Warning Against Anxieties. Trust in God s Providence. Luke 12:22-34

Transcription

1 1 Warning Against Anxieties Trust in God s Providence Luke 12:22-34

2 2 Text: Luke 12:22-34, Warning Against Anxieties Trust In God s Providence 22. And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24. Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25. And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26. If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27. Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29. And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31. But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

3 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. 34. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Commentary: Luke 12:22, 23, And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. I. Jesus said, Be not anxious for your life; that is, what you will eat. II. Jesus also said, Be not anxious for your body; that is, what you will wear. III. God, who cares for the grass of the fields and the birds of the heavens, will certainly take care of us. IV. Why should we not be anxious for our lives and bodies? A. Our lives consist of far more important aspects than mundane food and clothes. B. God will provide our necessities. We are to trust in him. Note: Much of what is said in this paragraph is also found in the Sermon on the Mount. Salient points in the teachings of Christ were presented on more than one occasion. V. Jesus further stated that we should observe that ravens don t sow seed to produce a food crop for their future needs.

4 4 A. They don t worry about harvesting crops and have no stores and barns. B. However, God feeds them. VI. Humans are of more value than ravens. A. God will surely, therefore, care for us. B. There is no point in our being anxious about what we will eat. Note: This is essentially the same teaching Jesus presented in Luke 12:6, Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? Luke 12:25, 26, And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? I. Furthermore, it does no good to be anxious about matters over which we have no control. A. Anxiety will not add to a person s height nor the length of life. B. If we are not able to influence even small things such as height and length of life there certainly is no need to worry, be anxious about big things. II. We are to trust God to provide all our needs. Luke 12:27, 28, Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

5 5 I. We are also told to consider the lilies, how they grow without toiling and spinning. A. Yet lilies, without all the fretfulness characteristics of humanity, are more wondrously arrayed than Solomon in all his glory. B. Question: If God so clothes the grass (all kinds of herbs and flowers) of the field which has such a short lifespan and soon is cast into the fire, will he not much more clothe us? C. Worry and anxiety are totally futile, non-productive. II. The reason for our worry, anxiety and fretfulness is a lack of faith, little faith! Luke 12:29, 30, And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your father knoweth that ye have need of these things. I. We must not make food and drink the most important things in our lives. A. We are not to be of doubtful minds about what is most important in life. B. The nations of the world are anxious and troubled over food, drink, length of life, physical attractiveness, money, houses and lands. C. Disciples of Christ are not to be anxious about and center our lives on these things.

6 6 D. God knows what we need. We are not to worry about these things. II. Jesus is not teaching that we are to be lazy, trifling and unconcerned about our needs and our families needs. A. God helps those who help themselves. We are to fulfill our obligations Thessalonians 3:10, For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat Timothy 5:8, But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. B. We are not to worry, be anxious about earthly matters. C. Our priorities are to be right. Luke 12:31, But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. I. The prime goal of Christ s disciples is to seek the kingdom of God! This is the point Jesus is strongly making in his discourse. A. If we put first things first, the mundane things of this life God will provide. B. Trust in God is essential! Worry and anxiety are counter productive. They drain away energy and effort that could otherwise be constructively applied to actualize the kingdom of heaven.

7 7 Luke 12:32, Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. I. The apostles, little flock, were not to worry about the reality of the coming kingdom. A. The kingdom was indeed surely coming. B. The apostles would receive the kingdom in due time. II. The Pharisees, chief priests and lawyers were doing all they could to destroy Jesus and his work. A. Jesus assured the apostles here that their enemies would fail in these efforts. B. We are to seek first the kingdom of God. Those who seek the kingdom will be given it by the Father. Luke 12:33, 34, Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. I. Jesus taught: A. Sell what you have. B. Give alms. C. Make yourselves purses that do not wear out, wax old. II. Exchange all that you have for a heavenly treasure that faileth not, where no thief is present, where moths do not destroy.

8 8 III. Be sure that our total effort, the center of our lives, is to achieve heaven. A. We must be willing to pay any price to secure heaven! B. Where our treasure is our hearts will be found. C. Heaven cannot be purchased. Everything is to be sacrificed to achieve it. Heaven must be all important to us if we are to acquire it. D. These verses, as John Wesley taught, instruct us to be free from all worldly entanglements. Heaven must be the center of our lives!

9 9 Trust in God s Providence Questions 1. Take no for your, what you shall ; neither for the, what you shall. 2. The is more than, and the is more than. 3. Which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 4. How much is a cubit? 5. If we are not able by worry to do a little thing, why do we worry about bigger things? 6. in all his was not arrayed like. 7. If so clothes the which is in the, and tomorrow is cast into the ; how much more will he you, O you of.

10 Our knows we need something to and. What good, then, is accomplished by worry and anxiety? 9. What is the antidote for worry? 10. Instead of worrying we should seek the of, and all these will be to you. Where your is, there will your be also.