Live Free Today (Luke 12:22-34)

Live Free Today (12:22-34)

(Temple 01/13/2019) Our passage today begins in , verse 22. In this chapter 12, Jesus has warned His followers of religious hypocrisy, of fear of the world more than fear of God, of blasphemy, trusting self more than God, creating a false image of Him, and loving material things more than God.

He develops that topic of loving material things more than God by addressing two sins that associate with materialism—worry and greed. Warren Wiersbe said that many people are crucified between two thieves—regrets of the past and worry about the future. According to this passage we might say that many people are crucified between the two thieves of worry and greed. Both rob us. Worry robs us of today. Greed robs us of eternal treasures.

The Lord Jesus Christ suffered, died, and rose again so that we might be free from such thieves that rob us of the abundant life in Him. By trusting Him with our tomorrows, we can be free from worry. By trusting Him with treasures in eternity, we can be free from greed.

The point of this message is for believers to live free today. With such freedom in mind, let us examine the teaching of our Lord beginning at verse 22 of .

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. 23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24Consider 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? 25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27Consider 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. 28If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. 33Sell 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. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus taught in the ninth chapter of Luke what is of major importance and what is of minor importance. We can easily find ourselves majoring on the minors and minoring on the majors.

Because pride makes us so resistant to hearing and obeying the Word of God, Jesus teaches this same principle again.

Live Free of Worry (12:22-32)

Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.

—Vance Havner[1]

Worry goes beyond concern. Concern is a part of care about God, others, and ourselves. We cannot love without having concern when something is wrong or an issue needs addressing. Worry goes beyond concern to an unhealthy anxiety such as Jesus’ example of obsession with food and clothing for tomorrow.

WebMD notes:

Chronic worrying can affect your daily life so much that it may interfere with your appetite, lifestyle habits, relationships, sleep, and job performance. Many people who worry excessively are so anxiety-ridden that they seek relief in harmful lifestyle habits such as overeating, cigarette smoking, or using alcohol and drugs.

Chronic worry and emotional stress can trigger a host of health problems. The problem occurs when fight or flight is triggered daily by excessive worrying and anxiety. The fight or flight response causes the body’s sympathetic nervous system to release stress hormones such as cortisol. These hormones can boost blood sugar levels and triglycerides (blood fats) that can be used by the body for fuel. The hormones also cause physical reactions such as:

Difficulty swallowing

Dizziness

Dry mouth

Fast heartbeat

Fatigue

Headaches

Inability to concentrate

Irritability

Muscle aches

Muscle tension

Nausea

Nervous energy

Rapid breathing

Shortness of breath

Sweating

Trembling and twitching

When the excessive fuel in the blood isn’t used for physical activities, the chronic anxiety and outpouring of stress hormones can have serious physical consequences, including:

Suppression of the immune system

Digestive disorders

Muscle tension

Short-term memory loss

Premature coronary artery disease

Heart attack

If excessive worrying and high anxiety go untreated, they can lead to depression and even suicidal thoughts.[2]

Worry is an issue that only accomplishes anxiety and harm to us. Therefore, we should resist the temptation to worry.

All the water in the world

However hard it tried,

Could never, never sink a ship

Unless it got inside.

All the hardships of this world,

Might wear you pretty thin,

But they won’t hurt you, one least bit

Unless you let them in.[3]

Worry is sin. Worry is a sin that demonstrates a lack of trust in God. Worry causes us to think our problems are too big for God, or God doesn’t care what we are going through, or our God-given life is hopeless. We fret that things are out of control and there is no remedy. We think that our life is so messed up that even God cannot fix it. All these thoughts create a false image of the true God.

What were you worrying about this time last year? How did your worrying fix the problem?

Worry is sin because it discourages faith. Look at verse 28. “O ye of little faith!” Faith is the victory that overcomes the world, including the world of worry.

Worry is sin because the Bible commands against it. Jesus tells us plainly in this passage to not worry. Verse 29: Don’t be of a doubtful mind. Many of these verses are similar to verses in the Sermon on the Mount. In that Sermon, He concluded in Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. We have enough problems for the day without piling on tomorrow’s problems, either real or imagined, on top of them. Corrie Ten Boom said, “Worry is an old man with bended head, carrying a load of feathers which he thinks are lead.”[4]

I was intrigued to find that the WebMD article, which is peer reviewed by medical professionals, said, “Although excessive worrying and high anxiety can cause an imbalance in your body, there are many options you have that can re-establish harmony of mind, body, and spirit (italics mine).” The Bible addresses the health of mind, body, and spirit. Like most other sins, we must address worry physically, mentally, and spiritually to overcome it.

