Preoccupied Or Postured?

Some of you came here today PREOCCUPIED with some heavy stuff.

Some of you came here today PREOCCUPIED with some silly stuff.

Some of you came here today PREOCCUPIED with some fun stuff.

I don’t know what all of it is...but I know it exists…because I wrestle with it too. And I’ve discovered…

Preoccupation keeps you from transformation.

When we enter this space, we carry all the weights and worries of our life with us…and if we’re not careful, those things fill up all the space in our thoughts and minds

So we sit under the reading of God’s Word but none of it sinks in because we’re so PREOCCUPIED with the pain of a broken world

The result is that we…

We politely sit while the Word of God is read…

We patiently wait while “church” is going on all around us…

We pretend to nod along and be connected…

…but all along, we’re really thinking about what happened at work on Friday — or at a friend’s house last night — or in the car on the way here — or even on the tv show that left us on a cliffhanger

And then, as soon as there’s a lull — and it feel like “church” might be over — we turn to a friend… “LET ME TELL YOU HOW ________ WRONGED ME”

Or… even during “church”…

We’re going to be reading in Luke 12 about how Jesus told a parable about a rich man … BUT I’M PREOCCUPIED WITH SOMETHING ELSE, so I’m physically here but I’m mentally and emotionally far, far away

PREOCCUPATION is dangerous but there’s another choice you could make…

Posture prepares you for transformation.

Transformation depends less on your PROXIMITY to Jesus than it does on your POSTURE toward Jesus.

Being in this room can ensure your physical proximity to the Word of God and the People of God.

Being here ensures that you are physically in a space where you have access to the Truth of God’s Word

But just being here doesn’t guarantee anything.

Because your posture matters WAY more than your proximity.

PRAY

Hold the Bible/Phone in their hands — touch the one they’re sharing

Hold hands open in front

Pray that our preoccupations would melt away and that we would be POSTURED in a way that will receive what God is saying

CONTEXT:

One day — IN LUKE 11 — Jesus accepted an invitation to eat a meal at a Pharisee’s house. At this meal, Jesus addressed the Pharisee and his friends directly, saying things like:

You look clean on the outside but inside are full of GREED

You give God exactly 1/10 of your herbs but you neglect the LOVE of God

You love being in the most important places

One of them stood up and said — “IT FEELS LIKE YOU’RE INSULTING US!”

So, Jesus doubled down…

You give people heavy burdens and REFUSE to help

Your ancestors killed God’s prophets — and you APPROVE of them doing it

You have taken away the people’s ability to understand the TRUTH of God

The Pharisees didn’t like that very much and began to form a plan to catch Jesus in some kind of wrong answer..

While that was all going on, a crowd of THOUSANDS of people gathered and Jesus began to teach His disciples, saying things like:

Be on guard against the Pharisees — because they are HYPOCRITES

Don’t be afraid of people who can hurt you — instead gain a HOLY FEAR of God

Publicly acknowledge that you’re a follower of ME (Jesus)

When you get arrested for your faith…DON’T WORRY because the Holy Spirit will lead you

Right then, when Jesus was in the middle of this SUPER SERIOUS discussion on IMPORTANT SPIRITUAL MATTERS….someone in the crowd of THOUSANDS of people jumped up and yelled at Jesus…

P. 711

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

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

Clearly this man wasn’t paying great attention to what Jesus was talking about — BECAUSE he was preoccupied with his own personal matters.

Do you get the ridiculousness of this question??

Jesus was addressing the spiritual hypocrisy of people…saying one thing but then living in another way — and then a man jumps up in the crowd and yells — “Tell my brother to give me my money!”

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”

Notice… The man wasn’t asking Jesus to be an arbitrator between the 2 brothers… He just wanted Jesus to FIX IT for him — IN HIS FAVOR

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

15 Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; — Got it…we don’t want to be “greedy people” — life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” — Wait a minute… I have a LOT of possessions… How does Jesus define “greediness”?? 16 And he told them this parable: — a story with a deep Kingdom meaning — “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. — a bumper crop … more than ever before … more than needed … surplus — 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ — This rich man was preoccupied with his wealth // possessions — and with how to protect it, preserve it, and increase it —

He hadn’t yet figured out that —

The more things you own, the easier it is to be “owned by your things”

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.” ’

This man found his safety and security in what HE could provide.

But remember the prayer Jesus taught us to pray…

Luke 11:2–3 NIV

2 ”Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread.”

We DECLARE DEPENDENCE on God — NOT independence in our own safety and security

In Jesus’ story, God is going to remind the rich man of his mistake…

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ — to paraphrase… Our own safety and security ultimately fail us — 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

“Rich toward God” — It’s an odd phrase, isn’t it??

How do we become “rich toward God??”

Let me re-phrase some things in a way that might help us..

The richer you treat yourself, the poorer you treat God.

The more you live for yourself, the less you live for God.

True wealth isn’t determined by what you keep, but by what you invest in God’s Kingdom.

