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| Worried! (photoloni) |
There
is a bumper sticker that you might have seen a few times: He who dies with the
most toys wins. That driver is just the kind of person Jesus is most interested
in helping in today’s passage. Jesus’ parable of the rich fool (Luke 12:13-21) taught
us that life is not about possessions. How foolish to spend one’s whole life
accumulating things that death only strips away. People whose cars wear those
kinds of bumper stickers go through life wearing spiritual blinders, always
thinking horizontally, never lifting their eyes to see things from God’s
perspective.
The
two passages from last week and today are closely related and happened in the
same incident in Jesus’ life. Jesus points out the wrong kind of focus and the wrong
kind of fear. In the first, Jesus teaches us that the wrong kind of focus is on
accumulating more and more possessions (Luke 12:13-21). In the passage before
us today, Jesus teaches us that the wrong kind of fear is more and more worry
about having everything provided that we need. Jesus teaches us to think
vertically so that we can spend our precious energies and short number of days
on thing that really matter in life.
Key Truth: Luke
wrote Luke 12:22-34 to teach believers that one’s focus should be not
worry, but trust.
Key Application: Today I
want to show you what God’s Word says about genuine provision.
Key Verse: Luke 12:22
Pray and Read:
Luke 12:22-34
Context:
Since the beginning of his Gospel,
Luke has focused on the importance of walking in faith and not in unbelief.
Luke’s Gospel makes a major shift at Luke 9:51 where Jesus leaves his Galilean
ministry and turns resolutely toward Jerusalem and His coming Suffering, Death,
and Resurrection. Luke’s message of trusting Christ sharpens, and his warning
against unbelief hones in on the very religious yet unbelieving Jewish
leadership.
Luke shows us that new resolute
focus in chapters 10 and 11, calling us to realign our own priorities to those
of our resolute Lord: First, the priority of His Gospel to the nations (Luke
10:1-24); second the priority of our love for our neighbors (Luke 10:25-37);
third, the priority of His Presence (Luke 10:38-42) walked out a higher
priority of prayer in our lives (Luke 11:1-13); fifth, the priority of Jesus’
authority in our lives (Luke 11:14-28) which calls us to a high priority on
repentance (Luke 11:29-36).
First, Jesus condemns the wrong kind
of religion – dead religion that is devoid of relationship with Him (Luke 11:37-54).
Then he warns his disciples of hypocrisy and points away from the fear of man
to the right kind of fear, the fear of God (Luke 12:1-12). Jesus next warns
against materialism but instead to focus on being rich toward God (Luke
12:13-21), then warns against worry and encourages his disciples to trust the
Lord for provision (Luke 12:22-34). The right kind of focus follows (Luke
12:35-59), then Luke’s outline calls us to the right kind of religion, one of
repentance and grace (Luke 13:1-19).[1]
Luke 10:1-24 The Priority of His Gospel (for
the nations)
Luke 10:25-37 The Priority of Your Love (for your
neighbor)
Luke
10:38-42 The Priority of His
Presence
Luke 11:1-13 The
Priority of Your Prayer
Luke
11:14-28 The Priority of His
Authority
Luke
11:29-36 The Priority of Your
Repentance
Luke
11:37-54 The Wrong Kind of
Religion (without relationship)
Luke
12:1-12 The Right Kind of
Fear (not of men, but of God)
Luke
12:13-21 The Wrong Kind of
Focus (not greed, but God)
Luke
12:22-34 The Wrong Kind of Fear (not worry, but trust)
Luke 12:35-59 The Right
Kind of Focus
Luke 13:1-9 The Right Kind of Religion
Sermon Points:
1. Not
worry but trust: Focus on genuine provision (Luke 12:22-34)
Exposition:
1.
NOT WORRY, BUT TRUST: FOCUS ON
GENUINE PROVISION (Luke 12:22-34)
a.
Luke 12:22-30 – Do not worry: (|| Matt 6:25-34). From the warning against greed, now
Jesus positively applies his teaching to his disciples from abundant
possessions (wealth) to an abundant life of trust and dependence on God, free from
worry and anxiety. Jesus uses two Greek words here: anxious (merimnao “to be
divided, distracted” like Martha Luke 10:41), and worrying (meteorizo “to be
tossed like a ship at sea . . . to be in doubt”).[2]
For his disciples, Jesus identifies fear as the source of greed (Luke 12:22). We
are physical beings in a material universe, and we must have food, clothes, and
shelter to survive. Yet he tells them not to worry about the food we need to
eat nor the clothes we need to wear (Luke 12:22-23). Since God feeds the birds
of the air and beautifully clothes the flower of the field, he will surely care
for his own children.
b.
