do not have a complex way of gathering and storing food. You realize Birds do not go to the bird supermarket and push little bird carts around and fill their little carts with bird groceries. We have a cat. Buffy the slayer. Buffy relies on my wife to feed her. I send her outside and she feeds herself. God feeds the ravens which are unclean birds. Ravens cannot build storehouses or barns. How much more is God able to care for human beings who do have the ability to work. Jesus is not suggesting that we sit around like lazy daisies waiting for birds to come and feed us. Birds work hard to stay alive. Luke 12:25 (NKJV); And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? The second illustration comes from worrying about how long you will live. We are obsessed with life expectancy. We are living longer than ever before. I read a bumper sticker that read, Eat right, exercise and you still die! There is nothing wrong with eating sensible and enjoying a healthy life style. Yet God is in control of life. He has established the borders of when you will be born, how long you will live, and when you will die. I am sure Jesus is saying this almost tongue in cheek! Worrying doesn t make life longer, if anything worry makes life shorter! You can worry yourself to death. Health officials tell us that worry can have negative effects on circulation, the heart, the glands and the whole nervous system. There was a time when we thought diseases were linked to germs. Now many health professionals link bad health to nutrition and stress! Luke 12:26 (NKJV); If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest? Luke 12:27 (NKJV); Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. The third illustration Jesus uses comes from flowers. In the ancient world of the first century, most people did not have multiple changes of clothes. I know there are people who believe that clothes make the man or clothes make the woman. I only recently discovered that women dress not so much to impress men but to impress each other! Flowers do not decorate themselves. they neither toil nor spin. Was Jesus suggesting we walk around naked? No. We simply spend to much time worrying, fretting, being concerned over what we will wear. Whether you wear Payless, worthless, Rebock, Nike, Addidas, whether you shop at Savers or Foleys, how much time and money and effort do you spend on clothes? Lusting after costly, expensive clothes is sinful and wasteful. Some people have made fashion their god. If you insist on only the finest money can buy, you may be feeding your pride, exalting yourself and and elevating yourself. Luke 12:28 (NKJV); If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 3
Flowers are temporary. Humans are eternal. How much more is a huge argument of why we are not to worry. Luther said, The flowers stand there and make us blush and become our teachers. Thank you flowers who are devoured by cows. God has exalted you highly that you become our masters and teachers. We consider the flowers and then consider ourselves. You may be thinking, Worry is such a little, silly, sin. Gino, why don t you concentrate on the major league sins like genocide, murder, lying, stealing, adultery? When a police officer pulls you over for speeding, do you ever think, don t you have bigger fish to fry? Yet worry is not just a little sin. Worry is an assault on the love of God. It questions His love, His affection and His integrity. Worry is another way of saying, I don t trust God, I am not counting on His promises, and I don t really believe God s Word. It s kind of like talking out of both sides of your mouth. Worry is being controlled by circumstances, mastered by fear, dominated by doubt. Worry is accepting the perspective of the moment, and rejecting the eternal perspective. This is why life in Jesus Christ, daily prayer, and daily Bible study give us a fresh perspective, a consistent attitude and outlook on God s love and provision. The absence of those disciplines gives Satan the opportunity to fill the void, fill the vacuum of our thinking with discontentment, despair, and doubt. Worry has the net effect of kicking God out of our thinking. No wonder Paul tells us the cure for worry; Be anxious for nothing, 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 minds through Christ Jesus (Phil.4:6-7). Pay close attention to that expression O you of little faith (v.28). The source of anxiety, of worry is unbelief the absence of faith. We do not believe God s Word. Worry is Godless and destructive. Lisa Owens was facing knee surgery. She was a bit nervous about it, so she asked her boss, the veterinarian at the clinic where she worked if he had any advice for her. He was comforting and without hesitation he told her, Turn your worries into prayers, get plenty of rest and don t lick your incision. Worry Is Deceptive (vv.29-30) Luke 12:29 (NKJV); And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. In effect, Jesus tells us worry gives us a false outlook on life and even a false view of God. The expression anxious mind here means a doubtful mind, it is the kind of doubt that holds something in suspense. It is the picture of ship being tossed on violent waves. Worry is destructive because it is Godless. Worry is deceptive and pointless. When we worry about material things, what we should eat, or drink we are in effect living like people who really don t have a relationship with Jesus Christ. We are living like the pagan and the heathen and the unbeliever. People who do not know God, naturally preoccupy themselves with what they do know! They know that eating and drinking and 4
dressing give them pleasure! When you have nothing to live for, except the present, when you have no one to indulge, but yourself, then live for right now! Don t blame them. People who don t have a God to take care of the physical things of life, need to care for themselves. Materialism and selfism are perfectly consistent with people who are self-absorbed. For the Christian, worry is a waste of time it is pointless. Worry is unreasonable. The Christian has a God who supplies all of your needs according to His riches in glory. In ancient times, people believed in gods who supplied their needs. Helios the sun god provided light, Demeter or Ceres supplied grain. Diana or Aphrodite supplied fertility, for children, increased cattle herds, etc. These man made gods were part imagination and part demonic deception, man made gods energized by Satan in order to deceive. The gods demanded much, promised little, and were constantly feared. People would seek pleasure and satisfaction in the here and now. Have things really changed? People live for the day, with the gods they have fabricated, the god of alcohol (Bacchus or Pan), the god of parties, the god