Look at the Lillies!

Well, we want to begin our time in the Word this morning with a discussion question.

! It's not usually interactive at this point in the sermon, but we're going to try it a little bit for just a minute or two.

What are the things in life that we are most likely to worry about?

Health.

Money.

Dying. Yes.

War.

Family members.

Our neighbors.

There's lots of things, eh?

Where we could sort of ask a similar question that might bring up some others.

What are some things that have been causing you stress?

A wolf trying to eat you.

Yeah.

That could cause you stress for sure.

Well, today we're going to hear from Jesus very specifically about worry and anxiety.

Let's pick up the story from the Gospel of Luke.

We're in chapter 12.

And we are in verse 22.

Verse 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.

For life is more than food,

and the body more than clothes.

Consider the ravens.

Birds.

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.

Who of you, by worrying,

can add a single hour

to your life?

Since you cannot do this very little thing,

why do you worry about the rest?

It's good for us to take a moment

and remember how we got to this part in the story.

Earlier in this chapter,

we read about how

Jesus was teaching

on the subjects of hypocrisy

and greed.

First, he had an encounter

with the Pharisees,

and then he went on

to warn his disciples

about hypocrisy.

Then there was this man

who called out to Jesus,

asking Jesus to tell his brother

to divide the inheritance

with him.

And so Jesus began

to warn his disciples

about greed.

And he told them

this parable

of the rich

fool.

This guy

who got a bountiful harvest

and then replaced

his barns

with bigger ones

so that he had room

to store

all of his

surplus grain

and goods,

thinking to himself

that he was set for life

and could take it easy

and could now eat,

drink,

and be merry

for many years

ahead.

But then God tells him

that his time is up,

that he will not get

what he has prepared

for himself.

And we talked last Sunday

about how this man

was an example

of selfishness

and greed.

Well, it's here

that Jesus shifts

to talking about worry.

But this is all

kind of related.

Notice the word

therefore.

Then Jesus said

to his disciples,

therefore,

I tell you,

do not worry

about your life.

What was the rich fool

looking forward to

with his life?

He was looking forward

to eating,

drinking,

and being merry

with what he had

stored up for himself.

And now,

what is Jesus

telling his disciples

not to worry about?

Eating.

Verse 29.

Drinking.

Verse 33 and 34.

Storing up things

for ourselves

here on earth.

And so this teaching

about worry

really comes with

the warning

against greed.

The two are kind of

related.

And as Jesus

gets into this,

we notice,

I love it when he does this,

he gives us his main point

right out of the gate.

I tell you,

do not worry

about your life.

That's his main point

in this whole section.

Much of what follows

and he says after

answers the question

of why.

Why shouldn't I worry?

That's what the next

six verses are about.

But let's just zero in

on that main point

for a minute.

Do not worry

about your life.

First,

we notice how Jesus

sort of expands

on that.

Don't worry about

what you will eat.

Don't worry about

what you will wear.

Don't worry about

your body.

Jesus picks

two things in life

that are common

to us all

as examples.

Things that we're prone

to worry about.

Food

and clothing.

Things that we,

both of them,

we need to live.

And he says,

don't worry

about them.

Now he's not saying

don't even think

about what you will eat

or take no thought

as to how you dress.

We know that

because there's plenty

of other passages

in the Bible

which tell us

that we should take

some thought

to our eating

and our drinking

and even to how we dress.

God tells us elsewhere

that gluttony

and drunkenness

are sinful.

He tells us

that we should dress

modestly

and appropriately

to the occasion.

And so Jesus

is not telling us

to just go through life

giving no thought

or care

to these things

at all.

The word Jesus

uses here

for worry

means to be anxious

about something.

What he means is

don't be anxious

about your life,

what you will eat

or about your body,

what you will wear.

Don't be anxious

about the things

in life

that you need.

don't fret

or fear

or let your mind

just sort of race

in an anxious worry

about those things.

That's Jesus'

main point

here to

his followers

and to us.

Do not be anxious

about your life.

Jesus forbids

us

to fret

and be stressed

out over things.

And so I think

the first thing

that we need

to do here

is just stop

and get honest

with the Lord

and have a conversation

with him

and ask,

Lord,

have I been doing this?

have I been anxious

about things

in life?

And if so,

what are those things

that I've been worrying about?

What are those things

that I've not been

trusting you with?

Worry is kind of

a tricky sin.

