Luke 12:22-28

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-If you would, please turn in your Bibles to Luke 12.

And we’ve made our way down to Verse 22, this morning.

And, I don’t know if you remember...

…but our previous couple of sermons, here...

(covering Verses 13-21)

…had contained some pretty painful warnings...

…about the sins of...

Covetousness

Greed

Materialism.

(There was very little comfort to be found in them)

-Well, this morning’s verses...

are still connected thematically...

still issue some stern cautions...

…but this time, they also include...

…some comforting promises…

…that are meant to…

...motivate us into obedience .

In fact, I think their primary purpose...

…is to provide comfort for the Believer...

…and to increase his faith.

I’m grateful to have been given the privilege...

…of setting it before you.

-Let’s read it together...

…beginning in Verse 22:

These are the faithful Words of Christ:

Luke 12:22–28 (ESV)

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

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Pray

-Notice with me, in the beginning of Verse 22...

…that the audience...

…has changed once again.

At first, it had been...

Luke 12:13 (ESV)

13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”

To which Jesus had responded:

Luke 12:14 (ESV)

14 … “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?”

-Then (as far as I can tell)...

…Jesus, using the man’s greed...

…as an object lesson...

…turned to the crowds, and...

Luke 12:15 (ESV)

15 ...said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Then, to illustrate that warning to the crowd...

…he told them “The Parable of the Rich Fool” . . .

…who had placed his hope for the future...

…in the massive wealth that he had accumulated.

He (the rich fool) had concluded:

Luke 12:19 (ESV)

19 ...I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’

But, God’s assessment had been:

Luke 12:20 (ESV)

20 . . . ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’

And Jesus had left the crowd...

…with this applicable warning:

Luke 12:21 (ESV)

21 So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

-Jesus had said all of that...

…to the crowds...

Now, he turns and makes a further application...

… to a more particular audience:

Luke 12:22 (ESV)

22 And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you...

i.e., in light of all that...

…I give you (my followers)...

...this directive:

...do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.

“Don’t worry”

“Take no thought”

What does he mean by these things?

Food?

Clothing?

What’s the point?

The most basic and fundamental

…necessities of our physical lives!

These are our NEEDS!

Like Paul said, in:

1 Timothy 6:8 (ESV)

8 ...if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content.

But Jesus is saying here...

Luke 12:22 (NASB95)

22 ...I say to you, do not worry about your life . . . what you will eat; nor for your body . . . what you will put on.

Do these statements contradict?

Of course Not!

Never!

They’re getting at the exact same point:

Luke 12:23 (ESV)

23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

The Believer’s Bible Commentary says this:

One of the great dangers in the Christian life is that the acquisition of food and clothing becomes the first and foremost aim of our existence.

We become so occupied with earning money for these things that the work of the Lord is relegated to a secondary place.

The emphasis of the NT is that the cause of Christ should have first place in our lives. Food and clothing should be subordinate.

We should work hard for the supply of our current necessities, then trust God for the future as we plunge ourselves into His service.

This is the life of faith. — BBC

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That’s an important caveat at the end.

Let’s be clear about something...

…before we move forward at all:

This is NOT a call to laziness

This is NOT a call to reckless abandon

Jesus’ Apostle said clearly:

2 Thessalonians 3:6–15 (ESV)

6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness...

10 ...even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.

12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

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So, Jesus can’t be pointing his disciples...

…to a life of idleness and ease...

That’s not at all the point!

The point is simply...

…what Jesus said in His wilderness temptation:

Luke 4:4 (ESV)

4. . . ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ 

That same commentary goes on to say this:

There is something more important in life than what we eat and what we wear.

We are here as ambassadors of the King, and all considerations of personal comfort and appearance must be subordinated to the one glorious task of making Him known. — BBC

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That’ the Point!

-Now, that having been made clear...

Jesus points them to...

...some examples from the natural world...

…that illustrate and enforce...

…the assurance that He’s giving them.

First He says:

Luke 12:24 (ESV)

24 Consider the ravens...

Now, throughout these examples...

…he’s going to be making an argument...