The problem isn’t wealth itself… Prosperity and success are NOT inherently sinful.

But the danger is when PERSONAL ENRICHMENT becomes the organizing principle of your life.

You cannot simultaneously make yourself the treasure and God the treasure.

And… JUST TO MAKE IT CLEAR… “Treasure” is a relative term.

To some of us…

“Treasures” are large, extravagant things

To others of us…

$5 is a treasure

A running vehicle is a treasure

A full home is a treasure

And just like that… It appears to be the end of the passage.

BUT…

WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT JESUS DIDN’T INSERT THE SECTION HEADINGS INTO THE BIBLE — AND SOMETIMES THEY CAUSE US TO MISS THE FULL TRUTH OF WHAT IS HAPPENING IN SCRIPTURE..

Sometimes they indicate a new location — or a new topic — or a new day … But a lot of the time, they distract from the continuation of Jesus’ teaching

So ignore the heading — “Do Not Worry” — and just keep reading as though Jesus DID NOT change subjects

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore — maybe you’ve heard before… When you read “therefore” in the Bible, you need to pause and ask, “What is it THERE FOR?” … In this case, it’s a connection to Jesus’ ongoing teaching on greed and treasure — I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.

What’s the connection to Jesus’ story about the rich man???

Jesus is showing a switch in perspective…

Worry convinces us that life consists primarily of what we consume and wear and eat and own and possess and contain in the “bigger barns” that we build

Worry fixates on our material possessions while forgetting about our ultimate purpose, which is to glorify God — or, you could say… TO BE RICH TOWARD GOD

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 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! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 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. — Solomon was an Old Testament king known for his riches…and Jesus made the point that even he didn’t possess the riches of what God provided for His creation — 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—you of little faith! 29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus gives a very clear picture…

The Father created the heavens and the earth — with everything in it, including people

Since the very first day of creation, people have had a choice…

1 — Pursue your own way (THE PAGANS in verse 30)

Be PREOCCUPIED with:

Bigger barns

More possessions

Personal safety and security

Treasure that you control

Those things DEFORM you AWAY from who God CREATED you to be

2 — Seek. God’s. Kingdom.

Be POSTURED with open hands:

God’s treasure…not mine

God’s provision…not mine

God’s protection…not mine

God’s will…not mine

Your POSTURE toward God’s Kingdom positions you to be TRANSFORMED into who God CREATED you to be

But… How in the world do you do that???

Luke 12:13–34 NIV

32 “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Remember the beginning…

I told you that — Preoccupation keeps you from transformation.

Well, I just heard Jesus say that what we consider treasures determine the state of our heart. And I think it’s safe to understand Him to say that if you’re not careful:

Your greatest treasure can become your greatest preoccupation.

This is the point in the message where you might think the Preacher is going to say, “So…give God your treasures…and by the way, the Offering Boxes are at the exits!”

But I’m not going to do that. I AM going to give you THREE NEXT STEPS though:

1 - Surrender your preoccupation.

Name what is occupying your heart. And give it to God.

The conflict

The diagnosis

The money

The relationship

The future

The worry

Stop pretending it isn’t there. And hand it to the Father to deal with.

2 - Practice generosity this week.

Jesus didn’t finish His story about the rich man by saying “Don’t be greedy.”

He turned it and said, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor.”

Not because God needs your money.

He says it because GENEROSITY BREAKS GREED.

So this week, give something away:

Money

Time

Possessions

A meal

Encouragement

Anything that loosens your grip and opens your POSTURE toward God

3 - Seek before you secure.

Every day this week — before you do anything — choose to seek God’s Kingdom first.

Choose one Kingdom priority before you choose any personal priorities:

Pray before checking your phone

Read Scripture before social media

Encourage someone before buying something

Serve someone before serving yourself

INVITATION: POSTURE yourself before God in surrender: baptism

CHALLENGE: POSTURE yourself before God in practice:

Surrender your preoccupation

Practice generosity

Seek God’s Kingdom FIRST

Because every day, your heart will move toward whatever you treasure most…

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What occupied your mind the most this past week? What does that reveal about your heart?

Consider a time when you were physically present during worship, Bible study, or prayer — but mentally you were somewhere else. What was competing for your attention?

Why do you think it’s so easy for to come to Jesus wanting Him to solve our problems instead of allowing Him to transform us?

Jesus said life does not consist in an abundance of possessions. What are some subtle ways our culture teaches the exact opposite?

When you feel anxious or uncertain, where do you instinctively look for security before you look to God?

How can prosperity become dangerous even when it is received as a blessing from God?

Jesus tell us to be “rich toward God.” What do you think that looks like in everyday life — not just financially, but with your time, relationships, and priorities?

How does practicing generosity reshape our hearts, even when the gift itself seems small?

Of the three suggested Next Steps, which one challenges you the most right now?

Surrender your preoccupation.

Practice generosity.

Seek before you secure.