28 July 2013
-- turn in
Bibles to Luke 12:22-34
Luke 12:22-34 (NIV)
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what
you will wear.
23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them.
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
-- many
people in our world today worry -- they worry about the past -- they worry
about the future -- they even worry about things that will never come
-- it's
like the patient in the mental hospital -- the attendant was walking by and he
noticed one of his patients had his ear pressed up against the wall, listening
intently to what was going on in the next room-- the patient saw the attendant watching and motioned for him to come over and join him -- the attendant pressed his ear to the wall for a long time and finally said, "I can't hear a thing" -- the patient replied, "You're right -- it's been like that all day!"
-- just
yesterday I saw an ad on the internet put out by FEMA -- the Federal Emergency
Management Agency -- it was called, "Today is the Day Before," and
the premise of the ad is that today might be the day before something bad
happens like an earthquake or a tornado or a terrorist attack -- the ad closes
by saying, "Today might be the day before -- are you ready?" -- and I
thought, "No, I'm not -- what am I going to do?" -- and it just gave
me more to worry about
-- you see
what I mean? -- if there were a support group for worriers, I would be it's
most avid member -- I can see it now -- "My name is Greg Lee, and I
worry"
-- but,
more than likely, I'm not the only one in this room who worries -- worrying is
one of the most common afflictions in this country -- and, as some have said,
worry is our most acceptable sin-- but Jesus knew that -- Jesus knew our hearts -- He knew our doubts -- He knew our fears -- and He knew we were going to worry -- several times in Scripture Jesus told His followers to stop worrying and start trusting -- that's exactly what He tells them in this passage that I want us to look at this morning
-- so if you would, please join me here in Luke 12 and let's look at what Jesus had to say about this subject
II. Scripture Lesson (Luke 12:22-34)
-- verse 22-23
22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: "Therefore I tell
you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what
you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.
-- now let
me set the scene for you -- Luke tells us several thousand people had gathered
around Jesus to hear Him speak -- so many, in fact, that they're tripping over
each other -- they're literally pressing up against Him so they can hear His
words
-- one of
them impatiently hollers up to Jesus and demands that Jesus tells his brother
to split the inheritance with him -- at which point Jesus delivers a parable
about the rich fool who laid up wealth and treasure on earth because he was
worried about the future, but who found it all for naught because his very life
was taken away that very night-- Jesus then turned to His disciples and began sharing with them these thoughts on worrying about life -- He says, "Therefore, don't be like the rich fool -- don't worry about your life -- what will you will eat -- and don't worry about your body -- what you will wear -- life is about so much more than this"
-- when I
was looking at this passage, I found it interesting that Jesus was speaking
these words privately to His disciples -- these were men who had been around
Jesus for some time now -- they trusted Him enough to leave their jobs and
their families and all they had behind and to follow Him -- more than anyone
else there that day, these were men we would expect to live on faith, but still
they worried
-- the
problem of worry in our society today is not just for unbelievers -- but it is
an epidemic that also plagues the church -- Christians worry, too -- even
Jesus' own disciples -- the apostles that God used to build His church on earth
-- even they worried about their daily lives -- even they were concerned about
food and clothes and how they were going to get by in life-- the point I want you to get here is that we all worry -- Christians -- non-Christians -- everyone -- but that doesn't mean it's right -- worry is a sin -- it's the opposite of faith -- and so Jesus turns to His disciples and tells them point-blank, "Do not worry."
