Page 1 Luke 12:22-34 Do not worry Anxiety, fear and stress are a big deal in many people s lives. It is perhaps not surprising that the society that has the most stuff, the most wealth, the most things, seems also to be the most stressed out, the most angst-ridden culture. People are living with anxiety, stress and worry all the time. Christians are not immune from this, and the bible has a lot to say about fear and anxiety and worry. In the passage we are looking at today, Jesus tells his followers that they should not be anxious, they should not worry, they should not be afraid. Stop being anxious (22), stop worrying(29), stop being afraid (32). This is in the context of his teaching on wealth and possessions and money. God promises to provide everything we need in the material world (12:30) and spiritual world (12:32). Worry comes from the Germanic word wuergen to choke, strangle. Worry is a sin that rises either from a failure to understand God and his sovereign love and care and resources, or from not trusting in God s word and promises. Worry results from ignorance or from unbelief. It is possible to worry your way through the Christian life as you fail to understand or believe in God s character and nature, his purposes and promises. Worry rises from a failure to understand or fully grasp aspects and truths about God s character:
Page 2 1) Divine priority 22-23 Therefore. This follows on from what Jesus has just said about choosing between focusing on the accumulation of wealth and possessions on earth, or storing up treasure in heaven being rich towards God. You make a choice for yourself whether to lay up treasure on earth be selfish and materialistic, or to be rich toward God, to lay up treasure in heaven. You cannot serve two masters God and money. (Matthew 6). You can be rich toward God or you can indulge yourself. The response to Jesus earlier teaching to his disciples could be if I don t take care of me, who is going to?! If I don t accumulate and horde stuff, who will take care of me and my needs. The answer Jesus gives here is that God is going to take care of me. If you are a follower of Jesus, God will take care of you. Do not worry, do not be anxious, do not be afraid. Cast all your cares on him, for he cares for you. Jesus says, don t worry about what you are going to eat, or what you are going to wear. He states God s priority here. You exist for a higher reason than food and clothing. You have a body for more reasons than just food and clothing. You are not an animal. You are not a machine. Our culture focuses on food and fashion and on the fulfilment of our desires. What we eat and what we wear, the way we look, is
Page 3 the relentless focus of our culture. Check out the TV schedule on any given day Thursday Come dine with me? What s cooking? The Great British Bake Off. Chefs: Put your money where your mouth is. Five minutes to a fortune. Hairy Bikers Best of British. Big Body Squad. Master Chef. Secret Eaters If God gave you life if God has brought you into his kingdom - he has a purpose for you to fulfil for his kingdom and glory that is about so much more than simply surviving, so much more than food and drink and clothes more than simple material things. And he will give you everything you need to live life and fulfil his purposes for you. God has given you everything you need for life and godliness. God will provide what you need to survive, so be rich toward God. We have been given a life and a body for the purposes of God. The priority is spiritual purpose. Your life is not about food. Your life is not about clothing. You were made to glorify God and enjoy him forever. 2) Divine provision 12:24 If God feeds birds, don t you think he is going to give you enough to bring him glory Birds were everywhere in Israel. Jesus said: Look at them They don t sow, or reap, they don t have storehouses. They are totally dependent on the Creator. It s not that we are not to work. The birds work, and we work, but we trust in God for our provision. God made the food chain. God wants the birds to survive.
Page 4 He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call. (Psalm 147:9) End of 24: How much more Your God promises to sustain you and your life to the end of his purpose. Life is from God: he gives it, he sustains it and he makes provision for it. Consider Haggai as a contrast to this: 5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it. 7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: Give careful thought to your ways. (Haggai 1:5-7) If we put God and his house and his kingdom first, God will take care of our house. God has created a bountiful supply and he provides it for his people. If you belong to him, he takes care of you, until your purpose on earth is fulfilled. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing Psalm 34:10 It is God s pledge to you that sustains you.
