28. Who is Jesus?
March 13th, 2010
Worry
As we read through the Gospel of Luke our goal is to learn who Jesus really is so that we can model our lives after Him. Jesus gives us instructions on how to live with His teaching and He shows us how to live with His life. The Bible is all about Jesus. Our lives are all about Jesus. Everything that exists is all about Jesus. The uniqueness of man is that we have the power to ignore that in this life. We have the ability to pursue things that are not Jesus. We can devote ourselves to ungodly and unimportant things. Jesus is not calling us to believe in Him He is calling us to follow Him.
We have seen that recently Jesus ministry has been full of conflict. He has fought against demons, religious leaders, false perceptions of His identity, and the problem of the fear of man. Now He is in for what could be His greatest opponent yet: our hearts. The battle between God and money is a battle for dominance in your life. You cannot follow both. Even in dealing with the issue of money, money is not the issue. We can only run toward one thing at a time. Wealth and the kingdom of God stand in opposite directions. Doesn’t mean you cant have money but when you pursue money you are not pursuing God. What Jesus wants is not our wallets but our hearts.
The decisions we make are affected by our perspective. How you see things changes what you do. Jesus teaching is meant to guide us from a worldly perspective to a kingdom mindset. Learning to see from His perspective enables us to follow His example. Jesus is not teaching us how to live a moral life. He is teaching us how to live like Him. Jesus speaks to where we are dealing with the real issues. He talks about fear and worry, these are two of the most common things we struggle with. You know what stress is? An internal response to fear or worry. Our anxiety is a bi-product of our fears.
Lk 12:22 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. Lk 12:23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Lk 12:24 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!
Money and worry are like a cute couple they like walking hand in hand. Money is a tool to meet our needs. If we don’t not focus on it, how will our needs be met? Jesus says don’t worry. Don’t be afraid. Some of us are not very good at that. Some people are so fearful and stressed they are at high risk for spontaneous human combustion.
Fear comes from not knowing and not being in control. Thinking you wont get what you want, thinking you will lose what you have. “What if I don’t get married, I get divorced, what if they don’t like me, what if..” Fear reveals our values, our longings, and our loves. The things we worry about and stress over say a lot about who we are.
In all of Scripture in the most common command is: do not be afraid. The simple truth of man is no matter when they live, where they are, or where they come from people are slaves to their fears. Fear dictates the decisions we make and things we do. We saw this a few weeks ago when we were looking at the fear of man issues and how when we let other people define us we are letting the fear of man overrule God. Fear is a powerful force that can motivate us towards good or evil. This is the whole purpose of the law. The law exists to control the behaviors of a society with fear. The reason we keep the law to avoid the consequences of breaking it. Ladies if you could kill with your glares, most of you would be murderers, some of you would be serial killers. Sometimes the difference between us and murders is not righteousness but cowardice.
Fear can be sin but not all fear is sin. You go off to war and are afraid, that is natural. You are pregnant and you have had a miscarriage that is natural fear. What makes fear sinful is not that you have it, but what you do with it. Often times we respond to fear by freaking out, going crazy, blowing up in the faces of the people of love us, and then crashing from exhaustion because you freak out until you just cant handle it anymore and you stop caring. That is sinful. Fear is not sin, it is an opportunity to turn to God and to learn to rely on Him. Fear will cause us to run toward or away from God. The direction you chose determines whether your fear sinful or beneficial.
When Jesus says not to worry this is not a call to laziness where you can sit at home all day and God will send you a Holy Spirit well-fare check at the end of each month. Jesus doesn’t say don’t be prepared just be a lazy bum, be irresponsible and then trust God. Jesus is not callings us to follow the AIG model and ask for the God financial bail-out plan.
When Jesus tells the parable of the rich fool the point is not don’t plan for the future, don’t get life, health, or car insurance because Jesus says do not worry. Jesus isn’t asking you to be stupid. Scripture tells us to be prepared. The point of the rich fool is that we live for more than the here and now. The world is consumed by its desire for wealth and prosperity. God’s people shouldn’t be. Plan for the future, be prepared, but don’t freak out. Do your best to be ready and leave the rest to God.
Jesus uses two examples to help teach us not to worry: The first is food. Jesus message is easy to relate to, some of you would like to be eating right now. My wife hates birds and she is terrified of them. So she is going to hate this point but we can learn a lot for birds. Birds don’t use barns. They don’t have savings accounts. They live each day dependent on the provision of God and somehow they get by. We should learn from these winged creatures creepy as they may be. God provides for the birds. Can you imagine a parent taking time to put food in the fish tank but letting their own children starve? It is almost sad that unclean animals are better able to rely on God than His own children. We need faith like birds. Fear enables us to grow in that faith.