-- you
know, when you think about it, you have to wonder about Jesus' command here to
not worry -- I mean, think about who this passage is written to -- who Jesus
was actually speaking to -- He was speaking to His followers who lived in the
first century in Palestine
-- this
wasn't a good time to be a Jew -- living conditions in that time were harsh -- the
Israelites were people under subjection to the Romans -- they were limited in
what they could do to make a living and where they could go and they were taxed
to excess by both the Romans and the Jews -- most people in that day struggled
to just survive and make a living -- they struggled to find enough to eat and
drink every day
-- think
about the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and why that miracle is included in
all the gospels -- Scripture tells us that when Jesus got done speaking that
day, the disciples tried to get Him to make the crowd leave because they didn't
have food to eat and the disciples didn't have any food to give them -- not having food or clothes was a common state of affairs in their day -- the majority of their population would have lived below what we call the poverty line -- in other words, they had more poor people in their day than we do in ours today -- and they didn't have Government assistance to help them
-- if you think about it, the world Jesus lived in was similar to that of a third world country today -- they had real problems with the basic necessities of life, yet Jesus tells them in this passage, "Don't worry"
-- makes you wonder why worry is such a big problem in our society today -- we live in the most affluent country in the world -- the U.S. uses more of the world's resources than any other country -- even the poorest in our country is blessed compared to the world's standards -- you've probably seen the quote: "If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead, and a place to sleep at night, you are richer than 75% of the world" -- even our homeless are better off than most people in other countries
-- the biggest health problem in our country is obesity -- we don't have to worry about getting something to eat here -- we should be worrying about eating too much
-- but incredibly, even though we have more than any other nation in the world, we also lead the world in worrying -- Worry is the number one mental disorder in
-- “The Mayo Clinic claims 80-85% of their total caseload is due directly to worry and anxiety -- and many experts say that coping with stress is the #1 health priority of our day -- one leading physician has stated that, in his opinion, 70% of all medical patients could cure themselves if only they got rid of their worries and fears"1
-- that's what Jesus is trying to get us to do here
-- verse 24-28
24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have
no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are
than birds!
25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 "Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.
28 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!
-- to make
His point, Jesus turned to nature for two examples -- first, He told His
disciples to consider the ravens -- they don't worry -- they don't stress over
food -- they don't have storerooms or barns where they sock up food for the
winter -- but still they survive because God knows their needs and He takes
care of them
-- it's the
same way with the lilies -- they don't worry about how they look -- they don't
fret about what they're going to wear -- but God knows their needs, and He
provides them dress that is finer than even what King Solomon wore-- Jesus' point is this -- if God goes to such extreme measures to take care of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field, don't you think He's going to take care of you? -- if they don't worry but trust God to give them what they need, right when they need it, shouldn't you -- who know the living God -- do the same?
-- why worry anyway? -- Jesus pointed out that we can't even add one hour to our lives through worrying -- in fact, science has proven that worry will actually shorten your life -- so stop worrying!
-- Jesus
goes on to give us four principles for overcoming worry in the rest of this
passage:2
1. Trust God
--
look at verse 29-30
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink;
do not worry about it.
30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your
Father knows that you need them.
--
in the Lord's Prayer Jesus taught us to pray, "Give us THIS DAY our daily
bread" -- notice He didn't say, "Fill our barns with food -- give us
enough food to get by this year -- make our jobs secure -- give us enough
resources where we never have to worry again"
--
Jesus was trying to get us to live on faith and to understand that God will
provide what we need -- He reminds us here that God knows what we need -- we
shouldn't run after our needs like the pagans do, who worry about -- instead,
trust God to meet your needs -- this is an act of faith
2. Put God First
--
verse 31
31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to
you as well.
--
don't set your heart on the things of this earth -- don't make them the focus
of your life
--
we've talked in here before about idols, and we've discussed how an idol is
anything that you place more emphasis on and more attention to than God -- food
and clothing can become idols if we spend more time worrying about them than
God-- Jesus tells us here to put God first -- put your focus on Him -- put your eyes on Him -- and He will meet your needs
-- sometimes God will even let you experience unmet needs in your life in order to get you to turn your eyes to Him -- our first and utmost priority in life should be to glorify God and put Him first and then to trust in faith that He will provide all that we need -- both spiritually and physically
3. Fight Your Fears
--
verse 32
32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has
been pleased to give you the kingdom.
--
fear is the number one cause of worry -- fear of the future -- fear of the past
-- fear that something bad is going to happen
--
365 times in Scripture we are told, "Do not fear" -- fear and worry
are the opposite of faith and trust-- Jesus tells us here again, "Do not be afraid -- don't fear" -- God has given you His Kingdom -- what do you have to be afraid of?
-- as Carl Henry pointed out in an article in Christianity Today magazine:3
-- For believers, the worst that can happen is already past -- sin has been judged
-- For believers, however dark it may be, the present has a brighter side
-- For believers, the best that will happen lies in the future.