It doesn't promise us

pleasure

or happiness

like other sins.

It works differently.

It dangles

before us

the promise

of safety,

security,

control,

peace,

maybe even success.

And it really operates

out of fear.

We incessantly

think about things

or plan about things

or imagine things

because

we're afraid

of meeting

the unknowns.

We're afraid

of being out of control

in a situation.

We're afraid

of being exposed

or we're just

dreading

what we know

is ahead.

and another tricky

thing about worry

is that we often

don't realize

that we're doing it

until we've started.

We don't usually

sit there and,

you know,

am I going to worry

about this or not?

Hmm.

No.

We often just

sort of find ourselves

doing it

and slipping in

and out of it

as we think thoughts

throughout the day.

Now,

don't hear me wrong.

I'm not saying

that we're not

responsible to God

for all of our thoughts.

We are.

Wrong things

that we do

unintentionally

are still wrong

even if they become

automatic

or habitual.

And that brings us

to another tricky

thing about worry.

Worry is a thing

of the mind.

It's a thing

of the heart.

It can lead us

to take physical

actions

or make decisions.

But at its core,

being anxious

about things in life

is a sin

of the heart.

Let's just

peek ahead

to verse 29

where Jesus

restates

the main point

using

these words.

He says,

and do not

set your heart

on what you

will eat

or drink.

Do not

worry about it.

Do not

set your heart

on it.

Quite literally,

don't seek

after

or devote

yourself

to what

to eat

or what

to drink.

And so,

we notice here

that worry

isn't just

something that

happens to us.

Something that

we have no

control over.

it might

seem like

that

because it's

become such

a habit.

But according

to Jesus,

being anxious

about things

in life

is something

that we

do.

It's not

just something

that happens

to us.

And it is

something with

God's help

that we can

choose not

to do.

If we were

completely helpless

as followers

of Jesus

to stop

ourselves

from worrying

about things,

if it was

something we

truly had

no control

over,

would Jesus

tell us

to stop

worrying

about our

lives?

The truth

is we

can,

by faith,

with God's

help,

we can

take control

of our

thoughts

and refuse

to be

anxious.

and how

to do

that is

what the

rest of

this passage

is about.

It's what

Jesus is

about to

tell us.

So let's

just keep

listening to

Jesus.

We've heard

the main

point,

don't be

anxious

about your

life.

Now let's

hear some

of the

reasoning

that goes

with it.

Verse 23,

Jesus says,

for life

is more

than food

and the

body

more

than clothes.

The lie

that we're

tempted to

believe

is that

life is

mainly

about food

and drink

and clothing

and getting

the things,

having the

good stuff.

That's what

it means

to really

live.

Think back

to that rich

fool for a

second.

what was

his great

ambition?

To eat,

to drink,

to take it

easy and to

be merry,

to just

sort of

live to

please himself

with food

and drink.

Life is

about pleasure.

It's about

entertaining

and pleasing

myself.

That's the

lie.

And Jesus

gives us

some truth

to just

bust the

power of

that lie.

He says,

life is

more than

food.

Your body

and what

God gave

it to you

for

matters

more than

the coverings

that you

put on

it.

In other

words,

there's some

misplaced

priorities

going on

here.

It's not

that we

don't need

food

or clothing.

it's

that we

place too

much value

and importance

in those

things.

We give

too much

of our

heart

towards those

things.

In reality,

food is

just the

fuel

for the

life.

I think

the analogy

of a car

is kind of

helpful here.

where you're

driving to

matters

far more

than what

grade of

fuel you

put in

the tank.

And

sometimes we

get so

fixated on

whether the

fuel that

we're putting

in is

premium.

Can you

imagine

sitting down

and planning

an entire

road trip

for you

and your

family

around where

you can get

the best

snacks

and gas?

rather than

who you're

going to

visit

along the

way

and what

you're

going to

do in

those

places

and when

you arrive

who you're

going to

be with

and what

you're

going to

do.

And yet

that's what

we're doing

when we

put an

inordinate

amount of

our heart's

attention

into eating

and drinking

and clothing

and transportation

and what

kind of

tools or

tech I

have.

And the

list can

go on.

Jesus

says life

is more

than that.

The body

matters more

than the

clothes that

cover it.

And so

since that's

true the

question that

we kind

of moves

us to

words is

well then

what is

life really

about?

Why am I

really here

on this

earth?

Jesus is

going to

answer that

question more

as we go

on.