How do we overcome the sin of worry? Some physical options to relieve worry are daily exercise, eating healthy foods, avoiding alcohol and other mind-impairing drugs. and drinking caffeine in moderation. Some mental remedies include being conscious of your worry and learning to relax.

The spiritual remedies (and the strongest) include prayer and meditation on the Word of God. When we are tempted to worry, take it straight to God in prayer. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Trust God to be with you through your difficulty. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Trust His strength and care to hold you up.

1 Peter 5:7 AV

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

. Dwell on God’s promises and His Word for strength and victory against worry. Other spiritual remedies include having a strong social network of other Christians and attending church regularly. Every believer must overcome worries from time to time, and our testimonies of victory help others. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Dwell on God’s promises and His Word for strength and victory against worry. Other spiritual remedies include having a strong social network of other Christians and attending church regularly. Every believer must overcome worries from time to time, and our testimonies of victory help others. Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

If the physical, mental, and spiritual remedies above don’t relieve you of worry, talk to your medical doctor or a Christian counselor. Worry might be a symptom of another issue.

Live Free of Greed (12:33-34)

The other issue Jesus addressed is greed. 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. 34For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Greed is “an excessive appetite for further goods or food, often linked with selfishness and gluttony.”[5] It is a sin that focuses on self and desires instead of God and His good pleasure. Worry can cause greed. A person obsessing about not having enough for tomorrow can replace worry with greed.

A classic biblical example of greed is Achan in the book of Joshua. And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. His greed cost him everything. He that is greedy of gain troubleth his own house; but he that hateth gifts shall live.

God’s Word especially warns pastors against greed. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous. We all know religious leaders who are more profiteer than prophet, more interested in money than in ministry, more focused on filthy lucre than the faith life. I’m still expecting a book about how the super blood wolf moon this month fits in with end times.

To live for today is like sitting in a rocking chair. You have something to do, but you’re not going anywhere. Material greed focuses on the here and now.

Yes, a person goes about like a mere shadow.

Indeed, they rush around in vain,

gathering possessions

without knowing who will get them.[6]

How do we conquer greed? One obvious remedy is what Jesus prescribed in verse 33: Give! This bigger the problem of greed, the more we ought to give away. Likewise, the more we give, the less the problem of greed. For treasures in heaven our giving should be to the support of Christ’s Church and to help others in need.

It is true that if we give up worry and greed, we won’t be the same. That’s the point. God wants to change us to be more like Him—to think like Him, to act like Him by trusting in Him and His ways. shows us that God resolutely finishes in the believer what He starts. The cure to worry and greed is to seek the kingdom of God first (12:31, 33-34). Contentment by faith in God conquers worry and greed.

1 Timothy 6:6–8 AV

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. Do we see how much better we would be if we conquered worry and greed?

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. Do we see how much better we would be if we conquered worry and greed?

We rob ourselves of peace and joy today by worrying about tomorrow. We rob ourselves of health and contentment.

We rob ourselves of peace and joy tomorrow by living for self today. We rob ourselves of eternal treasures and blessings. Live free today of worry and greed. Forget tomorrow’s problems. Focus on tomorrow’s rewards.

The invitation today is to let faith in Jesus Christ conquer your worry and greed. If you know Him as Lord and Savior, trust His power in you to deliver you from the bondage of worry and greed. Trust the Lord to provide you needs and trust Him with the blessings He gives. Use His blessings to be a blessing to others.

The invitation today is also to trust Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. He alone can deliver you from the penalty of sin, hell. He then delivers from the power of sin, such as worry and greed. He will deliver from presence of sin in eternity. Jesus saves. You cannot save yourself. The Bible calls for sinners to come to Jesus in repentance and trust in Him. As the Holy Spirit is speaking to your heart, would you come and let me show you from God’s Word how you can have God’s salvation?

[1] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1647.

[2] “How Worrying Affects the Body.” WebMd.com. read:https://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/how-worrying-affects-your-body. Accessed 01/12/2019.

[3] Paul Lee Tan, Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc., 1996), 1642.

[4] David Jeremiah, Facing the Giants in Your Life: Study Guide (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001), 38.

[5] Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).

[6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), .