of drugs, the goddess of sex, the gods and goddesses of business, war, government etc. Worry is pointless for the person who believes there is a real God. A God who loves them, and cares for them, who knows their open needs and their secret desires. If we pray in secret, if we give in secret, God will answer us openly and reward us openly. If God sees our spiritual lives, doesn t he see our physical circumstances and open needs? Of course! Therefore he will care for us openly. Luke 12:30 (NKJV); For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. Worry Is Deforming (vv.31-34) Luke 12:31 (NKJV); But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. The solution to the problem of the love of money is to seek the kingdom of God above all else. Jesus assures His disciples if they will do this, God will provide all their needs. In other words, if we submit to God s rule here on the earth, and in our lives, advancing His kingdom God will provide. Luke 12:32 (NKJV); Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Jesus promises not the Roman Empire but God s Kingdom. Matthew 6:34 (NKJV); Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. Worry is not only godless, pointless, but useless. Worry doesn t make sense, because of our future. Here Jesus gives us great insight on how do deal with worry. Jesus is not saying don t make provision for tomorrow. It makes sense to buy milk and groceries for today and tomorrow. There is a difference between making a reasonable provision for tomorrow, and worrying about tomorrow. 5
Lamentations 3:22-23 (NKJV); Through the Lord s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. Some people are so committed to worry, if they can t find anything today to fret over, they will tear themselves up thinking about tomorrow! We are to concentrate on the trials, the problems, the opportunities and the struggles we face today. Tomorrow will bring a new set of temptations. God promises you wisdom for today. Grace for today, strength for today, forgiveness for today, mercy for today. God s grace is also good for tomorrow, but it must be used today. Like manna that fell from heaven, God s provision is for today. Seek solutions for today s problems today! Isaiah 26:3-4 (NKJV); You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. 4 Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength. Luke 12:33-34 (NKJV); Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys.34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Jesus concludes with some radical statements. He tells them to sell their material things and give them as alms to the poor. What do we do with that statement? Is Jesus giving them a test of discipleship? Is it a test of true repentance like in the case of Levi and Zacchaeus and the rich young ruler? Whatever it means we are forced to examine our own values and priorities. In the end it will tell us where our true loyalties lie. Perhaps it is a tool. Because with the absence of these resources the disciples must wholly rely on the Lord. Whatever it means Jesus calls his disciples their sacrifice, their renunciation, as a total commitment to Him; undivided loyalty, even in the face of an unknown future. Riches are enticing, and they turn people away from Jesus and His kingdom. Sometimes people must take catastrophic steps in light of an impending future Jesus is coming back soon. Is this readiness? Is this willingness to surrender all? If it is a test, if it is a tool in the process of discipleship, it becomes a litmus, to true conversion, true discipleship, undivided loyalty. It shows that the person has turned from self reliance, to reliance on the Lord. Readiness to renounce may mean true repentance from the sin of worry. The readiness to renounce one s possessions discloses a person s ultimate allegiance and the reality of his or her relationship with God. What You Can Do If You Worry--- Deal with your problems one day at a time. Problems are real. We are not commanded to ignore or pretend that real problems exist. Something I have found very helpful, is to write down three questions on a piece of paper. Leave plenty of space to answer the questions. What is my problem? What does God want me to do about it? When, where and how should I begin? From an early age I was taught to define the problem in terms of the goal. What am I trying to accomplish? If it is a problem in my marriage, I don t say my problem is my marriage, my problem is I 6
don t have unity in my marriage. What does God want me to do about it? Well, what does God have to say about marriage? Remember to deal with today s problems today. You have all heard the old expression; today is the first day of the rest of your life. In her book Celebrate Joy; Velma Seawell Daniels gives a striking new meaning to this familiar phrase. She tells of interviewing a man who made a trip to Alaska to visit people who live above the Arctic Circle. Never ask an Eskimo how old he is, the man said. If you do, he will say, I don t know and I don t care. And he doesn t. One of them told me that, and I pressed him a bit further. When I asked him the second time, he said, Almost that s all. That still wasn t good enough for me, so I asked him; Almost what? and he said, Almost one day. Mrs. Daniels asked him if he could figure out what the Eskimo meant. He answered that he did but only after talking to another man who had lived in the Arctic Circle for about twenty years. He was a newspaperman who had written a book about the Eskimos and their customs and beliefs. He said the Eskimos believe that when they go to sleep at night they die that they are dead to the world. Then, when they wake up in the morning, they have been resurrected and are living a new life. Therefore no Eskimo is more than one day old. So, that is what the Eskimo meant when he said he was almost a day old. The day wasn t over yet. Life above the Arctic Circle is harsh and cruel, and mere survivial becomes a major accomplishment he explained. But you never see an Eskimo who seems worried or anxious. They have learned to face one day at a time. Have you learned to put worry and anxiety aside and live one day at a time, and trust the Lord Jesus for every single day? May you be content and have Enough happiness to keep you sweet. Enough trials to keep you strong. Enough sorrow to keep you human Enough hope to keep you happy. Enough failure to keep you humble. Enough success to keep you eager. Enough friends to give you comfort. Enough wealth to meet your needs. Enough enthusiasm to make you look forward to tomorrow. Enough determination to make each day better than the day before. Leave tomorrow's trouble to tomorrow's strength; tomorrow's work to tomorrow's time; tomorrow's trial to tomorrow's grace and to tomorrow's God. 7