But for

now let's

just reflect

on this

for a

moment.

Are my

priorities

straight

in life?

Am I

valuing

above all

the right

things?

Reason

number two

not to be

anxious.

Verse 24

Jesus says

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.

Another lie

that we're

tempted to

believe is

that if we

don't put a

lot of our

time and

attention into

getting all

the things

that we

think we

need

then we'll

go without.

We will

starve.

We'll be

uncomfortable.

We'll be

miserable.

We'll suffer

scarcity and

maybe we'll

die.

And so

there's really

two kinds of

anxiety about

food and

clothing.

We can be

anxious over

having the

good stuff.

That's one

kind.

or we can

be anxious

about facing

scarcity and

we can worry

about not

having enough

of those

things.

Maybe you've

been struggling

to find work

or your job

pays low

or your

spending has

been sort

of, we'll

say,

undisciplined

and the

debts are

piling up

so we can

be worried

about how

to pay the

next bills.

will there

be enough

left over

for the

things that

we need,

the groceries?

And we

could easily

lose sleep

over that.

And that

can gnaw

at us.

Well,

Jesus gives

us another

truth to

bust this

lie.

He says,

consider the

ravens.

Look at the

birds.

they don't

sow or

plant in

the fields.

They don't

take off a

harvest from

the work

they've done.

They don't

store up all

they can into

barns and

storehouses to

prepare for

the future.

What do the

ravens do?

It's sort of

implied they

just go out

and find what

God has put

out for them

each day.

Jesus says,

God feeds

them.

And I

love how

personal that

is.

Like, they

don't get what

they need by

chance.

God feeds

them.

He himself is

orchestrating and

governing even

the natural

world deliberately

to ensure that

ravens have

their sustenance.

birds.

He wants

there to be

birds on the

earth.

He values

them.

And so he

looks after

them and

provides what

they need to

flourish on

this planet.

And Jesus

says, if God

is so tuned

into the

needs of the

birds,

is he not

tuned into

your needs?

Don't you

know that to

God you are

so much more

valuable than

birds?

I mean,

birds are

like feathered

flying rodents.

Who cares

about them?

Jesus says,

God cares

about them.

And if he

cares so well

for them,

is he going

to let you

starve?

starve?

You are

precious to

God.

You are

made in

his own

image.

And so

don't be

anxious about

not having

enough or

about going

without.

You can

count on

God to

provide what

you need

because you

are valuable

and precious

to him.

and so

stop worrying

about those

things and

trust him.

A third

reason not

to be

anxious comes

in the form

of the

question,

the next

verse.

Who of

you by

worrying can

add a

single hour

to your

life?

Another

lie that we

believe is

that worrying

is somehow

beneficial.

we tell

ourselves that

if we keep

thinking about

it over

and over

and over,

keep going

over that

conversation

again and

again or

that decision

that we

made again

and again

rehearsing

what we'll

do or

say if

this person

says this

or does

that.

We tell

ourselves

the more

we go

over it,

the more

it will

help us.

The better

prepared we'll

be.

It'll save

me time

having to

figure out

what to

do or

say.

But this

just isn't

true.

Jesus busts

this lie

too.

Who of

you by

worrying can

add a

single hour

to your

life?

And the

answer of

course is

none of

you can.

And his

point here,

anxiously

worrying about

things

accomplishes

nothing

for you.

It doesn't

even give

you one

extra hour

of life.

In fact,

Jesus didn't

say this,

but it

actually takes

hours off

your life.

It's a

waste of

our mental

and emotional

energy and

of the time

that we

spend worrying

that we

could be

thinking about

other things.

of course

we know

it worsens

the health

of our

physical

bodies

too.

And that

consistently

doing it

can lead

to misery

and depression.

Some of you

maybe know

a person

who has

put

themselves

in the

hospital

because

of

stress.

stress.

Now there

are various

factors for

stress,

but much

of stress

is about

what we

do in

our hearts

and in

our minds

with the

challenges

that come

our way.

And do we

bring our

troubles to

God

in prayer?

Are we

trusting him

to look

after us

and to

lead us

through

those

difficulties?

these?

Or are we

attempting to

carry all

of our

troubles

on our

own

back

and come

up with

our own

solutions

for the

things that

only

God

can remedy?

Solutions

that don't

even work

or do

more damage.

Worrying

about things

does nothing

good for us.

And Jesus

follows this

up with a

question in

verse 26.