Lk 12:25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ? Lk 12:26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Lk 12:27 “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. Lk 12:28 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! Lk 12:29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. Lk 12:30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. Lk 12:31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.
Worry is a like a rollercoaster, it gives you something to do but it doesn’t get you anywhere. It is a waste of time. Most of the things we worry about we have no power to change anyway so what is the point? Worry doesn’t add to life it takes away from it. Do people who worry more get further in life, no? They do go bald faster.
Worry is essentially atheism. God is good, He promises to provide for us above and beyond what we need out of His great love for us. Worry requires us to doubt the goodness and power of God. When we worry we are calling God a liar. We are saying that we do not trust that God will provide for us. What good is a relationship with God if you act just like the world? Pagans worry about food, clothes, appearances, and money. When we as Christians worry about these things we are saying that there is no God, there is no practical difference between a believer and a non-believer.
How can we show the world what a relationship with God looks like when we have the same values and priorities that they do? They pursue money, when we pursue money it makes us look like the world and not like Jesus. When our lives lose their distinctiveness from the world, we lose our ability to share Jesus. We are not spies hiding in the shadows, we are light that shines in the darkness. Christians cannot fit in to the world. We shouldn’t look like them, act like them, think like them, or share in their priorities. We should stand out by standing up and standing for the kingdom of God. When the world looks at us they should see the way we treat each other and the way we care for others, and they should be ashamed. They should be ashamed that we treat the people they love better than they do. When the church meets the needs of others we become a beacon for the kingdom of God.
Lk 12:32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Lk 12:33 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. Lk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Jesus says sell your possessions and give to the poor. Here is the problem: in Jesus day people’s wealth was in cloth and valuable metals. So they could sell what they had for its current market value. If you sold everything you had at a garage sale or on ebay your rate of return will likely be less than 20% of what you paid. So the practical conclusion for today is not go home and gut your house but don’t get hung up in stockpiling for the comforts of the future.
There is nothing wrong with a savings account. If you have kids, it is not wrong to put some money aside to pay for their schooling. It is not wrong to put some money aside so that you can retire before you die. Guys you have a responsibility to provide for your family: to supply them with their needs for food, clothing, transportation, and housing. Doing that requires we work for a living if we are able to. 1 Timothy says a man who does not provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever.
Proverbs 30:8-9 “give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the LORD?’ Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my God.”
Poverty is an issue that has been around for thousands of years. Are we going to eradicate it overnight by selling our possessions? Probably not. What we must realize when we are saving up money for the future is that there are people in need today. If you are a tightwad and you hold on to every penny in the name of saving for the future you are neglecting the work of Jesus. Our investment in eternity comes from focusing on the things that Jesus cares about and caring for people the way He did. Jesus tells us the way we invest in eternity is by caring for those in need, by loving the unlovely, feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, and sharing Jesus with people.
Back to fear. Jesus calls us little lambs. Lambs are defenseless and stupid. On their own they should be afraid. Everyone has fears. Most people let their fears run their lives. Too often we fail to do what Jesus calls us to do because we are afraid. We are afraid to invest. We are afraid to step up. We are afraid to be different from the world. Jesus invites us to stop being afraid. God is a Father and He loves His children. He cares for you no matter what happens in your life. When you read this text don’t read it like another rule you have to follow to be a Christian.
When I was a little boy with my dad, I was fearless because I knew my dad would protect me. If my dad was with me I knew I was safe. My dad was strong and I knew he loved me and would protect me. We are like little children getting tucked into bed at night and saying: “daddy, I’m scared. I’m scared of the unemployment monster. I’m scared of the loneliness under my bed, of what people say about me.” God tucks us in, smiles and says: “Don’t be afraid, I’m right here. You don’t need to fear because I love you.” Love cures fear. The almighty creator of the universe calls Himself our Father and treats us like His children. Life is not about fear it is about faith.
Worry is a lack of faith in Jesus and in the power of God. So stop worrying and trust that God is good and that He loves you. Your life may be hard but you know what gets you through? God loves you. You might live in poverty but what helps you endure? God loves you. The world can be scary but love overcomes fear. God loves you. He gave up His Son for you, to die on a cross so that you can have life. You don’t have to afraid because Jesus died for you and is preparing a place for you. Fear is conquered by love.
We can only run towards one thing, so run towards what really matters: the kingdom of God.