…from the lesser to the greater.

In light of that...

…I think it’s particularly interesting...

…that he would use a RAVEN, in particular.

Why?

Well, as Philip Ryken notes:

Ravens are not terribly attractive birds.

They are like crows, only bigger—great, squawking creatures with wild, fierce eyes.

Under Old Testament law ravens were ceremonially unclean. Leviticus goes so far as to call ravens detestable (see Lev. 11:15). — Ryken

Plus… they’re scavengers!

Look at what Jesus goes on to say:

Luke 12:24 (ESV)

24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn...

Did you pick up on the connection...

...to the man in the parable?

The man..

Was rich

Worked hard

diligently stored up for the future

In contrast, the ravens...

Are not splendid nor majestic

Do not plan, calculate, strategize, and prepare

And Jesus says:

Luke 12:24 (ESV)

24 ...and yet God feeds them...

Does He mean that God miraculously...

...reigns down bread from heaven for them?

No

He could if He wanted

But that isn’t at all His point

His point is His Providence!

What is that?

Simply put, it is:

Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Providence)

God’s benevolent and wise superintendence of His creation.

You could put it LESS simply, and say:

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century (V. Divine Providence)

God the good Creator of all things, in His infinite power and wisdom, upholds, directs, arranges and governs all creatures and things, from the greatest to the least, by His perfectly wise and holy providence, to the purpose for which they were created.

Or, you could put it like this:

Psalm 145:15–17 (ESV)

15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.

16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.

Now, look at the rest of the verse:

Luke 12:24 (ESV)

24 Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!

I love what the JFB Commentary says, here:

The argument here is from the greater to the less; but how rich in detail!

The brute creation—void of reason—are incapable of sowing, reaping, and storing: yet your heavenly Father suffers them not helplessly to perish, but sustains them without any of those processes.

Will He see, then, His own children using all the means which reason dictates for procuring the things needful for the body—looking up to Himself at every step—and yet leave them to starve? — JFB Commentary

-Now, before we look at the next two verses...

Bear in mind the over-arching context:

It is Jesus, saying...

Luke 12:22 (ESV)

22 ...to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life...

Now, look at Verse 25

Luke 12:25 (ESV)

25 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?

(or, “by worrying about your life”)

What can we infer from this?

1.) Our lives are in God’s hands

2.) Our days are numbered according to...

His infinite goodness

His infinite wisdom

Job said, of men:

Job 14:1–5 (ESV)

5 ...his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,

Is worrying about it, going to...

…move those appointed limits?

Now, you may be thinking:

What about the Old Covenant promises, like...

Deuteronomy 5:33 (ESV)

33 You shall walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you, and that you may live long in the land that you shall possess.

Are these contradictory?

Of Course Not!

Let me give you 3 Considerations:

The language here is more corporate...

…than it is individual.

(it’s being spoken to the people, collectively)

2. The Old Covenant was a Covenant of WORKS:

Deuteronomy 30:19–20 (ESV)

19 ...I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,

20 loving the Lord your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the Lord swore to your fathers...

Again, not individualistic

3. The fact of Man’s Responsibility...

…doesn’t negate God’s Absolute Sovereignty!

Remember where we see that best:

Acts 2:23 (ESV)

23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

-Let me be clear...

…you will bear the consequence for your actions.

If you drink poison...

…you will die!

And yet, your...

Job 14:5 (ESV)

5 ...days are determined, and the number of (your) months is with (God), and (God) has appointed (your) limits that (you) cannot pass,

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Our responsibility is simply to...

…live for him and His glory...

Not to presume upon his kindness or forbearance...

Not to assume that He’ll give us our next breath...

And certainly not to...

…presume that we have sovereignty...

…over our own lives!

We are simply to live faithfully...

…and leave the outcome to HIM!

We’re not to be anxious, fret, or worry about it...

THAT won’t change a thing!

-That being said, Jesus says (in Verse 26)...

Luke 12:26 (ESV)

26 If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

Ryken says this:

All our worrying will not add even a single day to our lifespan. It will not help us one little bit.