Since you

cannot do

this very

little thing

of adding

even one

hour to

your life,

why do

you worry

about the

rest?

I love

that.

It's a

little thing

for God

to add

an hour

to your

life.

For us,

not so

much.

Our

influence

over how

long we

live is

limited.

Ultimately,

how long

we live

is in

God's

hands.

And Jesus

says,

since we

can't by

being anxious

at even

one hour

to our

lives,

why worry

about the

rest of

our lives?

The whole

thing is

in God's

hands.

And not

so much

in our

own as

we sometimes

think.

To

reinforce

all this,

Jesus

gives

another

object

lesson.

This

time he

shifts

to

clothing.

Verse

27.

Consider

how the

wild

flowers

grow.

They

do not

labor

or spin.

Yet I

tell you,

not even

Solomon in

all his

splendor was

dressed like

one of

these.

If that's

how God

clothes the

grass of

the field,

which is

here today

and tomorrow

was thrown

into the

fire,

how much

more will

he clothe

you.

You

have

little

faith.

I was

sitting in

my backyard

on Monday

morning as

I was

reading this

for the

first time

this week

and I

looked up

right after

I read

this and

I saw

this

right beside

me.

And it

doesn't look

quite as

good as

it did

when I

looked at

it.

It was

brighter.

And then

I started

looking around

the yard

and I

said,

wow,

all the

different

kinds of

flower,

such

variety,

such

beauty,

so many

colors,

all arranged

differently

on their

plant.

Amazing

and beautiful.

Then I

got to

thinking I

should

Google

around on

this a

little bit

and see

what else

I can

dig up.

Apparently

there are

over

350,000

known

species

of

flowering

plants

on

earth.

To put

that into

perspective,

according to

one source,

it means

that for

every

species

of animal

with a

backbone

on this

planet,

there are

roughly

10

species

of

flowering

plant.

Who

knew

that within

the

rose

family

alone

there

are

almost

5,000

different

species?

Within

the

orchid

family,

there are

around

28,000

different

species.

32,000

different

species

of

daisy

or

sunflower.

Unbelievable

variety

and diversity.

And Jesus

says basically

God put

his creativity,

his attention

and his

effort into

clothing

all these

different

kinds of

plants so

beautifully

and they're

just

grass.

They're

just

plants.

Would

he do

all that

to dress

up the

relatively

worthless

grasses

and plants

of the

earth but

let you

go naked

and freezing?

Even

the richest

man to

ever live,

Jesus says,

King Solomon's

clothes

didn't

compare

to what

God has

done for

the grass

of the

field.

How much

more will

he clothe

you?

How much

more will

he give

you what

you need?

So don't

be worried.

Don't be

anxious.

Don't worry

about your

life, not

even the

things you

need the

most.

Don't set

your heart

on what

you will

eat or

drink.

Do not

worry about

it.

If you

think God

doesn't really

care about

you or

see you

such that

you need to

look after

yourself,

it's not

true.

He does

care.

He does

see you.

If he

cares so

much about

grass and

plants and

flowers and

birds, you

better believe

he cares

about you.

So don't

be anxious

about your

life.

And Jesus

just keeps

going.

Another

couple

reasons.

Verse 30,

for the

pagan world

runs after

all such

things.

And your

father knows

that you

need them.

Two more

reasons.

Anxiously

worrying about

all the

less important

things in

life is

what those

who don't

know God

do.

Think about

that.

But knowing

God,

being in a

restored

relationship

with the

Lord,

takes away

all the

reasons we

have to

worry.

He

assures

us of

His

love

and His

care for

us.

And He

lifts our

eyes to

the greater

things in

life, to

what life's

really about.

And Jesus

reminds us

on top of

all that,

your father

knows that

you need

them.

don't worry,

He knows

what you

need.

And I

love what

Jesus calls

God here,

your father.

Jesus

reminds His

disciples that

we are all

children of

God, those

who believe

in Him.

And God is

like a

father to

us.

Let me

ask you

this, do

you notice

when your

child needs

a haircut,

or has a

scrape on

the knee,

or when

they have a

bruise, or

when they're

overtired and

need sleep.

Yeah, we

notice all of

those things.

We make the

decisions for

our kids to

try to meet

those needs and

do what's best

for them, and

sometimes they

don't agree with

those decisions,

and we say,

well, just

trust me.

God is our

father.