Why? Jesus gives six reasons why.
i.
First, He said a person is more than a
body (Luke 12:23), and the total person needs more than material things. Jesus
says we are not to fret about things that are not our responsibility (Luke
12:23). Should we stop working? No, but Jesus is warning us against being
obsessed with these things to the point of distraction.
ii.
Second, He emphasized that all God’s
creatures are under His care. The birds of the air neither sow nor reap, yet
God feeds them (Luke 12:24). God views people as more important than ravens
(Luke 12:25-26, 29-31), unclean birds and of no value (Lev 11:15; Deut 14:14),
such careless creatures that the ancients said they failed to return even to
their own nests, yet the Lord feeds them (“He provides food for the cattle and
for the young ravens when they call” Psalm 147:9; Job 38:41), and ironically they
fed Elijah (1 Kings 17:4, 6).
iii.
Third, Jesus reminds them that they
cannot extend their lives anyway (Luke 12:25-26). We worry about things we
cannot change or control. We cannot add literally “a single cubit to his
length” (Luke 12:25), height or life. A cubit is the approximately 18 inches
from elbow to end of the hand. APPLICATION:
Can you alter a hurricane’s path? Can you control people’s reactions? Can you
make the stock market go up? Can you choose people’s attitudes and decisions
for them? So why are you giving so much energy to those kinds of things you
cannot change or control?
iv.
Fourth, Jesus says that people cannot
provide as well as God can anyway. Take the lilies of the field. They are robed
in greater glory than Solomon ever was (Luke 12:27; Song of Solomon 2:1; Solomon’s
glory described in 1 Kings 10:4-23; 4:20, 22; 10:5; 2 Chron 9:13-21). No one is
sure if Jesus was referring to a specific flower, but one interesting
suggestion is the purple anemone, a contrast with the royal purple of Solomon’s
robes.
v.
Fifth, God takes care of His own. God’s
friends are more important than flowers (Luke 12:28-29). Dried grass was used
to kindle fires (Psalm 37:2; 90:5-6; 102:11; 103:15; Isaiah 37:27).
vi.
Sixth, he reminds them that the Father
knows what they need better than they do anyway (Luke 12:30). Luke 12:30 – Your Father: As a Father,
God is merciful to us (Luke 6:36); dearly loves us (John 16:27); rewards us
(Matt 6:1); Listens to us (Matt 6:6); knows and meets our needs (Luke 12:30),
gives us good gifts (Matt 7:11); disciplines us (John 15:2; Heb 12). The pagans
(Greek: “nations of the world,”) i.e., the Gentiles, run after these things.
But instead, Jesus says, seek God’s kingdom, i.e., focus your life on things
that have eternal value rather than on material things.
vii.
Luke 12:31 – Faith: As an alternative to anxiety and
fear, Jesus challenges them to faith, to trust Him. Seeking God’s kingdom means
focusing one’s life on things that have eternal value rather than on material
things (cf. Matt 6:33). The blessing of that future kingdom includes God’s
faithful provision now. The one who trusts God to meet needs will find that He
is faithful.
c.
APPLICATION: Jesus challenges us not to be
anxious even about necessities and gives us two vital insights. First, we
should not be anxious because we have a heavenly Father who cares for us.
Second, we must not be anxious because that would shift the focus of our
attention from God to the things of this world. Greed, or covetousness often
has its root in insecurity. Insecurity is a form of fear. The person who tries
to secure the future is the one who covets material things. Greed arises from
idolatry of self, treasuring oneself more than anything or anyone else. What a
man loves and treasures, he serves.
d.
Luke 12:32-34 – This passage brings an end to the section
Luke 12:13-34, and invites a comparison to the rich fool at the beginning. Both
passages make essentially the same point – that material possessions do not
give life security. In Luke 12:13-21, the uncertainty of life is emphasized.
Here the uncertainty of possessions is emphasized. Little flock: a fragile people cared for by God (Psalm 23:1; 28:9;
74:1; 77:20; Isaiah 40:11; Jer 13:17; Zech 11:11; 13:7). Give you the kingdom: This is the end-time rule of God’s people
(Luke 22:30; Isaiah 41:10, 14). Treasure:
One should place a priority on investing in eternal life rather than in
possessions (Matt 6:19-21). Material treasures are fleeting and unreliable.