In fact, far from adding anything, anxiety always subtracts.

Worry is a thief: it steals our time. Our thoughts turn to our troubles, and then rather than praying about them or doing the things God is calling us to do, we waste time worrying about them.

Worry steals our rest. We lie awake at night, anxious about tomorrow, and then we get up too tired to work hard, and this only adds to our anxiety.

Worry steals our health, as we suffer the physical effects of our anxiety.

Worry steals our obedience, as it tempts us to other sins like irritability, addiction, and laziness, or on the other hand, overwork.

Worry steals our hope, as we fear the worst about the future. All kinds of difficulties arise in our minds—most of which will never come to pass...

What a sad waste it all is!

Worry shrivels the soul . . . Few things are as discouraging to our spirit, or as destructive of our contentment, or as detrimental to our witness as the anxious worries of a troubled heart. — Ryken

Brethren, this has always been...

…a comfort to my anxious soul:

Acts 13:36 (ESV)

36 For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep...

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I can rest in that!

-Alright, look at Verse 27.

He goes back to...

…another example of Providence...

…seen in the natural world.

Luke 12:27 (ESV)

27 Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Now He’s illustrating the latter command:

To not be anxious about clothing and shelter

(e.g., safety and protection)

-This comparison would have resonated deeply.

King Solomon was (without exception)...

…the most physically resplendent king...

…to have ever occupied the throne of Israel.

Remember how the Queen of Sheba...

...had responded to his majesty:

2 Chronicles 9:3–4 (ESV)

3 And when the queen of Sheba had seen the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built,

4 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, and their clothing, his cupbearers, and their clothing, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.

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His majesty was breathtaking!

(Where did that come from, BTW?)

-So, Jesus is saying, here...

(And we can all relate to what He’s saying...

…if we’ve ever slowed down enough to look closely)

The natural wildflowers...

…that grow in the field...

…are adorned more resplendently by God...

…than even King Solomon!

And, He says all of that...

…to make this application:

Luke 12:28 (ESV)

28 But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven...

What is the vegetation…

…that grows naturally in a field?

What does it matter?

Of what consequence is its life?

Yet God lavishly supplies it with good things!

And again, arguing from the lesser to the greater...

…He says:

Luke 12:28 (ESV)

28 ...how much more will he clothe you...

You...

Who bear His sacred image

Who have souls that never die

Upon whom He has set His eternal, covenant love

For whom His Son would soon...

Suffer

Die

Be raised

Ascend into heaven

Begin to forever intercede!

Luke 12:28 (ESV)

28 ...how much more will he clothe you...

Do you see the force in that?

Paul said, in reference to spiritual and eternal provisions:

Romans 8:32 (ESV)

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

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Knowing that… what reason do we have...

...to worry and be anxious...

…about the needs of our temporal and physical lives?

What's the problem if we do?

A lack of faith!

That isn’t my diagnosis...

It’s HIS:

Luke 12:28 (ESV)

28 ...if God so clothes the grass . . . how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

Another long quote from Philip Ryken:

Worry is inversely proportional to our faith. To the extent that we worry, just to that extent we are not trusting in God, and therefore we are sinning against him...

When we worry, we deny God’s promise that he will give us whatever we truly need.

We deny his wisdom, not trusting that he fully appreciates the difficulties of our situation.

We deny his goodness, not believing that he has our best interests at heart.

We deny his sovereignty, not waiting for him to provide what we need in his own good time.

Our anxiety is a direct attack on the God-ness of God as it relates to the needs of our own daily lives.

This means that the remedy for all our fearful worries is more faith in our faithful God.

As soon as we start to feel anxious, we need to stop thinking about our troubles and start thinking about the character of our God—his wisdom, his goodness, his sovereignty, and all the promises he has made to us in Christ. — Ryken

It would be hard to...

…summarize our imperative...

…any more precisely than this:

Philippians 4:4–9 (ESV)

4 Rejoice in the Lord always...

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 ...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

9 ...practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Is that enough...

…to rid us of our earthly fears?

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Let’s ask for grace to do it.