He knows

our needs,

just like we

know the

needs of our

kids.

He knows we

need food.

He knows we

need clothing.

He knows

the one kid

in the family

needs new

shoes.

He knows we

need a way

to get to

work.

He even

knows that

sometimes we

need to go

without good

things for a

time so that

we grow in

our faith.

My eight-year-old

may think he

needs a cell

phone or a

pound of

candy every

day, but I

know that he

will be happier

and healthier

without both

of those

things.

Do you

trust your

father to

provide what

you need?

Finally, we

come to the

big thing

here at the

end.

In this

whole passage,

we've heard a

very strong

do not from

Jesus.

Do not be

anxious about

your life.

But now he

gives us a

do.

I'm going to

call it the

second half of

his main

point.

Verse 31.

seek God's

kingdom.

But seek

his kingdom

and these

things will be

given to you

as well.

Seek God's

kingdom.

Here's that

answer to the

question we heard

before, what life

is really about.

It's about our

relationship with

God and how he

has made his

son Jesus to be

king over all.

people.

And it's about

how God has

graciously invited

us to be

citizens in his

kingdom.

And we do

that, of course,

starting now by

embracing his

son, the one

that, the king

that he has

sent, Jesus.

And of course, we

are looking forward

to the end, to

the culmination

when Jesus

returns to fully

establish God's

rule and reign

over everything.

It's difficult

to explain in

just a brief

moment what the

kingdom of God

is because

there's just so

much to it.

The Bible is

full of God

telling us about

it.

Much of Jesus

teaching and his

parables were

about it.

It's the great

thing for which

we were made.

Relationship with

God forever in

his coming

kingdom.

Just like we

say in the

Lord's prayer,

your kingdom

come on earth

as it is in

heaven.

So don't be

anxious about

your life.

Don't anxiously

strive after the

things of earth,

but seek, strive

after the kingdom

of God.

That's what you

should set your

heart on, says

Jesus.

That's to be

your great

priority in

life.

And of course

there's this

wonderful promise

that goes with

it.

Do that.

Seek his

kingdom and

these things

will be given

to you as

well.

The things,

the food,

the clothing.

Isn't that a

wonderful promise?

If we seek his

kingdom, God's

promise is that

he'll take care of

the rest.

the food, the

clothing, the

place to live,

the vehicle,

whatever.

Are you

seeking God's

kingdom?

Is that your

main priority?

we don't need to

worry.

We don't need to

be anxious that

we'll lack

anything if we're

seeking his

kingdom.

Because the one

who feeds the

birds and has

clothed the

flowers has

promised to

feed and

clothe us.

We are

precious to

him.

He loves us.

And so

don't be

anxious about

all the things.

Tell God about

those things.

Ask for him

to provide,

for him to

help,

and trust.

Be worry

free.

Stress

free.

We're going

to turn our

attention now to

the Lord's

table.

Each month

we eat

bread and

we drink a

cup in

remembrance of

Jesus.

And it's

not just a

tradition,

but it's

something Jesus

commanded us

to do.

The bread

represents

Jesus'

body.

The cup

represents

Jesus'

blood.

And how he

gave up

both when

he died at

the cross

for us.

To make

atonement for

our sins.

God

not

everyone

partakes

of this

table,

but only

those who

have

repented

and put

their faith

in Jesus.

As we

remember

Jesus'

death this

morning,

let's

consider a

few things

related to

what we

have just

been talking

about.

First,

there's some

good news.

For every

time that we

have committed

the sin of

anxiously

worrying,

Christ Jesus

died so

that we

could be

forgiven of

that.

We don't

have to live

with the

guilt of

all the

times that

we failed

to trust

God in

the past.

And for

every moment

and decision

that we've

made to

seek after

the things

of earth,

whether

motivated by

greed or

by fear

of not

having enough,

Jesus bled

and died to

atone for

that too.

all God

asks is that

we acknowledge

those sins

to him,

confess

them,

ask for

his

forgiveness,

and it's

ours.

Jesus

took the

punishment we

deserve for

all of that.

And it's

good news.

Second,

what God

did for us

at the cross

is yet

another

reminder of

why we

don't need

to worry.

I love

these words

of the

Apostle Paul

in Romans

Romans 8:32

8,

verse 32.

He,

that's God,

who did

not spare

his own

son,

but gave

him up

for us

all,

how will

he not

also along

with him

graciously

give us

all things?

God has

already

provided for