Page 5 3) Divine privilege/prerogative 12:25-26 You do not have the privilege to determine your life span. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Society is going mad about trying to lengthen our lives. You cannot add one day or even one hour to your life. I will not spend one hour more on this earth than God determines. Worry is not going to lengthen your life, because it is the sovereign God who has the privilege to determine when you are going to live and when you are going to die. We have made a god out of health and longevity. We are very concerned about being able to prolong life. I am not going to add one hour to my life by worrying and anxiety. This is not about being healthy and disciplined but you are not going to be able to add to your life certainly not by worry and anxiety and fear. We are not the determiners of the span of our life. This is the divine privilege. You cannot lengthen your life beyond the purposes of God. 4) Divine preference 12:27-28 We live in a society that tells us we are just animals the end of the evolutionary chain. But we bear the divine resemblance. There is a big gap between animal and plant life and human beings. Human beings are made in God s image. God has a preference for people and his own children.
Page 6 Jesus looks at the plants that flower they don t labour or spin. 1 Kings 10 Solomon was the best dressed man. Even Solomon in all his glory did not wear anything like the petal of the flower. Think of the amazing spiritual creativity and love of beauty and design that God has. If God clothes the grass of the field like this, how much more will he clothe you! (Dried grass used to raise the temperature of the fire). If God has made this commitment to clothing flowers in such beauty, which have such a short life span, that die in days and have no spiritual value, how much more will he clothe and care for the crowning glory of his creation for his children. No wonder the bible says: Cast your cares on him, because he cares for you. 12:29 Don t make food and drink and clothing the pursuit of your life! 5) Divine paternity 12:30-31 Your Father knows that you need these things! God is our Father. He is talking to those that believe. Our Father is God, in contrast to these things being sought after by all the nations of the world. If the devil is your father, he makes no promises, he provides no benefits. The unbelieving world may enjoy common grace, but there is no promise from God on these issues. And the devil is a thief and a murderer and a liar. The world runs after, strongly pursues these things. The world is all about material acquisition and material things they are ignorant
Page 7 of God and God s provision. Unbelievers are about survival but our father knows that we need these things. God knows He has the power and the resources and he also has the knowledge. Sometimes we might help someone, but sometimes we don t know. We don t know of a need, of inner turmoil, or inner difficulties. The truly comforting thing is that God is our Father, and God knows He knows. Your Father knows what you need. What are you worrying about?! 12:31 Instead seek his kingdom. You seek his kingdom and these things will be added to you. Don t worry about your bank account, your length of life, your food Make the dominant enterprise of your life the kingdom of God, the sphere of salvation, the gospel The focus of our life is to worship and to serve, to pursue holiness and truth and love. Colossians: Keep seeking the things above where Christ is seated. Everything you do is for his glory and his honour. Live to honour and exalt Christ live for what is eternal, not what is temporal. If you do this, everything else is going to be added. The Israelites knew this and understood it. The Psalmist understands the provision of God. Psalm 34:8-10, 15, 19 Seek the kingdom. Seek righteousness and everything else comes from God. In many cases, God will give you more than enough.
Page 8 6) Divine pleasure 12:32 What gives God pleasure? Where does God find his delight? God is pleased to bless us and provide for us and watch over us. We are his little flock, and the Eternal God of the universe is our Father. your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. It delights God to give you everything you need, every resource you need. What would you worry about? What would you fear? The Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace and joy. Romans 8:32 He has already given us his Son, he will give us all things. If your heart is in heaven nothing changes. Everything is secure. Anxiety-free living demands a transfer of our heart from earth to heaven. 12:33-34 A great offer and then Jesus tells them what to do if they want to enter the kingdom. If you want me to take care of you, give up everything. Luke 14:25-27 Giving up your money, giving up your family, giving up yourself.
Page 9 I am offering you a kingdom, but to enter into it, you have to give up everything in this life. Jesus uses the same kind of language again and again and again. In order to genuinely put your life in the hands of God, you have to abandon it. Salvation is by faith, through grace but true faith in Christ, true discipleship, commits everything to enter the kingdom of God. If there is anything that will prevent you from coming to me, anything you want to keep for yourself, you cannot follow me. The call is to abandon it all. Jesus is saying: How much do you really want the kingdom? Enough to submit to his absolute Lordship? This invitation into the kingdom is for the hungry and the thirsty and the desperate. Instead of accumulating everything in this world, are you willing to invest in heaven and eternity? Put everything your heart, your very essence, in that kingdom. Where is your heart?