--
God has given us His kingdom -- we are heirs to the throne -- we have been
blessed beyond belief with every spiritual blessing and we have already been
seated with Christ in the heavenlies because of His death and resurrection
--
we have nothing to fear because our future is secure -- we can walk through
storms with praise on our lips because we know that God's sun is shining on the
other side of the clouds -- and He is with us through it all
4. Change Your Perspective
--
verse 33-34
33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide
purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will
not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be
also.
-- just as He told the
rich young ruler, Jesus counsels His disciples to cast off the things that are
causing them to worry -- get rid of your possessions, and you don't have to
worry about them
-- I've really gotten
better about this lately -- I guess, in part, because our vehicles are getting
older and no one really wants them or wants what's inside of them -- everybody knows how bad the crime is in downtown Atlanta -- a couple of years ago, we went up to a Braves game -- and, as you know, the stadium is not in a good part of town -- people have their cars broken into all the time while they're at a game
-- we went to the game and came out and found we had left our car unlocked -- I thought Kim had locked and she thought I had locked it and there we were -- leaving our car completely unlocked in the middle of one of the highest crime areas in the entire state -- and nothing was missing -- nobody had even bothered it
-- that experience taught me to stop worrying so much about material things -- I can go into the store now and not worry about whether I've locked the car because even if it or something in it goes missing, I really haven't lost a lot
-- I've learned that nothing material is irreplaceable -- in other words, I really don't let possessions weigh me down -- I try to do what Jesus says here in these verses -- I try to travel light and not worry about my possessions to the point they control me
-- Jesus tells us to change our perspective -- to focus on what is eternal and what will never wear out or be stolen or be destroyed -- but to live for God and His kingdom and to trust in Him for all things
-- let God be your treasure and guard it with all your heart and you will never have to worry about the things of this world again
III. CLOSING
-- the story is told about this Eastern
monarch who lived many years ago -- he had great wealth and treasure -- he had
many fine things in his palace -- and many wives in his harem -- he lived his
life plagued by worry, concerned that he might lose what he possessed-- so one day, this monarch called all his wise men together -- he asked them to invent a mantra -- a few magic words that would help him in time of trial or distress -- something that would take away his worry and replace his fear with strength
-- and he gave them these guidelines -- the phrase had to be brief enough to be engraved on a ring so that he could have it always before his eyes -- it must be appropriate to every situation, as useful in prosperity as in adversity -- it must be wise and true and endlessly enduring -- it had to be words by which a man could be guided all his life, in every circumstance, no matter what happened.
-- The wise men left the monarch and put their heads together -- they thought and thought and finally came to the monarch with their magic words -- this phrase, they declared to the monarch, were words for every change or chance of fortune -- they fit every situation, good or bad -- they would ease the heart and mind and take away all fear and worry
-- and then, with a flourish, they presented their monarch with a ring engraved with these words, "This, too, shall pass."
-- that is one of my favorite
sayings in all the world -- it holds the key, I think, to what Jesus is trying
to get us to see in this passage -- all the things in this world -- all the
things that we hold dear at this moment -- all of this shall pass
-- those possessions we worry about
and fret over and fear will be stolen -- these, too, will pass-- our family and our health -- even our own life -- these, too, will pass
-- this storm we are walking through -- this trial and test that we are facing -- no matter how difficult or overwhelming it appears -- this, too, will pass
-- the only thing, then, to worry about is that which will not pass -- our eternal life
-- why spend time chasing after the wind, running to and fro like the pagans, worrying about what we are going to eat and what we are going to wear and what we are going to do, when we have a God who knows and meets all our needs and who has done even more than that -- a God who has prepared a place for us with Him -- and a home in heaven for eternity
-- let me close by reminding you of
that familiar praise song that counsels us to stop worrying and to start living
our lives by turning our eyes and our attention to Jesus -- the chorus goes
like this:
-- "Turn your eyes upon Jesus
-- look full in His wonderful face -- and the things of earth will grow strangely
dim -- in the light of His glory and grace"
-- let us pray
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1Craig Simpson. “Don’t Worry About Anything.”
SermonCentral.com
2Modified from outline by John Hamby. "The
World's Most Acceptable Sin." SermonCentral.com
3Carl F.H. Henry, Christianity Today Magazine,
"An Eye on the Cradle"
1 comment:
"This too, shall pass." Amen Greg! Gonna have to borrow that one, sorry!
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