Putting God’s kingdom first stores up treasures for eternity. This is why Jesus
applies his teaching by telling them to sell their possession and give to the
poor! If we will walk in faith toward Him, we would not only find provision in
this life but also accumulate “treasure in heaven” (Luke 12:33). Jesus tells
them to sell their possessions and ‘give alms’ to the poor, showing them practically
how to lay up treasures in heaven (Luke 12:33). If we know that we have treasure
in heaven, the need to hoard treasure on earth disappears (Luke 12:34). Jesus
nowhere in the Scripture prohibits possessions, but he does teach that
possessions should be placed within proper priorities. People and their needs
matter, but there is little worth in possessions beyond one’s needs.
e.
APPLICATION: Jesus is not commanding us to make ourselves
destitute (this is not a vow of poverty), but to give to the poor (don’t hoard
your treasure) as a recognition that all our possessions are to be used for
God’s purposes. What we treasure always gets priority in our lives. What receives
most of your time and energy? What do you stand over and protect? What a man
loves, he serves. Life is not about what we own – or think we own. Life is
about God’s kingdom, because it will last.
f.
What
should we do to change our priorities and focus on things that matter? First,
we have to prepare before things happen.
We must say to ourselves, “I want God’s will, not mine.” Then we will look
at situations differently. We will have the energy to find opportunities to
display Christ’s character and Kingdom to others. Second, we have to change the
way we react after things happen. We
must say to ourselves, “Lord, I
trust You right now; I rest in Your provision. Now show me where you are at
work, and I’ll make the adjustments to join you.”
g.
There
are some dark days ahead because our leadership does not want to deal with
things the way that need to be dealt with. You and I cannot let the idolatry of
fear paralyze us because a plant closes and thousands are put out of work or
because some crazy walks in your restaurant and starts shooting or because a
tree falls through the roof of your house or because there are rumors of
layoffs coming or because a doctor tells you they have found a tumor or because
you got the teacher or the student no one wanted or because you think your
spouse is involved with someone at work or because the Middle East is heating
up again. Prepare yourself now so that when the Lord moves, you will not be
running around with your hair on fire, but you will be a stable, solid place of
provision for your family and neighbors.
Invitation:
Sources:
F.F.
Bruce, gen. ed. The International Bible
Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1986), 1208-1209.
S.
MacLean Gilmour, “Luke.” George Arthur Buttrick, gen. ed., The Interpreter’s Bible. Vol. 8 (Nashville: Abingdon, 1952), 8:227-231.
Craig
Keener, The IVP Bible Background
Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove: Intervarsity, 1993), 224.
David
W. Pao and Eckhard J. Schnabel, “Luke,” G.K. Beale and D.A. Carson, gen. eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the
Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), 330-1.
Dwight
J. Pentecost, The Words and Works of
Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1981), 313-315.
Lawrence
O. Richards, The Bible Reader’s Companion
(Wheaton: Victor, 1991), 663.
David
H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary
(Clarksville, MD: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), 126.
Mark
Strauss. “Luke.” Clinton E. Arnold, gen. ed. Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2002), 1:429-430.
Charles
R. Swindoll and Bryce Klabunde, The
Declaration of Something Mysterious: A Study of Luke 10:38-16:18 (Anaheim,
CA: Insight for Living, 1995), 66-73.
Harold
L. Wilmington, The Outline Bible
(Nashville: Tyndale House, 1999), 539-540.
[1] Luke 11:14-17:11 are called the
Perean Discourses, during a time of ministry in Perea just east of the Jordan
from about Sept A.D. 28 to April A.D. 29 when he returned to Jerusalem for his
final week of ministry. Perhaps because it was winter, Luke records more
teaching than activities of Jesus. Luke is the only record of these days and
teachings with the exception of Matt 12:22-45 and John 10:22-42; 11:1-54. Like
the beginning of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (Luke 6:20-49), this period of ministry
nearer Jerusalem was marked with much teaching and many parables. In the Perean
Discourses, Jesus resumes, repeats, and reinforces with more fullness some of
his Galilean teaching.
[2] Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament, 177.
God works in such amazing ways.The very neat thing is when I clicked"next blog" on my computer I was lead to your blog.I posted tonight a little bit about what I treasure on this earth the most and that is my family.Your post was great,I can see you put alot of effort into it.
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